Tips and ideas?

[MichellesVarietyShop]

I joined Etsy in 09, after a few months of no sales I gave it up until recently. I started back about a month ago and things are very slow. I have had a couple of sales, but even the views are way down, tonight I did side up for Search ads to try and get more views which hopefully lead to more sales. Any tips or ideas for a newbie?

[Former_Member]

Don't give up. :) I'm a bit of a newbie to selling myself, still working out the "kinks" good luck.

[Former_Member]

photos are so important. Make sure they aren't too dark or have glare. The more professional looking the more views, favorites, treasuries etc.

[Former_Member]

I really just started putting my shop together too. I'm always trying to make my photos better, just made a light box tonight from online tutorials (easy to find). One other thing that was difficult for me was deciding to streamline my work. I had a bunch of different types of things, fine art, books, clothes, paper crafts, etc. etc. and my shop was just really hard to look at, all over the place. I decided to focus on just vintage finds and crafts made from vintage materials and I think it's working better. There are lots of shops on Etsy, so try to find your niche!

[Former_Member]

It really is all about the photos - I'd suggest making your own light box as mentioned above - there are links in other etsy posts that are super easy & cheap. Just search 'light box' under the teams.
Next, sign up for www.fotofuze.com It's free, & you can link it to your Etsy shop - it's an online app that cleans up your photos, it's really awesome for giving you a clean white background & nice shadow.

Check out these shops for some photo inspiration & shop cohesiveness:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HerbivoreBotanicals
http://www.etsy.com/shop/prunellasoap
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RightSoap

Simply search for soap or whatever you want to sell, & see which ones really catch your eye & make you want to click on them.
Best of luck! Melinda

[Former_Member]

I think photos are important and description, I have been trying to make sales and no luck so far. But I am not giving up, trying to save up for Karate!

[Former_Member]

I agree that a few key things could improve your photos and the overall look of your shop. I'm new too, and have really gotten a lot out of the Seller's Handbook and watching the Online Labs.

[HiTeaShop]

work on your pictures and description, make it as personal as possible. Stay positive, sell yourself before sell your products! Pay attention to SEO stuff!

[Former_Member]

To get more views (while you are working on those photos), add more keywords to the listing titles and tags, such as these (if they are a good fit)

- vegan soap
- natural soap
- glycerin soap
- natural bath products

[HopeAndGracePens]

Look into joining a team and ask for a critique. I thought I had my shop pretty much in order. I joined "the den" and just got the most in-depth constructive criticism I could have hoped for. Now it's on to implenting those changes and watching traffic increase!

[Former_Member]

If you want more views, work on your titles and tags first, to improve your search ratings for relevancy, before you start spending $ on ads.

[LoopsAndLines]

My three cents. . .

General consensus on here is Search ads are not worth it.

Photos are important.

SEO and relevancy are keys to getting found. There are lots of myths in the threads like " first three words in your title are the most important." For the true scoop and an EXCELLENT tool for optimizing your titles, tags, descriptions, shop sections, etc check out,

http://etsymentors.blogspot.com/p/critique-your-own-shop.html

[Former_Member]

I noticed in your shop that you are selling Homer Laughlin bread plates for $1.99 and the shipping is $5.50. I would raise the price for the plates and adjust the shipping.

Also like everyone before me said, photos and SEO are important! Good luck.

[Former_Member]

Hi! earlier this week i asked other sellers for tips. i compiled them to one blog post if youd like to see. there are some really great tips everyone contributed

http://intriguedbeing.com/?p=351

[MichellesVarietyShop]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I have tomorrow afternoon off so I will start working on fixing things.