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

[Missevilkitty]

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=

[Novel Creations]

Great advice. I also found having family and friends blog and add photo's about my product everywhere helps gets those search engines working and pulls them to my etsy site. I have joined forces with other crafters to advertise each other's products on our sites. I pay my teenage daughter and her friends (sometimes bartering for rides to the mall for shopping) to put my products all over the web for me. They are already on it at all hours and they know all the cool sites that other teens surf. That has paid off for me especially when I first started.

I also share a larger size business card with my other etsy friends with photo's of each other's products. This gets passed out at our fairs and festivals (we each do different ones) and sent with each other's products when we are shipping out special orders. I have now considered going to festivals that I normally don't attend (such as the Airshows or Motorcyle Shows in my area, just to get out of the usual school and church craft fairs).

When I first started, I was lost with the tags and description line. I learned to switch my tag lines and description lines around if I find someone's product is pulling up when they are googled and mine isn't. I will see what they are using and try to change to a similar tag.

Mine has has been slowing down, but that is also the timing of the year (spring) and a bit of economy. Coming up with other items to sell has always been a must for me (and it helps pay festival booth fees sometimes!).

But Ana said it right - patience, persistence, and more patience.

[Missevilkitty]

updated the list a little :)