Pricing items cheap to generate traffic?

[KipaniLife]

do you think it is better to sell your items cheaper than you would like, just to help generate traffic when you are new? I've been thinking about doing this just to get some sales since I am new and am still waiting for that first sale. I don't want to give it a way of course, but what do you think of the idea?

[DestaiDesigns]

I tried doing this and I still got no sales! I've been given (and have taken) the advice that if it's too cheap people assume it's bad quality. Better to price fairly from the beginning.

If you want to generate traffic, you're better off tweaking titles, tags, that kind of thing. (I say this without having looked at your shop, so it's not a comment on what you have already.) SEO is very important on Etsy.

Best of luck. :)

[Former_Member]

Sorry to say this but with 4 items in your shop you are probably going to have to wait forever for that first sale. You need a lot more items to get seen in jewelry, pricing low is not going to do the trick.
Fill up your shop, promote your stuff and your sales will come.

[KipaniLife]

Thank you for the advice. I have another 4 items I will be adding soon but unfortunately won't have money to add much more until I actually start making a sale or two. I've heard you need at least 100 items to really get seen, but its tough starting out with such a limited budget, you know?

[Former_Member]

NO, a low price just seems like you're desperate or have low quality.

[Former_Member]

There are a few things to think about when you are selling 'cheap'.

1) do you want your shop to be perceived as the 'dollar store' or 'walmart' and known for its cheap prices?

2) if you are selling at really low prices and someone asks for a wholesale order (priced at 50% of your retail (Etsy) price) will you be able to take the order and still make a profit?

3) what happens when you begin to raise your prices? Do your customers stay with you or do they simply move on to the next shop offering lower priced merchandise?

Only you will have to decide whether or not you want to cater to the customer who shops at Neimann Marcus or the one who shops at Walmart.

If I were you, I would concentrate on adding some stock to your shop before you start to worry about discounting.

Would you go into a shop in the mall that only had 4 items in it? Would you go back? Probably not.

Just my 2 cents

[woolpleasure]

4 items is not much..... add more , work on pictures and you will sell!

[Former_Member]

I agree with crochetgal. You need to consider the price if you want to sell wholesale or consignment in physical shops. And also some people may doubt the quality of your item if your price is too cheap.

[Former_Member]

thats a terrible idea and wont generate more traffic

more items will, as will you bringing people to your shop fro outside etsy, and good seo,

8 is nowhere near enough

this isnt something you can succeed at the way you are going about it.

you have to fully commit.

[Plektra]

You can have offers from time to time to generate some views and hopefully interest. I agree with others, it's best to take things as they come and create new and more things to add to your shop. Etsy is a very big site! It is very easy for a small shop to get 'lost'.

I once read 'Perception is reality to a customer'. If customers associate low prices with low quality, you will not get them through the door even if you offer things for free.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Never a good idea.

[Former_Member]

This may sounds harsh... but you should aim for a minimum of 150-200 items... especially in the jewelry department..... there is a lot of competition and your shop can easily get ' lost' in the crowd.

Though of course, you could just get lucky !

Keep creating, listing, working those tags, photos, etc.... and be sure to let all your friends and family know that you have a little etsy shop... they can also do advertising for you and help you get the at first sale - my first etsy customer was a dear friend !

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

I'm with everyone else: don't price low.

I understand your plight of being strapped for cash to make more inventory. But I strongly suggest that you figure out a way budge wise to make more room to make more things. I'm in the same boat, and it took me a year to get 50 plus items in my store (I currently have about 20 more items I need to list, just need to get my model's scheduled so i can take the pics).

You're first sale will come. Just take the time now to learn more about SEO and online marketing (with FB, pinterest, twitter, etc) since your shop is so small. That way when you have the funds to add more items, you'll be able to properly promote your shop.

[Former_Member]

Yeah, what the others said. Don't sell yourself short... this biggest issue you have is inventory and a variety of inventory.

[EchidnaArtandCards]

I agree with pricing properly right from the start. Working on having great photos, adding inventory, having different price points, improving titles and tags would be much more beneficial.
Good luck.

[nad205]

Take my example,I have around 80 Items and I am always working to have more stock. More stock with diversity of choices of items and price but keeping to the theme of the shop.

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

I know you didn't ask for a critique, but I suggest including size info in your listings. I just looked at your To the Moon and Back necklace and while it mentions an 18 inch chain, I have no idea how big the pendant is. As a buyer I would move on rather than contact you for that info and have to wait for a response. It would be helpful to list the size in inches and metric and include a photo of the necklace either on a live model or a life size necklace display.

[Former_Member]

I started off low in the hope of getting some visits tot he shop but, i only got the visits when the price went up. A lady told me that it would look like i dont think my cards were worth the price.

[Former_Member]

It doesn't work for me. I am desperately trying to close my shop but want everything gone first...I've even offered 40% off coupons and no one has used it.

[Former_Member]

I have tried raising and lowering prices a lot and so far it definitely seems that items that are underpriced are less likely to sell. It seems counter-intuitive but I think that when people see a really low price, their first thought is something like "Okay, so what's wrong with it? There must be a catch." On Etsy with certain items if the price is too low I immediately wonder if the items have been purchased in bulk for resale and may even do a search on Ebay or AliBaba to see if the same item turns up everywhere.
Also, working on my pictures and tags (still an ongoing process) has helped me a lot.

[Former_Member]

I had my items priced very high when I first opened my shop. I was using the "pricing for profit" formula that Etsy recommends, happily planning to pay myself $30 an hour. Sales were very slow. My shop is still very young (2 years in a few weeks), but business has really picked up since I took the advice of a small business counselor. She suggested I price my items within the range of similar items on Etsy, and raise prices in the future when sales increase to a point where I can't keep up. It's frustrating how long it's taking, because I want to run my shop full-time, but the changes seem to have helped. Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Tiffany, you can really start getting seen at any number of items, but it does pay off to have more. Depends on your daily activity in your shop and on Etsy.
I TOTALLY know what you mean about working with a budget when it comes to making items for your shop. In the beginning, I was making jewelry on a much lower budget, so I would go to thrift stores in my area, buy older cheap jewelry and cut it up; make it into something new. I also found a lot of sellers on Etsy in jewelry supplies that would really have good deals. If you really think about it, you can make amazing items from stuff you find (fabric wrapped button earrings, tin can upcycled jewelry, etc) if you are into that sort of thing.

[MyDistinctDesigns]

Jewelry is a tough category. There are lots of sellers who price their items on the high side and do quite well. There are even more who price their items for the "bargain shopper". If you want to be a "bargain store" you are going to have to find supplies that fit into that category. If you are having trouble adding items because of budget, how does selling the item and making virtually no profit help with that problem?

BTW, congrats on your 1st sale. You stated that you are new but your shop says 2010. I don't know how a customer perceives it but if I was the customer I would be a little concerned about a store that has been open for 3 1/2 years with no sales. Someone else may have more insight on this.

[GoldenTwinClasps]

If you don't charge enough to at least cover your costs and make a small profit you will never have enough money to expand your inventory. I look at very low prices as a sign of desperation or an indication that poor-quality materials were used.

[Mzcarley]

you could always have a few sales here or there or have a few cheaper priced items available in your store among your more expensive items. Or you could try having a clearance section for items to make way for newer items in your store.

My goal for my store this year is to have made 100 items. So far I am at 32 items