First and foremost I would like to commend and congratulate all of you artists and creators who have been able to make a full time job out of selling on line. It is now clear to me the incredible amount of time it consumes to market your shop and items and consequently generate sales.
In May of 2009 I created my shop and then spent the next few months with my handy dandy sellers guide getting everything organized to open my shop. Pictures, banners, avatars, familiarizing myself with the new lingo etc. Researching street teams and figuring out what a heart was and why it was important. Deciding on shipping methods and packaging that was cost effective, etc. etc. The list seemed endless, and somewhat overwhelming, but I finally managed to wade through it all and open my shop in the summer.
I thought I would get my shop all set up and the sales would start rolling in! ......not the case...... thank goodness for my family members as they accounted for five of my first six sales. Sales picked up once the colder weather started arriving, and are currently slow, but I remain positive. Finding your niche is as important as everyone talks about. I tried many items - sweaters, beanies, booties, quilts, snack bags, and finally found my niche - hats! Competition is stiff in this category, but I believe I am doing fairly well for a new seller. I absolutely love sitting down - staring at my yarn cupboard - and coming up with a design and color combination that draws me in.
My husband and I used to have a competitive BBQ team, and we would travel all over Ontario and the Untied States and enter into competitions. The one thing that keep me drawn in to the BBQ community is how we were treated by the other teams. Being new - they offered us advice and tips and tricks, and anything they could to help us get started. I was proud to be part of that community. In relation - I am proud to be a member of Etsy. Every seller that I have come across has been so willing to help and offer advice, and critiques, and their tips and trick etc. It is wonderful, and I thank all of you who have taken the time to answer my questions.
Until I received an "Etsy Success" email in the past couple of weeks - I had not participated in the forums or chat rooms. I have since found them, and find them wonderful. I spent the evenings one week in the FS (Featured Seller) chat room and although my PayPal account is now empty - I ended up with a wonderful group of items that I purchased from other sellers!!! Sellers supporting sellers. I love this concept. I have made some great contacts, and enjoy meeting up with people in the rooms. And right now - every day is like Christmas when I hit the mailbox on the way home - as I still have several orders to be delivered!
The forums are a wealth of information and knowledge. They provide an incredible insight to many topics, both positive and negative - as with anything. If a thread seems to become too negative for what I am looking for - the good thing about it is that I can close the browser and move on to the next. I have heard comments from some new sellers that they feel discouraged by reading negative posts - my way of dealing with these is that I "take what I want, and leave the rest". Every post has some positive in it, it us just up to me to find it. I find the forum posts are also a great way to find fantastic sellers! and to find fellow Canadians!
Nothing puts a smile on my face more than when I receive comments/feedback from my customers. I take pride in what I make, and seeing their comments and their pictures adds something special to my day.
I am still trying to find ways to promote my shop and get noticed without spending another small fortune on re-newing fees - but as with anything - these things take time. I am hoping "If I promote it - they will come"!!! :)
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope some of my comments will be beneficial to other new sellers.
Good luck!
BuggyD
www.twitter.com/BuggyDCreations
