About to throw in the towel...

[Former_Member]

With no sales since May despite over 2000 views I think its about time to give up and concentrate on the more successful local and regional promotions..

[SasperryDesigns]

I'm sorry your having a tough time. I know how frusterating it is to have little to no sales. Keep in mind that Etsy summers are slow and the holidays are just around the corner. Maybe you would benefit from keeping your shop open while you do local and regional promotions? Just a thought

Good luck. Hope things pick up soon!

[Former_Member]

Come on Daniel, hang in there with me! Sounds like the same sinking boat boat but lets ride til Christmas....maybe that will be our turning point. Hope you'll stay.

[CaseyHPerez]

Your stuff is nice and decently priced. I wouldn't give up yet, I would just work on shop appearance and promotion. It takes a lot of work on etsy to get your shop noticed. Work on your titles too, start with the words in your title that they are mostly likely to search for.

For example

http://www.etsy.com/listing/102889760/recycled-rustic-barn-wood-key-holder

I am not going to type in recycled rustic barn wood ....etc. I am going to look for Key holder, or wooden key holder etc. So Key holder should be the first thing you list in your description. "Key Holder Recycled Rustic Barn Wood Reclaimed Wood Upcycled"

Using twitter, facebook, wanelo, pinterest etc has really helped increase views which have lead to sales for me.

[Former_Member]

Daniel, I took a look around your shop and I have some suggestions for you if you're considering sticking around.

-Add sections to your shop. Buyers don't want to scroll through multiple pages of various items. Make it easy for them and put like items together n groups.

-Work on your titles. Read up on SEO - buyers aren't going to search for 'handcrafted wood child's swing', and it's the first 3 words of your titles that count the most. so 'Child-size swing - hand carved wood' would be better. Same with 'photographic prop engagement' etc. Try 'ampersand, and sign, photo prop, sign'.

-your wooden numbers are likely a hit - you're just not marketing them the right way. Try titling them 'wooden numbers, address blocks, house numbers, hand carved upcycled lumber'.

If you're willing to put in some work to learn how to take your shop to the next level, I think you'll find success here!

[Former_Member]

I really like this & sign but I had no idea what it is called. So I am guessing others wont either. I also wont search for it using the term photographic prop engagement. I would retitle it Wedding & sign. Take it to a young couple getting married or a photographer doing wedding sessions. Have the bride hold one side & the groom the other. Also would look adorable with an older married couple holding it for their anniversary photo.

Remove the picture of it laying on the bedspread. Replace the picture of you holding the sign and have someone take a shot of you making it.

I could go on & on but it would get boring. You need to think outside the box and I bet the customers will be lining up to buy your products. :)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/104365428/photographic-prop-engagement-wedding

[Former_Member]

i dont think there is anything wrong with focusing on what works and if etsy doesnt work.

but i would say dont renew instead of closing up shop entirely.

[Former_Member]

Don't get discouraged. I sell season items but I still only sold 2 items in the year and a half I have been on Etsy. It takes a lot of elbow grease and work to get your shop up to par and a lot of advertising.

I would work on re-photographing all of your items if you can, and use a similar background and setup for small items and the same setup for large items. It will help pull your concept together.

[Former_Member]

Just sole a childs swing!!! Guess I'll hang on a little longer and see what happens.

[Former_Member]

Take a deep breath, then definitely take the advice you've gotten here. :)

6 months ago I came to this board in the same mindset you're in now. I was frustrated and angry with virtually no sales. I was given a lot of the same advice you've been given here. It took me about two months to make all the changes, and I hated every step of doing it (again, because I was already frustrated with it all).

But it was totally worth it. My sales picked up almost instantly after and have been steadily growing. We now average 3-4 good size custom orders a month on top of our regular sales. I also was approached by a local store that found me through Etsy's "find local sellers" feature, and now my items are being sold there too!

It can be VERY disheartening when things aren't going as you'd hoped, but it can be easy to fix too :)

[Former_Member]

Don't give up. You can do it. :)

[Former_Member]

I have made many of the changes mentioned specifically to the names and tags. The pictures are more of an issue and will take some time and effort to get done but I am commited to working on them.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to look and comment.

[BeauTeaStudio]

Yay Congrats on the sale! Hang in there and explore other avenues in the meantime! Your earrings are great!...maybe take different pics of them so they show better! You are so talented! Good Luck!

[Former_Member]

Thanks.. have neglected the jewelry for too long need to get back to it and get some new pieces done.

[Former_Member]

Daniel,

don't give up quite, yet. You get the views, you'll get the sales! My business is slow, too, and stronger local, but hang in there as people have mentioned and they gave you lots of great advice! I just changed many of my pictures! It is a lot of work. A good advice that I received, take 30 minutes each day and dedicate them to something specific. Don't get of track and don't do any more, e.g. Wednesdays pictures, Thursdays Tags, ... update, improve, change and use the statistics to adapt your tags and titles.... That might help, too. Good luck!

[LaPetiteVie]

You've been given a lot of great advice! Once you update your photos, you might want to consider promoting your items online on blogs to get some press and traffic.
As a former early childhood educator and a mama to two young kids, I am very impressed with your wooden block set. Your beds are beautiful pieces of work. I think you have a lot of potential.
Good luck!

[ForgedMettleJewelry]

I've gone a whole year without a sale, you just have to hang in there and keep tweaking your shop until the right person finds it...

[ElementalSilver1]

Yay!! Congrats on the sale AND for deciding to hang in there!

[SesenDesign]

Congratulations on that sale! It proves that you have something that someone wants. Hang in there, look at the wonderful advice you've been given here. Go check out the competition- what are they doing right - tag,photo,price,shipping wise. And remember that Christmas is just around the corner!

[Former_Member]

Please stick around - I'll need that swing once I get another little one! :p

I wonder if it could be made with a detachable front bar? It looks super comfy and safe for lil kids but my 5 year old would want a swing she can get into herself ... or is this kinda model suitable for toddlers only? Sorry if the questions are silly - don't know anything about woodworking :)

Your shop is awesome! Just needs some etsyish polish like others suggested.

[starlightwoods]

You are an amazing craftsman! You need to work on your photos though- you are not showcasing your work to it's full potential. Spend some time researching making a light box for your smaller pieces- NO MORE WHITE SHEET. Your items are too well made to be shown that way. I like the idea of holding up the your signs in front of you. That makes for an interesting quirky photo- just make sure if you do it, have a very non distracting background and use natural light.
I have also found that adding more key words in your title also helps then repeating them in your tags. Think of every way a person may search for each of your items and add those words. Like everyone else said first 3 words are most important.
With your skills you can have a fantastic & busy shop- so fix some of these things up and I bet you see a big difference.

[Former_Member]

To Mel..

About the safety bar, when you release the velcro strap it slides up the rope, so a toddler could learn to get into it. I am planning on making a slightly larger version and possibly even an adult size.