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Location: where people are either too stupid to leave or too stuck to move
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Originally Posted by smoky_topaz
Just wondering if anyone on here is an Etsy seller? either part time or full time.
I have had a shop since last spring and to date now has resulted in only 2 sales.
The only exposure I seem to get to my shop is through the "google keyword ads" feature that Etsy has. It's a little bit extra but supposedly you get more traffic to your shop than you would otherwise.
I hope this is not another place where its all about popularity, Facebook friends, all that crap. I figure that is a niche site to attract serious buyers who don't have the Wal-Mart mentality... All I see is way too many looky-loos. I would think now is a time that sales start picking up.
Please don't tell me it's all about the down economy. Unless you live under a rock, you know !!!
Etsy like eBay is has been taken over by the Chinese and resellers .. There are tons of threads on their forum in which even seasoned sellers are feeling the burn and considering leaving.. I'm on there.. I get sales once a week
Adding to maggie2101's thought, one thing I've thought about is sending out free stuff to popular people who will give a shout out about it in return. Could be famous people, semi-famous or just people who have a lot of contacts.
Give free things to people who have social jobs where they are in contact with a lot of people and they can be your advertisement.
I've thought about sending mine to Bethenny Frankel, she is all about small business start-up.
I've done that with very prominent celebrities (yoga community). My items have been worn for cover shoots, 3 to be exact, of major publications.
I've also sent samples out to bloggers. My personal opinion is that people who have the power to promote your items/brand will do if they love your product. But keep in mind, unless you supply them with a constant flow of merchandise, or pay them, you are lucky if you get a little traffic/flow.
I work too many hours on each piece I make to send hundreds, even thousands of dollars to bloggers who might say on small post about my product.
In 2011' I sent out over $5000 worth of merchandise to some of the major celebrities within the yoga community. The one good thing is now they know me personally and I can contact if I need some info, etc...
Many people will not promote certain products because they have a signed exclusive contract with a major brand that prohibits promoting any brand other than their own.
I definitely agree that blogging is a great tool for promoting brand awareness and your products. But like anything else, it is time consuming, like a full time job. And you must be willing to open your personal life.
Bottom line, you can't just place listings on Etsy and think they are going to sell themselves. You have to work it through many social media platforms to bring flow and traffic to your products.
Ask yourself, what makes my brand unique and why must people have it? From there develop your strategy and target your specific niche market.
I you need any help, PM me. I will be shutting down my business for a few months to move across the country. Will have lots of time to play and blog and also help others if desired.
Oh, are you getting your sales promotion ready for Black Friday?
Had to add, I've gone back and forth with Bettheny, she's cool but it was near impossible to organize with her assistant. I didn't have the energy or desire to go above and beyond to give her my product. BUT, she was interested. Reach out to her on Twitter. Just remember, she might not respond. But persistence wins (as long as you are not annoying or come off as stalking)
There's just so much competition out there nowadays you really have to set yourself apart from the pack and then do a good job getting the word out. My mom makes beautiful quality crafts and jewelry but has not had much luck selling it other than to a few friends and family. She has decided to try selling Mary Kay because that is already a very popular product that consumers have to keep re-buying (unlike, say, a light-up snowman), which will provide her with residual income.
My cousin told me about Etsy before I ever searched for it. She's even checked my shop listings and maybe even tagged me as a favorite....but no resulting $$$-Meh, I may have to think about that Mary Kay thing..I have a friend whose sister makes a living in that field.
I am not that familiar with etsy or blogs but I have noticed on some blogs they have giveaways where a seller wants to promote there work they donate one item to the blog owner. Then people respond who want to be entered in the contest. There are sometimes 1000s of people who respond depending on the blog. That at least gets people to view.
I would love to see ebay dethroned - they're greedy and dangerously unfair to sellers in many ways, but the fact is, this is nearly impossible to accomplish.
I searched ebay for an item I regularly buy and sell - several thousand hits.
I've had an Etsy shop since April. Sales are slower than expected but I was very naive when I started. Honestly, I didn't realize how much it takes to get noticed! One big thing you should research is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) it's the way your titles and tags work and how they get you found in searches. What you're selling and how good your photography is can also play a part. Use whatever social media you're comfortable with. I personally use Facebook, Wanelo and Pinterest. Most will recommend blogging also. If you have any questions feel free to message me
The problem with Etsy (and I've since closed my 2 shops) is that reselling -aka- Cheaply made, mass produced goods are now allowed. It was SUPPOSED to be a forum for handmade goods and that is no more.
So if you're making, for example, jewelry and need to actually make a profit, how can you compete with people selling stuff they paid 82 cents for?
I got so frustrated seeing a shop open up on Mar 1 and instantly have 300 items in their shop and a month later has 350 sales. It's insane.
Etsy like eBay is has been taken over by the Chinese and resellers .. There are tons of threads on their forum in which even seasoned sellers are feeling the burn and considering leaving.. I'm on there.. I get sales once a week
Unfortunately, this is very true.
My family decided that we would all give gifts made in the USA this year for Christmas. My sister wanted a robe so I figured I could find a hand made one on Etsy that was made locally. When I did the search, however, what I found were mostly robes made in China that someone would embroider here with a name or "bride" or whatever.
Eventually, I found what I wanted on Etsy, but it took awhile. Personally, I don't think it should count as handmade if all you do is buy something made in China and use an embroidery machine on it here. What is handmade about that?
I've had an Etsy shop since April. Sales are slower than expected but I was very naive when I started. Honestly, I didn't realize how much it takes to get noticed! One big thing you should research is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) it's the way your titles and tags work and how they get you found in searches. What you're selling and how good your photography is can also play a part. Use whatever social media you're comfortable with. I personally use Facebook, Wanelo and Pinterest. Most will recommend blogging also. If you have any questions feel free to message me
Does SEO work for etsy? I believe for ebay ebay doesn't really rank on google very well if at all so its all about the ebay search algorithm, not necessarily web seo. I would imagine its the same for etsy. your right though its all about titles or pictures. When someone searches all htey can judge you by before clicking yourlisting is your title and pictures, does yours make you stick out above other sellers?
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