New Shop Looking for Feedback

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone!

I just opened my Etsy shop 2 days ago. I have added a few items over the last couple of days, but I'm just not sure how my shop is perceived.

I have a mixture of handmade & vintage. I rent a space in a local antiques mall that allows crafts also... it works in my booth, just not sure how it's working here.

Any feedback would be terrific. I really just want to improve my shop. If you're gonna tear me to shreds, do it gently. LOL

Thanks in advance for any help....

[pillowsophi]

Hi HumbleHeartnHome! Welcome to Etsy. :)

Well, I'm no expert, but since nobody else has responded yet I'll say a couple of things...

First of all, your shop is BEAUTIFUL! Excellent photographs, gorgeous products, beautiful banner. Well done! It's hard to believe you're new here.

I really don't have much criticism to offer. However, I hear it's good to fill the first paragraph of your shop announcement with keywords ("We offer... We specialize in..." etc.) so people will be more likely to find your shop through search engines... you can leave the welcome message for the second paragraph.

You might also want to move the keywords to the beginning of your listing titles. Not only is this important for SEO, but it also helps buyers easily see what you're selling when the whole listing title isn't displayed. For example, your blue garter belt is gorgeous. However, if I was just quickly looking at the featured items on your shop's front page, I might not know what it was, since all I can see is "Something Old Something New" and what looks - at a glance - like it might be some kind of decorated box. It would be great if "Garter Belt" was visible in the shortened version of the title. Same goes for the love birds... at a glance, they look like they could be salt and pepper shakers. And the money clip... etc. :)

Are the tags that are titled as just "tags" rather than "gift tags" also gift tags? It may seem obvious, but it never hurts to specify.

Basically, I think it's best if buyers can immediately and easily see what you have to offer. A lot of us are lazy shoppers... we don't take the time to click around to find out what things are. :P

Also, as a Canadian, I think it would be great if you offered international shipping! ;)

Other than that, I don't know what to say... everything looks amazing! Of course, my advice may be terrible... I'm new here myself, and I don't exactly have the world's most successful shop. :P

Good luck!

[Former_Member]

I would have to second all the advice from the previous poster.

The key things would be to increase your SEO info. Different tags, more keywords in your description (google loves this), and put google analytics on your shop and track your progress if you haven't already. There are some great sites that explain how to do this.

Your pictures are great. No complaints there!

International shipping is also a plus. After I added international shipping, I started getting sales from across the globe!

[Former_Member]

Pillowsophi-- Thank you so much for the advice. You made me feel so much better about my shop. :) Now I'm off to change my titles and tags.

TheLollipopLabelShop-- Good advice on shipping. I just don't have a scale to weigh my items... and I'd hate to undercharge on my shipping... but I will definitely be looking into that. I would love to ship all over the world. Just seems intimidating at first.

Thank you both for responding. Any help that I can get is much apprciated.

[pillowsophi]

You're very welcome.

Scales are very good; I finally found one for $4 at Value Village the other day. I think it's meant for weighing pasta/food... but it does the trick!

Before I was weighing things on my bathroom scale and then rounding up to make sure I wasn't underestimating the cost... not ideal, but it's better than refusing to ship internationally. You can always refund the difference if you end up overcharging someone. :)