What am I doing wrong???

[Former_Member]

2.5 years and only 14 sales!!!

*I know my designs are unique and of high quality - I sell them in my home based studio for years, and even needed to build a larger space with a separate entrance - which is almost ready for business.

*Photos are good and professional - though on a dark background. They look lame on white and kind of losing volume.

*Done lots of renewals and work hard on SEO, and still has a lot more to do.

*Social media - working hard on facebook, pinterest, twitter, flickr and tumblr.

So, what am I doing wrong?
Is my place not on Etsy?

[Former_Member]

I briefly looked at your shop and the only thing I would say is that you are in a very saturated market and it's going to be very hard to find here. Your SEO looked good, but when you are competing against tens of thousands for the first 10 pages it's almost impossible.

While you have very beautiful things, many of your items are very expensive. Maybe consider putting a couple categories of $50 and under for those buyers that love your stuff, but cannot afford to pay $100+ for something. Just a thought. :)

[carlaJArt]

Hi Ducky
Your jewelry's lovely & your photos are fab...I'm sure you're not doing anything wrong!!
I suppose with more expensive items your sales are going to be less than those who sell cheaper items.
I did notice that a lot of the tags that you've used don't come up on the etsy search bar as something that people are searching for. For example on this item https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/175596406/bohemian-layered-necklace-triple-strand?ref=shop_home_feat... there's a few tags that are wasted....pod necklace, organic shapes, multistrand necklaces & 0081. If you type those into the etsy search bar they don't come up in the list of suggestions.
Also, I would try using the alternative spelling of jewelry (Jewellery) dotted around in your titles, descriptions & tags.

I've not tried it but you could try promoting some of your listings to see if that helps.
Hope that all makes sense & helps a smidge
Carla x

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Hi Ducky,
I advice you to read this thread:
https://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/16149239/page/1

Wishing you many future sales!

[RomaMiaTradingCo]

I looked at your shop quickly, it looks nice.

Expensive, but nice.

Do you think that the price might have an effect of people buying? I know i personally wouldn't be able to afford any of your pieces.

Also, what is your off etsy marketing strategy? Are you on social media? Blogs? Do you do craft fairs? Just because your on Etsy doesn't mean that the sales and customers will automatically come. Through SEO/Photos as well as off etsy marketing, that is how you get people into your shop.

[Former_Member]

Well, I have quite cheep earrings and not-so-expensive bracelets, but in general my designs require lots of work and can't be underpriced. Prices in my home studio are exactly the same, and I sell nicely.
I've seen much more expensive jewelry sold on Etsy - and even I sold some - so I wonder if that's the issue.
Does handmade jewelry expected to come cheep?

Carla, I know SEO needs more work. Thanks for your input.
I keep learning, and in many searches my items are on the first page.

Nikki, I constantly work on social media, as I wrote above.

Still, I keep feeling I'm missing something...

Thank you all :)

[happywrap]

Hi Ducky,

If your items sell well when people can see them in person, but not so well online, it generally means that the photos are not doing them justice.

I know you said the photos are professional, but I'm not sure they're really showing off the best of your intricate, beautiful work.

It may be as simple as lighting, there doesn't seem to be enough highlight/lowlight, e.g. very few shadows or highlighted areas giving depth and 3D quality to the images. They seem a little 2 dimensional.

Have a play with some different lighting and see if it makes a difference.

[LovgrenandDaughter]

Have you thought about re-arranging your shop so that when looking at it the pages, like things are next to each other? Like the "boho necklace" and the earrings are next to each other?

Also, they are interesting I don't know the technique's proper name but I would love to see each leaf closer up. The slate is consistent and not overwhelming, I wouldn't say go to white. People seem to be moving away from white now.

On the tags for that necklace you might include pink and green necklace. I would be looking to match a necklace to an outfit and would search a color faster than boho.. Just some thoughts.

Jewelery is a tough category. I hope you sells lots and lots!

[Former_Member]

The first thing I noticed was the pricing as well. Your shop listings are sorted in a "custom" manner, and the first page features very expensive items. If I were a potential customer who found your shop, I would assume that all of your items are that price if that's all I see on the first page. I would suggest featuring some of your less expensive items and see if that makes a difference. Hope this helps a little!

[Former_Member]

Wendy - it is certainly something I consider from time to time, and even made drastic changes. This line of photography was surveyed within my own customers and received huge support.

Kristin & Allison - the front page of the shop reflects new & renewed items, and it's a fantastic idea to put complementary items next to each other and combine several price points.

Prices - again, it's not my hobby. I'm a jewelry designer for more than 30 years, an expert in my field, and yes - aiming for profit.

Thanks :)

[XZOUIX]

well i like your shop, Ducky. maybe try to join promo teams, make some treasuries (i know that treasuries aren't that popular anymore but still, they're fun to make and they bring an extra audience the your shop)...

happy sales!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Zoui.
You're right - I don't do enough "mingling" inside Etsy.

[ArcaneArtifactsArt]

I find your prices fair for what you're doing. About the only thing I could afford are earring but I am probably not your target market (am I right in assuming your customer base in person are mostly women of established middle class in their 30s to 40s. That's who I picture when I see your products) I know there are a lot of white background haters on etsy, but have you always had darker backgrounds? I'm more attracted to the photos on the lighter stone because it seems cheerier to me.

[StuckOnSilver]

Beautiful work, Ducky!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/174488048/love-birds-necklace-textured-silver?ref=shop_home_feat_1

You should try to use all your photos--including a photo on a model.

[Former_Member]

Deveon, you hit my target market almost perfectly!
About the photos: before the shop was open, we tried many backgrounds. Non was perfect, except basalt (the lighter rock, but it's porous and textured) and slate (dark but mostly quite smooth). The next option is a chalkboard, but it's tricky. My own clients loved the slate out of many options.

Dev, most of the items were photographed on a model, and there are still many more to shoot - like this necklace.

Thank you both so much :)

[CeciLeibovitz]

Ducky, your jewelry is gorgeous and your prices just fine for the amount of work I'm sure it takes to create your pieces.

I think your photos need just a bit of tweaking. I've had several of my own, and helped other businesses with handmade online retail shops, and better photos almost always increased sales.

The market may be saturated but if you make your jewelry stand out in photos by appealing to the lifestyle of your target market, it will sell! I would try adding a small prop or two to the photos for interest and see what happens. I think the background is fine but also agree they look a bit flat which could easily be fixed.

Added bonus with amazing photos is that you may have bloggers wanting to feature them, bringing in even more sales.

[happywrap]

Ducky, don't forget the feedback from your current clients about the photos are people who have seen your items in the flesh. They are not the ones imagining your work from only the photos, so whilst their feedback is certainly important, it needs to be taken in context. In terms of increasing online sales, feedback from those who only have your online presence to go on is more pertinent.

[Former_Member]

Ceci & Wendy - you are both so right!!!
Once my new collection is ready, I will take several photo styles for 2-3 items and survey them on my FB page and newsletter.
Thanks :)

[CeciLeibovitz]

Great Ducky - I look forward to seeing them! :-)
And Wendy, very good point!

[aclhandweaver]

Interesting read! I, too, am having a hard time reaching my customers, although I know they are out there and my prices on target for my B & M sales. I do a lot of work on social media to drive traffic & views. It seems that views in general have dropped dramatically in the last few months. In part, I think that this is due to fewer people making treasury collections and cross marketing each other. Faving threads do not bring in the right traffic for me, and take a lot of time, somewhat like busy work. Not a significant ROI there. Context and getting to the right target market is more important than random favs from folks who are not really buyers, or even interested in taking a 2nd look. It's more about connecting and engaging with customers, as well as having the right keywords, tags, photos, and presentation to get found.

Any more tips on this would certainly be appreciated, and I'm sure, not just by me!

[maydaylabels]

Here is a shop that I have loved for a long time (since I discovered Etsy in 2009) who has been successful:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/larimeloom

She is also priced near the top of her market (that market being, largely, handmade/handwoven silk and linen clothing). Here are some of the things that I think make her successful at this approach, which you might try to incorporate into your shop:

1. top-notch photography. Not just good enough photography, or top 25% photography, but absolutely great, cohesive, beautiful, fits perfectly with her shop aesthetic photography.
2. Overall great presentation. A professional looking banner, clear concise descriptions (in perfect English, even though I think it is not her native language)
3. A variety of price points, with approx 40 items under $50 and 40 over $500, but 60-70% of the shop in her $100 or so sweet spot. (Your shop does this pretty well too).

[aclhandweaver]

PS. One thing I did recently with feedback, was to copy & paste quoted reviews directly into the descriptions of similar items (if you have more than one of a stock item). Many viewers do not go to the reviews, let alone read through to find reviews of similar items. This makes it easier for the customer to see what others think of that particular product or style and help make choice to purchase.