Etsy Tips

Out of all the current venues online from which to sell your handmade crafts, Etsy is arguably the most well-known. The idea behind Etsy is to be a place where you can “buy and sell all things handmade”, and thousands of sellers do just that.

How do you start? It’s easy enough to sign up for an account, and it’s free. So is taking a good long look around the site to make sure it fits you. Sellers choose to set up shop on Etsy because it is more than just a buying/selling venue; it’s a community.

If you’re looking to sell on Etsy, here are a few tips:

* Choose your username carefully. Spend some time brainstorming ideas and names, because it will be part of your shop’s URL, i.e. http://myusername.etsy.com

* Love your camera and spend time getting the best photographs you can. Photos are important to selling online because your buyers can’t pick up your item. They can’t hold it against them to check for fit or length or size. They have to trust that your descriptions and photos are as accurate as possible. Additionally, people choose items to feature in Treasuries based off of the photos. Think of each photo as a little advertisement for your company. Having good quality photos tells the buyer that you care about what you’ve made and what you’re selling.

* If you’re a US-based seller, consider selling internationally. International buyers and sellers make up a good portion of the users on Etsy, and that’s a big audience you immediately exclude by selling only to US buyers. Do some research; weigh your lightest and heaviest items, then look online at USPS.com for general prices to get an idea of shipping costs, and make sure your item isn’t restricted in certain countries. Shipping internationally requires a customs form, but it is easy to fill out and you can ask for a stack of them at the post office to keep on hand. Even though you may think the prices are too high, international buyers are pretty savvy and understand what shipping costs. Set a fair price for shipping and let your buyers decide if they want to purchase.

* Brand yourself. Every aspect of your brand new shop should all work together. Your banner, your avatar, your descriptions, and your photos are all ways you can set a tone and begin to brand yourself. This helps people remember YOU, and standing out (especially in such a large community as Etsy) is always nice. If this is your first time creating a brand for your products, it is worth the time; you can carry that brand over to any other accounts you may create, i.e. Flickr, TalentDatabase, Indiepublic, your blog, your website.

* List often.Because Etsy is an international site, new listings are posted practically every second, all day, everyday. What this means is that there are a lot of listings in the search pages for buyers to go through, so listing regularly means you have a presence on the first few search pages. For a new shop, go ahead and list your items at once to fill your shop up and give people something to look at. Once you’ve got 10 or so items, start switching over to one or two listings a day. Experiment with the times to see what works best for you, as far as getting people to view your items.

* Tags are important. The Etsy search engine is set up to pull items based on your tags. Be as descriptive as possible, and detail things like materials used, colors, length, size, etc. Etsy helps by populating the first few tags based off of your choices. So, for example, if I’ve got a necklace made out of sterling silver and rose quartz beads in the shape of flowers, and that necklace is adjustable, my tags may go something like this: jewelry, necklace, beaded, sterling silver, rose quartz, faceted, flower shaped, light pink, bright silver, adjustable. Etsy has 14 slots for tags, so use as many as you can. Also, consider putting your username as a tag, since not everyone doing a search knows that the default is for “Handmade Items”, not “Seller: Usernames”.

* Use up all your photo slots. Etsy gives sellers 5 slots for their photos at no extra charge, so use them all. Show different views and different portions of your item. Using my necklace example, Photo 1 may be a close-up to show the detail (to catch people’s eye and make them curious enough to click on it); then I’d make sure to show the entire necklace, the clasp, another detail shot of a different part of the necklace, and how it hangs on a person. Remember, people can’t pick it up, so give them as much visible information as you can.

And finally: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Etsy is a big place, so if you’re not sure of something, head on over to the forums and do a search. There is a wealth of information already posted, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, jump right in and ask.

Contributed by:
Brandi Hussey
 www.catiesblue.com
 www.catiesblue.etsy.com