Thinking out loud for people with little sales..my tips..

Note from gabbie this was posted on etsy on August 26 2007 it was written by me :

From what I understand a lot of people have a lot of hope and dreams of making money here on etsy a lot of people are asking ‘why am I not selling” well you have to list the factors that the sales / season is slow. What are you doing in your part ?
Are you sending business cards in swaps are you doing craft shows on the side are you advertising out side of etsy like myspace , indie public, face book, message boards, etc.
How many items are you adding daily or weekly?
So my advice is : if you’re a newbie or have been here a while
Remember this :

1. great pictures are a must.
2. spell check every thing M-WORD or WORD PERFECT are great for this.
3.the forums
4. adding a item every day is a good idea ($.20 does add yup though)
5.get a mentor
6. explore blogs
7. explore new crafts ?
8. if you need banners, etc find some one to help ..
9. get out of your comfort zone .. think out side of the box I( visit local shops that sell local indie designer items)
10.understand what makes the other shops what sell what you make get sales
11. Great customer service is MAJOR thing !

Sales are slow for me ,you know I like that its slow it makes me enjoy the finer things in my life like my cats , my family , and of all things that video game I haven’t played in days .

Any how I have a feeling this been talked before but id rather be nice about it instead of making some one feel bad cause they aren’t trying . Its work I know but every thing is work in our lives , going to school is work, getting up and getting ready to send the kids out the door is , planning a wedding is work, etc. So write down all the things you want from etsy besides sales . you are going to be amazed on how much you can get done when you think ahead and positive . Oh by the way the chat rooms are a great place to get tips from fellow etsy-ians

~Gabbie

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Permalink Reply by Sherryl Day on August 19, 2008 at 10:01pm: These are all very helpful and useful tips. Starting and running a business isn't easy, but it get's easier as it goes. It's a learning process and as you take each step you find out what and what doesn't work for you. Keep positive. Without failures, we can expand or learn, they are opportunities.

I haven't had many sales, in the past year and none this year online. But I keep doing what I do. I'm in the process of relocating, I need more space. In looking for a new place, talking to the owner of the property, I found out that she likes handmade, so guess, there's another Etsy buyer for us. I enjoy telling people about what I do and that leads to telling them about Etsy and all the great things they can there.

Get comfortable, if sales are slow, don't give up, ride it out, keep creating, the holidays are upon us and sales will pick up.

http://wwwnewdaycrochet.blogspot.com - (A Day in Crochet and Business- 'A Day' is me, Sherryl 'Day' and I'm in business regardless of what anyone else thinks. I do crochet, I also knit and sew,) I do it for fun. If you don't blog, try it.

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