How to not throw in the Etsy towel
14. Sep, 2011 
22 Comments
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How to not throw in the Etsy towel.
Unfortunately it’s inevitable that at some point in an Etsian’s life that things just don’t seem to be going very far, whether its slow sales or you’ve only been open a few months and people are still not finding you very often.
A lot of people go through a slow stage and will become disheartened that what they’ve worked so hard on isn’t getting off the ground, it can feel like there is no other choice but to stop working at it altogether or you might dreadful morning when you sit to your computer and SHOCK! No new emails NO-ONE LOVES ME!
I for one have been through that more than once and trust me its miserable, but don’t give up just yet and maybe have a go at a couple of my suggestions that I try when no-one loves me.
Vacation
Now I only suggest this only if you literally can’t even bare to think about your Etsy shop, put it into vacation mode and ignore it for a couple of days then see how you feel. This is the only suggestion that involves sticking your head in the sand but sometimes needs must.
Forums, treasury’s and teams
You can’t forget that behind the front page exterior of Etsy is a huge community of amazing people with incredible ideas; join some new teams, make a treasury and becoming active in forums. Chances are you meet some new people and hopefully get some new traffic to your shop; it’s all about putting yourself out there so that people can see you!
No-one’s going to know your there if your sat with a harry potter cloak of invisibility on your head metaphorically of course.
Send some emails
No I’m not talking about to your Gran, I’m talking about people with craft blogs, who run online shops that take new sellers and shops in your area. Now I can’t guarantee that you will get replies but if you get 1 reply out of 10 emails with some interest then that’s success in my books!
However when you next want to throw in the towel remember where you emailed last so you don’t email them again. No one wants to start there Etsy career with a restraining order.
List more
This suggestion is only really if you can stand to be near your Etsy shop, get some more of your items listed and people will come to your shop, maybe include you in a treasury or add you to their favourite shops for the future and maybe even make a sale.
Adding new items will also keep your shop looking fresh, try and switch the order of your shop and utilize your featured items.
Blog
No self respecting crafter should be without a blog; you can get a totally free blog from www.blogger.com and personalize to your own taste.
The fact of the matter is that mankind is notoriously nosey and we seem to love having a peek into other people’s daily lives. Once you have a blog use it often whether its sneak peeks of new items, day to day life or pouring your heart out.
People like to know the person behind the craft and you can sneak some shameless self promotion in there but don’t go to nuts.
You might find working on your blog and building your followers spills over onto your Etsy.
Promote someone else
Stick with me on this one; I honestly think no one would sell a thing online if it wasn’t for people promoting other sellers. Even if it’s just a little blog mention with a picture chances are if you contact them to say they’re featured they will promote your blog to let their fans know they’re featured somewhere which means they’re fans coming to your blog.
Etsy selling shouldn’t be a selfish venture, always support and promote others because in turn they may do the same for you.
I hope that trying a couple of these ideas get’s you out of your funk, just remember that everyone has to start somewhere and don’t give up!
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Thank you, very timely for me because my shop is invisible at the moment. These are great ideas and very encouraging!
Yes I’ve been working hard too , started a blog and making Treasuries, but my views are still low
Tahns for the ideas here.
Likewise – feeling very invisible at present. The ideas are great so will start using them!
What a great article – have been feeling very invisible since I started and lost amongst the masses. I will certainly take a lot of your ideas on board.
Many thanks for your suggestions. My shop is extremely slow, but I am hanging in there – listing, blogging, connecting through teams, etc. It is good to know that I am on the right track.
very timely – thank you! I needed this pep talk this morning.
Great ideas, thank you for sharing! I highly recommend blogging, commenting on other blogs and participating at Etsy’s blog.
Finally, don’t give up. Ebb and flow is part of the craft business!
Thanks for the advice. I’m just about to quit.
Thank you- sometimes I need the extra boost of confidence to know that I’m doing the right thing!
Forums? What forums? The evisceration of the forums (remember those?) is a big reason why everyone who is in a pickle with Etsy is there…pickled. The team thing is a joke for the most part. Imagine…having to join a team JUST to ask a question! And the treasuries? Come ON. It is still the same people on the main page. The same stuff. And now we are supposed to cater to the German speaking buyers with the new and improved “search” which seems only to be a way to spend more time on a more slow moving, over burdened site. I cannot blame anyone for wanting to throw in the towel but do it in the right direction ->ArtFire. At least AF is still easy to understand, has a better interface with Google, offers more options etc etc. I say: keep your hand in but widen your scope. Realize that Etsy is not the be all and end all of the ecommerce venues, and in the words of Obewan Kanobe: “There is another.”
Agreed here!
They opened more than they could handle by “fixing” things that were never broken, and making the site harder for buyers to browse or ask simple questions.
Not every buyer can get into the teams (a lot of them are pretty exclusive, in fact), the main page features the same sellers day after day, week after week (and somehow, it never seems to be new people, or fresh items either, SSDD there), and the whole site is trying to be a social network, not a shop to buy hand-crafted items.
I do disagree with a lot of what Artfire has done, which is why I left them as well. Excluding about 50-75% of their sellers/items by forcing them to pay a monthly fee isn’t exactly something most people need or can afford right now. Still, it is true, there are lots of sites to go to that do not force a cost on you up front in return for no sales, or even the promise of sales.
I have been on ETSY a year. Two sales! Teams seem to be a joke, what do they DO!? I see featured items which are 98% kitsch, cute, banal but ‘affordable’. When I browse I find excellent craftspeople but they seldom seem to be featured. Paying to be featured is only another expense without return.
Actually, Yoda said that
but you’re absolutely right. The whole “all your eggs in one basket” thing is never a great idea.
Here’s a link to an interview that fits your last two points, blogging and promoting someone else. Hopefully seeing a successful shop will help motivate anyone who’s having a slow patch.
http://www.workshopshed.com/2011/09/sams-welding.html
I’d also point you at “Kevin Partner” who’s been writing some interesting articles on online business. His latest in PC Pro this month looks at innovation vs gradual improvement. He’s also been experimenting with free vs charged entry to his site.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/author/253598/kevin-partner
His craft website is not on Etsy but you can see it here.
http://www.makingyourowncandles.co.uk/
Thanks for the great advice! I need it!
I dig your mojo, Ribasus! So true, so true.
But in regards to the article, I really disagree with the advice of putting a shop in Vacation mode. Once you’ve brought your shop out of hiding again, you have to practically start all over again. Ignoring your shop for a few days while you drink mai tais sitting on the couch watching daytime’s finest won’t do as much damage. Take it from one who knows.
Grammatical errors aside (for Pete’s sake!) this is an okay article. Not great, but the intent of helping is there.
I enjoyed this article and can see I am not alone in the poor sales category. Etsy keeps me busy enough without getting into the Blogging business but who knows what the future holds. Although I may not retire on my Etsy income I will still enjoy and appreciate the creative process involved with maintaining my shop.
Excellent advice – though there is one very large reason why a lot of sellers are (or have already) giving up.
Money.
I for one, have no money left in that little section of my purse labeled “Online Budget/Listing Budget”. Without sales coming in with this horrible economic mess the US is in, many hand-crafters like myself simply can’t afford the listing fees.
Yes, $0.20 isn’t much for a listing.
But –
5 listings = $1.00
10 listings = $2.00
100 listings = $20.00
How many items did so many people have in their shops before they suddenly started to vanish? I had over 50 – and I relisted them all 3 times because they didn’t sell the first two times. I spent over $30.00 in JUST listing my items, and while I had all of 8 sales in that time, where do you think the supplies to make more items came from?
Many Etsy sellers simply relocated to sites that don’t charge up front (or at all!) to list/sell their work in the hopes, as I have, of replenishing that “Online Budget” so more listings are possible.
Also, don’t forget that it’s not a moral imperative! It’s okay to throw in the Etsy towel, if it’s just not right for your business. I threw in the Etsy towel to focus on wholesale and consignment, and as a result I was able to quit my other job and make art full time.
There’s more than one right answer.
Etsy is not for everyone. If someone has felt like they’ve given it their all, they don’t need to feel like a “loser” for throwing in the towel. However, I do agree with what you have written in this article. It’s not easy to sell anywhere, it takes a lot of work and dedication.
Came across your blog post via CraftGawker. Love it! I’ve redesigned my etsy shop banner and have recognized the benefits of focusing on a particular line of products (photography-related rather than photography, handsewn and vintage items in the same shop). Your suggestions are practical and leave me feeling encouraged. Thank you!
I did ok for really just starting over the holidays. Of course that was for Christmas items mostly. I think to sell on Etsy you have to understand what your market is, and whether it exists on Etsy or through some other venue. Are you selling items that cost between $12- $45 then you can have sales on Etsy. If you high end you can too, but your just not going to have a lot of them and your going to have to market like crazy. I am taking another look at what I will sell on Etsy and will be bringing my more affordable items there and not the high end stuff. The more I look at Treasuries I think some groups have highjacked them through the methods they use to get them on the front page and ig you don’t get into and understand how those teams work, you won’t be on the front page…. Just my thoughts….