Yes, I’m late to the Etsy party. Deliberately
I had no interest in elbowing my way through the hundreds of thousands (now millions!) of sellers for a few measly bucks. Go big or go home.
It looked like there were just an elite few who were really making real money from their soaps and earrings.
My passion and skill was crochet (still is!). And that market was beyond saturated.
I made a lot of assumptions and gave up without even trying!
But after finding myself unemployed for more than a year (!), and running out of options, it seemed like a good time to re-visit a home-based business.
It was time to get serious and learn everything I could about the Etsy world. More specifically, about the Etsy superstars.
I was really surprised to see that most of them had fairly typical, run of the mill products. We’re talking tee shirts, candles, bracelet charms, vintage clothing.
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And there were a lot of fellow crocheters with hundreds and thousands of sales garnered in a relatively short period of time. For crochet stuff!!
Ok. I’m in!
Etsy Secret to Success
So what is the secret to Etsy success?
All of my research led to the same basic formula for success. And it’s so simple it’s almost ridiculous.
The single most often tactic mentioned as paramount to reaching any level of success is the quality of the photos.
Seems obvious, but quality photographs encompass a lot of different components.
You should have several shots from various angles of each product. Shoppers want to be able to see as much as they can in Etsy shop photos.
But the single most important photo is the thumbnail shot.
That teeny, tiny photo can make or break the sale. It’s the first thing the shopper will see. But, they will normally view it in a page of 50 other photos.
Your little thumbnail pic must stand out from the crowd.
The item should be photographed up close. It should fill the space. And it absolutely should be free of distracting backgrounds. It should be sharp and clear.
Color is Crucial
Color should be on trend. Or classic. Bright. Or subdued. In other words, be mindful of how your particular item is trending.
Social Stuff
Like it or not, social networking will make a significant difference in Etsy success.
For some of you, that statement likely brought on a big “duh!”.
For others, cyber socializing elicits more of an “uhg!”.
All I can say is, suck it up buttercup.
If social networking (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter) is not your cup of chamomile, you may need to look at it as a necessary evil.
Can you be successful on Etsy without the virtual schmoozing? Maybe.
But, if you want to achieve Etsy superstardom (sales wise), you need to pull out all the stops. In which case, yes, social networking is a must!
What to Sell?
This is a whole other beast unto itself. I heard an Etsy seller say recently that she has had her shop for a year and made no sales. Zero. No sales at all! I knew something was wrong there so I checked out her shop. I knew immediately what the problem was.
Her products were super, super niche to the point that there couldn’t possibly be very many people interested in her offerings. And she only had a handful of items! Double
I won’t say exactly what the products are in case she reads this. I’ll just say in a general way…it’s quotes from a classic book on desktop items. So first you need to reach an audience who specifically loves that particular book AND want or need these particular desktop items. Way too niche!
Before I finally decided to give Etsy a go…a SERIOUS go…I researched how big the market was for crochet patterns (my chosen product line). Having been a crochet pattern buyer on Etsy previously myself, I knew there were a lot of great patterns out there. I was both worried that the market was saturated and ecstatic that there was definitely a big market!
Fortunately, the big market won out. I started making sales within 2 or 3 weeks of going live! Here is my crochet blog income report for month two. Not bad for a brand new Etsy shop!: Income Report
Moral of the story…choose your product and market wisely if you are serious about being successful on Etsy!
My Etsy journey is detailed week to week here: Etsy Timeline
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