El at Tantalizing Stitches says:

great ideas. i also suggest that you place the type of item like “pendant” closer to the front of the title because when I look at your pics I can’t tell what it is. I don’t want to be clicking each item until I find the item I want.

I do hove over the title sometimes but the full wording doesn’t always show.

I like the pink and design at the bottom of the front pic but the words are too small to see until you click on it. I see that is where you put “necklace” or “key chain” but I can’t read it…

You mention “nice packaging” but I think you may do better by posting a pic of a sample package.

You can also include a link to facebook and twitter in your profile.

I love the cohesiveness of your shop.

Jennifer Covello says:

Thanks Sarah – these are all great tips and so now I want you to look at my site and do the same thing! I’ve heard about these Etsy shops and wondered if they were worth the time/effort… do they replace your website? I’ve joined many social network ‘shops’ and have to say none of them have paid off. How do you know if it’s worth it?

ps – I too am looking for a wholesaler… what do you have to have in place before you approach them and who is the best person to talk to?

thanks! great post that I’m going to share!

Cynthia says:

Often people prefer to use Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, etc because of the time commitment needed to maintain a shopping cart on a personal website. Are there any pointers available for entrepreneurs looking into setting up shopping carts?

Nancy says:

If you’re going to wholesale you need to carefully analyze your pricing structure to make sure you are still making a profit at 50%ish of your retail price. I’ve found that often artisans will set their retail price at what should be their wholesale price….. good luck, Nan

Once Upon a Sugar Tree says:

Hi Everyone..thanks for all the great advice. I really appreciate all the help and feedback. I love constructive criticism and it’s always great to learn from others!-Julia:)

Christine says:

As a Etsy seller myself I know what sort of competition your having and what you have to overcome to sell. Many people on Etsy don’t sell their products at prices that could support a 50% reduction and still make any profit. So therefore people trying to make a living selling product on Etsy (where they could give it to a brick and mortar store at 50% less) find it hard to compete.

I just make my products as individual and unique as possible and price them to go out to retailers at 50% off even though they may be a bit high to compete on Etsy.

Its important to do marketing on the web outside the Etsy store.
Like subscribing to outside popular blogs that relate to the customers that would buy your items. (ex: Your if your product is baby clothes try a blog reaching out to Mommies) Let them know of your products and maybe they will write a review on something you are selling if you give a small discount to their subscribers.

On Etsy keep adding product and when you can’t add renew so that your products come up high in the searches. Use your allotted amount of “tags” and photos and detail your descriptions.
Good Luck and I wish you much success!