Etsy Selling Tips

Tips for Etsy Sellers

There are many tips and tricks that can help increase your Etsy sales.  Below are a few insights I have gained from selling on Etsy.  This page is a work in progress and will be constantly updated to include new information.  If you have a tip that you would like to see included on this page, feel free to contact me via e-mail at topshopsofetsy@hotmail.com.

1.  Photography

The photographs of the items you sell has a huge impact on the number of sales and overall traffic of your shop.  Your photographs are the first impression potential customers have of your items.  Here are some overall tips for setting the stage for your photographs.

 

     1.  Have adequate lighting.  Photographs that are too dark or are too light and wash the item out will not draw an audience to your shop.

      2.  Have a simple background.  Cluttered photographs will confuse buyers and will draw their eyes away from your work.

*  You may have noticed that many of the featured Etsy items have perfect lighting and a simple white background.  This look can be achieved using a photo light box.   Light boxes are a sort of mini photography studio, equipped with a backdrop, light tent and lighting.  Amazon sells a variety of photo light box kits ranging anywhere from $25 - $100+.  

 3.  Edit your photographs until you are satisfied with their appearance.  Not everyone can afford to purchase Photoshop but there are some great free alternatives for editing your photos.  Picasa offers free basic photo editing.  For more advanced editing options, Photoscape provides a free alternative to Photoshop.

        4.  When uploading your photographs to Etsy, be sure to check how the thumbnail will appear to buyers in your store.  You may need to adjust the photograph (crop, expand..etc) so that your item is fully visible and centered within the thumbnail.  This is very important because buyers will see the thumbnail in their search results, therefore it needs to favorable feature your item.

      5.  Find a professional photographer willing to trade photos for some of your items.  Do you crochet baby items?  There are many photographers who would be willing to photograph babies wearing your items in exchange for the items themselves.  One easy way to find photographers is to join an Etsy team such as Professional Product Photography For Props Trade or Boutique Models & Photographers for Etsy.  You can also find local photographers through Yellow Pages or Facebook and contact them directly to see if they would be interested in an exchange.

2.  Lists Places to Promote Your Shop for FREE!

There is nothing better for your Etsy shop than free promotion!  Below is a list of websites that you can use to promote your Etsy shop for free.

- Pinterest

-DeviantART

- Kaboodle

- Wanelo

- CraftJuice

- CraftersBuzz

- CraftCult

- Craigslist

- Myspace

- Facebook

-Twitter