Tips For Your Etsy Shop

(Previously posted to my MySpace account. Yes, I know it's kind of a narrow topic. I swear that eventually I'll write more interesting blog posts!)

Tips for Improving Your Etsy Shop Sales

I admit, sometimes I hang out in the Etsy Forums. Yes, sometimes I also stick a fork in the toaster, and it's about the same dealio. No, seriously, I get a kick out of helping new Etsians, discussing Business or Techniques, and posting nonsense in the Etc. forum, and hunting Bugs in the Bug forum. I avoid the Promos forum pretty studiously.

One of the most common requests from newer Etsians is, "Will you critique my shop?" On the occasions that this isn't just a thinly veiled promotional shot, the advice given is pretty much the same each time. Thought I'd sum it up here...maybe I can just cut and paste next time!

* Include your full location. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is cute and humorous and I appreciate the intent, but Etsy is a worldwide shopping venue. When people come to your shop, they may want to know how long an item will take to reach them, and they certainly want to know if they are considered "International" from where you are. I suggest City, State, and Country (believe it or not, there are Des Moines in two states, and Londons in at least two countries...)

* Keep your shop announcement short. That's the part at the top of your Etsy shop. Most people want to see your photos right away, or with only a very tiny scroll down. Most of the detailed information people put there would be better off in the Profile section. If you have things you want people to read, put "Please see my profile for more information" and leave it at that.

* Fill out your Profile. Etsy shoppers tend to be looking for a little more personal experience than if they were visiting a Big Box store. You don't have to get detailed, but a little about yourself, how you got started, and what kinds of skills you have is always nice. Information about your training, your studio, or your techniques also reassures customers that the items they are purchasing are genuinely handmade by you. However, do consider that shoppers are from all walks of life and a wide variety of countries and backgrounds, and think about who you might be welcoming or alienating with certain tidbits of information. Keeping it professional is always appropriate, though many Etsy sellers go for a little more edgy feel and do bangup business, so it really depends on your target audience and your own comfort zone. Many sellers choose to disclose whether their items come from a Smoke Free Home or from a Pet Free Home (more an issue with textile workers. Both are relevant to people with allergies, not an indication of an anti-smoking or anti-pet-owning stance!)

* Fill out your policies, completely. (But for now, save a copy of it a text file on your computer...the Etsy server periodically dumps the Policies for some folks!) This will protect you in the event of non-payment, or shipping delays, or a request for a refund. Take some time to look around at other folks, get an idea of what kind of policies they have, and then do your own thing. Do you want to take returns? Do you offer insurance? Where will you ship, and how often do you ship? Do you take custom orders? If so, what kind of a down payment do you require? Mine aren't perfect by any means, but feel free to take a look at them here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop_policy.php?user_id=3188

* Have a banner. And an avatar. This should really go without saying, but it doesn't always. There's some debate about whether your avatar should be of an item you make, or of a recognizable logo, or of something else. I personally have never found that it matters, but I don't make most of my sales on the Forums. The only time the avatar is truly important is for posting in the Forums. Your banner, on the other hand, sets the tone for your entire shop.

* Have clear photos. This is one with which I constantly struggle, but given that your customers cannot touch or taste or smell your items, your photos are paramount. Closeups or artfully arranged photos seem to do better than distance shots of full items against a plain background. This will likely be a work in progress for most folks who produce 3 dimensional objects.

* Use your sections. You get up to 10 sections, to title as you wish. The titles should let your customers know what they should expect to find within them, so keeping them relevant is good. You could sort sections by functionality of your items (Coats, Hats, Scarves, Socks) or by colors, or by Theme (Birds, Rainbows, Things That Scare People), but try to avoid something cutesy that says nothing about the section contents (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta). Many people shop by going immediately to the sections, because when a shop has more than a few pages of items, it makes it much easier to browse. Be sure all your items are included in one of your sections!

* Include relevant information in your item descriptions. Some people like to tell a little story, some people like to keep it bare bones, and that's more a matter of taste. What I mean is to be sure you include such things as measurements (in inches AND centimeters!), color, size, number of items if there could be any question, materials used, and any other information someone might need to make an informed buying decision.

* Use all your photos slots. I'm guilty of not doing this. Sometimes, there just is no other really relevant angle of an item, it's true. But never have just a single picture of an item. The more, the better...remember, you get charged the same for using 1 photo as you do for using 5, so use them!

* Use all your tags, or as many tag slots as you can come up with. Make sure your tags are genuinely relevant to the article in question, or they might be flagged and removed. For example, you could tag a shirt as "shirt", "top", "clothing", "handmade", "retro", or other applicable words, but tagging it as "scarf" or "pants" would be inappropriate. Tags are the key way the search is conducted, so they're critical.

* Use your materials slots. Not everyone searches through materials, but some people do. Again, keep it relevant and true; use "sterling silver" only if your item is genuinely sterling, not silver plated or silver colored.

* Consider shipping internationally. There are constantly threads about how confusing it is, but really, it's not rocket science. If you are a seller in the US, there are only a handful of major shipping zones in the world. (My experience with other postal services is non-existent, so I can't help there.) If you weigh your item, you can look up on http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=home&page=0061calculatepostage how much it would cost to send it to a handful of countries. For many sellers with items weighing only a few ounces, there's little or no difference between countries, so you can indicate one flat "Everywhere Else" price for shipping. For others, you can list countries individually. The major sales seem to be US, Canada, UK, and Australia with a few others coming in a ways behind (such as China, Singapore, Spain, and France.) With a little patience, you can broaden your audience of potential customers! (Feel free to contact me on Etsy at http://triplelle.etsy.com if you have any questions or need help.)

* And not a tip for your shop, but Promote, Promote, Promote! Find new and creative ways to promote your shop and your goods without spamming people. Consider an opt-in mailing list (perhaps in the top announcement of your shop). Find blogs and post relevant, useful information. Purchase advertising in any periodical you can afford, or online advertising. Network through the Forums, on MySpace (gee, lookit this!), and on the many blogs devoted to Etsy and Indie crafters. Attend local craft events, shake hands, make friends, and get your name out there!