A social network for people who love Etsy.com

Thinking out loud for people with little sales..my tips.. UPDATED

From what I understand a lot of people have a lot of hope and dreams of making money here on etsy a lot of people are asking ‘why am I not selling” well you have to list the factors that the sales / season is slow. What are you doing in your part ?
Are you sending business cards in swaps are you doing craft shows on the side are you advertising out side of etsy like myspace , indie public, face book, message boards, etc.
How many items are you adding daily or weekly?
So my advice is : if you’re a newbie or have been here a while
Remember this :

1. spell check every thing
2.the forums
3. adding a item every day is a good idea ($.20 does add yup though)
5.get a mentor
6. Look for blogs/sites that feature in designers
7. explore blogs or get a blog
8. Twitter
7. explore new crafts ?
9. if you need banners, etc find a graphic designer thats welling to work in your budget ( if you need a web and graphic designer contact me)
10 learn how to take great photos
11. Find out what kind of shop you are " punk, streampunk, .." find out!
12. who are your target customers , women, what age, etc
13. Have you look around to see what others are charging .
14.Business cards are a Must ( VISTAPRINT.COM is nice BUT please dont order the premade designs THEY make you look like you ARENT serious about your shop.)
15. Look for craft shows around your area ( you dont need to have 10000+ to do a craft show about 50 items or so is ideal)
16. Consignment is another thing to consider, look online and in your area
17. If sales pick up make sure to offer discounts and sales for your new and current customers
18.BLACK FRIDAY can be a good thing make sure to check out etsy, artfire and etc for ideas.
19.work on packaging for your items , customers remember your shop this way
20. get out of your comfort zone .. think out side of the box I( visit local shops that sell local indie designer items)
21.understand what makes the other shops what sell what you make get sales
22. Great customer service is MAJOR thing !
23.Stop thinking like this is your hobby!

Any how I have a feeling this been talked before but id rather be nice about it instead of making some one feel bad cause they aren’t trying . Its work I know but every thing is work in our lives , going to school is work, getting up and getting ready to send the kids out the door is , planning a wedding is work, etc. So write down all the things you want from etsy besides sales . you are going to be amazed on how much you can get done when you think ahead and positive . Oh by the way the chat rooms are a great place to get tips from fellow etsy-ians

I want to share this with you guys this post is on etsy actually!
Places you can find me at:

Heyifoundthis.com = blog that features Modern indie designers ( coming soon bookmark link)
Missevilkitty.org = small business branding=E commeance= Wedding invites

Gabbie=

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ana Pacheco on August 27, 2007 at 9:46pm: Hi Missevilkitty: how nice from you, sharing your thoughts and passing on info. I fully agree with you. I say selling online is patience, persistence and more patience. And then things start happening!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Angie Vandenbogaard on August 30, 2007 at 1:48pm: Kudos to that!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christina on August 27, 2007 at 10:51pm: thank you for your insight. Just like dressing for the job you want instead of the one you have.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tara on August 28, 2007 at 10:17am: Thank you for sharing!! I agree with all that you have said, and am glad that you 'spelled it out'. Hmm...I want to find a mentor, I think. How do I do that?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marilyn on August 28, 2007 at 10:27am: I think finding a mentor is as easy as finding a person who has been doing this sort of thing for a while and has some experience under their belt. Then picking their brain for ideas and suggestions. This group could be a good place for that. :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Missevilkitty on August 28, 2007 at 11:30am: theres a forum on etsy about mentors i joined the list i think :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marta Harvey on August 30, 2007 at 8:58am: Going through the list, mentoring was also the thing that jumped out at me as something I had not thought about. That's a great idea!! I guess since the business is online you tend to feel you are a bit on your own, so it never occurred to me. Thanks, again, I will definitely look into it.

As far as sales, I have started on Etsy about a month ago, and have sold one item early on, but that was it. Although I would love to be selling more, I know it will come and it will take some work on the items you mentioned above. I'm staying positive as I am very comfortable with the items I'm putting up for sale, and that the buyer will be completely satisfied with them. So, it is just a matter of working on the promotion side and being patient.

Thanks again for sharing this information.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Angie Vandenbogaard on August 30, 2007 at 1:47pm: Great tips! :) I thought I had tried most of then, but you mentioned some which I've still yet to try - and I will give them a go, because it doesn't hurt, does it? Thanks so much for sharing! :o)

~Angie; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Higgins on August 30, 2007 at 5:29pm: Thanks for the great tips. I thought I was doing everything I could to get my name out there, but there are still a few I haven't tried

Thanks Gabbie
Stephanie
www.quiltnmama.etsy.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on September 6, 2007 at 11:00am: Excellent tips, thank you for sharing. :) I am still working at taking better pictures. I am going to try taking them with a white background and see if they come out better. ;)

Take care. :)

Michelle
http://CozyMoments.etsy.com; ▶ Reply to This