What to sell - anyone want to be quoted in an article?

[#1]

Hi everyone!

I'm writing an article for sellers about your product/what to sell in your Etsy shop. I'd love some quotes, examples, and stories from sellers to include in the article!

Here are some notes on what I think it would be great to address in the article - did any of these apply to you? If you could write a sentence or two or three or four about your experiences, that would be amazing! If your story is longer, please feel free to write it anyway- I may paraphrase you! Thank you so much!

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Sell something that you love and believe in.

Design or curate for yourself- won't apply to everyone, but is a great point of view for a small creative business.

Research the market.

Pay attention to what’s doing well.

Develop a cohesive line.

Go with big ideas- if you have a great idea that you are passionate about, try it!

Keep evolving.

And a common question:

Should I have more than one shop for my different products? What is your experience with that?
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If you have thoughts and experiences about what to sell on Etsy that aren't addressed here, or advice counter to the above, please add them!

Thanks, everyone!

[Former_Member]

Sell something that you love and believe in. I believe that if you love and believe in your product, it resonates throughout your shop and everything you do. That love and passion you have for your products will be your driving force to keep going, even in those not so lucrative times all businessess face. When you love your products, you are enthusiastic about them, and that enthusiasm is contagious. I hate purchasing from a sales clerk that you can tell is just there, but the ones that have great enthusiasm for their products makes me want to know more about it. Your passion will show in everything you do and ultimately help you achieve success, financial or otherwise.

Now, I do have more than one shop. In each one, the products are completely different. But I love each one and enjoy making all the products at one time or another. I am crafty at heart so I like to experiment with a lot of different mediums. I have found the few that I love to do and I fill my free time doing one of them. For me, the various avenues of creativity helps keep away those creative ruts! But it is hard to juggle more than one store and give each one the attention it needs to thrive.

[Aqsa]

Think about what inspires you. Inspiration will most likely come from things that mean something to you and it'll show in your work. You have to be connected with what you make for your customers to see that you put your heart into it. For me, it's anything with bright, bold colors. I try to incorporate that into my jewelry, just random pops of color. It makes me happy and proud that I'm sharing a part of myself and my taste with my customers.

[Former_Member]

I created my Flip-furs because of my son. He's a competitive dancer. While he will never wear the Flip-furs, his girls will. We go to these dance competitions and the kids walk around convention centers, schools, arenas, in bare feet or almost bare feet, because some don't wear shoes when they dance. They then go into the bathroom with these bare feet. I cringe at the thought of all the germs they pick up. So, I developed these cute slippers that any dancer would love. They are small enough to be handed to a backstage mom or put into a purse or dance bag. They are comfortable and furry. Who doesn't like soft furry things?

That's my story. I blame my son.

[dressurdolly2]

Also....here is my story of opportunities that can be laid at your feet...and how I almost missed it!

http://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/business-topics/discuss/10263749/

It's so important to look everywhere for an opportunity to share your passion and your shop - and just as important to recognize one that is right it front of you! I almost missed out!

[claraandmacy]

Create products you love.

You want to spend your time on things you enjoy, your passion will shine through and your enthusiasm for those products will be contagious.

[LittleBeanPrints]

Hi Michelle!

I can respond to this one ;)

Should I have more than one shop for my different products? What is your experience with that?

I am primarily a painter and work in many many (too many) media. I adore shops that have such a cohesive tight style, but I have come to realize that that is just not me. My work is always evolving and I approach each piece from a unique point of view. Some ideas will work amazingly well in watercolor, sometimes I just want the graphic quality of a linocut. And then some linocuts make their way onto t-shrts or onesies. I find that shop sections and rearranging my shop help give my varied line somewhat of a sense of cohesiveness.

I have tried to limit my work for cohesiveness sake, but my impulses always seem to win out, and I have decided to just embrace it. It makes me happier ;)

Hope that helps!
xo
Marie

[Former_Member]

Sell something you're interested in making. Don't try to hard to be awesome, because you're awesome just the way you are. If you make it---they will come lol.

It also helps to try to sell a bunch in one category OR sell multiple things in 2 or 3 categories to get noticed.

[Former_Member]

We started with just a few archery related products in our website, and kept getting requests from customers for rustic wood items.

Our website doesn't get much traffic, and being familiar with Etsy, I decided to check out my competition here, noticed that most people selling similar items to what we make, were doing pretty well, so decided to go ahead and open another store here. Listening to my customers and checking out my competition got me my first sale 3 hours after I opened shop here!



Keep evolving- a necessity when your selling items made from found, natural materials. But also a necessity because change is the only thing that stays the same, and you need to be able to deal with all the things that change constantly.


Should I have more than one shop for my different products? What is your experience with that?--- I have 3 shops on Etsy and 2 websites. Onestitchdesigns.etsy.com, onestitch.etsy.com, and this one. They are all much different markets, and it makes promoting directly to those specific markets easier.

But multiple shops are not for everyone. for example, I could easily combine OneStitch and OneStitch Designs and still have a cohesive shop. and other shops have managed to have wildly different items and still make it work in one shop.

[LittleBeanPrints]

Opps. I kind of read it as "different products for my shop", not the other way around ;) I guess my response can apply to the "cohesive line" question ;)

[Former_Member]

I believe in expanding to new areas. Look at the products you offer and try and think outside the box of who might use them, how might they be used, and what is a unique way to incorporate them into your life. SOme of my objects I had to tweak slightly to have more views and sales. For example I love painting, but found that painting on the frames of mirrors allows more trffice to my shop... ad touches on my love of home decor as well.

[lapisbeach]

I was a closet knitter for years!
Seriously - I learned to knit from my grandmother when I was a small child. Must have been like riding a bike - cause when she "re-showed" me how to knit when I was in college- my tension was even and I was instantly hooked.
This was before the resurgence of knitting - and being deemed a cool thing to do - so I really was a closet knitter.... friends would come over and my husband would say- "seriously you are not 100 - get rid of that before company gets here"- haha!
I was actually at a resort finishing this adorable knit t - shirt and had a lady stop and stare at me - I looked up and she said " You know, you dont look like a knitter." I was floored - laughed and then talked about my cute knitted t shirt.
I always had needles in my hands at night and I visited a huge knitting convention and met a lady who knit with beads. She showed me how to make those long lariat necklaces - that you could tie (like the tiny pearl kind our grandmothers owned)- it was so cool - but took me weeks to complete one....
I thought- I designed my own patterns to make sweaters - why cant I design my own beaded knitting projects? ........... Soft knits were first and as my bead mixes grew, so did the designs...........bracelets, then rings, then necklaces. Then came my wire knit line.
The wire dominates my shop right now and I am trying some new sculptural designs - with the help of some metal work Etsy friends.

I know one thing- I will not put those needles down and I LOVE what I do :)

[LuciaStofej]

My feather hair pins surprised me :)

First of all, I would say "Pay attention what's trendy " (such as feather accessories...) I included some feather hair pins in white and ivory color... Became very popular. So then "Pay attention what's selling in your shop" and evolve, include more color options, sizes... etc.

[Former_Member]

One thing I have learned over the years is that you not only need to love what you sell but, you need to be passionate about. If you only like it so will your market.

[UnionStudioMetals]

Hi Michelle!
Here's a summary of our story :)
Marge & I met as neighbors on either side of a duplex, we were such good neighbors that we decided to go into business together! We ran a nonprofit arts school for a few years teaching metalsmithing, then a year ago we decided that we would love to start a for profit (go figure) that would allow us to create our own line of jewelry, give back to the community in some way, and also teach. Etsy has been a good fit for USM as it has allowed us the opportunity to have a low cost website that gets our product in front of a gagillion new customers that otherwise would never see our product. Plus, the more we add to our site the more cohesive our esthetic appears (which when we have it all in drawers and boxes for inventory backstock it just never looks that put together). We also love the monthly merchandising desk publication on the blog and we do our best to try to follow trends that are applicable to our market and style. We also have a strict rule that we only make what we love and pieces that we would want to wear (or hoard in some cases :)! And lastly, our pieces are a direct response to the age old saying that "necessity is the mother of invention", because many of our pieces are born from the materials that we have readily available in the studio, if we happen to have oodles of bronze wire laying around we'll make some woven chains and see where it takes us! Most of the time our business is a kick in the pants, we laugh a lot, watch a lot of hulu, and let the artistic process run it's course!
Hugs from Idaho,
Michelle & Marge

[beatroad]

Find your niche. :) Also, when you make something that sells, don't change up the formula! Of course keep evolving as an artist and seller, but don't fix what isn't broken. ;)

xo

[Former_Member]

I started selling truly handmade jewelry on Etsy because I was SO tired of seeing things mass produced in clothing stores and jewelry stores. I wanted something different. It's been a great challenge, but it's work. In order to make progress, my designs have to keep evolving and it's great to keep pushing myself to be better and better at my craft. I'm always experimenting and trying something new, and sometimes that means blowing through a lot of expensive materials, but I feel that it's necessary if it means that the end product is made by practiced hands.
I haven't thought about having multiple shops as of yet. I resell some supplies that I know I won't use (and wonder why I bought) but there isn't enough of that to have another shop stocked all the time. For now, I will work on perfecting the one I have.

[HausofAriella]

If you make what you love, chances are that someone else will love it too! I made my Dalek cake toppers because my fiance and I are going to have a Doctor Who wedding and couldn't find any cake toppers to go with our theme. When I started my Etsy shop a few months ago, I almost didn't list them, because how many people want Doctor Who wedding cake toppers? They've turned out to be my bestselling item and have been featured on a number of blogs. If you would buy your own item, then there's probably a wider market out there for it - you just have to find it!

[MAAPSTUDIO]

Hello :)
When I began to think about producing my own jewelry I didn't have the resources to invest, I had only clay and kiln . So I decided that I will do rings of porcelain and If they sell I will invest in silver. Rings are my best selling product so far.

A small budget is not a hurdle to progress :)

[Former_Member]

I believe that doing what you love makes sense in the business aspect just as much as it does artistically. I have a personal style, and since my target market will probably have similar taste to mine, I'm doing my business (and my creativity!) a huge favor by staying true to myself.

[PosyPop]

Develop a cohesive line.

This has been really important for me. I try to create an overall look that will keep a customer browsing through my shop. Having had worked in sales for many years, I have found selling online to have its own unique challenges...in that your customer can't touch, feel, or see the item in person. Which makes the overall "look" of your shop so very important, as well as your descriptions and photos...they can make or break you. Cohesiveness of a shop is a marketing tool in itself. I wear my creative "hat" and my sales/marketing "hat" together to maximize my shop's exposure to potential customers.

[WolfandFirefly]

Don't limit yourself to what you start out with. It's okay to let your store evolve. For example, I started out with mostly ear cuffs that are worn on the middle part of the ear, and ear wraps that cover most of the ear. I had a very small amount of business until I experimented with a different sort of cuff. Since then, my business has evolved to the point that what I sell the most of now, are small cuffs for the upper ear, and my sale volume is at least triple what it was before. :)

[DivineAngelShop]

Since I've added my Etsy shop to my business cards I have gotten a lot of local orders from people who look at the site and want a doll with a similar outfit in a different color so the Etsy shop has increased my local sales. I am getting more custom orders, i.e. angels with dragonflys on the dresses, "girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes" :) You'd be surprised how creative people can be when they are ordering something for a special friend or loved one. Something only you and they would understand. Its fun. Etsy has been a real blessing for me.

[heartsabustin]

If your product lines really are different, go ahead and open up a second shop. Or a third. I did, and even though it can be hard to keep track of all of them, once you develop a rhythm, it's easy to keep them all going.

Some days I work on jewelry, other days I sew or make soaps and lotions. It depends on what my customers need or what supplies I'm waiting on. It's a lot of work, but it is SO MUCH FUN! I never get bored. :D

[SilverLilyJewelry]

Design Curate for yourself
This is the main reason behind my boutique I enjoy the creative freedom of interpreting my inspiration from,Pop Culture,Fashion,Art ,Nature,Travel into pieces of jewelry that can be worn to express yourself ! and better yet that you can then pass on to loved ones!

[Former_Member]

Go with big ideas- if you have a great idea that you are passionate about, try it!
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just a few things I've learned...
I started out as a very "uniformed" seller with handmade greeting cards. My business was poor(my photos were too!),and the more vintage I saw on Etsy ,the more I knew I wanted to sell that! So I decided to add some vintage to the same shop and change my shop name. I redid my photos to all the same background (mostly,so far), both the vintage and the greeting cards, to make it cohesive. I take my photos on a small table,so I limit myself to only selling items that I can easily photograph on that space. That is just a small detail, but little things like that can keep your shop cohesive as well. (also, I only sell one "style" of vintage, mostly browns,blues,and other dull colors.)

Never try to please everybody, stick to your style and be passionate about it! Your attitude towards your works speaks in more ways than you realize! Most likely, you highly value the time and energy you put into your items, so price the item so that it will communicate that value to potential buyers.
....and remember...
Always keep your head up and and your mind open!