How did you make your first sale?

[#1]

Hi there Daily Etsy Sellers!

Browsing through the members list of our team and looking at all your lovely shops, I started noticing we are a very diverse group of shop owners. Some of us have been on Etsy for years, others are just starting off and have yet to make their first sale.

Let's start a discussion on making that first sale. We all know it's that one magical moment, just that one sale, we're all eagerly waiting for when just starting out on Etsy.

So let's share!

It doesn't matter whether you only had a couple of sales or hundreds: please share your 'first sale' experience so new shop owners can be inspired.

Here are some questions that could help share your story with us.

- What things did you try to make that first sale? Share your hustle!
- What effort do you think ultimately triggered it?
- How much time passed between opening your shop and making that sale?
- What lessons did you learn from making that first sale?
- If you could do it all over, what would you do differently?
- What is your best piece of advice for new shop owners?
- What do you think is the best path to follow in order to get that first sale?

I can't wait to hear about it!

- Deb

[Former_Member]

My shop has been closed for a year. I finally got it going again. But I have only sold to people I already know. Friends, family, internet acquaintances. Never to someone who saw my things on Etsy first. I worked so hard. It’s so discouraging.

[GwensHomemadeGifts]

It took months before I got my first sale that wasn't a friend or family member. I have no idea how it happened... what I did right, what I did wrong. Sometimes it's just luck I think.

Now that I'm more established I get sales every day.
But I still remember that thrill of the first random "cha-ching!"

[handjstarcreations]

My first sale was about 2 months after I opened, way back in 2009! It was a pair of eyeglass cases. I screamed so loud my family thought something was wrong! I think I paid more for shipping than I made, because I just wanted to get it delivered!
Also, a got great feedback -- not in terms of the stars, but the person really wrote about what made my product work, and not, and that was probably the most helpful thing.. she still gave me 5 stars, but the feedback was constructive!

[niddiebone]

Interesting thread ... I'd just decided to sell some things not in a condition to wear to a professional job, and as I was listing the dresses I got confused because they weren't showing up in my shop. Turned out someone was buying them for another shop--guess they were in better shape than I thought.

[TheaXessorize]

Hello from sunny Cyprus everybody!

My first sale was totally random and from a complete stranger. Family only started after 2 years of being here, when they realized what I was doing :)
I really had no idea of what I was doing, but I think it was the colors of the bracelet that attracted the sale. Also, it was requested with a few changes which I happily could make at the time and kept my customer happy too.

To new shop owners, I suggest good photographs and to be open to changes if you can.
Also, even when times are tough, keep at it, the passion for creating something beautiful is indescribable! I was diagnosed recently with Myasthenia Gravis and I am so grateful I have this to keep me motivated!
When a customer is happy, then so are we, I think that is what keeps me inspired especially, happy delighted customers which make my day!
Happy Sales and shopping too!

Love, Theano xo

[AudieMaeDesigns]

Been a Etsy Shop Owner since 2011 and do not remember a lot about my first sale. What I do remember is that some months are good and some are terrible. I am always looking for ways to improve.

[Former_Member]

I actually made my first sale a couple weeks ago, and I started selling a few of my products about the beginning of last year. It felt really random and I thought that I made my first sell because I started posting more products on my shop (also due to the fact that I made it cheaper to purchase). The end result: the person really enjoyed my product which encouraged me to post more products and am looking for new ways to help reach a wider audience to my shop.

So this is my story. Thank you.
--Keanna Flores

[Former_Member]

I've previously posted how my first sale was made. Wanted you to know I read the new team name thread!

[debanks8711]

I started my cake business in the month of December 2016 Why? because that is the month when people buy Caribbean black cake. So i posted my black cakes and my first customer told me she was looking for Caribbean black cake. Well I made the best black cake ever with lots of fruits and rum. Today she is still my custmer, i continue to make the best black cake, i try to improve all the time in making my cakes. So for new Etsy comers please put your best effort into what you do, and try to please your customers in all aspect.

[GrayHorseFarm]

I opened my shop in October of 2014 and sold a patriotic heart ornament in November. I try to take really good photos of my quality, handmade products and wrap everything carefully so my customer receives a perfect, GrayHorseFarm package.

[LuRuUniques]

Opened my shop a lot of years ago... it took a while to make a sell. I started with handmade crafts but soon turned to my true love of vintage items. Join and participate in teams and promote your items in the appropriate threads.. the more people that see your items might produce a
sale.

[FindCraftyPatterns]

My first sale was so exciting. It happened about a week after I opened my shop. I dropped everything to carefully packaged it up and rushed off to get it to the post office.

I still take the time to carefully package my items. I write a personal note on each item I sell. Big box does not do that and I think many people appreciate the extra personal touch.

My advice is to promote all the time, and I think discussion threads like this are so important as reading tried and true methods from other sellers helps us all make better decisions about our shop.

My shop has evolved from it's initial inception. I planned on selling "how to" magazines, patterns, kits, etc. However, I quickly realized that my inventory was going to be overwhelming and so I have slowly been reducing my inventory and specialize in one area. I think it has made me appreciate my shop more and I feel I have better incite to my buyer rather than spreading myself too thin while trying to do it all.

Great idea with this thread, I look forward to reading all the entries.

Ellie

[Former_Member]

Ma première vraie vente fut faites 4 mois après mon ouverture et mon produit est parti à Brooklyn NY :)

[SAjolie]

It just happened for me, I opened my shop and that first day I got a sale, just the one but it felt like such an accomplishment! The next few days saw a few more sales, then it stopped for a couple of weeks. That really deflated me! Its hard work especially at first, but my advise to all new shops is keep going, promote as much as you can. Make sure your photos are spot on! YOU CAN DO IT !!!!

[overthefenceart]

My first sale was years ago, Back when we were using "treasuries" to promote our shops. If I remember correctly, the sale was for one of my art birthday cards of my black Labrador. I still feel grateful with every sale to this day! If you are still waiting for your first sale, don't give up!

[DarylArtDigital]

Hi everybody, I'm Daryl from Alberta, Canada. I first joined Etsy in late December of 2015, and the first items in my shop were digitized versions of paintings I had done as an art student and was proud of. I wanted to sell them as desktop backgrounds, but not a lot of people were overly interested. Then in early 2016, I got the idea to sell printable tee decals for iron-on transfers, and that's when I made my first sale. Also, I began incorporating adult coloring books and pages, and those really took off in sales.

So really, a first sale can take several weeks - even months sometimes, but it comes down to an open mind, and trying new tweaks in the shop, new items, styles of listing, promotion across social media, etc.

The best advice might be to keep trying, and don't get discouraged if one way doesn't work. Just do research on what works and seek professional critiques.

[BeadsAndKnotsByNina]

Hi!
My first sale came two months after I opened my shop and it was an Etsy search result. I had terrible pictures that time (I hope they are a little better now).
It takes time and a lot of effort until you start to see some improvement in your sales. Good photos, good SEO, precise description and a lot of work and patience.
Good luck to everybody!

[Former_Member]

Our first sale was in September of 2013 about 5 days after our shop opened. I did a lot of research before we listed all our items and followed all the advice:

1) Great pictures 2) title and keywords that match up 3) keywords in the descriptions 4) answered all possible questions about each item that a customer would want to know.

We also joined a bunch of teams and participated in all the threads and were very diligent. We bought our own first item the day after we opened with our other Etsy account and 4 days after that we got a special request for 4 custom fixtures.

So the journey for our first sale was short but we did a TON of work before we opened our store to make sure we were set up to get the most out of each listing. We also made sure all our terms and polices were fair and reasonable.

We have since bought our biggest competitors company, launched a third company, and are getting ready to start a forth company within a month. It's all hard work but we have a great team of people working for us now and we have a solid foundation.

Just so you all know, when we first started out, it was just my boyfriend and I doing everything and we went all in, meaning we had no other jobs, this was full time for us.

Don't let anyone tell you its easy, it's not. Sometimes we all get lucky here and there but it still all a lot of work.

Just keep plugging away. The universe has a way of rewarding those who have great focus and energy.

:)

[SassafrasBeadWorks]

My first sale came a few days after I opened my shop, while I was in the middle of trying to get all my items listed. It was for a necklace, and came after I had listed matching earrings. I think it was just luck, as it was a couple of months before I made my second sale.

I have realized that it is a lot of work, especially as Etsy changes it's formulas and way of doing things often and you need to keep up on it. My shop has not taken off big, but then I have a full time job and also volunteer quite a bit (I am on 2 non-profit boards, and was president of 1 for 2 years).

My sales some times come out of the blue, but more often come out of my focus on the shop. I think you need to continue to list new items and refresh your old photos. Most important, you need to promote your shop.

[FireflyStationery]

My first sale took awhile, but I was new to everything about ETSY and hadn't started "working" the shop. But then I joined a club in Eugene where people met and shared tricks and ideas. I applied what they said and a sale came! It came from a stranger and I remember wondering if it was real! But it was, and then little by little the shop grew and I got excited about it.

Love these teams as they help out a bunch and its fun to see all the creative people around the world. It is also nice to read all the advice, so thank you to all who share so freely! Happy Sales today ( and everyday!)

~Katharine

[BeadedMoonbeams]

HI!

When I opened my shop I had a lot of super great friends order from me and then leave reviews - after about 10-12 sales from friends I got my first sale.

My advice - stick with it - the more sales and reviews you get the more you will get in the future. Also - enjoy the slow periods -it gives you a chance to catch up on listings :-)

Happy Sales
Jessica

[Made4UbyEJ]

I joined Etsy in 2011, just wanting to promote one of my favorite items. I was fortunate to receive a 'special order' within days and shipped the items across country. It was very encouraging and more sales followed slowly, but also gave me confidence to add additional items.

I feel it is very important to reply to questions or inquiries as soon as possible. I've 'met' some wonderful people and have always had great reviews. I wish more customers would take the time to leave reviews and I always make a point of leaving reviews when I make a purchase.

Photos are very important - I'm still trying to get better in that department. Also adding new items frequently is important. I've also been behind in that department recently because of other responsibilities.

New technologies are getting ahead of me and I would like any suggestions to improve in that department. My time seems to be limited right now, but plan to jump in and try to learn what others are having success with.

Wishing everyone the best!
Elaine

[DaringBetween]

Our first sale came I think a week after we opened. I think the the reason for it was we had a good combination of tags and a good listing title, though we still are trying to figure how to get more sales since they haven't been that consistent

We also got more sales after we were at a crafting fair so I'm pretty sure that helped more people to see what we had

Abigail

[BrydenArt]

My first sale was about 3 weeks after I started on Etsy. I have a nice following on Ebay so I made sure to mention to my customers that I had just opened an Etsy shop with more of my LARGER art pieces. (I sell mostly miniature art work on Ebay, ACEO's). My sales are not consistent here on Etsy though, I think because my prices are higher than my tiny $15 Ebay aceo's, but when I do sell something it's always a nice surprise.

[Former_Member]

My first sale came from a friend. But since she ordered 4 prints, it registered as 4 sales and I was so happy! I went from 0 to 4 and it made me feel good and like I really had a shop!