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I'm thinking of selling my handmade tags on Etsy.
Those who sell on this site can you give me your pros/cons of selling of Etsy. Or should I just sell on Ebay?
I haven't sold handmade items on Etsy yet but know several people who do and from what I hear they do quite well there. It's a very popular source for handmade items!! I plan on adding other types of items to my shop this year and look forward to what others have to say on the topic as well.
I do have an Etsy shop and if ease of use is something you're wondering about, I find it incredibly user-friendly. I was thinking about this last night when I was uploading quite a few items. Also, any time I have had a question, I've easily found the answer or heard from support very quickly. Those are important considerations in my book!
I pay my bill and receive my proceeds through Paypal so it's very easy to manage that.
I am curious also. I did some research a while back and many people said you had to consistently re-list to keep your item on the top of the list. So I am subbing to see what the scoop is. Thanks for asking!
I've had a shop on Etsy now for about 3 years, I've had pretty good success.
Recently Etsy changed the way their search engines work and instead of listings coming up by most recently listed it's now by "relevancy", so re-listing doesn't help and isn't as necessary as it once was. I have found however since this change that my views and sales have dropped a bit. You now need to be very particular about tiles, tags, etc. to make sure people find your items. You really should try to drive people to your shop from other places, ie social networking, your blog, etc.
I've found Etsy very easy to use, they resolve most problems quickly (I have had one issue that was not resolved to my satisfaction but not everything will always be in your favor ) The online community is very helpful and friendly.
I've tried 3 other on-line handmade sales sites and never had a single sale so I'm pretty happy with Etsy.
HTH
For those who are selling; what items are you selling? Do you keep multiples on hand, make to order, or sell each as a unique item and relist later if you make another? I'm interested, but not sure I want to be committed to keeping up an ongoing supply.
I mostly make soldered jewelry with either tiny collages or vintage illustrations inside, each one is unique. I also sell collage art on canvas, each of those are unique as well. I haven't had much luck with greeting cards, tags, etc. Although there is a market for that on Etsy. I just get tired of making the same things again and again But if you're wanting to sell that type of reproducible item I'd see what's popular in your shop first before making a lot of things that might not sell. Then you can make more as needed.
Personally when shopping on Etsy I won't buy an item that isn't already made, I made that mistake once and it took them an entire month to get the item. But I will do custom orders (if at all possible) when someone asks.
I love Etsy and have been selling for about 2.5 years and while I do love it, the marketplace is really saturated with similar items. I mostly just sell supplies but on occasion with throw up something handmade.
I think the best advice I can give to a new shop owner would be to start small. Find your niche and really spend your time making quality items. If you have a great original design and it's photographed well, you should do fine
Thank you ladies for all the input. I'm still reading the ins and out on the Etsy site of having a shop. Will let you know when I decide.
Now I need to come up with a name for the shop....I normally just call myself "Nancy's Cards N' Stuff. But I think I need something different and more upbeat...suggestions?
I'll admit that I didn't do too well selling on Etsy. I think some of the things I should have done better are:
having a nice collection of stuff when I go live. I just sort of put up one thing at a time. I think it would have been better to have a nice full shop from the beginning.
Photography. I am just OK at taking photos of my stuff. I am a very successful SHOPPER on Etsy and I will admit if the photo isn't grand I just keep going.
and sticking with it. I got frustrated and quit when I didn't start making sales and becoming fabulously famous right away.
Oh and don't underprice your stuff. Look at what similar stuff is selling for and if yours is truly similar quality price right in line with that stuff. I (and I know this is common) assume underpriced stuff is under quality. I'd MUCH rather pay 25% or more extra to get something that I think is better quality.
BEST of luck to you!
__________________ My BlogMy GalleryAll dog's feet smell like Fritos. I know you don't believe me, go check... See, I told you so.
I love Etsy and have been selling for about 2.5 years and while I do love it, the marketplace is really saturated with similar items. I mostly just sell supplies but on occasion with throw up something handmade.
I think the best advice I can give to a new shop owner would be to start small. Find your niche and really spend your time making quality items. If you have a great original design and it's photographed well, you should do fine
Good luck!
Your stuff is DARLING! I'm gonna scoop up a ton of your twine I think, but I wanted to tell you the tags you have on there are just the most precious things ever... well not more precious then baby feet, but right after that.
__________________ My BlogMy GalleryAll dog's feet smell like Fritos. I know you don't believe me, go check... See, I told you so.
Your stuff is DARLING! I'm gonna scoop up a ton of your twine I think, but I wanted to tell you the tags you have on there are just the most precious things ever... well not more precious then baby feet, but right after that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LancasterLurker
Another fan of your tags here, Ryann!
Aww, thank you so much you guys! You totally made my day
Glad to see you were able to locate that cupcake stamp, Nancy. Best of luck to you in your new venture. Etsy is a great place to find unique and original ideas...advice...be sure to march to the beat of your own drum and avoid copying others...people will appreciate you more. (from my experience) Good luck!
Christa from anista designs Www.anistadesigns.etsy.com
__________________ ~art with love~
*{creating and adoring it!}*
Selling on Etsy
