Give up now or keep threading water?

[Former_Member]

I have had my shop for about 2 months and have had no sales. I have only sold three items (and those are from my friends not from Etsy, facebook or Twitter). I have been told my photos suck but I am not sure how to make them better even after watching a ton of tutorials on how to make them better. I don't have a super nice camera and right now I feel as though advertising on social media sites would be stupid because I am not sure whether it would be worth the effort or the money.
Is there something I am not doing correctly? Something I am missing?

[Former_Member]

I think you need to build your inventory. My shop really took off after I have 100 listings. Took me about 6 months to get there but well worth the effort.

[artisaninthewoods]

Don't give up! I have learned that it can take awhile to get an Etsy store established, but if you put the time into it, sales will come! I had my shop open for a year, and only made two sales (and only one of those was not a personal friend.) Over the summer I decided I really wanted to make this work, so I read all of the help forums, spent a lot of time looking at and reading the profiles/descriptions/policies of shops similar to mine that were doing really well, and reading blogs about running online businesses. I put all I learned into practice and opened my new shop last month. Since then I have had 3 sales, and more interest in my shop in a month than I ever had with my old one the whole year it was open. It's going to take some time and effort on your part, but if you really want to make a go of it, you can make this happen! Looking at your shop, there are a few things you are missing that will make a big difference right away:
- use all of your photo slots. Show different angles, have a close-up, have a photo where the whole item can be seen, and if you can, let us know what it will look when someone is wearing it by photographing it on a model. For instance, your hat is adorable, and I'd love to know what it would look like on someone's head. :) Before I opened my new shop I worked with a photographer on my photos. The cost for an hour of her time was very reasonable, she took photos of all of my items and gave me lots of ideas for taking my own photos so I could do it myself next time. I credit this with a lot of the success of my new shop!
- fill out your policies. As a buyer, I always read these and I have never purchased from someone who didn't have them filled out.
- Fill out your profile. There are lots of great posts on how to write a profile, but one of the best things I did was to take time to read the profiles of others - it gave me lots of ideas for what I wanted to include in mine.
- add more detail to your shop descriptions. Tell us what it is, how you made it, what it's made of, what size it is, and how my life will change when I own it! There are lots of great posts in the help topics about writing great descriptions that can help you out.
- create a professional looking shop banner. Picnik.com is a great free resource for doing this. If you aren't sure what to do, Google search "create your own Etsy shop banner" I found lots of great tutorials that way!
- then, once your shop is looking the best it can be, that's when your marketing will start to pay off
I am not an Etsy expert by any means, but I know these things have helped me! Good luck with your shop! I hope things turn around for you!

[Former_Member]

I agree with Natasha, you need more inventory. Your pictures could be better if you used a solid white background, the items get lost on the backgrounds you are using now. People like to know a little about the person they are buying from, your profile could be more detailed without revealing any personal information. Why do you like to crochet, how long have you been crocheting? Also, your item descriptions could be a bit better, like what kind of yarn is it made with? The flower that you have listed has a description of five words, maybe you could add the size of it and how someone could use it.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/84736654/unisex-grey-and-white-scrft
I think this is spelled wrong?

And your shipping seems very high. If I were to purchase the scarf just mentioned and the first flower you have listed, the shipping would be 8.00, so for a 20.50 order that is quite a bit for shipping.

[Former_Member]

I completely agree more inventory, a neutral colored background on photos, and an eye catching banner do wonders on Etsy!

[sibstudio]

Excellent advice. I agree with all of the above and would add my encouragement for you to add more information about your items and your shop, and continue to add more items.

The four shops above are great examples to see how they are using their banners, their photos, and information for the customer.
When I first started my shop, I looked at a lot of other shops, especially those selling the same items as I am. It was really helpful to see how sellers were writing policies and descriptions, using their photos etc.

There is a ton of information on how to add banners, use all of the photo slots. etc. in the help section. I used it a lot when I first started my shop. This may be a good place to start:
http://www.etsy.com/help/article/246
Hang in there!

[MunasTreasures]

have you joined any critique teams? that might help you work through some changes. also, it's not the camera....i have a very inexpensive camera--it just takes some time and practice....

hang in there...there's a big learning curve here but it will help you in many ways if you focus on making your shop more successful

what is your goal? be clear in that and you will go far....

[opendoorstudio]

Maybe think about how your hats would look on a model...or the pin on a lapel.
I believe folks like to see items in action!
don't give up on etsy. think of it as your own web site and during the holidays, when someone asks you about your product...direct them here to see examples of what you do. it is all about marketing your " brand"
it can take a while to get it up and running but don't give up
also, you can find a lot of support on teams. find one that fits the bill for you!

http://www.etsy.com/teams/search/crochet+handmade
I went to the teams page and tossed in the search teams. crochet and handmade. Maybe this can be a place to start and to build your shop with the help of an etsy team!
( take it from a captain of a 2000 shop strong Vintage team!)
good luck and don't give up!

[ElectronicGirl]

i just had a thought. if the photography thing is just not working for you and you cant afford to work with a professional photographer (& none of your friends are good a photography) then get a hold of the photography dept (teachers) at your local community college and ask if any of their students would be interested in helping you out for free or a small amount of money. It is a resume builder for the student and you get images very close to professional quality. Some of those students are amazing!
good luck!

[Former_Member]

Great idea on implementing the use of photography students...I think I might try that as well!

Presentation of your sight is huge, it is the customers first and lasting impression. I am a little on the computer challenged side and was stumped on how to design a banner that represented my shop. So I just discovered that there are many designers on Etsy that actually sell "shop kits" with a banner, avatar, custom or reserved sign, business cards, etc. Their work is absolutely professional and at an incredibly reasonable cost. I am going to give my shop a facelift in a few days as soon as my new banner is ready:) You might want to look into that.

I agree as well that the amount of inventory plays a big part. It has taken me a month to produce 60 of my items. I only had 12 items on my sight for that month. Each day I have been adding between 5-8 of the product I have made. I did not want to just dump it all on there at once. I have definitely seen a big jump in views.

Lastly, you might want to consider "taking the show on the road." Try participating in a Arts and Craft Show or Farmer's Market. It is a great way for people to actually see and touch your product...and to make personal contact with future customers. Make sure to have business cards handy with your web address and maybe an incentive for looking you up.

Good luck to you!

[Former_Member]

Great idea Electronic girl! Also think high school students. My son is my go-to person for all computer related items and he's an art student. He and his fellow classmates are very talented. In fact in art they are building logos right now for businesses and if those logos get accepted each student gets a $250 scholarship.
My point is, look for help, there are lots of people these days willing to offer help for free or trade. It is just that kind of economy!

[Former_Member]

This video really helped me think about my photos differently:
http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/etsy-success-product-photography-for-beginners/

I agree that more inventory is helpful because it helps to showcase your skills and how you think about your work.

So far as photos - don't be afraid to experiment. Since your items are colorful it might do you justice to have a neutral background or even a white background to amplify the colors. For me, my products are fairly neutral because of the material I use, so I'm investigating using a vivid background to bring out that neutrality. We shall see how it goes.

Try a few things (patterns, photos, backgrounds, etc), see if they work. If not then try something else. We are all having to learn what really showcases our work and it may take a few trys, but from what I hear once you are able to make everything come together it will look effortless and you'll be very busy processing orders!

Best success to you HenryJ!

[RaesSpirit]

I admire everyone who can crochet. If you are enjoying crafting, then don't give up. All of this advice has been excellent. Your hat is very pretty. I had to look a while to see that it is for a woman, not child. Maybe that could be incorporated into the title.

Hope you have a joyful holiday season!

[Former_Member]

Thanks everyone! You have offered up some great ideas and things to think about! I really appreciate it!