Improve your shop and learn to promote it. Every bit of information you need is already out there, and most of it is right there on Etsy!
IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS: This is - I think - the most important part (which is why it is at the top and has the most links).
How to use a Lightbox and photo editing software to make beautiful photographs
Achieving Clarity and Crispness in Your Photos
How to Style Your Photos
Photographing for Success
Photograph Your Way to The Top!
Make Your Photos Pop with Histograms and Levels
Using EV and White Balance to Make Your Photos True to Life
FIND A MENTOR - a mentor can help you with the personal disputes you cannot ask about in the forums because of the "calling out" rules. They can also give you great advice from experience on ways to improve your shop and get more out of Etsy. The new Team Etsy Mentors list includes detailed information on the specific areas of expertise our members have, so you can quickly find the right mentor to help you.
LEARN TO PRICE YOUR WORK CORRECTLY! If you underprice your work viewers will undervalue your creations and be put off just as much as they will be by an overinflated price.
The Art of Pricing
WRITE GOOD DESCRIPTIONS! Help the buyer connect with your work
Making the most of your descriptions
WRITE CLEAR CONCISE POLICIES for your shop that make the customer clear on what they can expect from you.
Hello Policy!
WRITE A PROFILE that sparks interest in your store! Help your customers get to know you.
Crafting a profile page
LEARN TO TAG EFFECTIVELY! Tagging is how your buyers (and treasury curators) find you! Remember to tag for colors too as those are the most common tags curators use when looking for treasury listings.
Tagging on Etsy
International Tagging
PROMOTE YOUR SHOP! If no one knows you are there then they can’t see your beautiful creations. Learn to shout about what you do.
Pimp Your Shop
The Ultimate Craft Guide
STAY POSITIVE! Maintain a positive, friendly & helpful attitude in the forums -- a cheerful face is more likely to be remembered and added to treasuries than a grumpy one! Negative attitude in the forums affects the way people view you and your shop. Branding is not just about a logo, it is about everything you do in connection with your store. Many visitors to the forums actively avoid aggressive, whiny or rude members and their stores.
JOIN A TEAM! Teams help to promote their members and are also a great resource for honest advice about your shop. Teams often make treasuries featuring their own members. Take the time to be part of a supportive community!
Etsy Teams
BE UNIQUE! Find a way to make your product different from your competitors. Even if you are selling the same thing as 1,000 other people, you can still find a way to stand out from the crowd.
Book: Purple Cow: Transform your business by being remarkable
Blog: Make a great product
CONTINUALLY RE-EVALUATE YOUR STORE! Even if things are going well, there is always something that can be improved.
An outline to self critique your shop
SIT IN ON A WEEKLY CRITIQUE! Even if you don't get critiqued you can learn a lot just from sitting in, watching and listening. Check the virtual labs schedule to see when the next ones will be.
Virtual Labs Schedule
READ THE NEWBIE GUIDES – even if you are not a newbie! They are full of useful links and tips.
The Ultimate Newbie Guide
A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Shop on Etsy
OTHER GREAT RESOURCES:
Ultimate Craft Guide - tutorials, advice, suppliers....
Storque how tos
How to make it to the front page
TIPS FROM OTHER ETSIANS:
jealousydesign.etsy.com says:
"When I relist something I change the #1 picture. have noticed that some items that had almost no hearts or views before can get much more after this little change....."
nyblaque.etsy.com says:
"I always change up my "Featured Item" photo in my shop every other day. To keep things looking fresh on Etsy and on my Etsy Mini, I have my Etsy Mini on facebook, myspace blogspot..etc. I usually, change them and/or make a theme out of them.. like all necklaces, or one color, brand new listings, etc.... kinda makes a person go" oo I didn't see those on her mini last time". I just got a sale yesterday from a buyers who told me she reads my blog and saw my new items in my Etsy Mini!! COOL:)"
This is a very useful compilation Mouse!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
nanouke
this is great! and thanks for using my comment.
ReplyDeleteI have an Award for you over here :
http://jealousydesign.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-love-your-blog-award.html
:)
Very useful list.
ReplyDeleteOne day I'll succeed to make decent photo's...one day =^x^=
Well written, concise and helpful, I shall put this in my useful links cat (that I shall make!)
ReplyDeleteLorrie aka illusio
Wonderful information, I'll spend my day reading all those links :)
ReplyDeleteplenty of things to read here, bookmarked for later, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletelot of really great advice there!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletethank you !!!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing all this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this mouse, there are heaps of fab tips and lots of advice here ... you are a sweetie!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this awesome information Mouse! I am an Etsy newbie and I learned a lot by reading this.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and useful! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is really helpful and very well written! I bookmark it too. n_n Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWill be visiting more. See you soon. n_n
looks like a lot to read! thanks for a really informative and useful post.
ReplyDelete:)
juliaA
Very good stuff, all at one place. One day i'll get through with a good photo
ReplyDeleteThank You for sharing !
bindu
http://royalprincess.etsy.com
Thanks so much for these useful ideas. I hope to put them into use.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing and the gift of your expertise! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteNathalie
Dolce Dreams
Thank You very Much for all the good tips! I must read and learn and put into practice more and more and more...!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Boxing Day!
Silvia
Thank You!!! These are very helpful "Pearls of Wisdom." Deb :)
ReplyDeleteThis was helpful thanks house of mouse! I think we chatted back and forth in the forums a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year and best wishes with your business.
Madelyne
www.vintagespirit.net
Anna, you always go out of your way to help and it's always GREAT advice. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteEmma
http://www.neverever.etsy.com
This is great information. Thanks so much. Really helpful. glad I've found your blog and store too!
ReplyDeleteWow-- I've seen and heard some great tips but this post was wonderful in that it combined so many ideas neatly and with lots of detailed, viable links.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for compiling this!
Thanks for sharing! Your tips are great and I can't wait to put them to use.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kikibirdcrafts.etsy.com
Really awesome compilation of tips. Thank you for putting in the time to create this.
ReplyDeleteThis is great information. I read everything I can about being a newbie. I love the idea of constantly making changes.
ReplyDeletegreat info! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mouse for all of your wonderful info. now I have more time to focus in on really get my shop out there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the great and much needed info. Mouse
ReplyDeletethanks for those comments i'm new to etsy and will try to make it work
ReplyDeleteany feedbacks are welcome !
http://www.etsy.com/shop/seeyoulater
thanks for this! just what I needed to read!
ReplyDeletei have just opened my etsy store, so i need all
the advice i can get...
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Coocachoo
Same here, need all the advice I can get. Just opened my shop in January (2011). This post is so comprehensive and useful! Thanks-a-million!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/LesasPlunderPlace
such great information! pictures are really so important!
ReplyDeletehttp://junkfind.etsy.com
This is so very helpful. Thank you for posting!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/SaraMarieCreations
thanks for the advices
ReplyDeletei'll try to make this work, i'm new to easy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jinny888
Very helpful! Good tips.
ReplyDeleteAnother tip to etsy sellers... if your images are off color, blurry, or too dark, there are inexpensive ways to get help for your listings like https://www.etsy.com/listing/107732819/get-more-sales-listing-image
Etsy sellers like this provide services to help other sellers improve listings and sales
There are also image suppliers that sell high quality printable images to use in your etsy creations. If you’re looking for inspiration or a new source of material, some of these images aren’t very expensive, like www.etsy.com/shop/VintageRetroAntique
ReplyDeleteAwesome advise.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby is a photographer so I think I've overcome that.
I'm in teams and promoting like heck.
I used to have a totally different shop on etsy but got tired of only making sales that weren't sales on the old promo forums via games like buying chains. I picked up new habbies /crafts and decided I wanted to try etsy again. So here I am ...
HTTP://WWW.etsy.com/snjvegas
Julie