One of the cool things about Etsy is that you can sell as much as you can make! There are no limits, other than the fact that you have to sleep! And you may have kids to feed, and a house to clean, but hey, you gotta pay the bills, right? (or get money to buy more crafts!)

But you can’t sell anything at all unless you get people to your Etsy Shop! They have to know you’re there first, then they have to be interested enough to come to your shop and explore!

Here are twenty great ways to get more traffic to your Etsy Shop:

1. List items during peak hours
2. Make a Treasury
3. Re-list your bestselling items frequently
4. Start a blog and use it to promote your shop
5. Use Etsy-Mini’s on your blog or websites
6. Write a blog post about your Etsy products
7. Comment on the blogs of other Etsy sellers
8. Write guest posts on other blogs
9. Gain exposure through blog giveaways
10. Have freinds and family put your Etsy-Mini on their blogs
11. Make business cards and give them out
12. Use nice packaging to build your brand
13. Use promotions to reward repeat business or referrals
14. Advertise in Etsy Showcases
15. Join Etsy teams to network
16. Participate in Team promotions
17. Put-up flyers at church, school, local bulletin boards
18. Participate in Forums and Discussion Groups
19. Advertise off-line such as newspaper or magazines
20. Advertise on Blogs – Such as this one!

In making this list we came up with at least twenty more and many of the ideas that made the cut here are summary descriptions of ideas that can break down into many more detailed ideas! The point is that the options are endless and you can get traffic to your Etsy Shop.

What has worked for you in the past?

{originally published on Febuary 23, 2009}

Second only to having a good product, product photography is hands down the most important part of increasing your sales on Etsy!

There are some truly helpful articles posted at The Storque on this subject and I’ll give you some links at the end of the post if you want to read more in depth. Here are a few tips I found especially interesting.

Good Etsy Product Photography

• Should attract people to your items – When your product shows up on the front page or in a showcase, people might only look at it for a flash. Your photograph needs to be powerful enough to cause them to linger a second longer. Then, if they’re interested, they’ll click.
• Should answer questions about the products – how big is it, what does it feel like, how does it look in its intended environment? You can answer these questions with good pictures!
• Should make your products “pop” – Good use of backgrounds, both color and texture, can make all the difference in focusing the attention on your product in a natural, pleasing, and impressive way!
• Should accurately represent colors – you can accomplish this either by adjusting the EV balance on your digital camera or using an editing software such as Photoshop Elements (which is very useful for an Etsy seller)
• Works with Etsy photograph parameters – Etsy will make your photographs 430 pixels wide, so be sure that they work at that size.  You can resize photographs in your photo editing software or online at a site such as Photobucket.com.  Also keep in mind that Etsy will crop a square image from the center of your image for use in thumbnails.

Use a Lightbox

While I’ve never tried this personally, there seems to be widespread agreement that a “lightbox” is a great tool for photographing small items, such as jewelry. There are quite a few of these available on the market for purchase. But it seems like anyone capable of making something to sell on Etsy would be capable of whipping one of these up home-made style. See this Storque article on how to make a lightbox.

Check Out This Video

This video was originally posted on The Storque at Etsy. It shows some great tips for photography of your merchandise.

Great Resources

Here are a couple of really helpful articles that can get you moving along in the right direction:

Photographing for Success at The Storque

Photographing Items – Etsy Wiki

{MiMi Nouveau}

When sales slow down, it’s time to spice up your shop!

For whatever reason, everyone experiences slow times with their shops. Take advantage of this time and prepare for those sales to come. You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s a few tips to get you going…in no particular order.

1. Spice up the look of your shop with a new banner that really reflects what you sell. Think of a catchy tag line to add to it. While you’re at it, make a new avatar. We’re talking “mini-makeover” here!

2. Make sure all your photos are top notch! Take a look around Etsy and notice the way bright and clear photos get your attention. Redo some of your photos while you have time, and make sure you have 5 photos of each item. Maybe you’ll be busy faster because of it!

3. Make multiples of your best selling items to save you time later on. It will also help you with fast shipping. Fast shipping helps get you more repeat business and awesome feedback.

4. Check your shop sections and make sure they’re easy to navigate. You want your buyers to be able to find what they want…and more! Don’t let them get confused and leave.

5. Let the descriptions of each item sell for you! If you have a little story about why you made it or how you got started making them, tell them about it! Include measurements, types of material you used, and any other detail you think they might want to know. Remember, they can’t pick it up and look at it so your description can make or break a sale.

6. Check your tags for each item. Are you using all of them. If it describes your item, use it. Don’t forget the colors!

7. Go over your shop policies, and make sure you’re clear on expected shipping times and returns.

8. Update your profile. Buyers like to know a little about you! You’re so much more interesting than a big retail store!

9. Update your shipping. It’s a big world out there, so shipping internationally can help. Make sure you know what to charge.

10. This is one of my favorites…packaging! Everyone loves to receive something beautifully wrapped. Make a great first impression with a note and a little creativity. It doesn’t have to cost a ton, but it needs to show you care.  Don’t forget to add a photo of your packaging to your listing!

That ought to keep you busy for awhile, and by then the sales will be rolling in again. And you’ll be prepared!

I’m sure you have a tip or two…I’d love to hear them in the comments!

~Kim

Photo by Shana’s Shop

Do you renew?

Renewing items in my Etsy shop has been a big part of my success with Flashy Fish. If you only re-list when something sells, you’re missing out on a great selling tool.

When you renew an item you are listing an item that hasn’t sold. It’s like a new listing, but you don’t have to start all over with your photos and description. Re-listing is when you list an item again that has already sold. Now that we’re all straight on the lingo, let’s move on.

When you renew your item it goes straight to the top of the list, or multiple lists {if you’re tagging them properly}, and it gets seen on the first page of that category by so many people. It immediately goes on the “just listed” page and it’s like saying “Hey, look at me” to everyone shopping. That’s great, cheap exposure!

Renewing an item is really so simple, and it only cost twenty cents…think about it…only twenty cents! Why wouldn’t you do it?

Take five dollars and see how it works for your shop. Renew a couple items in the morning, maybe one more in the afternoon, and a couple in the evening. Do it until you run out of your five bucks. Let’s see, that gives you 25 chances to get someone’s attention. It’s like getting 5 days worth of advertising to people that are buying what you’re selling. I’m not saying you have to spend that much, maybe once a day will work best for your shop, but you’ll never know unless you try.

Renewing also makes it easier for your items to be found by other Etsy sellers that are setting up treasuries. More treasuries equals more chances of making it to the front page….which means more sales!!!

Renewing items along with other avenues of advertising {like blogs, postcards, newsletters} is sure to make a huge impact in your bottom line this year. Give it a try and finish your year out with record sales!

If you would like more information on improving your Etsy sales, read one of our informative posts from the archives.

Have you started to prepare for your holiday sales yet? Well, it’s time to get moving! Here are some tips to help get you on the right track this year, and have you ready in time for the holiday rush.

1. Start adding your holiday items to your shop for those early shoppers. I sold some holiday items last week!
2. Think about your holiday packaging. A little extra effort on your part could help you make the sale.
3. Stock up on your popular items. It will make it so much easier for you when the orders start rolling in, and everyone loves to get their orders quickly.
4. It’s not just Christmas shoppers…promote Fall items with promotions. As soon as the first chill is in air, they will need a scarf, hat, or something warm and cozy.
5. Promote, promote, promote!!! Contact past customers, blog about your new items, advertise, and maybe even send out postcards!

Would you like to win 200  custom postcards from UPrinting.com? Two lucky Everything Etsy readers will win!  Visit UPrinting.com for custom greeting cards and postcards. 

If you don’t have an Etsy shop, you could use them for holiday greeting cards, thank you notes, announcements, or invitations. I’m sure you could come up something great to do with these postcards.

• 200 full custom color postcards – front and back!
• Choose from 3 different sizes
• Gloss or matte finish

Just leave a comment to be entered. If you are an Everything Etsy subscriber, leave another comment. If you would like to spead the word to your friends by blog post, Twitter, Facebook, whatever…leave a third comment. You have up to three chances to win!

The winners will be picked on August 29th. You will need to pay the shipping. This giveaway is for the United States.

This should help you bring in some extra holiday sales!

Check back tomorrow for a back-to-school giveaway you won’t want to miss! 

Good luck!

***This Giveaway is closed.  Thanks for playing along!  The winners have been contacted and I’ll list their information here soon.

What is Project 95? It’s a network of independent quilt and fabric shops who have joined forces to promote shopping independents. Only 5 percent of fabric shops are independents! Isn’t it nice to have local fabric shops? They need support from us!

To find a local fabric or quilt shop, click here. Just enter your zip code and you are on your way to finding a great shop near you.

My local shop has great customer service, and I always leave with new ideas for my next project.

Do you have a local fabric shop in your area?

Do you want to increase your sales and profits? I know that’s a no-brainer question, but are you doing anything to promote your sales? Having a great product is a start, but you have to sell it to be successful!

Discount codes and sales are a popular way to help someone go from a “maybe later” to “buy now!”

Marketing your business with discounts can really help you  increase and track your sales. Offering discounts is an important part of a marketing strategy just like advertising, or posting on your blog about your new items. It’s one more way to entice them to buy right now.

20 Ways to Promote Your Shop with Discounts and Sales

1. Offer a discount on your customer’s next order by using your “note to buyer” section. Repeat customers rule!
2. Use business card with discount codes to hand out or hang on bulletin boards.
3. Promote your products on Craig’s List with a special discount code. Then you can track where the order came from.
4. Have stickers made with promotional codes and use them when you mail out an order.
5. Send out discount codes and sale information on Twitter.
6. Start a mailing list and send out specials and discounts.
7. Group promotions by Etsy Teams are an easy way to join together and promote a discount.
8. Seasonal sales could nudge your customer to buy now.
9. Free shipping might encourage that impulse buy.
10. Introduce a new item with an introductory price or limited time offer.
11. Encourage additional purchases with specials  like “Buy One Get One Half Price.”
12. Support volume purchases with wholesale discounts.
13. Give a gift with purchase of a certain amount or item.  Everyone loves a little something extra!
14. Spread the word of your discount on Etsy forums or blogs.
15. Reward your best customers with special discounts just for them.
16. Change your avatar to promote your sale.
17. Post a notice in your shop announcement.
18. Add SALE to your listing’s title and to your tags.
19. Start a Newsletter to send out discounts and new product information.
20. Talk, talk, talk! Tell people about your products and give them a special “friend code” to use on their first purchase.

Raegun’s has a mailing list and sends out secret discount codes, promos, and more! If you follow her on Twitter you receive weekly discount codes.

Tips on How to Apply a Discount

Right now I have a special at Flashy Fish with free shipping. I refund the shipping charges through Paypal when I mail out my customer’s order. I have the details listed in my shop information so there isn’t any confusion. If I am working with a custom order I remove the shipping charges before I list their order.

Sending a Revised Invoice

I am by no means an expert on this, but here’s enough to get you started on the right path.

If you want to be able to offer your buyer a discount code and use revised invoices, you might need to include instructions on how the customer should complete the payment process.

• They add an item to their cart from your shop and start the check out process.
• Then, they enter the code in the “notes to seller” area and the email address where the revised invoice should be sent.
• They complete the order, but they do not continue on to Paypal to pay.
• You sign into Paypal and click on the option to request money. Enter your buyer’s email address with the updated total and send the request.
• Once they receive your revised invoice they can follow the link to complete the payment process.

Repeat buyers are the best way to keep your sales moving up every month. If you find a few new long-term customers through a discount or special, it’s worth every penny.

Did you know that Etsy has a “geo-locator”?Sure enough, if you tell Etsy where you’re located on the map, it could help increase your local business!

Use Etsy to Build Local Business

It used to be that the only way you could be “discovered” by local shops, buyers, and kindred spirits was to get a booth in an art show or craft fair. Etsy changes that and the impact it makes will only grow with time.

Say you’re the owner of a small gift boutique or art gallery and you have some space to fill on your shelf. You can easily go online to Etsy and, using the “Shop Local” feature, find a list of creative artists within a short drive of your shop? Not only can you see the work they’ve done, but you can see the prices, and read feedback of customers. Talk about useful!

So if you’re the Etsy seller looking to increase your sales and maybe even get some valuable recognition in a local gallery, don’t forget about the geo-locator! Make it known that you welcome local business. Maybe offer local delivery or suggest that you would bring some samples over to local shop owners.

Meet Local Artisans

You know the saying about “birds of a feather” right? Well sometimes if you’re really colorful it can be tough to find birds of your feather! Etsy gives you a way of looking and seeing who is out there locally that might have some similar interests. I guess it’s a little on the outgoing side, but you could convo a fellow Etsian and start a friendship.

Build A Local Community

No matter how much the internet grows and becomes part of our lives, we’ll always thrive in a local community. We need local galleries so we can go and see creations in 3-D and vivid color. We need communities of like-minded crafters and artists to help and support one-another. Etsy can help make that happen.

So I encourage you to check out the Shop Local feature on Etsy. You might find it more useful than you think!

As Etsy sellers, we’re always looking for ways to help increase sales! We love it when the email inbox lights up with sold items, especially when it happens overnight, while we’re sleeping! That’s cool!

One of the ways to make this happen is to list and re-list items at the best times of day. The trick is knowing what those times are!

Time Your Listings to Peak Hours — Get More Sales

Why Does it Matter?

Before we try and figure out what those top times are, lets get a quick look at some of the tools Etsy provides to help people browse through recent listings; there are a few!

At the bottom of the Etsy front page, you’ll find a scrolling ticker showing Recently Listed Items.

You might not make it onto this one just due to sheer numbers and the obvious lack of space here. But the saying that never convinced us to play Lotto, works here…you can’t win if you don’t play!

If you happen to get your listing here, you’re bound to get some clicks.

The Full Screen Option

Check out this awesome way to browse! By clicking just above those Front Page New listings where it says “see even more recent items”, I can find my way to this cool option:

Couldn’t you just stare at this for hours? You know people do. So being on this page during peak hours is a great way to get traffic to your shop.

Time Machine 

Another place for your newly listed item is in the Time Machine, with the “Just Listed” option selected.

And that’s not all…

Search Order

The Etsy search engine returns results in reverse chronological order, with the most recently listed on top. If you’re in a popular niche that gets searched frequently, this could be huge!

So, now that we’ve shown that listing in peak hours is a good thing. What are they?

When Are Peak Times?

There isn’t much out there on this and we’re not really sure that there is a “one-size-fits-all” answer. The peak times in your shop could be totally different than in our shop because your customers are different than ours.

It pays to know your customer and try to imagine their habits.

Here is our best shot at it based on our own experience with both Etsy sales and blog traffic. Both our blog traffic and Etsy customers are generally women over 25 and in the U.S. This is NOT scientific!

Best Time of Day

1. 10pm – Midnight – apparently the kids are in bed, and it’s “wind-down” time. Our busiest times have always been in this range.
2. 6:00 am – 8:00 am – our traffic seems to show that lots of people enjoy their morning coffee while browsing the internet.
3. 11:00 am – 2:00 pm (weekdays only) – it seems like a favorite lunchtime activity is checking out things online.

Worst Time of Day

1. 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm (weekdays)- people seem to disappear completely.

Find Out For Yourself

You can use Google Analytics for your Etsy Shop to watch your own traffic and see if you can find a pattern. 

Watch your sales, or look back at your past sales, to see if some key times or days jump out at you.

Don’t forget the photography!

 The key to all of this working is good photography. Your picture has to scream “click on me”. Read our post on the subject, How-To: Photograph Your Work For Sale On Etsy.

What have you found?

 Give us some feedback… what times have you found to be best for Etsy sales? What days of the week?

Hi Etsians!  We’ve been busy tweaking all of our blogging skills over at www.ForeverWherever.com   We want to get it right so we can make Everything Etsy a great and helpful blog for all you wonderful Etsy creative folks!

One of our posts led us to a great post about Etsy.  It seems that you can now track the traffic and stats of your Etsy shop using the popular stat tracking service, Google Analytics .

Angie, over at Many Little Blessings, has just put up a great post on this subject.  Read it here.

We will be implementing this within a few days and we’ll report back soon as to how it works and maybe we’ll be able to offer some helpful advice for those of you who want to give it a try.

In other great news, I had my first sale at my Etsy shop  www.ISawASign.Etsy.com First of many, I hope!  New cards coming soon.