Am I doing anything wrong?

[Former_Member]

Hi,
I am fairly new to Etsy and have only had my shop for about two months. I have done so much research about how to make my shop a success. I have more than 50 items. Although my photos could be better (I am looking into that) I still think they look good. I have lowered my prices more than once and really do not think it would be worth my while going lower. I have confidence that my prodcuts are great and in the short time I have been opened I have had over 600 views and 23 people have listed either my shop or one of my items as their favorite - YET I have only had one sale? PLEASE..... any advice would be so appreciated.
x
Katja

[BeadworkAndCoe]

To start with you'll need patience. Everybody says it and it is true!
I had nearly 4300 views and 320 favourites between shop and listings and no sale at all :)
Keep working, especially if you know something needs work and promote.

[Former_Member]

Definitely work on your pictures! They are very dark right now, as I'm sure you know. I suggest reading up on titles. At this point, they are so crammed with words, I don't even know what the item is. You can take out the word "handcrafted." If you are listing in the "handmade" section, people will assume this is true. Try to balance the info between your title and the tags. And be patient - it takes months for many sellers to get sales. Don't keep lowering your prices - it will make people think you don't have quality items.

[Former_Member]

I think it is the photos...they just don't scream "buy me!" It's like food, you don't want to eat something that doesn't look good. Your items are great! I love this item:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101589196/mink-cream-white-handcrafted-vintage

But your tags are not as good as they can be. Tags are tough, they take time and research. I am on a team that does detailed analysis with you about one item in your store in order to teach you how to choose the right tags. You might look into find a team that could help.

It is said that the first three words are the most important in your title. You may want to think about your titles.

I would suggest joining more teams, getting as much visibility as possible. Do you have business cards to hand out? I have been giving mine out with every purchase and to all of my friends. I post them on boards around town. Do you have a facebook page for your shop? I do, but mine stinks because I cannot figure it out.

Have you looked at your competition? How are your prices compared to theirs? How do your products stack up compared to theirs? Is there something special you can do that will make yours stand out?

Lastly, they say it takes time for a shop to take off. Patience is a virtue.

Best of luck - Kate, who also teaches special needs secondary students

[Former_Member]

Until you are able to take new pics, you might be able to brighten things up using programs that are FREE on the internet. My favorite right now is befunky.com

[Former_Member]

I don't really have any advice, but I can tell you I'm experiencing the same thing. I listed my first item a little over a month ago & I've been promoting like crazy it feels like but I've only had one sale (over 1000 views & 113 favorites right now). I added some new types of items this week though that I'm really confident about so I'm hoping that will help. (handbound books!) I'm going to a photography course on Thursday to hopefully help some with my pictures.

I'm really trying to be patient & learn all I can & promote promote promote!

[Former_Member]

Sorry - definitely the photos.

As Kate says, you also need to rethink your tags. What phrases (not single words) would buyers search to hope to find your lampshades?

You also need to write up your policies, paying attention to the European Distance Selling Regulations.

Good luck - it's lots of work!

[Former_Member]

Hi Sarah...go to pinterest and search for embroidered rings, see if you can find the one with the blue R on it and look at those. Maybe that is something you could add to your shop.

Kate

[loopsnhoopsjewelry]

I think your items (which are quite pretty) would stand out more if you photographed them against a contrasting background. Also, include MORE pics, from different angles and be sure to include one in natural light.

Also, don't feel discouraged. It does take time, it took two attempts at a shop before I had my first sale. This time around I have tried to increase exposure by connecting my shop to a Facebook page and offering promotions and more pictures there. Adding a pic on Pinterest never hurts either.

Good luck :-)

[Former_Member]

Thank you all, I really do appreciate all the feedback - GOSH didn't realise so many people would read my post. Firstly, I will have to get a better camera and try to retake some of those pictures and work on my tags. How do I get help with those (the tags I mean)? Is there a limit to how many words per tag? The reason behind the long titles is that I thought it would come up in more searches.....is it better then to have short titles, but more descriptive tags? Sorry, I know I am going on here but it all seems a bit overwhelming.
x
Katja

[Former_Member]

Check out the teams I belong to at http://www.etsy.com/people/SewReallyCute Also notice how many shops I have liked, people I have in circles...all of the exposure.