EtsyTips - tips, tricks and how-tos

Video Wednesday - Using Facebook To Promote Your Etsy Shop

2009-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Great information on how to use facebook to promot you business.

Video Wednesday - Youtube Hints for Etsy Folks

2009-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Want to use Youtube to promote your etsy shop? Here are some helpful hints and how to do it best.

Video Wednesday - DIY Packaging Tips for Handmade Jewelry

2009-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Create great looking packaging to show your customers you care.

Video Wednesday - Tags, Titles, and Descriptions + Non Paying Buyers

2009-03-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

How to list your items so they get found by buyers.

Video Wednesday - Create an Etsy Banner with Photoshop (Lesson 1)

2009-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Need a banner for your etsy shop? heres a great tutorial on how to use Photoshop Elements to make one. I'd also recommend Photoshop Elements for editing your product photographs.

Video Wednesday - Using Facebook To Promote Your Etsy Shop

2009-02-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Great information on how to use facebook to promote you business. Be sure to check out more great etsy videos from Indie5Collective.

Video Wednesday - fuse plastic bags

2009-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's video is from etsy labs and features their labs technician, Anda. I had the pleasure of meeting her last summer at Renegade SF, and I thought you'd enjoy seeing a great way to reuse plastic bags.

pricing your handmade crafts

2009-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Calculating the right price for your handmade crafts is an important and difficult part of the selling process, epecially if you are considering wholesaling your items in the future. Since there are any places out there that explain how to do this well, I've compiled a list of a few site that have great information and formulas that will help you find the best prices for selling your items.

How to price your etsy products - step-by-step instructions to find actual cost, retail price and etsy price.
Tips for pricing your handmade crafts - tips on pricing based on materials, labor, overhead, etc.
How to price handmade goods - discusses competition, the business of art, profit and wholesale.
How to price handmade jewelry - How to be profitable and good pricing formulas.

Video Wednesday - Listing and Relisting on Etsy

2009-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Gret tips on when to list your items on etsy.

Facebook + Etsy

2009-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Connect with your customers and find new customers through Facebook. Etsy has recently updated their Etsy Shop application, which is similar to etsy-mini but made specifically for Facebook. A great way to share with friends what you have in your etsy shop. So go, promote and prosper!

Features:
-Displays HTML instead of Flash, so you don't have that "click to see my items" block. Your listings show up right away
-Caches images on facebook site so that the app doesn't create very much strain on the Etsy servers

Limitations:
-doesn't update instantly, updates once a day or whenever you click on "Etsy Shop" under "applications" on the side bar
-can only display recent items/favorites from one shop

valentine - gift guide

2009-02-05T08:20:00.001-08:00

Video Wednesday - 5 etsy timesavers

2009-02-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Get things done faster. Amy from NotMoira shares her top 5 etsy timesavers.

How do I get myself out there - Ning Community

2009-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Never heard of Ning? "Ning is a platform for creating your own social network"

A great network for etsy sellers is How do I get myself out there.

Jammed pack of useful information and run by the wonderful Missevilkitty. It's easy to join, a great way to connect to other Etsy sellers and learn more techniques for selling on etsy.

Video Wednesday

2009-01-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

We are starting a new series we'll be bringing you new etsy related videos every Wednesday.

I'd decided to start us out with a great one brought to us by Etsy themselves. Enjoy!

Google Analytics Tutorial

2009-01-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

Do you have your site set up with Google Analytics yet? Great!
Are you a little confused what all those numbers and graphs mean? Google is here to help with an informational video.

I'm back

2009-01-23T07:52:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the last two weeks. I've been busy setting up my new Etsy shop, Blue Cole Press, but I'm back to blogging. Look for new posts next week.

CSV Sales data

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Etsy provides a great way to download your sales data, that can be imported into excel as CSV (comma separated value). You can find the link by going to "Your Etsy," and then "Sold (Orders)". The link, "Download this sales data as a CSV," is at the bottom of the page.

Recently they added information including the date you marked the item as shipped, paid status, and the address of the buyer. Making this data even more valuable.

You can find info here on importing it into Microsoft Excel. If you don't have excel, you can use Open Office Calc which is available for free online.

Web analytics now available!

2009-01-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

So excited, analytics is now available on etsy. More information to come...

Article on etsy about web analytics.

Stats for your Shop

2009-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Want to know how many people view your shop each day? where your page views are coming from? how long each person is staying on the page?

Luckily etsy.com is listening to our plea and are currently beta-testing the use of Google Analytics with etsy shops. Be sure to head over to http://analytics.google.com and see what they offer. We hope to hear more about this soon and will be sure to post about it here.

Handmade trends for 2009

2008-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time again to look forward and try to predict what is going to be popular with shops and customers in the coming year. After looking around the internet I have found these to be the major trends...

Sustainability
We are seeing a trend in using environmentally-friendly business. Ones that use recyclable or reused packaging as wall as materials for the design. There are also alot of businesses giving back to the environment, may it be through the planting of trees, donation of funds or participation in fair trade practices.

Colors
Burgundy, purples, cool blues and split pea. A lot of deep darks, neutrals and intense colors.

Fiber Jewelry
embroidered, felt, crochet, woven. Jewelry designers are branching out into new materials.

Modern Patchwork
With blog graphics and color blocks, these are far from your mother's quilts. We see this not not only in quilts, but on bags, clothing, and home decor.

Folklore/Caravan
We have been noticing lots of bold patterns reflecting the look of rural Russia and the former Soviet Union. My favorites are the modern nesting dolls.

Fostering repeat business

2008-12-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Storque over at etsy.com has a great article about how to get retain current customers and get them coming back for more. There is tons of advice on packaging, staying connected to them and keeping them interested in what's in your shop.

Etsy how-to: weekly planner

2008-12-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Need some help getting organized in the new year? Just found a great and timely how-to on etsy. for making a weekly planner with Etsy admin Julie.

Complete with downloadable pdf template!!

Etsy Virtual Labs - office hours with Rob White

2008-12-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

Have questions for Rob White from the Etsy Community Team?

He'll be in the Virtual Labs Lounge, Friday (dec 26th) so be sure to gather all your questions and ask away.

how many items should you list as in stock?

2008-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Do you have multiples of some items that you sell in your shop? Do you like it as multiple stock, or as multiple listings?

Personally I go back and forth on what's the better decision. The benefit of keeping each listing as having only one in stock, is that you can easily relist it when it sells, which brings it to the top of your page and search pages (just like when you originally listed it).

When it's convenient to list an item as having multiple stock, it allows the customer to purchase more at one one. Though there are problems with this. If you want to relist the item, you have the relist them all (each in stock x$.20) Though the way around doing this, is to just list each item multiple times.

What do you usually do, list multiple in stock or make multiple listings?

when to list item on etsy...

2008-12-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

When is the best time to post items on Etsy? That's a really good question. While there are alot of theories as to what day and what time is best, we'll focus on the benefit of spreading out the times you list items, as opposed to listing a lot of items in one sitting.

Every time you list an item, it shows up in a few place. It shows at the bottom of the home page, under recently listed items as well as on the Time Machine page. It also will show up at the top of a search. So spreading out the times you list items, maybe listing 2-3 times a day, gives more of a chance new people will see your items.

As for the search listing, if you have an item that has a lot of similar items on etsy (ie. competition), it could be helpful to relist is fairly often. As an item sits on etsy.com it will fall down in the search, and an item on the 4th, 5th, 6th page, are much less likely to get seen.

On a side note, there has been news of some changes to how search works which may change the benefit of relisiting, more info to come soon.

using flickr to promote your shop

2008-12-15T07:40:00.000-08:00

There are many places outside of etsy.com to promote your shop. Over the next few weeks we will highlight a few of these.

While flickr is a great place to share photos with friends and family, it is also a great place to post photos of the items you create, your work space and your creative process. It allows views to learn more about who you are outside of etsy and reaches potential customers who may never have found your products on etsy.

groups: be sure to join groups that relate to what you make, or are for etsy fans. Once you upload new photos, be sure to go to your groups page, and add the appropriate photos to the groups. Some great ones are: Etsy.com Love, SF Etsy Street Team, Etsy in Action, and great for new members is Etsy Newbies.

pro account: if you are serious about using flickr, I would recommend getting a pro account. Not only does it allow you to make more sets, you can also view statistics on how many views you are getting each day, which are your most popular photos and where the views are coming from.

description: just a reminder, flickr has a policy that you can not use it for commercial purposes. Their Community Guidelines page states "Flickr is for personal use only. If we find you selling products, services, or yourself through your photostream, we will terminate your account." So be careful, and be sure to not link to your items in the descriptions, but add your etsy site to your profile.

Got a flickr account? Why not post it in the comments so we can all see?

Expedited holiday shipping

2008-12-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Do you offer expedited shipping at your etsy shop?

If so, head on over to this forum thread on etsy.com to let everyone know.

field trip - fab fridays

2008-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

This Friday we are going to head over to another blog that give great advice for etsy sellers.

Every Friday on TinkerAndPo!, they post a FabFriday - etsy selling tip.

This week's all about balance. A great thing to consider in this crazy holiday.

How do you find balance between life, business, friends, etsy, etc...?

Enjoy the blog and your weekend. and I will be back next week with hopefully lots of new content.

using YouTube to promote your etsy shop

2008-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Youtube is a great way to promote your etsy shop, be it either by showing your creations or making instructional videos.

If you do a quick search on YouTube for etsy, you will find an assortment of different videos. Promotional, instructive, informative, you can use youtube for whatever your need is.

Etsy labs has an electronic press kit
Anda from etsy shows how to fuse plastic bags
Paulette from pauletteinsall.etsy.com shares some items she purchased from another etsy shop and shows paintings she's working on
Heather from Fashioncandy.etsy.com shows her adorable jewelry in a great video
Sentimental Journey has a video showing here cards on youtube

Have you made a video to promote your etsy shop? Email us a link and we may use it in a future post. (etsytips*at*gmail.com)

Promos!

2008-12-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

With so many ways out there to promote your Etsy.com shop, I figure I'll take some time over the next couple weeks or months to share what has worked for me.

One thing I've done from early on is include what I like to call "Promo Packs" in each of the orders I send out. The purpose of it is to thank the customer for the order, and give them something to remember my store by.

So what do I include...

business cards - one from each of my sites (I have two) for them to keep, or pass on to a friend
freebies - right now I've been including a couple of my labels that I sell on withlovedesigns.com, and sometimes I include an extra letterpress card or bookmark I have laying around.
business cards from other etsy sellers - I am sometimes lucky enough to get some cards from other etsy sellers that I can include in my packs to help promote their shop. I've also gotten coupons, soap samples and postcards to include.

I throw all these items in a nice small cello bag, along with a personal thank you note and add it to the order. It's cute, neat and a fun little extra for the buyer when they receive their order.

Do you have any great promotions that you have used that have been successful? I'd love to hear about them, just add a comment with your great idea.

etsy!

2008-12-07T13:13:00.001-08:00

how to make a mini shop on etsy.com

2008-11-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

So you've seen these great galleries of the items in people's shops, but how do you make them? Well, luckily, that is very easy.

There are two types of Etsy Mini's that you can great on Etsy.com. One can show items in your own shop, the other shows items in your favorites.

To set up an Etsy Mini first you should log onto your etsy account and click on "My Etsy". From there, scroll down the page, till you see "Pomote" on the side left bar, and under it, choose "Etsy Mini" which will take you to the setup page.

Here you will choose if you want to show items from your shop or favorites, the size of the photos and finally the number of columns and rows. In a couple seconds your Etsy mini will appear, poof! Along with code below it. Use the javascript to insert the Etsy mini into a website or blog, or use the Flash if you'd like to add it to a social networking site like MySpace.

Hope this helps you with creating Etsy minis, so now head out and make some for all your sites, blogs and MySpace pages!

Got any really great places you like to post these? Why don't you share with us in the comments.

love it!

2008-11-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, I love gnomes and mushrooms. Can you blame me?

christmas ornaments at Etsy

2008-11-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

I think ornaments are always a great gift during the holiday season. They are the gift that keeps on giving, since every year, when your friend is decorating their tree, the ornaments bring back the memories of your friendship.

This year Etsy allowed users to vote on their favorite ornament, and they show the top 22.

I have a few in my favorites, including this "All is calm, all is bright" ceramic ornament, by Paloma's Nest, this golden mustard felt stocking by rikrak, and I think this heart garland by Holland Fabric House would be perfect to hang around the tree.

Do you have any favorite ornaments. I'd love to see any you have on etsy, flicker or anywhere online!

product photography using natural lighting

2008-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

A quick search of the web can provide you with many ideas and different way to take good product photography. I've tried a few different methods had the best results using natural light, though not direct sunlight.

The room I do most of my photography, luckily faces east, so I get alot of light in the morning. I open all my blinds, to let as much light in as possible and then place my product in an area close to the sun, usually on a surface knee to hip high. This allows me to easily take photos from above, as well as close ups.

When you are ready to start, be sure to turn your flash off. The combination of this and the natural light, will help the colors in the digital photos of your products to stay truer to their real color, but doesn't give you drastic shadows and bright spots.

If you are finding the photos slightly blurry, be sure to brace yourself against something, stand extra still, or invest in a tripod. Because I do often get a few blurry photos, I try to take 4-5 shots of each angle I want, and then pick and choose from them once they are uploaded to the computer and I can see them in more detail.

Also important is the setting and scenery around your product. Check back soon for more information on that.

Hope this has been helpful so far, please feel free to leave comments letting me know your experiences with product photography and lighting.

Shop Makeover Series at Etsy.com

2008-11-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Over at Etsy.com, they just posted the latest in their Shop Makeover Series: Pimp Your Shop for 2009.
They discuss Social Networking, Social Shopping & Bookmarking, Photo Sharing, Blogging and much more.

So head on over there and check it out!