Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies with the same conditions handmade or used goods/vintage. So when I wanted to find an online outlet, ETSY was by far my first choice. It is well established, well known, and has almost all of the bells and whistles that you would want in an online retail sales portal. I had already begun producing some items to list in my new shop, and getting things set up, and the listings established was really quite straight forward. In no time flat I was in business, with a shop and a few items, and ready to have the orders start pouring in. Well, the orders did not quite start pouring in as I had hoped and expected. In fact here it is 6 weeks later and I am still waiting for that first sale. I have no doubt that it will come, but it is definitely taking longer than I had expected. There is a very active and extensive member community of sellers at ETSY, who are more than willing and able to answer questions and share their own experiences to help a newbie like me get started. There is also a large amount of information available from ETSY itself on the how-to's of life in ETSYland. So after many hours of reading and messaging back and forth with my brethren (or more correctly sisteren) I have spent countless hours on the following tasks (just to list a few):
* One suggestion was that I should make more items so that I can have more listings in my shop. Who wants to walk by a brick and mortar store, look in the window and see just a few sparse items on the shelves. They probably won't be impressed and will just keep on walking. So I set about making some additional bracelets and necklaces. One problem is that I have now invested several hundred dollars in materials and tools, have used most of those materials in my finished items, and don't really want to invest additional $$$ until I get some sense that this thing actually works as advertised. I am confident that it will, but should my worst fears materialize, everyone in the family will be getting jewelry for Christmas this year.
* One thing that I had not anticipated was the importance of being able to have almost professional level photographs of my products available. With the large number of sellers on ETSY, particularly jewelry sellers, it is extremely important to have first-class A-1 quality photos of each and every item. When a potential buyer lands on the main page of your shop, and sees 24 pictures of your various offerings, they had better look pretty darn good. Because he/she has most likely already been to other shops and your "shop image" had better be equal to or better than those others, or that buyer will move on to the next shop. I have a very good digital camera, but the camera does not have a very good operator. At this point I would characterize my photos as passable. But I need to spend more time reading the owners manual and taking pictures. My skill level still has some improving to do.
* "Titles and Tags" is a phrase that I am tiring of quickly. The same applies to "SEO" (search engine optimization). This is the heart and soul of how someone finds you on ETSY. Unless a buyer wants to browse through literally several million individual listings, they will most likely enter some search parameters - much like doing a Google search. They are then presented with a much smaller list of potential matches. And the search engine utilizes the terms contained in your listing titles, and the tags associated with that listing, to determine if you are a potential match. So getting those titles and tags right is the difference between showing up on page one of the search listing, or page 1,374.
* Market yourself outside of ETSY they tell me, which involves social networking. Being a member of the boomer generation, I was not raised on hashtags and pins. But I am now a registered member of such household names as Pinterest, Facebook, Wanelo, Stumbleupon, WeHeartIt, and Tumblr just to mention a few. I have learned to pin, post, like and favorite with the best of them. Well to say I am up with the best might be a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. BTW I just got a message from WeHeartIt that I am now being followed by someone named Cristel, who is originally from Antwerp Belgium and now lives in Borsbeek. I have no idea where Borsbeek is located but maybe Cristel will be interested in purchasing my cream colored pearl glass bead necklace and bracelet???
I find that this initial post to my blog is getting lengthy, and I need to get back to my ETSY shop to tend to my various details, so I will leave you now with one shameless product listing
If you are interested in seeing my shop, or perhaps buying this summer sparkler bracelet and becoming my first customer click here. Otherwise I will see you in the not too distant future with another update on my progress in the world of ETSY.
