Not wanting to give up but.....

Today has been the first day that I have actually thought that i won't be able to make it on Etsy. My things just don't seem to be able to sell. I have tried to improve my pictures but I am no photographer. I keep listing things and making items. I have 8 more listing to put up. I have tweeked my prices and still am unsure about them. If you guys can look at my shop and give me spacifics about changes I should make cause that would be helpful. Also are my items even good? If I don't make thing people want to buy whats the point? Sorry to sound so down its just been hard seeing so many people posting about all the sales they have been getting when my shop is not doing well.
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CedarandPearl
Inspiration Seeker

Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Hi Kelly,
First, breathe :) Keep in mind that most of your items are for cold weather and it's the beginning of summer for half of the world. Sales may start when the weather gets a little colder... or when people start looking for gifts for the holidays.

Second, I'm not a good photographer either, but there are a few tips that I"ve picked up from people on here and they've helped a lot. Try to find one background to photograph your items against. For example, you have a wooden background for some, a white background for others, and a black background in some photos. Try to stick to one. Any one. Whatever seems to fit your items the best. Even better, take a TON of photos in front of each of those backgrounds and see which one set looks best, then use that for all of your listings. As for items that can be worn, the best feedback seems to be to have it modeled. You model your hats and headbands. You should model the scarfs too. One more thing: take the modeled photo a bit further away so the buyer can see the perspective of how it looks on the body, and so a second photo that's not modeled for a close-up view of the detailed work.

As for prices, I think you could stand to increase them. I was reading a post yesterday about how people tend to purchase higher priced items if they're handmade because of the work that goes into them. You should charge what you feel you've put into it, and don't underestimate that. Look at the online labs for the recent pricing sessions to get an idea of what Etsy feels about pricing.

And one last thing... you've paid your 20cents to list these items. Don't just give up and close shop immediately. At least let your listings run out. All of them. Even the new ones you're going to put up. The listings are already paid for, and you never know who may come into your shop before they expire.
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CedarandPearl
Inspiration Seeker

Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

One more thing... when you list those new 8 items, spread it out over several days. Don't' list them all at once. Do one a day for 8 days, or something like that. That way they don't all appear at once as new items on the "Recently added" scroll, and you'll have 8 days worth of possible attention from it instead of 1 day.
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Thank you so much for the tips. I really do love creating things and just have to work harder and hang in there.
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Kelly--

I don't really have any advice to offer, but sometimes it helps to know that someone else is feeling the same thing. I've also been struggling to get my store running. I've been spending most of my free time creating and adding new items, but I've had very few sales. So, I know exactly how you feel.

I agree with Stephanie. I think that we both need to just stop and breath. Then, when we're feeling more relaxed, keep trying. I love the concept of Etsy and I would love to be able to bring in some extra money by selling my craft items. Hopefully, one of these days we both will!

Hang in there!

~~ Hannah (Reprieve's Corner)
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Former_Member
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Don't give up because I have been on Etsy for almost 3 months selling only 4 items. But, I know that it takes time for people to find your shop. So hang in there longer and keep putting items on. I am still making jewelry even though I have only had 4 sales. I love making jewelry and I am new. I will still keep trying.

Linda
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Thanks for the encouragement! I think I will take a step back, breath, and re approach my shop and regroup later.
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CedarandPearl
Inspiration Seeker

Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Hannah, I just looked at your site too, and I think some of the suggestions I gave to Kelly would help you too. Try to retake your photos, using one background for all of your items (or backgrounds that compliment each other well when looking at the shop). Also, your wall hangings should be doing just that in the picture... hanging :) Put a single tack or nail or pin into a wall and photograph one sign at a time. The hand in the picture confuses things. Oh, and one more thing... you should have a shop announcement. There's nothing up there at all. Some sort of greeting, a description of what you have in the shop, etc.
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Former_Member
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

I'm in the same boat - I've been selling since February and don't seem to be getting anywhere. The advice I've picked up is to make sure you've filled in everything you can - policies, your announcement, the new About page - in order to humanise the experience for buyers. That's the difference between Etsy and a High Street shop, the personal touch.

Also, get out there on the internet. Have a blog, Facebook page, Twitter, link everything to everything else. It increases your visibility.

If that doesn't help - well I look at the shop as another part of the hobby. Sure it costs money to run, but so does buying supplies for things you'd make anyway. Enjoy it, enjoy the learning experience and building up your shop from nothing. It's fun!
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Former_Member
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

Everyone, I've been fooling with my shop for a few months and still haven't sold anything. I keep learning more and more though. Hopefully we will all do well soon. It just takes time and patience.
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Former_Member
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Re: Not wanting to give up but.....

I believe in networking. Sure, I have been at this a week, but I am doing everything I can to get my product in front of people. At home, I have given away quite a few of my business card holders, plus plenty of my business cards inside of them. I post my items on Pinterest and just yesterday I kind of figured out facebook integrated with etsy. I have done a random act of kindness for a fellow team member and she favored my shop and all of my items in return. I have asked my friends to repin my pins on pinterest, with no success, by the way.

As for your shop, what makes your shop stand out? What makes your items the ones people want to purchase? Can you make things a little more original by using vintage buttons or something clever like that? I like the dish cloths, but you don't mention the dragonfly in your description, that is my favorite part. I think some embellishment on your products would be nice, maybe add some flowers to your bags?

I am just throwing out ideas and wish you much success.

Kate
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