Post your questions for the experts!

[#1]

Hi everyone!

We are going to host some Online Labs for the holidays, and we'd love to get your questions! The guests will be:

Top sellers: PalomasNest and BlackbirdTees. Ask them anything about selling during the holidays (or more generally, successful selling).
http://www.etsy.com/shop/palomasnest
http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackbirdtees

AND

Emily Bidwell, who is an Etsy merchandiser - she curates emails and on-site merchandised areas. Ask her about popular items during the holidays and her tips for getting your items featured!

You can see the schedule of the upcoming Labs here:

http://www.etsy.com/community/online-labs

Thanks in advance, everyone!

[RiverWoodForest]

What would be your best advice to an artist who's just starting out? How did you become successful through Etsy? If you are doing shop critiques or feedbacks how do you sign up? ")

[Former_Member]

Top Sellers: What are the best ways to advertise when your advertising budget is extremely small?

[DivineNYCo]

Would love advice on how do you get featured in the ETSY curated newsletters? How are selections made - is it based on tags, SEO, photos, # admirers? Is it just random? Thank you!

[Former_Member]

I'd like to ask the top sellers, in particular Paloma's Nest, how do you handle publicity for your shop? Did you actively seek it on your own and if so, how? ( I am referring to media, blogs, magazines etc.) Or did they find you on Etsy?

[flordelunadesigns]

Would love have my shop critiqued!
Tips on improving my views, tags
exc...

[TerraBellusPaperCo]

Top Sellers: do you have any tips for establishing a daily routine? Would love to know how you budget time for creating, promoting, selling and shipping!

[Former_Member]

i'm interested in how valuable all the favorites and admirers are on my shop. i'm not sure if people like my work because they want to self promote as i have no sales so far. with all those million sellers, has etsy become a place where people socialize rather than buy product?

[Former_Member]

I am really interested in shop critiques! And I think I need advice on tagging my listings. Do you relist a lot to get more traffic?

[Former_Member]

Top Seller: My sales have dropped off during the last couple months. I picked myself up and started to re-fresh my shop. What do you recommend for more views and sales?

[Former_Member]

I am very interested in the critique as well, I am very new at this and can learn alot and am excited too:)

[Former_Member]

Q for all:
Do most successful shops specialize in one or two products or items, or do shops with very diverse inventory do as well?

I would love to know what all the talk is about shop critiques. I know I need one!

Thank you for the opportunity to learn from all of your successes.

[Former_Member]

Top Sellers: What do you believe was your tipping point that caused your shop to transition into a real, thriving business? What steps did you take to help the process?

[TheGemdance]

t's important to make quality items, no matter which medium you choose to express yourself with. If something doesn't quite turn out the way i envisioned, I won't put it up for sale. I cannot sell anything that I personally don't like; this often means that my merchandise offers high value, along with a higher price tag.

[SterlingJoyBoutique]

My greatest concern is how to get traffic to my shop. I pay for search adds.
How do you get them to show up during prime time? Is it according to how much you pay each week?

[Former_Member]

Top sellers: My concerns are about SEO and tagging since whatever I do I seem to miss something and have very few hits from Search although my tags are searched...

[Former_Member]

Also very interested in a critique... constantly evolving, trying to find the right look for my products.

Question for Emily: This will be my first holiday season on Etsy, and I believe that I offer a product that could do particularly well during this time of year, what can I do to increase my visibility and be considered for features?

[Gardenmis]

Thank you Michelle + Emily for all you do!

I would love ~
Tips on how to define my target market, reach them, and keep them returning.
Tips on how to get featured in Etsy Finds and an overall critique of my shop.

Can't wait for the up and coming Online Labs!! I hope we shall also be seeing a regular merchandising sales report too. :)

[SterlingJoyBoutique]

All I am reading is everyone asking questions. Is someone going to have some answers or is this a regular forum?

[Georgiasita]

Top Sellers : I would also like a critique, things have been so slow in September I would like to know more about social networking and what helps the most and can I keep my business side from my friends on FB, just need some tips about getting more visibility and exposure I guess. Thank you

[Former_Member]

Top sellers: how do you find your audience, besides using great tiles and titles for search, do you have any tips?
And I would welcome and love a critique. Thank you!

[ApocalyptikFashion]

Hello,

I would be pleased to heard any critics and suggestion to help my business running !!! Thanks a lot for all your help

[Former_Member]

I would also love to sign up for shop critique! We are rather new here and im really trying to follow the Etsy Seller handbook but hearing some good advice from someone like you would be so helpfull!
I also would like to know what you feel is the most helfull tool for promoting items; facebook page, personal blog etc. Giveaways of your items in other blogs? There is also an issue of time...if your shop like ours is not a full time thing there is not that much time...evenings, some hours during the weekend. Anyways appreciate all the info i could get.

Thanks,
Helena

[Klarabela]

Me too OncleHope.

[Former_Member]

For long time I am trying to sell my jewelries without success,

is there some one who can show me how to do it by guiding me hand by hand?

[Former_Member]

Oooh I need to know how to get my shop noticed! Need to get a few views - and erm... sales. A shop critique would be good sometime - it was mentioned earlier.
Thanks!