This isn't working for me!!

[Former_Member]

Somebody help me please!! I have been with Etsy for a few months and I'm not getting anywhere. I've reduced my prints and still no one buys them. What am I doing wrong? Is my work really that bad??? Re- listing all the time and adding new items costs money and if I'm spending and not making it back then is it really worth it??

[GildedXRoseXStudio]

Hey there!

Sorry you're having a hard time. This appears to be a slow time of year for a lot of folks. I looked at your shop and noticed you only have 21 items...you need to add more in order to be seen!

Also...your titles and tags are not working as best as they can to help potential customers find you. Take this for example:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87052687/love-heels

If someone were searching for "love heels", you better believe your print will be on the top of the list. Try using this formula to aid in adjusting your title:

what is it? what style is it? what color is it?

The first 3 words are THE most important here. Keep that in mind. I hope this helps!

[ziezoDesigns]

Some quick questions: would you ship internationally? What are you doing to promote traffic to your shop? Can you re-work your titles? Use more words to attract more hits through searches. . .

[SassiChic]

Patience is a virtue :) That is my first piece of advice. I love your work - in fact I featured one of your pieces in a treasury earlier this month. Maybe try spreading news of your store by word of mouth...friends/family etc will start buying and sales will slowly improve.

Best of luck :)

[SilverLilyJewelry]

hey sugar muffin! do not despair you actually have 3 sales ! it takes time ,also looking at your shop I think some of your print's are really cool ex.california girl ,fluid etc...get more creative with these expand upon them add more item's to your shop are you promoting local aslo? this can help! be more active in team's make treasuries etc...

[SilverLilyJewelry]

Yes also work on your titles!

[lewisandbucky]

This is definitely a slow time for me too! Don't be discouraged! I started a thread the other day asking about my prices--wondering if they were too high because I haven't had a sale in a long time. I was advised NOT to lower prices because people might think I didn't value my work or that it wasn't very good. I was actually advised to raise them a bit. I'd re-think lowering your prices and just keep waiting on just the right buyers. It took me nearly two months before I started making sales (and even now, it's not like I'm being overwhelmed with them!). I hope to stick it out and keep working on things and see business pick up during 2012. Some people say it really takes a long time to get things really going on Etsy (1-3 years!). Hang in there!

[Zuparoo]

Yes, be patient and don't be discouraged. Your work is just fine, you need to work on getting traffic. Like others have said, give more info in your titles, like digital print, the size, colors, alternative names for the subject matter. Maybe check out other shops' listings to see how they title prints.

I think your prices are too low now, too! Don't undersell your talent, creative mind, and hard work.

And for SEO (search engine optimization), don't waste the first lines of your shop announcement and product descriptions with Welcome/Thank you for visiting; jump right into describing what your shop sells and what the item is.

Keep at it, it'll pay off eventually.

[TrioArtisanDesigns]

all great advice here! also be sure to find a few teams that you feel comfortable in. very helpful in learning more, getting exposure, meeting people, but most important is to learn as much as you can by reading the discussions. there is so much info out there that can help.

[Former_Member]

you know, too cheap is sometimes making people think it actually is cheap quality.

But most of all girl: you just opened in November!!!!! what are you doing in terms of promotion? I see already that you are just in 93 circles. Have a look around for similar shops like yours and have a look who likes them. Leave them a note with an invitation to look at your shop or add them to your circle in hope they look ;)
twitter, facebook, pinterest..... before you can sell, people need to know you are there.... there is a lot of competition!

[MayhemHere]

Took me almost a year to get my first sale on etsy.... Lots of promotional, joining teams, adding items, going to art shows and handing out cards... It will come.. Read up on SEO and tags.. that helped me a ton... and use fb and wanelo.. They will start bringing people in

[Created2Inspire]

not only is there alot of competion but there is also a terrible economy and it is the slowest mont for selling on here i think. I have been on for 3 years and selling about once a month... have you thought about going to art fairs and such. make business cards and pass them out at the craft fairs too. i need to learn how to twitter myself but it is really hard to get a following. good luck to you

[MayhemHere]

Also I don't know if this is something your interested in but I offer a limited amount of each print... When they are sold thats it... People like the idea that they are getting something that won't be available forever. And also if you have time I would take a couple pictures of your prints framed so people can get an idea of what a Print will look like in their home... I also used to take them kinda off set with a nice background so people got the idea of what the image was and it just looked nicer.

[Former_Member]

I'm pretty new to etsy but not new to the business world as I also own a franchise and I've been making/selling jewelry since the 70's in many different platforms. Right now it's all about social media, no matter what you sell. People need a way to find you. Open a facebook fan page, start a twitter account and focus on working on getting your name out there. As Mallory above said, it's all about SEO. The more you get your name out there, the easier it will be for people to find you. I'm very frustrated myself right now but I'm going back to each listing and using different key words, etc...

[Former_Member]

First- it's a lot of reading and implementing- TAGS and TITLES are super important! I only have about a dozen listings in my shop and I've had 25 sales since getting serious in November. I'm not looking to make money here, just support my hobby and make some spending money so I'm good with that rate (1-2 sales a week is a good week for me). I noticed a big difference when I revamped tags, titles and photography. Good luck! Hang in there :) You have some nice pieces but you're competing with lots of people so just be patient and read a much as you can in team threads and etsy help articles.

[Former_Member]

I definitely agree with Mallory - take a pic of one of your prints in a frame and hang it - this is something I would want to see myself as a potential buyer. Don't give up - we have all had to tweak here and there, and will continue to have to do so!

[PiggleAndPop]

agree with all the above. Sound advice!
Just keep your head up and definitely add more items, I noticed a HUGE difference in views since increasing my listings.
Join teams, find a treasury team you like and tag your items with the team tag- that way when that team makes treasuries, they can find your items and they will likely be featured. This has been a huge key factor in getting my stuff out there.
I just opened in November too! This is a great place to be. Just stand behind your product and put yourself out there!

[ChantelandMe]

Lilsugarmuffin,

Here's an example of what is being talked about (I hope I'm not overspeaking someone) -

http://www.etsy.com/listing/88124099/fridge-magnets

Expand on that title by saying something like "Refrigerator Magnets, Fridge Magnets, Original Artwork Magnets, set of 3"

In your description you aren't really describing these items. What is the magnet like, what is the plastic 'case' (?) like? This would be the place to mention these are reproductions of your original work.

You photos look very creative and cool, but they don't look like a real object I could hold - they look digital. Maybe your photo is blown-out and you need to fix your lighting.

For tags I would get rid of: London, UK, 2x4, set of three, reproduction.

I would add instead: high fashion art, illustrated women, illustrated ladies, abstract art, digital art, refrigerator magnet, paper holders, and any team names you are a part of.

I hope that is helpful. You have some really neat artwork. I wouldn't give up. Each listing is .20; if you are feeling a pinch set a budget for yourself each week for an amount you can add, but try to add as often as you can. Join circles, teams, and make treasuries to make yourself known to other sellers.

[Former_Member]

I'm a photographer with similar questions as lilsugarmuffin. I've been on for almost two months and only had one sale. I think lots of the advice here in this thread is great for us newbees, but I've taken quite a few of the suggestions here already to no avail. I have almost 100 photos listed and I've tweaked and retweaked my titles and tags but still I only get on avg between 20 and 80 views per day. Wondering what is normal traffic for other folks out there? If anyone has advice for me how I might increase traffic? I already have a facbook page, a twitter account, a stumbleupon account, linked-in, and deviantart account. None of this seems to be bringing much more traffic??? I update my facebook and twitter regularly. I relist regularly. What's up with this! Still keeping my hopes up, but spending a few hours a day for my Etsy shop without any payback isn't ultimately going to work for me...

[LittleShopofElleSee]

Please, don't give up! I've been on Etsy for almost a year, and just made my 20th sale. Some people get lucky and start selling right away, while others have to work at it.

Art is a tricky one to sell. Think of some other ways you can sell you art beside prints like stationery, and someone mentioned in another thread about how they started putting their art on iPhone covers. You're on the right track with the magnets!

Please consider shipping internationally, even just for a flat rate -- not by specific country. You could be losing a lot of business that way -- and I mean a lot!

Try doing some work on your photographs as well. Natural light is your best friend. Also, take out the glass in the frames so you don't get any reflections. Experiment with different ways to photograph, and don't be afraid to continually change it up with fresh new photographs every once-in-a-while. They say that you can end up photographing an item 5-6 times before finding the perfect way to showcase it.

Keep adding items to your shop, too. The more people have to look at, the longer they stay in your shop, and the more likely they will buy something.

Most importantly, please do not undervalue your work! There are lots of good articles and posts about pricing your items. Check out this one: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2010/etsy-success-reevaluating-your-prices/ and this one http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/pricing-tips-for-your-creative-business/. I was frustrated in the beginning, and, like you, I drastically lowered my prices, but then I started to raise them, and that's when I noticed people taking more interest in my shop.

[Former_Member]

Yes you need to add more items. The more you have the more options you offer your customers.
And definetely rework your titles. Like the others said, the first 3 words should describe what it is. Would you search for pink lipstick or love heels? Be specific first then add to it to describe colors, shapes, techniques, etc... Also put your title as the first line of your description. It will help to be found. And of course the tags. It's a tough business, there's a lot to learn and you will if you keep trying. Never stop learning.