Etsy til you Drop

I’ve had a couple of people ask me about selling on Etsy lately and would love to share some tips! If you are thinking about becoming a seller on Etsy my first piece of advice is GO FOR IT! You really have nothing to lose - with their low rates for listing items, it seriously is worth trying out!

I love Etsy's promotional items like this poster!

My sweet friend Jess over at Hawleywood helped me get started on Etsy and she had some invaluable advice I can pass on to you. These tips are in no particular order… more of a stream of thoughts.

1. Go for it! (see above). Click on the link to go to the “How Selling on Etsy Works” page.

2. Update often. I haven’t been great at this lately but I noticed my traffic and sales grow when I was dilligent about updating - meaning adding new items every couple of days.

TWEET TWEET

3. Twitter/Facebook/Blog - Spread the word! When I look back at the majority of hits and views on my Etsy site, most people visited my site through social networking & blogging sites. When I twitter about my Etsy stuff, I say things like “Check out these Ruffles” and a link to my Etsy store. Always put in a link! So go ahead, do a little self promotion, toot your own horn! Toot, Toot! Beep, Beep!

4. Set some goals: for my first month of Etsying I said (and actually wrote it down) I wanted to make 5 sales, be featured on the front page of Etsy and be featured on someone else’s blog - I put it out there and it HAPPENED! I had 14 sales, was featured on the front page of Etsy twice and was featured on about 6 blogs!!! Now, May was a little different - I didn’t set any goals and guess what I had 1 sale. I only have myself to blame for not following my own advice. Look out June… here come the goals!

5. Track your results - use Google Analytics to track your traffic and clicks on your Etsy store. Its easy to set up, there are tutorials on Etsy’s site.

Use Etsy's resources & promotional items

6. Use your Resources: There are great tutorials in the blog section as well as the Seller sections of Etsy. Check em’ out! AND… get inspired by the “Quit your day job” feature on Etsy’s site - you’ll garner some great tips from the generous advice of those who started out just like you.

7. Last but certainly not least - Find your niche. I hear this piece of advice OVER AND OVER again, find your niche. Yes, you may start out selling handmade soap but eventually turn into a jewelry designer. It takes time to find what works for you and what sells - hang in there, enjoy the creative process and let your niche find you. I started selling aprons, shoe bags, lingerie bags, etc. Guess what - only aprons sold so now, I only make aprons. I have some ideas up my sleve that I want to try this summer, and if they work, they work and if they don’t, I’ll keep selling aprons. Ruffled Aprons, that is.

Splendid Minta's Etsy Shop

Hope you can use some of this advice, take it and make it your own. And I’m only 3 months into Etsying - and no, I am not turning a profit yet but I love every minute of sewing, and isn’t the old adage - “Do what you love and you won’t work a day in your life” ??