What am I doing wrong? Seriously...

[Former_Member]

I have less than 500 sales and a very similar store to mine has 50,000+
Where am I going wrong? I can't understand it.
:-(
Dani

[WintergreenDesign]

Your shop looks lovely... I think it's important to just focus on your own shop and not worry about how well another shop is doing or not doing or how similar a product is from one I'm selling (believe me I am very familiar with it and I've resolved myself to just keep on keeping on and design newer and better and more complex things and offer the absolute best customer service I possibly can in hopes that people will keep coming back and send their friends and family as well.

The one thing that I noticed that would make me not purchase from you and look elsewhere is your shipping policies... you ARE responsible for lost and damaged packages. Insurance is for the benefit of the seller not the buyer. Unfortunately that kind of policy makes sellers sound difficult to deal with whether they are or not. The buyer of your product is already insured through both paypal as well as their credit card. The insurance insures that you the seller are not required to pay for a lost or damaged package through your own pocket. Hope that helps and best of luck.

[Former_Member]

I wouldn't worry about what other shops are doing and focusing on finding a unique niche for myself instead. There are lots and lots of baby bow shops on Etsy, so you gotta find some way to stand out. The most adorable model, the way you style your photos, some unique models, something else.

I also think those "..." between words might hurt your SEO (not completely sure about that though).

Another thing is your unwelcoming policies, like Christa mentioned. If I was shopping for baby headbands, reading "I am not responsible for damaged packages" together with some of your feedback (regarding no communication) would turn me off from buying from you. In fact, I have passed on shops before who had excellent feedback but had a similar clause in their policies.

I *know* that as a buyer I could just get my $ back from Paypal if something did get lost, but do I want to deal with a seller that would refuse to replace/refund and force me to deal with Paypal? No, I don't have time for that. That's just a little perspective from a buyer's point of view, good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

I have to agree with the others about your policies. The tone comes across as quite negative and ends by saying if a package goes missing the buyer is to contact the post office directly. Like Christa said, you ARE responsible for lost and damaged packages regardless of what your policies say. It would be better for you and your shop to make your policies more welcoming rather than to scare buyers away. I also think your response to the negative feedback could have been better. As it is now, it reads defensive and you don't give a reason for not responding to her emails. These are things that can affect whether a customer buys from you or another shop.

[Former_Member]

Your products are nice, your shop looks good. I am not fond of your banner, though. It seems a bit...well...it's not very modern and stylish. (Sorry, you did ask!) Your products are nice, even for moms who don't like bling. (See...I don't do bling myself, and I'd buy them.)

I think instead of worrying about your policies (do change them), it's more productive to think about your products. You have nice things, I want to make that clear. But what sets you apart from another shop who has baby headbands? What is your "Unique Selling Point"? Find that and capitalize on it.

Also, where else are you doing marketing? The other shop might very well have a huge blog and website and be very involved in the mommy blogger world. What is your marketing avenue and how can you find your own niche?

in today's internet world, you either need to have a very unique product or a very unique reason why people will buy your product. It is no longer about having nice things. Lots of shops have nice things. How can you make yourself even more special?

[Former_Member]

When I see shops that don't take responsibility for getting the purchases to me, I immediately look elsewhere. Insurance is there to protect the seller and not the buyer. Good customer service does go a long way.

Another thing that you may want to consider is your marketing strategy. What are you doing to bring customers to your shop?

I did notice that there is a lot of repetition in your item titles so that could very well be hurting you in searches, especially outside of Etsy. And having your item title as the first line in the description isn't going to help you in Google searches at all

How long have you been in business? When I see statements such as
""Don't be fooled by imitators! Little Miss Bling is the original!""
its rather off putting especially since your shop has only been open for three years. Hair accessories for babies such as the ones you are selling have been around for more than 40 years.

Have you considered writing an 'about' page so that potential customers can really get a glimpse of the person behind the shop? Maybe you should consider that as well.

[KiltedWoman]

I buy frequently on etsy. I don't really pay attention to shipping policies but I ALWAYS check feedback. There will generally be an occasional cranky customer and I disregard the feedback that seems like it was from negative Nelly. BUT when I see that someone doesn't return emails, I move on.

As a seller it is my business to answer emails As soon as I see them. As a buyer, I need reassurance that I will get my item in a timely manner and the seller won't disappear if there's a problem. If you have a disgruntled buyer you can almost always make it right by being attentive and helpful. Ignoring them does not work. Once you have done that it takes a long time to build trust again.

I like your pictures, they are lovely. Your prices are good too, in my opinion. I would really focus on never getting another low star rating.

[Former_Member]

Thanks everyone. I just changed my shipping policy. I'll also start taking my title out of my description. As for that one bad review, she very much over exaggerated. I WAS in contact with her...that's why that upsets me so much. Now, I need to work on a marketing strategy.

[Former_Member]

I don't understand how just two bad reviews has knocked off a half on your 5 stars. I have two bad reviews and only around 30 feedback in total and have stayed at 5 stars?

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Some points of attention:
Marketing
SEO
Your far from perfect feedback score.


Leanne, the review star score is based on the last year only. Not on all of our reviews/feedback.

[Former_Member]

I looked at the first listing and have a few points I immediately thought of:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/150649311/baby-headbandred-flower-headbandglitter?ref=shop_home_feat...

- The title starts 'baby headband', but the picture is not of a baby. I think this is a bit confusing. People who were looking fro a baby headband might not head straight to this picture if there are others of babies
- I'd put your measurements in cm as well as inches for international customers
- There is no close up photo of the product. The pictures are gorgeous, but I'd want to see a close up
- I'm not sure that it works having babies through to women on one listing. I think it might work better listed separately and having clearer sections/separating your tags/titles to be more target focused.

Hope these help! :-)

[TheWhisperWoods]

I dont understand how etsy works i guess, i havent had ANY sales and ive been hear for a few months, i am very active on forums and teams, i do pinterest.
I dont think my prices are wrong and someone said i have the greatest pictures, ... Fill me in guys what is wrong with my shop?
I am beginning to be desperate and seriously thinking about stopping.

[WintergreenDesign]

Littlestitchingwitch I would recommend you fill out your policies page to answer the questions in regards to refunds, shiiping times etc. I would also recommend that you research your shipping prices to Canada, the USA, Australi, etc... your shipping prices seem quite inflated... always list the most economical prices for shipping using the most economical packaging to keep the price down.

Also take some time to learn about SEO/tags... in order to be found... your tags could be better to be found in searches... hope that helps.

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

LittleStitchingWitch - where is your shop located? I don't see that info anywhere in your shop. Even the shipping info where it usually says "ships from ____" there is nothing. Not knowing the shop's location would put me off as a buyer.

[Former_Member]

littlestitchingwitch, I hear you, seem to have the same problem, been working on pictures and descriptions, tags, seo, teams, treasuries etc, and when i see the competition with horrible pictures, tags and whatever there is, they are having sales, but it seems because they are underselling and violating copyrights and it seems nothing is being done about it despite of violation reports, I am at a loss when it comes to these items, my other shop does well but they are supplies...

[Former_Member]

great advice here!!! i enjoyed reading this thread. thanks guys.

it raised a question for me though.... i have over 100 sales here, and only 12 of those transactions have had feedback left.
I handwrite a personal note on each receipt when I shop, thanking customers for their purchase and encourage them to leave feedback.

how can I get customers to do this? I ask them if they'd be so kind, but truly, what more can I do?


thanks

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

Brigitte Cornell from NeedlecraftGallery says
it seems because they are underselling and violating copyrights and it seems nothing is being done about it despite of violation reports,

The only one who can report a copyright/trademark violation is the owner of the trademark. For example - you see a shop selling Mickey Mouse onesies - two trademark violations (Disney and Onesie). Trademark violation complaints would have to come from Disney and/or Gerber before Etsy will take action.

[Former_Member]

yes I am aware of that and I know for a fact that several companies are looking into it because I reported the violations to them, I guess it will take some time, this one seller took not only my picture she also stole my design and after writing a message to her to take it down or else, she did, and I did report her to Etsy, and she keeps stealing other pictures as well. However when the time is right I am sure she will have to face the consequences....

[Former_Member]

Same thing is happening to me!!! I do provide an excellent costumer service though, but still i dont get enough traffic even with the ads running. :(

[Former_Member]

@LittleStitchingWitch: you don´t have any shop sections and only very few items, that makes it difficult to find you. what´s more some of your pics are badly cropped and your titles are pretty short

[PrairiePrimitives]

@LittleStitchingWitch ... use multiple word tags and repeat those phrases in the title. That would be a good start!

[WilliamsGiftshop]

@LittleStitchingWitch: and when you have your shop in tip top shape (following all the advice posted above) and increased your inventory, you want to work on a marketing plan!
In order to be succesful on Etsy you have to make great use of keywords (SEO), so you can be found in searches on and outside of Etsy, AND you have to bring in your own customers from outside of Etsy.
Marketing = defining and locating your target market and promoting directly to them (without spamming).

Wishing you many sales!

[TheWhisperWoods]

Wauw guys, thnx so much !
I will work on all of that.

[Former_Member]

Thanks everyone for your input! My next mission is to work on my marketing, I need to target bloggers.

[Former_Member]

Using "..." between words is not good for Google searches. Etsy usually removes the "..." and pushes the two adjoining words together, creating a combined word that Google cannot read. To avoid this, always use a space before or after any punctuation.

Use the keywords that are in the listing title in the listing description, sprinkled throughout the text, not just copied into the first line of the description. For Google, it is important to use the keywords throughout the text and use the first and best keyword phrase, such as "white flower headband" in the first 140 characters of the listing description - this is the part of the description that usually is seen in lines 3 & 4 of Google search results.

Try keyword phrases such as "baby headband" "girls headband" etc. without rearranging the words or inserting other words in between. Keep in mind that it can take Google up to four weeks to find the changes you made to your shop and listings.

Stop looking at or thinking about how the competition is doing. Keep working on your shop and product and service and pretty soon other shops will envy you and wonder you YOU do it.