Advice for a completely clueless newbie please?

[Former_Member]

Okay, so I'm completely and utterly clueless when it comes to selling my work.
I've opened my shop a week ago, and as of now I have just 5 listings. I'm confused between waiting for a sale to make sure this is going to work out before I make more pieces and listing more items so people will find my shop easily.

Any advice?

[Former_Member]

without looking at your shop but reading your post the first thing i thought was "girl, you need a lot more items"
looking at them i saw that you need better photos, yours are too dark
your descriptions are super short, maybe you can elaborate a little and make sure to add sizes in inches for international customers
last but not least, you have 13 tags you can use, you only used 3 and they are oneword tags. multiwords tags are way better.
read a bit through the forums, there are a lot of threads on this topic.
hope i could help a little!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Barbara :)

[Former_Member]

Umm...........another question, I have a lot of artwork thats more abstract or more of landscapes as compared tot he stencil art that I've listed at first
Do you guys think that would sell better?
I'm still finding it a bit hard to pinpoint what kind of art would attract more buyers

[InsideSandysShop]

It's all about SEO. In this team if you type in the search bar "Tags and Titles"
there are several good threads about how to improve your tags and titles.
I wish you much success in your new shop!
Blessings,
Sandy

[Former_Member]

Thankyou :)

[Former_Member]

Hello there - wellcome to the world of Etsy. I am here fro a year. Here is what i learned:
- this is much harder then i thought it will be. So don't expect fast result - better get surprised then disappointed
-prepare to spent 3/4 of your time on promoting and listing etc and only 1/4 on actually creating.
- you have a lot of work to do. so you need to focus. I would start with adding more listings - you need at least get your first page full - will look much more visually appealing.
- your second priority should be photo which indeed could be much better. This is a project of t's own - i struggled with mine a lot - had to do hell of an internet research and invest into new camera
- once you have done that
you probably will have a very nice looking shop. Your issue will be - no one will come in to see it.
- here is when you should learn and apply SEO. Another exciting thing, i can tell you.Simply put - you will discover that words you would use to describe your things are very differrent from what other people would use - especially relevant for non-native speakers. Another aspect of the same thing is what possible customers type in on Google or Etsy search expecting to see see what you sell. As said turns out people search for oe thing but and up wanting something else. LOL. But don't worry - it is a jun journey.
-another very useful thing is promotion - you may want to join teams and play some "i like you - you like me game" or treasuries game. Ultimately more likes and more treasuries make your items show up higher in search. And you meet other Etsy sellers - nice people!

Okay i think this is good enough for a start. After all i am here only for 1 year and still learn myself everyday.
Good luck! Oh and by the way - thank god you are not selling jewelry - this makes everything much easier!

Cheers

[Former_Member]

Hmmm..........I have a lot of work to do then
Thanks u guys

:)

[MerlinMN]

A nice banner, maybe detail from one of your paintings? would be more eye catching.
Straight on photos with better light (taken outside in the shade can work).
Look at other artwork shops and scroll down to the bottom of their individual listings page - you should see what they use for tags in little boxes - to get an idea of how they describe a piece.
I'm not a painter, but I hear most make their best $ from selling cards, Just a thought.
Be careful of teams you have to buy into. You may have to buy something you don't want, to 'play' and what is the point of that? I suggest finding teams that can help you with your tags and promoting your work in your local area first of all.
Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Definitely join an SEO group to find out specifics - but you need a banner, and your announcement should be full of keywords (this is how Google indexes you)! Also fill up your policies page! What if the art arrives damaged? What if it gets lost in the mail? HOW is being sent? UPS? Fedex? Is it insured?
(Again, join an SEO group - but here are the basics) Your titles should be longer, full of keywords! More the merrier, because it gives you more options to be found in searches! Then repeat those keyword PHRASES in your tags. Don't use single words, those are useless on etsy!
Descriptions: Consider 10 questions your customer may want to know about your product. Dimensions, colors, materials, process etc! Then write it out in a paragraph or two. Your description should be written as if there is NO picture. And your pictures should be taken as if there is no description! Consider a further away picture over a couch so people can visualize it in their home!
Finally, add lots of items! Especially in the beginning, add a little of every style you do! You will be able to find your niche on Etsy soon enough! Goodluck!

[Former_Member]

Yeah I'll get to work on those things right away i think
Thanks :)