Recently, I chalked up sale number 50 in the Crafty Princess Shop over at Etsy. For me, I find this a significant number. While I have  been an Etsy member since spring of 2006, I didn’t open a shop until a few years later in April 2008. Even then, I was just testing the waters and trying to learn more about how it all works. I was not seriously intent on trying to sell that much. Since I write about jewelry making and many jewelry people sell over there, I knew it was important to be part of the conversation. This was my primary incentive for finally opening a shop over there.

As it turned out, sales did trickle in, even when I was not actively promoting it. Some how or another, people found me, friends purchased items, and so on, and I did make a few sales over time, nothing huge but some sales at least.

This trickling in of sales made me realize that, gee, if I actually had time maybe I could make a go of this shop. I knew I didn’t have the time to go crazy over there, but if I could at least get the shop looking better, more listings, etc., then maybe I could get some semi-steady sales from it. So, that’s what I decided to do over my summer break from my teaching job this year.

I think the time I spent on it has paid off to a certain extent. Since May 8, 2010, when I started concentrating on my shop make-over, I have made 22 sales. Before that I had made 28 from March 2008 to January 2010. That means in 4 months I came pretty close to making the same number of sales I had made in almost two years.

Looking back, here are a few things I feel I learned that helped me:

• Take critiques with a grain of salt. There is a critiques folder on the Etsy forum, and I have had a number of Etsians give me their 25 cents over there. Some of it has been really helpful, like when I got a big thumbs down on my banner. Some of it, well, not so much. For example, one recent suggestion was that I accept alchemy requests, which means you agree to make customized items for people.  Special orders take a great deal of time, which I don’t have, so that’s why I didn’t include that on my shop. Obviously, this person who suggested it wouldn’t know that.
• Learn by looking. This is a little related to my previous lesson above. While people can tell you their opinions, I think you can learn much more by looking around Etsy (or whatever network you may be a part of) and taking note of successful shops. In fact, many of those who will give you critique suggestions aren’t necessarily burning it up in sales. Sure, things like photos are really important, but they are not the end all be all. I found plenty of successful shops that had one or two clear photos and that’s it. They aren’t some super fancy artistic artwork, just a clear photo of the product.
• Success is relative. For me, a few sales a week would be what I consider successful (repeat, for me). I have a job, actually two jobs. I just want to make a little extra income from my shop. Also, there are lots of Etsy shops that have high sales, but when you look at their products, they are super low end as far as prices. Selling $1 items, even if you sell hundreds of them, well, is not a huge amount of money considering all the time you have to put in to list them.
• Good photos do help. While I said previously that they don’t have to necessarily be perfect, still, you want clear photos of your work. You are asking someone to buy an item from you, and other than your textual description, all they have to base their purchasing decision on is a photograph. I spent a crazy amount of time working on getting my photographs clearer, better, etc., and they still aren’t necessarily perfect, but they are so much better.
• Describe what the heck it is! I buy on Etsy too now and then, and boy, I’m amazed at how many sellers will have their super long, drawn-out stories about a product but almost no basic information: What are the materials it is made of? How big is it? Where did it come from? Don’t just tell me the earrings have pink beads. Are they plastic, wood, stone, crystal? I would rather know that the earrings I’m looking at are made of sterling silver and are 2 inches long than read a stupid story about how some fairy came down and inspired the artist to make them.
• Have a decent selection. I don’t know what the magic number is for me or anyone else for that matter, but I can say that the more I have in my shop, the more I have available to buy. I’m not talking about a thousand items, but if you only have 10 listings, then you don’t have much there for people to look at or buy. If a person only has 10 items to look at, I would think that’s going to be a very brief trip to your store.
• Define your shop the best you can. Most of the shops I find that have high sales seem to have a clear focus about what the shop is all about, a kind of personality to it. I don’t necessarily think you have to be super quirky, like one shop I found that sells women’s silk screened panties, but I do admit that when you go to a shop like that, there is no doubt about what the product is. She clearly has a strong focus and is doing well with her product line. For me, I try to focus on jewelry products: kits, tutorials, supplies, and finished jewelry. Sure, I crochet, but it would just not fit in to have my crocheted baby hats in there.
• Price it right. I’m still working on this, but after making a few low-end sales, I realized that it is not worth my time to sell a $2 bead, pack it, and drive to the post office, even if I do add shipping and packaging costs to each sale. The PIA factor alone, for me, is not worth it. I sill have some low-end items in my shop, but as I list and relist, I try to make sure that my prices are at least within the $10 range. This may mean combining items, like creating a bead assortment rather than selling one or two beads alone.
• Promote yourself. You don’t want your friends and family to run the other way when they see you, but do not expect the network housing your shop to promote you. Have business cards handy to pass out. Include a link to your shop in your email signature. If you blog, well, blog about it. Use social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Twitpic. I can testify that it does bring in sales. How many sales? I can’t say for sure, but I have had the occasional immediate sale after mentioning a new listing on Facebook and Twitter.

I scratched out a little Etsy time this weekend, though I probably should be doing other things, sigh! I managed to sell a few items from my shop over the last week or so, which brought my item listings down below the 50 mark, and heck, I just really want to keep 50 items in there because I think the more you have the more you sell. So, here is one of the items added today, Fused Dichroic Glass and See Bead Post Earrings.

While I don not have the time now that I did earlier this summer to devote to my Crafty Princess Etsy Shop, I have been trying to keep up with it so that it does not turn into the shop with 3 things in it like it was earlier this summer! I sell an item now and then and do my best to relist and add new items. I also keep an eye on the Etsy forums and read helpful articles over there as well.

One issue that I see often popping up is the use of tags when listing an item in a shop. The Etsy forums have a “critique” folder, and while it is so busy that it may be impossible to get seen at times in that folder, I try to help out when I can. I’m not an expert, mind you, but I feel I know more than the average newbie. Tags seems to be one of the major things I see that newbies are not very savvy about.

To make a comparison to writing on the web, “tags” are like the key words or meta information. They help get the attention of those who are using a search tool to find a product. For example, if I list a pair of earrings in my shop, then I want to be sure to not only use the word “earrings” in the title, but I want to make sure that word is listed in my tags as well. There are 14 tags, and it is very important to use them all. When a potential buyer is looking for something, she will go to the search box on Etsy and type in words like “gold earrings.” If you don’t have these key words listed in your tags, she won’t find you.

So tag, tag, tag, and try to use words that properly describe your products. To help break down this important topic even more, I suggest reading this article in the Storque area of Etsy, Seller How-To: Tag-o-rama With Descriptive Keywords. Another thing I have found helpful to get the brain thinking about tags is to cruise around the Etsy network and look at other shops and the tags they use, especially shops that have high sales numbers.

Here is another addition to my Etsy shop: Purple or Blue and Black Fused Glass Fish Pendant with Silver Bail. I say purple or blue because, seriously, I can’t tell! It depends on the light. The blue glass that is on top of the black glass is Dichroic, so it can really change depending on the light and the angle you look at it.

I made this back in my fused glass hay-day. I have to say that sometimes I do miss it, but there is just not enough time in the day for me to do everything I want to do. I recently found this and a number of other fused glass pendants I have made, so more will up in the shop eventually.

I haven’t had much time lately to work on my Etsy shop, but I’m still managing to get a sale now and then. As a result, I am no under my goal of always having 50 items listed in there. Hopefully, I can start adding a few items now and then to get it back up there. I really do think the more you have listed the more people will come and take a look.

So, with that in mind, I added a new listing today of little stamped sea or water themed charms, pictured above. I used to use these a lot and make earrings with them for a few local shops. They are kind of tourist-y, but they are so inexpensive they are perfect for small impulse purchase jewelry items. I have turtles, gators, and various types of shell charms all in an assortment of 46.

Just doing a little shameless self-promotion today!

I return to teaching this week, so while technically summer just started, for me it is no longer summer vacation mode. On the bright side, summer is pretty sleepy around campus, even when classes are going on. It is nothing like fall semester which is pretty crazy. Thus, I’ll be easing back into the daily work of grading papers, conducting class, and working on new ideas for next semester.

I always feel like I have to accomplish something when I have a chunk of time off from school, and for the most part, I think I did during my break:

• I crocheted another blanket for my crazy dogs, and so far, it is getting the puppy thumbs up.
• I went on a short cruise to the Bahamas and made my mom happy for a few days, and I learned that I’m not a cruise kind of gal.
• I manage to get a few books read: Shanghai Girls, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, and I’m close to finishing The True History of Paradise: A Novel.
• I created a series of jewelry making kits, all earrings, and so far have variations of 3 (tutorial only, supplies only, and full kit including supplies & tutorial) listed in my Etsy shop. In fact, my shop had literally about 3 things listed around early May, and now not only have I increased my listings to 49, but I have re-shot tons of photos, gotten a new banner, and generally have it in much better shape.

I found a web site called ESellersAds. It lets you make up ads quickly from your Etsy shop by just typing in your Etsy username and clicking on an icon.

One of the issues I have had with getting my Etsy shop in order is trying to create some kind of cohesiveness, and photographs have a lot to do with that. If you are listing 50 items in your shop and have photographs with 50 different backgrounds, that is not exactly cohesive. However, since I’m selling mainly jewelry supplies along with some finished jewelry pieces, I have a real mix of materials, from metal to glass to crystal. What looks good for the background of a sterling silver tree charm doesn’t necessarily look that great behind a bead mix of lampwork, crystal, and seed beads.

I’ve been trying a zillion different backgrounds and canvasing everyone from  Twitter to Facebook to my blogging buds about their opinions. I’ve posted on the Etsy forums too. Of course, the more people you ask the more opinions you get, not all of which agree with each other!

Finally after probably over-thinking this way more than necessary, I came up with a compromise that I hope will help give me the put-together look I’m going for but accommodate all the different materials in the shop: black, gray, and white, all with slight textures to them. These neutral colors look good together and don’t fight with the colors of the materials either. So everyone can play nice!

Now I have the monumental task of retaking many of the photos I already have in my shop, which now has 45 items for sale, the most I have ever managed to get listed in there. But it feels good to have some kind of direction now, and I think, I hope, my photos are getting a little better as well.

One of my summer goals is related to my Etsy shop, if you haven’t already figured this out! And, I have to say that the more I read over there, especially information on the Etsy forums, the more I feel overwhelmed with information, much of it conflicting. For example, I finally got the nerve up and asked for a shop critique in the “Critique” folder, and well, it was a mix.

On the helpful side of the mix, a number of people who gave me feedback were confused about what I was actually selling over there. Is it supplies? Do I make some of the supplies? Is it finished jewelry, or what? That has been something I have been also struggling with. What kind of direction do I want to take?

To have a few people voice this made me realize that I need to clarify this issue for myself as well as for customers. I’m going to stick with supplies, put all the finished jewelry in one category for now, and as their listing expires (or something sells, hopefully), phase that part of the shop out. To make sure the “supplies” is idea more obvious, I have invested in a new banner, which I’ll be uploading hopefully very soon.

On the confusing end, I had a number of people tell me that my photos weren’t good enough. I realize that photos are really important and that is something I’m continuing to work on (for example above and below are photos of a pair of earring just made using some tiny vintage lockets I got from another Etsy seller, Bunny Sundries); However, the consensus about backgrounds is all over the road. One person will say to use an all white background, another says use a patterned background, a third will say don’t use a patterned background because it’s too busy.

To make things even more confusing, I did a lot of surfing around recently and discovered that there are plenty of successful shops that don’t adhere to any of the advice I was given or have read on the forum in other posts. There are shops using all white backgrounds, shops using a wide mix of backgrounds, shops that don’t even post more than one picture of whatever it is they are selling, and the list goes on.

So what have a learned from all this Etsy information overload? I’ve learned that I need to cull what I read and what I’m told. Pick what I like and what I think will work for me, continue to experiment, and in the end, go with my gut as far as what I want to do with my shop.