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There's been a little talk about Etsy.com around here and I'm wondering how everyone feels about it.
Have you sold anything on there? Do you want to? Do you love it, hate it? Why?
I'll go first. I set up a shop a while ago and had a few things in there but nothing sold so I took it all away and really focused on improving my work and discovering my style. I've done that and listed lots of new things that are getting lots of views and "hits" and I even sold a couple of things which is exciting.
I've been participating in the forums over there, which I've heard is very helpful to boost sales and I've gotten involved in a couple of "teams" and such.
Again, this is all very new to me so I'm excited about it so far but I'd love to hear what others think.
TFS (in advance)! :-)
__________________ Sophia I got a reality check but it bounced.
So far I like Etsy. It's getting easier to navigate and set up your shop. I think when the economy bounces back.. which will be soon.. sales will go up. It's a great place for artists to display their stuff. Love seeing the all of the creativity .
I have an Etsy shop too. I sold a custom item last year and have some people interested in what I have in there right now. I decided in the last few days to get more focused on what my shop is about (hand stitched cards), instead of just having a mish mash of all the crafts that I do.
One thing I like the most about Etsy is that your listing fee covers you for a 4 month listing.
Good tip on getting more involved at Etsy. I will have to check that out.
I really like Etsy so far. I have a ton of cards listed but no sales so far, so I'm not sure how the sales end of a transaction works. I did find the set up to be much easier than eBay (where I've previously sold and had good luck on).
I have had a shop at ETSY for about 3 years. Let's just say that I don't sell enough to quit a day job, (if I had one) but I do okay. Most of my cards are ones that I have made for various challenges that would otherwise sit in a drawer somewhere. I get the most business selling custom Bridal cards that I offer, however. A lot of my sales are repeat customers. I do not feel that I overcharge (and I know that we all have our opinion on what that would be), most of my cards are $3.75 for A2's and $4-$4.25 for 5 1/2 in. square. I feel I also charge a fair amount for shipping, I see a lot of people that ask more. I charge $1.00 for the first card and $.75 for each addtional (Canadian $1.25/.75).
Let's not forget, anything that I make is a profit, I am going to make these cards regardless because I love to do it. HTH!
ETA: I should also say that I do all the shipping "prep" at home. I have a scale and a label/postage printer. I cannot handle standing in a line at the P.O.
I have had an ETSY shop which I started in the spring. I've had some sales. I think it is important to get hooked up with a couple of teams and then to also participate in the forums. Twitter and facebook your creations too as that provides an audience to!
Right now I have both papercrafting and quilting in my shop. I ponder often as to whether or not I should split them into two so they are focused on a single kind of product. Any thoughts?
I've had an etsy shop for about a year now and I have to say it's worked out pretty well. I'm certainly not going to get rich, but I have sold a few cards and several scrapbook page layouts. I mostly list items that don't sell on ebay. Because things take a lot longer to sell on etsy. I also agree with one of the previous posts that most of my business is repeat customers. I'm not very active on the forum though...maybe I should try that. I also sell quite a few cards to some of my co-workers and on the back of the cards, I stamp my name and etsy web address so that no matter who sees my card, they will know where they can purchase more. I would really like to add more cards to the website and broaden my selection, but I sell them much faster to coworkers and I can't seem to keep enough to list. Any advice on how to make my store more profitable would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I have an etsy store too but so far I have had only 1 sale and a few people wanting me to take checks which I am unable to do right now so for me its been a little slow....
Im being patient. I am sure I just need to get more listed. I sell on eBay and normally have no problems there so I think its just getting your store information out!
I will have to check out the forums over there...Thanks for the tip!
Colleen,
Just wanted to tell you that I have been watching your blog for sometime now and I think you make the most beautiful cards and adorable tear bears. I just love checking to see what you've posted!
OMGosh! I had NO idea about the Etsy forums. Shhhhhuoooo, that is my time being sucked away in those babies -LOL!
My shop is doing pretty good. I get some sales from misc people over the country. Not sure how they find me, there are literally thousands of cards listings!! I do get repeat customers, thank heavens. I don't have a professional banner or anything, kinda thrown together so I had a place to send my sister's co-workers to buy cards!!
Colleen,
Just wanted to tell you that I have been watching your blog for sometime now and I think you make the most beautiful cards and adorable tear bears. I just love checking to see what you've posted!
Im quite certain thats the Nicest thing to say ever~!! Thank YOU!!! Hugs!!
Wow, am I the only miserable failure on etsy these days? LOL. I started about a year ago, and my first dozen cards sold the day I listed them...then I made the switch to making my own acrylic stamps and those sold very well on etsy. But when I was unable to make stamps anymore and went back to just cards...well lets just say I haven't sold a single card since...and that was 8 months ago. It is rather depressing. I see cards with far less work involved, less artistry, less "wow"...and those are selling great! I even lowered my price and my shipping costs and still no dice.
I did sell some unwanted supplies from my stash, like my old sizzix dies...but no cards. Any advice? LOL
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Whimsie Doodles DT and Hope Stamps Eternal DT
I went on Etsy just to navigate and see how easy/ hard it would be for someome to find cards. It's pretty easy but geesh there are so many of them... I was also suprised to see the price ranges on the cards from $2.00 to $10.00 for a single card. I know some of the more expensive ones are made by people on design teams and they are beautiful, I guess as long as u can sell it for what you ask right? Any tips or advice for when the time comes and I decide to sell?
For those of you who sell your cards and scrapbook layouts on Etsy - I have wondered how you would ship them - what kind of packaging do you use to protect them so they arrive in pristine condition?
I've thought about listing some of my items in Etsy... but don't know if I want to devote the time to setting everything up if the sales will be few. My sister has a store, selling original artwork, and has only had mediocre sales. She does better selling on eBay.
For those of you who sell your cards and scrapbook layouts on Etsy - I have wondered how you would ship them - what kind of packaging do you use to protect them so they arrive in pristine condition?
For cards, I ship in cardboard photo mailers if it is a single card, if not I use mailers designed for shipping DVDs.
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Kelli Visit my blog!
Whimsie Doodles DT and Hope Stamps Eternal DT
i ADORE etsy but mostly for shopping, i have had zero luck selling. however i do not devote a whole lot of time to it either as i have a webstore to keep up with where i sell supplies but have not listed finished projects. i am not sure i have the right audience in the store for that. i have also thought of trying ebay but it is so much more expensive than etsy. i think they need to do more advertising to the non crafty world to be honest. i browse alot to shop but i browse more for ideas to make myself KWIM? i have a very flamboyount bag/purse i got on etsy and i get attention everywhere i go - people love it. and i have yet to run into someone who has heard of etsy when i tell them where i got it. so i always try to push etsy when i can but sheesh! like i can make a difference. i first set up shop when etsy was very new and NO ONE knew about it. i recently listed some boxes that i thought were gorgeous but i got nothing. yet i do see folks on there with literally HUNDREDS of items sold so it is working for some people. this is one of the things i am hoping to focus on in the new year and perhaps even participate in a few craft sales around here (EEK)!!
For those of you who sell your cards and scrapbook layouts on Etsy - I have wondered how you would ship them - what kind of packaging do you use to protect them so they arrive in pristine condition?
I sell mine in padded envelopes, but I wonder if the cardboard photo mailers would be cheaper to purchase and mail. I do get my padded envelopes at Dollar Tree 2/$1.00 and they cost $1.39 to mail with one card. My cards are fairly heavy.
Gonna look for some cardboard photo mailers though! Might work for my less bulky cards!
I don't sell on Etsy but like to shop. I do not purchase cards since I can make my own. I purchased this year for Christmas gifts, monogrammed wine stopper, hankerchiefs and handmade sea salt caramels. I like the ease of purchasing unique gifts without having to navigate heavy traffic and busy stores.
I love Etsy. I shop a LOT /from there and I've had good luck selling; I set up a shop a few months ago (June, I think?) and have had around 75-80 sales. I mostly sell small sewn items (insulated coffee sleeves and reusable sandwich bags) and have sold a few cards and other items, as well. Ironically, I set up my Etsy shop to sell photography art prints as I'm a photographer; I've sold none of those and don't list many anymore because they're just not worth my while.
I only buy from etsy. I don't think that my cards would or could sell. I figure most crafters would make their own cards anyway. None of my family members or friends have heard of it, so I assume it's more popular in the crafting community? I LOVE to look at the cards though. I've seen a lot of awesome ones. I get ideas from the cards and a lot of inspiration.
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I have been nosing around ETSY lately and wondering if it would be worth setting up a shop. I am terrible at keeping track of what products I use (what company produced the stamps, paper, ribbon, etc) and was wondering if that would be a problem.
I was considering buying cards from 2-3 shops to check out their packaging and see what was out there.
I just made my store about a week ago. I'm slowly loading it up with cards, a couple each day. I've had about 20 views on every card and a few hearts, which I consider good, but no sales yet. I'm also trying to post in the forums as well, since I heard that's a good way to gain sales...
I guess I'll just wait and see. =) So far I like it, but I guess that will depend in the future on whether or not I sell anything. =)
I just made my store about a week ago. I'm slowly loading it up with cards, a couple each day. I've had about 20 views on every card and a few hearts, which I consider good, but no sales yet. I'm also trying to post in the forums as well, since I heard that's a good way to gain sales...
I guess I'll just wait and see. =) So far I like it, but I guess that will depend in the future on whether or not I sell anything. =)
Congrats on joining the ETSY family! In addition to the forums, try joining one of the teams, blog, tweet, and facebook to get more exposure for your products.
I have an Etsy shop & do pretty well BUT I sold on Ebay for years (sold cards the last 2) so I have quite a few regular customers. I made sure they knew about my Etsy shop when I opened it, so most of my customers have bought from me many, many times before. A few buyers read my blog, & if they see something they like they will ask if/when I'm going to list it. I've also made a few off-Etsy sales this way.
I buy the little boxes meant for shipping 45's in bulk on Ebay....I did envelopes for years but one buyer told me about the boxes....protects the card a bit more....I've seen what can happen to even padded envelopes. I still wrap the card in bubble wrap before putting it in the box. Good luck!
Some questions for those already selling:
1) It's .20 to list each item I see. Does this mean if I have three of the same card to put in inventory, each one costs .20?
2) If an item doesn't sell in the listing period, am I out that money? Do I have to re-list at another .20 a pop to put it back into inventory?
Laura
Yes, it is .20 cents for each item...
and yes, if you have to relist an item after the 4 month period, you have to pay the .20 again. But .20 isn't bad for 4 months!!
Keri
I started my shop back in January of 09. Things were pretty slow for a while, didnt' really know what was going to sell and what wasn't, since I am kind of a crafting "jack of all trades"
My cards have not sold AT ALL. What has sold, is my hand painted slates, and my folded paper star ornaments. It got so hairy back in November and up until a week before Christmas that I didn't think that I was EVER going to stop making stars! SO, now that I know what will sell, I am going to focus more on the stars this whole year and get stocked up for next holiday season! They told me business picked up in the fall, and boy they were right!
Keri
I set up my Etsy shopped in October 2008. I was lucky and sold 2 cards within a couple of hours of listing them. I was all prepped and ready to wait for a sale and simply got lucky. I am approaching 300 sales now. I have done well (but will not get rich and can't leave my full-time job). The main thing that has sold for me is tags. I have sold some cards (not as many) and some other paper crafting items. The tags are what seem to sell the best for me. Why? I have no idea. I do think I have my items priced fairly (some have told me on the cheap side). I know I do not overcharge for shipping costs (because that is a pet peeve of mine). I did not have great sales this holiday season, but I was not making or listing as much as I had done the year before.
I do tweet and I have a link to my Etsy store on my blog. I have dabbled in the forums, but by no means have been a regular participant there. I have heard many times being active in the forums is a great help. I have not promoted myself on Facebook just because I don't want to be in my friend's faces all the time and because I have not researched it all that much.
My Mom has sold on eBay for years (she loves hand sewing and makes things out of cutter quilts). She has an Etsy store as well and will acknowledge the cost is cheaper. However, she prefers eBay due to the bidding process (she has gotten some great bids) and she thinks listing with them is easier than Etsy. I don't agree on the listing part, but I think it comes down to what you started with. She has sold some things on Etsy without doing a single bit of advertising or promoting.
I have listed cards and tags on eBay and had NO luck. I have done very well on eBay selling extra supplies and/or stamp sets I wanted to get rid of.
I am now selling on eWillow.com as well. It is a new site that is dedicated to paper crafting goods only. I opened that store in November and have yet to have a sale. It is developing and again, I have not put much effort into promoting that shop yet either. I am interested in it since it is only paper good items. I purchased a year's membership and find the listing here to be easy.
All that being said, I still prefer Etsy at this point. However, I do know I need to promote both that store and my eWillow store front more to get more sales. I also know (from my Mom's experience and mine last year) that things slow down some after the holidays, pick up some for Valentine's Day and Easter, and then are pretty slow during the summer months. Halloween is always big sales and was really big for me this past year. I should add I don't have many generic items in my store (such as cards that can be used anytime or tags for any occasion) due to the lack of time to make them.
I started selling cards on etsy in 2008 but not much luck. Recently I've started selling frames with Bible verses or monograms and also tile coasters. I have only made a few sales so far, but I now understand that you can't rely on just listing your items and hoping someone will buy. You have to keep renewing your items so they will show up on the first few pages when someone does a search. Promoting your shop is very important. I don't do facebook or twitter, but many people plug their shops in this way. I try to get exposure through the forums on etsy. Just recently when I sell items on ebay I've started sending the buyer a paper that says "thank you" and it also has the web address for my etsy shop. Hopefully this will help increase sales.
Let's Have "The" Etsy Talk
