[Katskitten]

At the first of Dec we decided to take a plunge. I/we opened an Etsy shop. The craft venues this last year were totally dismal. I had more lookie loos than I care to count. Sadly I think it points out that our economy is still struggling no matter what the news says.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TBearsAndOtherWares?ele=shop_open
So far we have had lots of views and visits but no sales yet. We also have been racking our brains as to what we could create that would "Sell". Things that would be created through sewing or textiles.
So, I guess my question is along with wanting advice on helping the Etsy store along, would be what do you think would be of interest to the general public?
Elaine

 

[NataleeKW]

Hi! I have two Etsy shops. From one seller to another, my word of advise would be to add a photo of yourself and to add a banner to start. Also, take your photographs in natural light. Maybe also put some of the clothes on dog models, even if it is a stuffed animal. Your products are cute.

 

[Katskitten]

Hi! I have two Etsy shops. From one seller to another, my word of advise would be to add a photo of yourself and to add a banner to start. Also, take your photographs in natural light. Maybe also put some of the clothes on dog models, even if it is a stuffed animal. Your products are cute.

By "Banner" What do you mean and how would I do this?
The idea of using a stuffed dog had not really occurred to me but should be doable. LOL I can go to the local thrift shops and find a suitable one..
I did put one of them on one of our cats and have a picture of that.
The only other thing is that I really am not sure about posting a photo of myself. So that might have to wait.
And Thank you for the advice.

 

[GetAGrip]

I opened my shop in October ('17),while taking an Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship short course offered by our Small Business Admin. The class leader is a successful Etsy shop owner-wow! it helped a bunch! So far, I've had 16 sales with only 18 listings.

One of the take aways from the class: a good bio. Potential customers want to get to know you! Add pictures of your workspace if you can. Little homey details are great!

Then, clear policies, ie, returns, shipping, etc. Make it simple for them to understand the process in your shop. Also, lots & lots of pics. You are allowed 10 for each listing, so USE them to showcase your product.

One shop owner told me: the more listings you have, the more "professional" your shop looks, the more confidence your shoppers have to buy from you. Her "break point" was 100 listings. (whew, I'd better get busy! )

Don't give up, update your shop frequently, read the Seller's Handbook, use good tags & descriptions so you are found, SEO is important.
Regards and good luck! I'll visit your shop

Kerry
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GetaGripSoapCo

 

[Forcast]

Is that a bangle cat in you photo?

 

[Katskitten]

Is that a bangle cat in you photo?

Um What is a Bangle cat? Or did you mean Bengal?
If I am correct that you are referring to the profile photo, it is one I found on the internet and liked as I have always had cats and liked the attitude in that picture.

 

[Forcast]

Yes thats what I ment. Thanks
Your stuff looks good to me. Do like the idea of pup models

 

[GTX63]

Yes, the more listings the more appeal. It can be tedious to prep, photos and list 100+ in the beginning. But later you only have to relist what you sell.
Etsy has a social media tool to help you advertise on FB, snapchat, whatever gram. Post a generic ad on CL with your store. Grab 100 visitors, some turn into buyers, maybe a handful save your store and there it begins.

 

[Katskitten]

Yes, the more listings the more appeal. It can be tedious to prep, photos and list 100+ in the beginning. But later you only have to relist what you sell.
Etsy has a social media tool to help you advertise on FB, snapchat, whatever gram. Post a generic ad on CL with your store. Grab 100 visitors, some turn into buyers, maybe a handful save your store and there it begins.

I hadn't thought about Craigs List. Where on there would I put an ad? I also was digging through my shop trying to add in things and one of them is a one sentence description of us/our shop. I guess i never realized just how hard it is to describe oneself. LOL
I also have realized that I am being a bit impatient. I am used to almost instant results at the craft venues and Etsy is not that way. We do have other things that I can list but need to work on some of them. Sort of critiquing the quality and bringing them up to snuff.

 

[GTX63]

Lets say you sell oh,,,,bird cages. You have dozens in different colors, sizes and shapes. Go onto CL, put an ad up with as many photos as you can and just throw a few paragraphs in about you and your biz. Then insert the link/web page address to push some people thru your doors, so to speak. Post duplicate ads wherever; after all if you don't have a brick and mortar store then you aren't really advertising out of your area. Just a suggestion.

 

[Katskitten]

OK ...Here is another thought that has been bugging me. Somehow I feel that I need to clarify that what I have in the pictures on this Etsy shop are already made and ready to ship when purchased. I am not sure if I have made that clear.
For those of you who have looked at our Etsy page, do you feel we have made that clear enough or is there a better way of wording our description ???
Suggestions are appreciated and I have been working on some of the previous ones.

 

[GTX63]

Your listing page, the one that visitors see, should have an "inventory" below the photo showing how many are on hand. In other words, if you are selling ie cookware, you may only have one kind of pot or one skillet. If you are selling painted craft signs that you mass produce, you can list your inventory there.
When you are describing your listing, look at the section for pricing, quantity and sku and I think you'll see what I mean.

 

[fibrefarmer]

Very cute pet tents. Love the colours.

Some thoughts about the OP store. Take what's useful and ignore the rest.

I noticed your shop doesn't ship to Canada. Only shipping to one country reduces your customer base tremendously! Are you making a product that is illegal to ship across the border?

If you are worried about shipping customers baulking at shipping costs to their country, don't. If the customer wants the product, they will pay for the shipping. But if you don't include shipping to Canada, we just assume you are happy without our money and don't want to pester you for a shipping quote. Some shops are really rude when you ask to ship outside the USA, so most people I know, don't ask. Conclusion: make it as easy as possible for people to give you their money.

There are a few other things that you could do.

- more pictures. The more pictures you have, the better. If you have a pet or stuffed animal, maybe get an action shot.
- There could be more description with each item. You could talk about assembly. What size dog does it fit in terms that a non-dog person would understand - big, medium, butterfly dog, tiny - so that people who want to buy gifts for their pet loving friends can know if it fits their pet.

Just some random thoughts. Feel free to ignore them at your leisure.