Remember Kickstarter? For a while, it was all the rage - I think I was backing several Kickstarter projects each year, nearly all of which met their funding goal and came to fruition. In fact, that's how I discovered one of my favorite Chicago breweries, Begyle - I was a Kickstarter backer!
It's been a while since I've backed a project in the fiber arts world, but Stashley recently came across my radar and they have quite a ways to go to meet their funding goal by September 6. I know first-hand just how hard it is to get a Kickstarter funded (my band did one several years ago and I swear I've never worked so hard to raise money - it was nuts!), so I thought I would help spread the word by writing a quick little blog post. Plus, I would genuinely love to use this service to reduce the crazy amount of stash that's currently taking over my craft room/office - so sharing this project isn't entirely altruistic!
You might be wondering why I don't just try to sell my unwanted yarn on Ravelry or even Etsy or eBay - been there, done that, never had much luck. While I do have some stash listed for sale on Ravelry, it's not doing much to reduce the amount of yarn overtaking my life - maaaaybe I get a random inquiry every 6-8 months, if I'm lucky. Etsy and eBay really aren't ideal venues since there are tons of other things being sold on there, plus you have to compete with yarn shops and indie dyers selling new yarn.
A few years ago, there was another yarn-specific platform for destashing yarn, but it never got traction. I can't even remember the name, but I think it was made by the same people who do KnitCrate (if you remember this site, please feel free to comment below with the name, it's driving me crazy that I can't remember!!). Anyway, I entered about 20-30 skeins of yarn for sale, sold maybe 2 or 3, and then forgot it existed.
Aside from getting very little return on the amount of time I've sunk into trying to destash via these platforms, the issues of payment and shipping once a sale is actually agreed-upon presents another set of hurdles. For Ravelry and that other site I whose name I can't remember, the process of collecting payment and generating a shipping label were not integrated. That means that both buyer and seller have to coordinate Paypal or whatever form of payment they agree upon. If you're dealing with Paypal, sometimes they'll let you generate and pay for a USPS label which is attached to the payment you received - but just as frequently, I've not had that option available (and I'm never sure why!), which means a trip to the post office. And if you're not dealing with Paypal, then a trip to the post office is DEFINITELY in your future.
Once you deduct the cost of shipping you might get the feeling like you're paying someone to take your yarn instead of the other way around! And while I definitely have an "everything must go" mentality after our move earlier this year, it would be great to spend less time and money throughout the process. Since Stashley is made BY yarn people FOR yarn people, there are tons of awesome features that would make all of our lives easier (just watch the video below to get an overview!).
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