Another of those posts...

[MythOfTheWild]

Well, everyone goes on about it when it happens to them, and I can never help reading the posts thinking to myself "just be patient, it happens to everyone," but I am in that same, familiar situation and I can begin to see why people open such threads asking for help that, for half the time, can't be given.

But despite the fact that I know this, I still feel the need to open this thread and ask for help that may not be able to be given.

My views have tanked. Like, utterly tanked. I know it's the sales that count more than the views, I don't need to be told that - I've had days where I've had thousands of views and no sales for weeks, and other days where I get about 25 views and make two sales. But there is a very simple fact: you have to be seen to be bought.

I'm not going to ask if anyone else is suffering from this, because there are ALWAYS people suffering from this. Some people will say "no I've had amazing views and sales lately!" While others would say "I've not had more than 10 sales a day for a week." It's downheartening to experience it, especially when the Christmas rush is due to set in right about now, and I'm not sure anyone can offer any advice that I haven't already tried or I'm not currently doing. I just want to rant!

I'm not sure about my tags and titles any more. I used to be quite confident but I feel like I've slipped lately. I know I should change things around regularly but what to? There's only so many relevant search terms, and these days I have a hard time filling all of my tags. I feel like there's something I can do about it but I don't know what or how. The same go for my pictures. I know I need to use all of my picture slots, but I just don't know what kind of pictures to take. I don't want to model them on myself, and believe it or not I have no one else to model them for me, and I don't have any kind of a bust to put them on, or where to get one.

I'll stop ranting, I'm just a little frustrated and desperate. Christmas is a hard time of year for everyone, and given that this is my only income, I'm worried about how it's all going to go.

/rant.

[hipposdream]

I know what you mean/feel.... sometimes I feel exactly the same...

[Former_Member]

DITTO!

[wildhoneydesign]

Hi Kim

I think your jewellery is really sweet! :) Love the fox in a jar and the little envelope necklaces

ahhh advice...Your photos are fab but your tags do need work. Use multiple words rather than single (you probably know this right?)

Take a break and come back refreshed and polish up your tags and anything else you want to do. This Etsy stuff can get a bit overwhelming and all consuming at times I find I can't see the wood for the trees sometimes!

[Former_Member]

my views have gone down quite a bit too but at least it has not (yet) affected my sales. yesterday i beat my revenue from last year but it´s so strange getting like 10 views in the first half of the day when a month ago you had 50 at the same time
unfortunately i don´t really have time to tweak my shop right now as i´m busy with getting my degree in the next 4 - 6 weeks

[Former_Member]

Most of us have been there but just when you think it is unbearable bad it picks up. Hang in there :) I too seem to get more sales when I have fewer views. Remember it's quality not always quantity. Wishing the best to you !

[PotteryLodge]

Just had a quick look at your shop.

Pictures are great, however your tags need help. Your title and tags should repeat the same keywords. Instead of single worded tags, try using multiple worded tags like 'fox necklace' 'animal necklace' ' fox in a jar' 'fox jewelry'.

I would also re do your 'about' page. It sounds a little odd to me, a little too personal or lengthy .. ?? I think you should mention about what inspires you to create such unique jewelry, how does creating jewelry make you feel??

[SnarkFactory]

What are you doing differently? If I'm not happy with my Etsy shop (or anything in my life) I change up pretty much anything that I think could be the problem. Most likely, your Etsy shop isn't yielding great results because there's a myriad of problems that you need to address. What are you doing to keep your shop fresh and relevant? Are you prices competitive? Who is your target customer, and what can do to recapture their attention? Have you created new product recently? Do you still feel as passionate about your current merchandise as you did the day you created it? If you aren't passionate about your product, your marketing efforts are probably lacking. Feeling helpless and exasperated won't help you, you just need to pinpoint problems and face them head on. The good news is that there's a TON of traffic (and picking up daily) on Etsy right now, so you'll be able to identify pretty quickly which strategies are working and which aren't.

[PrairiePrimitives]

Kim, I looked at several of your items and a few other random things.

I agree with Maya that your tags need work ... and what needs to be done with them.

I'm also unclear if you're assembling the "jar" charms on your necklaces or purchasing them ready made. If you ARE creating these yourself, then it would be good to emphasize this, as I think it might help to justify your prices. The prices seem rather high if all you're doing is the "charm on a chain" technique.

I agree with Casi regarding your About page. It does seem a bit lengthy and not all that focused on your craft. I'm sorry to hear your mother has M.S. The mother of an ex from nearly 20 years ago was also an invalid with M.S., and Chris had the R&R type of M.S. herself.

I wanted to share this page of Etsy tips I wrote up several years ago. I updated it earlier this year to share with my local team, so it should be current.

http://prairieprimitivesfolkart.blogspot.com/2011/02/8-quick-improvements-for-your-etsy-shop.html

I think with a bit of work your shop can get going before the holidays!