Well, last Thursday I did something I said I'd never do. But dh encouraged me to do it. No, nothing twisted or anything. Dh encouraged me to start an Etsy shop. Yes, that is the extent of it. I started an Etsy shop.
I always said I never would because there are so many people there already, it's crowded market with lots of sellers. It would be hard to get noticed. I already had a website and Facebook. Etc. Etc.
So I set it up and started adding products. It is strictly coasters right now. I may add other items but I am giving this a try. I have made a section there for some stuff I want to move because it's been sitting around too long. Most of it will be single sets. Occasionally there will be designs where I have 2-3 sets but that will be rare. Right now I have them set at 1/2 price. I still make a little on them but not much. I have started to think that I may get views from people who already shop Etsy that would not find my own website.
My host for my website is up in March of this year. So I thought I'd push hard on the Etsy and see how it goes. If it brings sales then I think it will be less expensive than my website. My website orders are just not there thought I think it is a cute website and is organized by product type and theme.
I guess I am posting this to see if any of you have used Etsy and/or your own website. Does anyone have and routinely maintain both? Do you use each for different products/reasons? If so how do you decide what products to put where?
This is one reason I am think of name changes as mentioned in another post.
I would appreciate any advice y'all have.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CindysCoasters
If this is not posted in the correct place, feel free to move it!
Replies
Etsy and my website store are pretty much my main sources of income during the off months of art festivals. I maintain both and usually ship anywhere from 10-30 orders a week. I didn't really start using etsy until 2013 even though I opened a shop when I got my account in 2008 since I figured I would one day need it. Most of my etsy and website sales are from people who have been linked there through other social media like Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram, although I do get a lot of searches for my name.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/skullgardenshop
www.skullgarden.net
As for my personal website store, I only sell my tarot decks since that's my biggest seller.
I started my Etsy shop November 28, 2010 but I did not get my first sale until November 15, 2012. Now I'm up to 53 sales... It's hard to get noticed with all that clutter. But I am getting noticed now...
Scott I am glad you are getting sales now. The sales I am getting have been quite a surprise so soon. Maybe it's a fluke, IDK. However, I have been working it every day -- adding a product, promoting it on my business FB page, etc.
What is the Etsy app for an android where I can take care of sales on my phone?
It's "Etsy Sellers" app
I use an Iphone but I'm sure they have the same for android
Do you mean the Sell on Etsy app?
What is the Sell on Etsy? Is it the same as Etsy Sellers?
Yes that's it
Hi Cindy,
Congrats on your sales! I would never guess from your Etsy shop that you just opened. It looks great. The great thing about Etsy is that I sell to people all over the country who didn't find me at a show. I've been on Etsy for 7 years (hard to believe!) but I didn't do a lot with it the first 2 years.
My first piece of advice is to set up current domain name to redirect/forward to your Etsy shop. I think my domain provider charges maybe $10 a year for this. That way you can keep giving everyone your own website name and you won't lose those people if you decide to leave Etsy and go with your stand-alone site.
My second piece of advice is to use phrases in your tags instead of one-word tags. If someone searches for a butterfly trivet, a listing that has a "butterfly trivet" tag will rank higher in the search results than one that has "butterfly" and "trivet." My suggestions for that listing would be:
butterfly trivet
monarch butterfly
monarch trivet
travertine trivet
tile trivet
butterfly tile
stone trivet
travertine butterfly
etc.
Best wishes with your Etsy shop!
Carol,
Thank you so much for your comments and tag recommendations. And to every one here ... even if I have not responded individually, I have read every reply word for word.
>>Congrats on your sales! I would never guess from your Etsy shop that you just opened. It looks great. The great thing about Etsy is that I sell to people all over the country who didn't find me at a show. I've been on Etsy for 7 years (hard to believe!) but I didn't do a lot with it the first 2 years.<<
Thanks I think what helped is that I have a website and got a lot of my info from there to place things on my Etsy shop. I have seen shops while I browse that seem someone posted one or two things, literally, 2 years ago, maybe more and have done nothing else. What is up with that? I don't understand it. Either have a shop and keep it active and current or don't have one.
>>My first piece of advice is to set up current domain name to redirect/forward to your Etsy shop. I think my domain provider charges maybe $10 a year for this. That way you can keep giving everyone your own website name and you won't lose those people if you decide to leave Etsy and go with your stand-alone site.<<
Obviously I have a domain name since I have a website, which is coming up for renewal in March. dh is my tech support and I am going to have him look into this. I would love to still be able to use the cards I recently had printed.
>>My second piece of advice is to use phrases in your tags instead of one-word tags. If someone searches for a butterfly trivet, a listing that has a "butterfly trivet" tag will rank higher in the search results than one that has "butterfly" and "trivet." My suggestions for that listing would be:
butterfly trivet .......<<
I did not know this about tags and ranking. I really appreciate this advice. I will try it and how that helps.
BTW, I got my order for 3 sets started yesterday and finished it up today. It will ship tomorrow! I am so happy I could scream, still! LOL
Blessings,
Cindy
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