Sales....where are they?

[Former_Member]

Sales are extremely low to the point where I don't have ANY. I don't want to give up but I've only had one sale since opening in Feb. What should I do?? Is everyone having the same problem?

[Former_Member]

I just opened in November and I've had two sales so far. I am not really sweating it at this point because the only promos I'm doing are through social media, and my blog. I also only have 20 items in my shop. My pics need a face lift, so for the next week or so, I'm just trying to get my shop into shape. I bought a photo tent set, had my husband teach me the basic photo editing in photoshop, ect. I'm just trying whatever I can to make the shop it's best. It does get frustrating, believe me I completely know what you mean.

[Former_Member]

You really still need to work on your photos. A bunch of them are hard to see and quite blurry. This one:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/94723671/beer-mug-personalized-glass-1-glass
is the best out of the bunch, but you need to do something to get rid of the light source in the background. Maybe build a lightbox/tent so it doesn't like you used the flash/took the photo in direct sunlight? Another reason I like that one so much is because it's easy to see the design on the glass, so maybe you should think about putting tissue paper in each of the glasses you photograph. And you don't need the props (the pearls). The glasses are fabulous, let them stand on their own.

Also, and I'm a terrible spelling nazi so forgive me, it's "original", not "origional". And it kind of seems like you're yelling at your customers when you use all caps.

Hope that helps!

[PebbleCreekStudio]

Your glasses are beautiful, and you haven't been open that long. Hang in there..it takes time! :)

[Former_Member]

Well you've only really just started. I've only had two sales since really starting in december....
I.don't think after a month you should be so ready to give up? Thriving business are not made a few weeks. Don't get discouraged, just realize it takes TONS of CONSTANT work.

Things will get better :-)

[Former_Member]

Well if it's any consolation to you i've had no sales at all since 20th of FEB when I opened shop. But I must say My husb (an experienced merchant in real shops) says I have to be patient. But I have to say that it feels hard to wake up every day and see no messages for sales.
Don't give up we'll get some sales at some point.

[DaliaShamirJewelry]

I didn't have a single sale for about a month, this is so discouraging :-(

[NeedlesnPinsStichery]

When you first open a shop it is the norm for sales to be slow in coming. I had to wait 8 weeks to get 2 sales and then I was opened about 7 months before they started to become a little more regular. Sometimes there are several weeks between. It takes a lot of time to promote and re-work your shop. Just keep at it and the sales will come. :)

Also, there are so many more sellers on Etsy now for customers to choose from that it is difficult for anyone to get a lot of sales.

[Former_Member]

We opened in May of last year and didn't have a sale until November. Since then, we have had 18 sales - 4 last week. I have noticed this week that our views have plummeted to less than 40 a day. I will add a few new items today and renew a few more.

Hang in there - we almost closed our etsy shop a few times. I am so glad we didn't.

[Former_Member]

I have heard the magic number of items to have in your shop is 100. I am working towards this.
Hang in there, it takes awhile. Just...keep...listing :)

[Former_Member]

Good pictures are KEY on Etsy...a must! I made myself a DIY light box that worked wonders for my photos.
DIY light box blog post: http://www.thethriftypicker.com/2011/11/were-diyers-round-here.html
Only thing I have done differently since the post was to purchase 3 clip on lamp lights at walmart ($5 each) along with daylight bulbs at walmart (approx $13 for a box of 3).
This small investment made a *big* difference in my photos!

[MayhemHere]

I agree.. The first thing I notice when I open your shop is its almost impossible to make out what im looking at.. The images should be clear enough from the small images to know what you are looking at and to incite people to click on the item.

[Former_Member]

i am not an expert on increasing sales since i dont have any.. but i agree with the others changing your photos might be all you need:)

[ashleynchl]

I've only made 3 sales since I opened in November 2011. It can get VERY discouraging at times but Rachael is right, 100 is the magic number when it comes to listings. I'm working on that at the moment.

[AnneLondezGlass]

I've noticed a spectacular fall in search hits and views in my shop over the past 2 days, I suspect there is a search issue that's affecting search results and therefore make us less visible.

[sherrytruitt]

There's no magic number. There are shops everyday that sell with 10 or 20 or 50 items. Seriously.

I will say, tthough, that having been on etsy almost 5 years, this is historically a slow season for retail.

There are no major holidays coming up. It is, however the time of year when resort shops and summer beach shops are buying wholesale for the upcoming season.

If you can sell wholesale this is the time to go after that kind of business. We use these months to fill our wholesale orders. We only sell 4 items in our line this way, and it works well for us.

@Anne, there is a search issue, I saw it on the forums page.

[shoptwoblooms]

I opened Dec 21st and have had 8 sales. I have however done a tonne of things to my shop so hoping that will improve. Also have a goal to get to 50 items and I'm almost there.

[LittleBitsOFaith]

Though it is hard, be patient, study and ask for advice. I have been open since fall and only 4 sales online. It is a lot of work, time and energy, but there are so many good people at etsy willing to help. Good luck to you!!

[Former_Member]

Sherry says:
"There's no magic number. There are shops everyday that sell with 10 or 20 or 50 items. Seriously."

I couldn't agree more.

[Former_Member]

Hang in there... Keep adding new items and working on your photos, tags. The sales will come. Good luck to your shop!

[Former_Member]

Love you glasses! I think it might just be a slow time of year. Even some shops that do really well have been slower lately. So there's that and the fact that you are still very new. Just keep doing a little everday to improve your shop and get noticed and the sales should start coming in!

[LittleAcornToronto]

Your glasses are cute! But your photography definitely needs some work! Why not actually fill the glasses up with beer for photographing them?

Do you have a nice wood table that you can pull over near a bright window? Don't take pictures in direct sunlight. Turn off your flash...never use a flash. If you have a tripod, or something to rest your camera on that would be great, like a pile of books? (turning off the flash slows down the shutter speed to let in more light - this is what causes lots of flash-less photos to come out blurry - eliminate the blurriness by resting the camera on something other than in your hands!)

If the wall behind the table is white, perfect. If not, invest in a 79cent bristol board and tape it to the wall behind. You may still need to brighten the pictures a little. If you don't have photoshop, find some free photo editing software through Google.

Fill your glasses up with beer or wine for the purposes of taking pictures (or colored water - whatever). The tissue paper and curly ribbon are distracting.

Here is my posting about how I hit 1000 sales: http://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/9954644

Also, here is something to remember:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten ~Mark Twain

Be open to suggestions. Read the Etsy Sellers Handbook.

And best of luck to you! You can definitely do it. Your stuff is cute...you just need to work on your photography a bit, and you need to increase your inventory.

[Former_Member]

Thank you all so much. I can't tell you how much I appreciate each and every comment!

[Former_Member]

@ it's time for wine - are your glasses washable or dishwasher safe? i would be curious as a buyer if they were "usable" or just for show? :)

[Former_Member]

Just wanted to say hi and don't worry too much about sales, like many have said before me. You should think of ways to improve pictures - I know how hard photographing glass can be as I make etched glassware and there is always some annoying reflection or something I find later that makes me retake the photos. You could try (like recommended above) to fill the glasses and if not using a lightbox, put them in a setting that isn't distracting but where you could picture them being used. Or if you don't want to buy a lightbox, buy some large sheets of colored paper at the local art store, and use it as a backdrop! These are all things I've used and they help out a LOT!

Although my shop was technically opened in June, 2011... I didn't put anything in it until Jan 28, 2012 and I've gotten 3 sales so far. But two of those people were people that I know. Things will happen for both of us, I am confident. Just keep trying!