I debated for quite a year or so on whether or not to go ahead and start my shop. That was a mistake. I should have just jumped in and tried it. It doesn't really cost you anything other than time to get it set up.
What really decided me to start it was knowing that my niece Allie was coming to visit the next month. She is one of the few people who I have heard of who has been extremely successful on Etsy. Her site TheApothecaryBee keeps her really busy. I would check out her site if I were you! It is excellent. She told me that she would be happy to mentor me if I would like, so I jumped at the chance to get a real pro to help me. I just put something online a week or so before she got here so she would have something to check out. We spent a couple of hours looking over my shop, looking at hers, and talking about what I really wanted to do. That helped me cut out a couple of months of work.
If you can get a mentor, great. If you can't, look online at Etsy shops that have 1000s of sales and compare them to a similar site that has been there a year or more and has few sales. Notice the differences between the sites and make sure that yours looks more like the big seller. Look at sites that sell similar products to yours also.
I did not want a site like hers, I just wanted to sell a few miniatures that I wanted to make anyway and maybe make enough money to be able to support my hobby. Dollhouse miniatures is a more limited market. You need to focus on your market and be realistic. Just because you like something and do it well does not mean that you will make a fortune. If you want to make a lot of money, you need to make something that everyone uses. Everyone's taste and needs are different. Allie started out when she was getting married and could not find what she wanted so she started making and selling wedding items. She is very talented and very nice so she could beat the competition and really knew the market because she was the target audience. Doesn't everyone know someone who is getting married? Big market.
Dollhouse miniatures are a small market. Most peoples eyes glaze over if I mention something about them, so I can't have the success she had but it will be fun.
The first thing I did was follow the Etsy prompts to set up the shop. Don't skip anything! I found the hard way that can mess things up temporarily until you go back and fix it. At least it is really easy to fix things. It seems like almost everything is editable as many times as needed so don't worry if things go wrong. You CAN fix it.
Once the shop exists, you need to have stock to fill it. Put something in that you want to sell and are good at. The hardest thing is figuring what you want to sell it for. Do your research on Etsy and on Google search engines. You may find that what you would need to charge for an item is more than it will sell for. You don't want to price it too high or too low. Either way will hurt you sales. Don't worry though, put something in, it will take a while to find out what is a good price and you can change it if needed. It sometimes happens though that you need to change the item. Either add to it or subtract something that you wanted to add to it if the customers are buying something slightly different. If you really want to do it your way, compromise and do it both ways. See what sells best.
Your favorite might change when you realize that people want to pay for a item that you are not overly fond of, but not for your current favorite! You are no longer doing it just for you, you are trying to satisfy someone else's desires. At minimum, it will get more exposure to the stuff you really want to make when they come to your shop. I started out wanting to do roomboxes and scenes, but the shipping costs were not practical, and the market was even smaller than miniature plants, so it didn't seem realistic. I have already loved plants, and when I really get going, I may try a few scenes just for fun. Including plants in them now of course!
Once your shop is open, click everything that is clickable on every Etsy page and fill out everything that applies to you. Read all the information prompts. The default settings are really good to begin with, but there are a lot of changes that you can make that will enhance your customer's experience. Look at the shops that you like and see what they have and you don't, but want, and find how to add it.
Remember, everything is for the customer, not you, but your shop does represent you so it needs to fit your personality as well as their interests. Your best customers will be people who you would be friends with if you would meet them in person. Know who you want to sell to and make your site to fit them. Don't narrow it down too much or make it too personal, though. The people who want to buy your products might surprise you!
Photos were hard for me, so that will be included tomorrow along with other stuff. See you then!
What really decided me to start it was knowing that my niece Allie was coming to visit the next month. She is one of the few people who I have heard of who has been extremely successful on Etsy. Her site TheApothecaryBee keeps her really busy. I would check out her site if I were you! It is excellent. She told me that she would be happy to mentor me if I would like, so I jumped at the chance to get a real pro to help me. I just put something online a week or so before she got here so she would have something to check out. We spent a couple of hours looking over my shop, looking at hers, and talking about what I really wanted to do. That helped me cut out a couple of months of work.
If you can get a mentor, great. If you can't, look online at Etsy shops that have 1000s of sales and compare them to a similar site that has been there a year or more and has few sales. Notice the differences between the sites and make sure that yours looks more like the big seller. Look at sites that sell similar products to yours also.
I did not want a site like hers, I just wanted to sell a few miniatures that I wanted to make anyway and maybe make enough money to be able to support my hobby. Dollhouse miniatures is a more limited market. You need to focus on your market and be realistic. Just because you like something and do it well does not mean that you will make a fortune. If you want to make a lot of money, you need to make something that everyone uses. Everyone's taste and needs are different. Allie started out when she was getting married and could not find what she wanted so she started making and selling wedding items. She is very talented and very nice so she could beat the competition and really knew the market because she was the target audience. Doesn't everyone know someone who is getting married? Big market.
Dollhouse miniatures are a small market. Most peoples eyes glaze over if I mention something about them, so I can't have the success she had but it will be fun.
The first thing I did was follow the Etsy prompts to set up the shop. Don't skip anything! I found the hard way that can mess things up temporarily until you go back and fix it. At least it is really easy to fix things. It seems like almost everything is editable as many times as needed so don't worry if things go wrong. You CAN fix it.
Once the shop exists, you need to have stock to fill it. Put something in that you want to sell and are good at. The hardest thing is figuring what you want to sell it for. Do your research on Etsy and on Google search engines. You may find that what you would need to charge for an item is more than it will sell for. You don't want to price it too high or too low. Either way will hurt you sales. Don't worry though, put something in, it will take a while to find out what is a good price and you can change it if needed. It sometimes happens though that you need to change the item. Either add to it or subtract something that you wanted to add to it if the customers are buying something slightly different. If you really want to do it your way, compromise and do it both ways. See what sells best.
Your favorite might change when you realize that people want to pay for a item that you are not overly fond of, but not for your current favorite! You are no longer doing it just for you, you are trying to satisfy someone else's desires. At minimum, it will get more exposure to the stuff you really want to make when they come to your shop. I started out wanting to do roomboxes and scenes, but the shipping costs were not practical, and the market was even smaller than miniature plants, so it didn't seem realistic. I have already loved plants, and when I really get going, I may try a few scenes just for fun. Including plants in them now of course!
Once your shop is open, click everything that is clickable on every Etsy page and fill out everything that applies to you. Read all the information prompts. The default settings are really good to begin with, but there are a lot of changes that you can make that will enhance your customer's experience. Look at the shops that you like and see what they have and you don't, but want, and find how to add it.
Remember, everything is for the customer, not you, but your shop does represent you so it needs to fit your personality as well as their interests. Your best customers will be people who you would be friends with if you would meet them in person. Know who you want to sell to and make your site to fit them. Don't narrow it down too much or make it too personal, though. The people who want to buy your products might surprise you!
Photos were hard for me, so that will be included tomorrow along with other stuff. See you then!
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