Tips For A Successful Etsy Shop
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Tips For A Successful Etsy Shop
Etsy has become one of the fastest growing marketplace platforms in recent years. It is such a refreshing change from some of the other big name sites out there, and one of the main reasons is because of its artist-based community. True, you may only sell handmade items, vintage goods or supplies on Etsy, but that is what makes it so great. No box store items here, most listings are one of a kind, specialized and often eco-friendly or 'green'.
PHOTOS
An Etsy seller is given the freedom to decide how their shop will look, and it’s up to you to brand your shop with a specific look or feel. The best and easiest way to do this is through your photos. Etsy loves a clean, neutral colored background, and/or an artistic portrayal of the item; extreme close-up, sharply angled, action shots, and the like. The basic idea is to sell your item based on the photo, in addition to an informative and clever product description. Digital cameras have become so affordable and easy to use, they are essential in producing clear, accurate images of your items.
Good lighting is another factor to pay close attention to when taking photos, and cannot be stressed enough. Remember that every monitor is different according to color adjustment and accuracy. Natural light works very well for clothing and larger pieces. Bright light is usually needed for small items such as jewelry or highly detailed goods. Take a few test shots of your product with, and without the flash setting on your camera, to decide which way will feature your item best--but more importantly--which way serves as the most accurate representation of the piece.
DESCRIPTIONS
After a photo has pulled a potential buyer into your listing, it’s up to you to engage them in a thorough explanation of the item, adding elements such as; size, color, dimensions, history and uses. Humor is a great way to connect with a buyer, and can be easily achieved based on the nature of the item you are selling. Point out little details that may not be noticeable at first, but become clear after reading your description. And please, do yourself a favor and check your descriptions carefully for typos, spelling and grammatical errors.
If you are selling a vintage item, any specific history known about the piece is an excellent selling point. People love to know where things came from, especially if there is a particularly interesting fact regarding it’s previous whereabouts. If you are the creator of the item, explain how the piece was made, or perhaps where you made the item. For instance, in a studio, home office or cozy corner within your home. These kinds of details add specialty and uniqueness, and many Etsy shoppers are looking for things that cannot be found anywhere else.
LIST, LIST, LIST
Listing frequently is key to acquire the necessary traffic needed to facilitate sales. If you are selling an item within a saturated category, it is more important than ever to offer fresh listings as often as possible. Even if you list just a few items a day, that is enough to keep you near the top of a search page, without being buried under hundreds of similar items. Renewing older listings will bring in plenty of fresh views, but make sure that the photos are up to par with the rest of your shop, and the descriptions provide plenty of information while being clear and concise.
Happy selling!
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I couldn't agree more! It's a different animal than any other online selling platform, and one of the best there is. Great for buyers and sellers alike!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Fabulous, advice alwritea! And these great tips can be applied to many sites beyond Etsy. I can't wait to see what you publish next!
I didn't know much about Esty until now. Although I am not into selling vintage or handmade items this is a great piece of information that shops on Esty!
Thanks so much for reading! Etsy is a great place to shop for gifts or goodies for yourself too ; )
Great work! And Congrats to choose this, hub of the day! voted up
I really like Etsy. I once had a shop...but if I had seen this hub, I might have realized why I never sold anything - you have to list frequently. Alas, I'm finding out the internet is like that - you have to do things frequently. :) Thanks for sharing.
These are great tips and welcome aboard! I will ad this hub onto my http://www.earnextraonlineincome.blogspot.com website where I accumulate many ways to make money off and on line.
I never knew much about Etsy either. Your hub provided info I didn't understand. Thanks for the help. Voted up.
Thanks so much for the tips. I am opening an etsy shop very soon. I need all the help I can get! Voted up and useful.
Thanks for Etsy information in such a well-written hub! Congrats on Hub of the Day! Looking forward to checking out your other work.
Thank you for the hub. I have always thought that Etsy was such a great site. My costume technologies has her own etsy page and sells great things. I have even debated getting my own etsy shop for some of my crafts that I make.
I didn't know about Etsy but now that I do I am going to pass the information along to my Mom. She is a great artist who works with different kinds of platforms. I think this would be a great site to display her wonderful artwork! Thanks and congrats on Hub of the Day!
I had never heard of Etsy until now. I was once a huge seller on Ebay, but got out about two years ago due to unfair changes they had made. I don't do handmade items, and really don't have any vintage, but still, interested in reading about this new spot. Interesting hub!
Congrats on hub of the day! This is great advice for any current or wannabe Etsy shop owners. I love and adore Etsy, some of my favorite items have been purchased through the awesome shops there. I think your suggestion about adding a little humor is a very good one. I'm much more likely to purchase from someone I connect with and has that human quality.
Great tips. Congratulations on Hub of the Day!
This is a much-needed hub! Congrats on getting the HoTD! I am moving my jewelry store to Etsy and really needed some pointers. I am bookmarking this for future use. Excellent work, voted up, etc.
Your hub is informative and very useful for selling on Etsy.
Clear, concise and to the point...thanks for an excellent hub! I've tried to sell on Etsy, but ended up with just a bunch of requests for donations...maybe if I started listing regularly I could do better :-)
WOW! Thanks so much everyone, for all the comments, and positive feedback! I'm very, very excited to have made Hub Of The Day, I still can't believe it...
It's very validating and rewarding to know that my hub has been found useful and interesting to others. I believe in sharing knowledge freely for the greater good of all, and now I can honestly say how amazing it is to reap the rewards of doing so.
Thank you all, once again. I am so happy to be a part of HubPages, I only wish I had signed up sooner!
Happy writing!
Great Hub and congrats for earning Hub of the Day with it!
This is really an awesome hub! Great work!
Congratulations on Hub of the Day! Short, sweet and to the point.
I do have an Etsy shop, and its performance shall we say, has been "less than stellar." In fact, since I opened it after leaving "Fee-Bay," back in November of 2008, I have consitently sold less than $50 a year worth of items. My grand total is certainly less than $200 in all that time!!
And I read in their forums of people griping because they "fell" to "only" a dozen sales in a day. Pffft! That would be heaven for me--I don't make that many in a quarter, or even the entire year!
And it is not (should not be) my photos--I am an experienced photographer, and even write photo tutorials.
My shop is ecelectic--offering a mix of vintage items from my mother's estate as well as items I've hand-crafted...a 'virtual department store--something for everyone.'
I am a writer--and I do proofreading as a sideline business as well--so my descriptions should not be at fault, either.
No, my problem seems to be that I don't have my finger on the pulse of what people want or like--and I refuse to make things I hate, because I don't want to be stuck with junk if it doesn't sell. (This current "steampunk" [what kind of crazy name is THAT?!] trend is a perfect example.)
In fact, I have so immersed myself in my writing, that when I went to check my shop last week, I found it empty--every listing had expired! I renewed half a dozen listings, half-heartedly--the stuff has been sitting there for over a year without selling, so I have little faith that renewing items will help.
(Sorry for the rant--I guess you hit a hot-button topic for me.)
No doubt, your suggestions are right on target, and work for many, so I've voted the article up and useful despite my own poor record at Etsy.)
DzyMsLizzy; I completely understand your frustration, believe me I do. Even about Fee-bay (which is the name I give it also), I used to sell 15K-20K a year there, but no more.
Don't forget, the thing about Etsy is LISTING. Do it EVERYDAY, even if it's just a few things. The other thing is Twitter. Etsy has a HUGE presence on Twitter, and I swear it works wonders for gaining traffic, hearts and inevitably sales. These two things may seems minor, but they are absolutely ESSENTIAL for Etsy success.
I really don't think it's a matter of offering things that people don't want, I'm sure your items are lovely. You just really have to make sure you have a PRESENCE there, and the sales will come. My other Hub about Etsy has even more helpful tips, so if you're interested you might give it a peek-see. ; )
Thanks so much for reading, commenting and voting up!
My mom has a lot of jewelry that she made and she thought about selling it on Etsy, maybe she will now if I tell her how easy it is! Good hub!
Tell her to go for it! With an investment of time and very little money she could do very well.
Thanks so much for reading & commenting! ; )
great advice. i recently "reopened" my vintage shop after having it "down" for about a year. i did well as 'worn again vintage' but switching to nearly dead threads has proven to be more difficlut than i imagined. especially after winning a 'hub nugget' for an article on vintage shopping, i thought i was still in touch with the buying-selling vintage world. this article helped get me back on track...
Hello, Alwritetea,
I am also a seller on etsy under the moniker CatLeafCreations and I have sold exactly one piece. Is re-listing a good way to get traffic or is advertising more important?
Bari.ann: That's fantastic! Congrats on winning a Hub Nugget! What do you mean by 'nearly dead threads'?
Thoughtfulgirl2: BOTH. It really does take both. Think of your shop as a plant, it needs daily care. Your pieces are lovely, and priced very fairly. Of course, your shop would benefit from more inventory, but I know for people selling handmade items, it can be difficult to build it up. Make sure you're taking advantage of the new Facebook & Twitter integration Etsy has just recently implemented, that, in addition to renewing listings and perhaps new listings will definitely increase your traffic.
One last thing, because your items are part of a heavily saturated category, you would benefit from trying Etsy's new ads placement. It's very easy to set up, and you can choose how much you want to spend. It goes right on your bill, so there's no up front cost to get signed up.
Hope that helps, and thanks so much for reading! ; )
Hi Alwritea,
Congrats on your hub being recognized as the Hub of the Day! I had read about Etsy before, but it wasn't at the level and detail that you've provided here. Excellent work.
Voted up + useful!
Thanks, Alwritea,
I use TwitterFeed, so any listings I post automatically go to Twitter...as of late last summer when a friend taught me how to set that up.
I have all kinds of 'hearts' that have not translated to sales. Truly, I blame the current economy. It's all well and good to like something--that doesn't mean you can afford to buy it. :-(
I'm going to look into renewing/revising some more listings in the coming weeks and see what happens.
I'd love to hear how Etsy vendors determine their prices. Thanks for this hub.
Oh, that is a question that has too many variables. First of all, it would depend on if you are selling handmade or vintage goods, the prices vary enormously for every single thing. My best advice for that is do your research first. Look up similar items that you would be selling and find a comfortable price within the spectrum that covers your costs, compensates you for your time while remaining competitive for your specific item. That's a toughie...
Thanks for reading!
DzyMsLizzy: Twitterfeed is not enough. If you are not actively 'hunting & gathering' followers, what good are your instant tweets? You have to keep tweeting your listings, especially if you are not listing frequently.
Revising listings is an excellent way to get fresh eyes on your listings, particularly if you change the photos.
As for the economy, of course it sucks. However, I sell vinyl records, which are most definitely a 'want' and not a 'need', and my sales have continued to grow year after year, with 2011 being my biggest year so far and a 22% increase over last year. So if you have something people want, they will find a way to pay for it. : )
Interesting hub! I know very little about Etsy, so this was very informative!
Thanks so much! I'm very glad you found it useful! ; )
Great hub, my wife has just stared to use Etsy and is enjoying the site, I will pass this one along.
CZCZCZ: That's great! I wish her much success!
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Thank-you for your very informative and helpful article. I just opened an Etsy shop and was astonished at how many people favor my shop and all my items but no one buys anything. Maybe I am still very ignorant about how things work on that site?
monicafernandez: Oh no dear, I wouldn't say you're ignorant! It just takes a little time to get in the groove, that's all. If you're already seeing a lot of positive feedback (i.e: hearts, circles, favorites, etc) that is a very good sign and do not discount it.
Just keep doing what you're doing, offer fresh listings as much as you can, promote your shop via FB & Twitter and a blog if you have one, and the sales will come.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting, and I wish you lots of Etsy success!
Interesting hub! I have joined as an affiliate, through Wizzley, and was so impressed by the variety of items on there. Your hub is a very useful guide for a great site. Nicely done!
alwritetea: just meant i changed names (shop is now Nearly DeAd Threads) and i thought my traffic would follow from the old store "Worn Again." Things changed just enough in the time I was away that I felt lost and this article helped me get back on track.
looking forward to more articles from you and would love to find your store on etsy.
bari.ann: My Etsy Shop links are on my profile! ; )
mmm.... interesting, I will have to check it out!
I just started my own Etsy shop a week ago and was looking for some helpful tips. Still learning - thanks for the informative hub!
Kris Heeter Level 7 Commenter 4 months ago
I must say I have found some really unique gift items through various etsy shops - one of a kind! I think it's a great place for those that are creative to showcase what they have!