Even riding a bicycle is not as simple as riding a bicycle

[LeedsRadio]

The thing that keeps me reading posts on the team are the interesting comments by seasoned sellers. And then there's the neophytes, frustrating because of their belief that something that looks simple is in fact trivial.

One of the times I was in Chicago, the hotel was staying at had a really lovely breakfast served downstairs. There was a chef manning the omelette station who, to my astonishment, was able to cook an omelette in a pan at his right hand side while simultaneously cracking the eggs and selecting the ingredients for the next one at his left. When the omelette on the right was done to perfection it was plated and the ballet went on with the egg/ingredient mix from the left now in the pan at the right. All of this done without use of a spatula.

I can safely say that I've cooked thousands of eggs in my life and none of them were as good as those and for a million dollars I would not be able to pull off what this man did.

Moral of the story: Whatever is worth doing is takes more practice and takes more time and harder to learn than one would think. To make it worse, the people who do things well make it look easy.

Writing good descriptions is not easy because good descriptions are simple. Neophytes want to make up their own rules; They want to be cute, they want to impress they want to be clever. Heed Rumi's advice here: “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.”

You don't think simple is smart and sophisticated? Read Einstein's "Relativity". When you know what you are talking about you can explain it in simple terms.

Read lots of descriptions, get yourself a Chicago Manual or Style or White/Struck's "Elements of Style". Try to remember what they tried to tell you in English class in high school. Read your descriptions and titles and read them again. Then read them again.

Photos? I've been a photographer for more decades than I'd like to admit. I shoot film. I shoot digital. I do both regular and hybrid work flow. My home machine alone has 20,000 of my images. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that I handle a camera way better than most people.
But when it came to doing product shots for Etsy I was a total beginner. What makes a good creative shot is the exact opposite of what make a good product shot. I had to experiment with lighting, lens selection and backgrounds and for the first time in my life I had to learn to use extension tubes for the macro shots. This took hours and hours and months of work. And it was almost two years before I thought any of my product shots were good. I still need to learn and practice more.

I could go on, but every aspect of running a business has a unique challenge and all of them have to be tackled simultaneous - you can't let anything slip because you're working on something else. But learning is first. Don't assume you know - you don't.

[PotsbyNives]

How right you are!!!!
Learning all the time!
Thanks for writing this post!

[Former_Member]

Thank you Richard!
And thank you for all the time you spend helping us improve.

I just read one of your replies in a thread yesterday and then the follow ups today.
There was so much great advice and to my surprise, the person starting the post, did not change anything.

It appears to me, that so many questions are being asked and then great advice is being given, but basically all of it is ignored in the end.
Often the person asking, does not even come back for a follow up.

It appears that some questions only have the purpose of 'self promoting' without really posting a link to a listing.
This seems like a good way to get people to look at your shop and your items.
But mainly it gets that shop a spike in views and probably likes, if not sales. And not to forget the more views, the better the result in searches.

What a good way of self promotion without promoting yourself!

But is also causes many not to reply to questions anymore. There are many threads with not even 1 answer.
That is sad, because it might just be someone, who really wants an answer and will appreciate any advice.

With 55563 team members right now, you would think, that all threads get a lot of views and responses.
My guess is, that many hesitate 'to waste their time' on responses as a result of threads like mentioned above.

Of course I thought 'what a waste of time'. Richard is writing so much and it all makes sense, but it seems like a waste of his time.

But no, it is not a waste of your time, Richard.
Because all the great advice you have, every one of us 'quiet watchers' learns a lot.

And I hope I can read more from you! Don't give up on us just yet, please.

(if some of my writing does not make sense, English is not my first language. I don't want to offend anyone about asking for help.
So please bare with me.)

[Plektra]

Well said, Richard! I totally agree. A lot of anxieties and concerns can go away if we just remember that, if we are in this for the long haul, patience and persistence are required.

The Greek philosopher Socrates said: 'I only know one thing. I know nothing."

Learning is never ending, especially if you are interested in growing.

I find posts from experienced sellers very helpful and keep me on track. I hope they stay on this Team.

[MariasWorkshop]

What Minerva said.

What Sigrid said.

I would like to add that I read almost every post you write because I have learned so much from the advice you give other shops. Like me, I am sure many others read your posts to absorb some knowledge, even though they never comment or originate the post themselves.

So...Thank you!

[LeedsRadio]

Thank you Nives R W, Sigrid, Minerva and Maria for your kind words and comments. I will continue to post here as time permits.

[HildaLea]

I second what Maria said -- I've learned a lot from your responses even though I may not have been the originator of the question.

Thanks for taking the time when you have it, Richard! It is very appreciated.