You should sell those!

[PaperFlora]

I'm sure we have all heard that at one time or another.
"That's so cute, you should sell those, I'd buy it!"

So you open up a little Etsy shop and sit back right??? WRONG.

It takes a lot of work and time to have a successful shop.
First the time it takes to create your items,
- take the perfect picture,
- list items
- answer convo and follow up convos.
- Keeping up your blog, Twitter, Facebook & Tumbler accounts.
- Educating yourself about your craft, selling,,,
-Taking special orders, shipping
-AND of course promote, promote, promote!!!

I'm not complaining, I love my shop and enjoy creating handmade items. But it's a lot of work too, it can take over your life. I finally made a work schedule that I make myself adhere to because there is always something to work on.

Do you have any "helpful" tips that have helped you?

[Former_Member]

I started my shop here at the end of January with the idea of 'I love to bake, people tell me my stuff is yummy, I wonder if I could sell it?'

Well....with a LOT of work and a steep learning curve, I'm definitely becoming successful. I'm LOVING it.

Having a schedule definitely helps. Remembering you started this FOR FUN really helps it not take over your life. Figuring out ways to become more efficient really helps. Reading as much as you can about SEO, pricing, photography, marketing, etc helps your shop A TON.

[PaperFlora]

The schedule has been a life saver!
Just pinned your spiced brownies to my Pinterst board...yumm!!
http://pinterest.com/pin/1970393557172450/

[Former_Member]

Yeah, a schedule or a check list works for me. Some things I only do on certain days and some things I do daily.

Lets face it, making the stuff is a lot more fun than marketing it.

[Former_Member]

I guess I have to agree with all that.
People liked my stuff but its all about promoting I guess...

[Former_Member]

PaperFlora from PaperFlora says
I'm sure we have all heard that at one time or another.
"That's so cute, you should sell those, I'd buy it!"

Yep, a few years ago I opened a different Etsy shop to sell my daughter's earrings and my own paper items (greeting cards & paper piecings). My mother told me for years "your cards are so nice, you should sell them!" So when I finally took the plunge and set up shop, no one bought them! LOL Even at craft fairs where they could touch them and see my work up close, I sold very few. I think for some reason people think it's ok to buy a $4.00 card at the Hallmark store but they won't pay $3.00 for a handmade card at a craft show. Whatever.

Anyway, the point of this post is not that they didn't sell, because I kept the inventory and use it myself. The point is that my mom is elderly and no longer drives. I created a gift pack for her birthday that included a bunch of my cards for different occasions. Her first words were "are these the ones that no one wanted to buy?"

Ouch. I'm 51 years old and words like that still sting.

I took my current shop in a whole different direction and even with only 5 sales, it's already more successful after only a couple of months than the other was after 6 months. I started the first shop with no clue what Etsy was about. I started this new shop with eyes wide open, knowing full well how much time I'd have to put into it. For anyone starting out, I suggest reading these forums before even considering opening a shop.

[Former_Member]

I always say that I'm not incredibly talented, I'm just a very very super hard worker. I try and try and try to perfect (I want to be perfect at everything, always = anxiety, but that's another story,lol) my craft and I work tirelessly to promote and sell! (Like many many folks on Etsy, no doubt). None of my friends growing up had ever imagined that this is what I would be doing at this point (or any point, really) in my life, but none of them are surprised about the insane amount of work I put into it.

[Former_Member]

Yep! It's taken me almost a year now, to start getting consistent views, and also more frequent sales. I have learned A LOT. The biggest thing for me, recently, was finally being able to purchase a new camera so I don't have to rely on my iPhone. My views went up, and I've had about 4 sales since I updated the majority of my photos a week and a half ago.

I mean, ever since my start up, I have been promoting like crazy, but recently I have aligned myself with other bloggers, which significantly helps.

I have to say, the biggest, most glaring fault my store had was my photos. It just about killed me every time someone bought something and sent a message telling me how I REALLY needed to get a new camera, because the piece they bought just looked so much better in person ( just seeing all the work I put into making my own chains and such, as the iPhone just wasn't doing that any justice). The funny part about all that was, I really didn't think it was such a huge issue. I ignored everything on etsy about photos, and how to take photos (I know HOW to properly set up a photo, it was just ...my iPhone didn't really work with even the most professional of set ups).

So really, what I'm trying to say is, heed all the advice given here. Be it how to promote, how to take photos, how to arrange your shop. Do not be like me, and have a huge ego, thinking your shop's wares will sell themselves.

[SerenityInChains]

Read is my advice. Read anything you can on SEO, Etsy Relevancy, how to run a successful business, how to price yourself properly... All that fun stuff.

Also, DON'T be afraid to ask your 'competition' for advice here. Most sellers are happy to share what they are doing that works, even if you are the competition. Just don't ask them for their supply chain.

Shop around. Not only for supplies but for similar sellers. Both on etsy and off of Etsy.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Etsy is a great place, but you can't just dump inventory online and expect it to sell on it's own. You have to really work at it. Get out in your community and create a buzz about your new business.

And remember to have fun!

[SelkiePubZines]

Yeah, I really didn't know that there was anything more to it than opening the shop! Soooo much to learn, so much to remember. I thought people who were on teams were some sort of crazies who had too much time on their hands. How wrong I was! Almost everything I've learned, I've learned from teams!

[Former_Member]

I have to agree with all the ones you've said I've only been open a month and learnt so much from all you guys :) thank you

[Former_Member]

I love the idea of scheduling time to work on items. I've been a life-long procrastinator, and somehow haven't learned the "slow and steady" lesson. With my coasters, however, it is best to allow for more drying time between coats of sealant. I'm going to work on doing a bit with my items more often, rather than waiting until there is something I have to do and then feeling too stressed by everything. Thanks for the advice!

[Former_Member]

I need to get on a schedule of making things! Seems that I go in spurts which is not a good thing. I add 3 or 4 items all at once then go for a week or so with no new listings. I opened in Feb. and thought it would be a breeze - and it was - I knew and did NOTHING and made my first sale 2 weeks later - easy peasy right? WRONG!!! No more sales and I was disappointed and discouraged. So I took an on-line Etsy course. I learned a lot about setting it up, etc. but have learned so much more since joining this team. It's a LOT of work - but hopefully some day it will pay off. Okay - got to get off this dang computer and create - I need to ADD, ADD, ADD!

[Former_Member]

Great advices for a newbie like me :)

[PaperFlora]

Lots of great tips anymore?

[Former_Member]

Before I started selling on Etsy, I was "Oh, I can do that. Looks so easy. Everyone makes money here!". Now I get it that how much works those seller had done.
Thank you for posting this up. I'm going to make a check list and start changing things around.

[Former_Member]

Such great advice. I am a perfectionist and sometimes I just have to step back & say "I've worked on this long enough for today" and go work on other things. I tend to Hyper-Focus and that can be good but also bad because I only see what is right in front of my instead of the whole picture. My 16 year old son is just like me. Very creative but also cannot multi-task. I try to help him as much as myself. lol

[Former_Member]

Patience.

Sure, SEO and great photos and all those things help, but if you're not patient, you'll get frustrated and give up after a few weeks. Not seeing any sales or views can be disheartening, but just keep at it. Give it time, and remember that you're doing something that you love.

[CraveCute]

Thank you all for sharing your stories and advice. It gives me hope!

[Former_Member]

Wow, I need to make a schedule! I work a part time job on my college campus and do this when I'm not swamped in homework.

I agree though - everyone told me they loved my jewelry and that I should sell it. I just opened like 3 weeks ago, but my friends and parents ask how my shop is doing every few days, and when I tell them it's slow going, they seem to think I'm failing or something - none of them understand how hard it is to sell jewelry on Etsy!

When I started my first shop with photography, I knew nothing about Etsy and though if I listed it, they would come. Well, they didn't, and I wish I had known that when I first started on Etsy - maybe I would have been more successful the first time around! I've considered creating another shop with my photographs in it with the knowledge I have now, but will probably wait until I return from Europe this summer.

Chin up, though! Persevere and be patient - that is the best advice I have. If you don't do either of those, giving up is inevitable. Continue to work hard and keep focused on why you're selling here, and know that Etsy sellers who are already successful would not be successful had they given up when times were slow. Other than that, work on promotion, always be vigilant about titles, tags, and photos - this has helped me to get the few sales I have. :)

All the best!

[dullbluelight]

My thoughts exactly..People always told me to sell my work, and when I got on etsy, I actually thought I could just upload and I'd get views..I let the first 6 months go without doing any work on here. Realized I needed to promote and work on SEO, and things have picked up a bit..I am still not getting great sales, but getting more traffic...I continue to work on titles, tags, and reading all the info I can..So yes, etsy is lots of fun, but it takes patience and work...

[Former_Member]

Hard work + optimism + time = anything possible on etsy.

[Former_Member]

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to that point yet. I work a full time, come home and immediately hit my studio and start sewing. I have my own website, and another selling venue so I'm pretty stretched for time.

The only thing I have forced myself to do is to shut the sewing/embroidery and serger off by 9pm at night. Maybe one day, I'll get organized enough to set a time schedule that I can stick with.

[Former_Member]

Before I actually open my Etsy shop I was thinking about it every day for 6 months and only thinking thinking didn`t help me out a lot when i actually opened it ... I have it open about 1 month and I still have only one sell and average 10 views per day , every day my parents are asking me if there is a sale like every one are waiting for me to post my things and to start to buy . So what I wanted to say is that it really look much more easy before starting doing it... Wish you luck everyone ...

[Grandmasandeze]

Making a schedule and following it,is a great idea. I tend to get too involved in forums and Teams and then I don't have time to get new projects done. My views are way way down. I do find it very frustrating to work so hard and move ahead so slow!