I really enjoy it when someone on Etsy asks for my advice/expertise, critiques, ideas, etc., when it comes to selling goods on the internet. I hope I always give them good advice and help them on their way to having a great little business! So yesterday, I got a message from this lady [who makes darling dolls and doll cloths, by the way], asking for any advice I had in order to help her with her shop...and this is what I said:"Okay, here goes my 2cents…hope it’s worth more than that. First of all, here’s a link to the “Sellers Handbook” on Etsy ~ as you can see, it is chocker block full of any and all information you could possibly need to sell yourself on the internet. And that’s the most important thing to remember, you are selling “yourself” first and foremost…your “stuff” is secondary. Once you have wrapped yourself up in a tidy little package, your “stuff” will basically sell itself. In other words “branding”…find something to make yourself stand out above the rest and stick to it. The Internet is flooded with stuff just like yours, so make yours the best it can possibly be and that’s where shoppers will go. Offering a “free gift” is not going to make people buy your things, I promise. You can certainly include a “freebie” in their package when they purchase something and that will be a nice little surprise, but I wouldn’t advertise it up front. Next, right up there with selling yourself, the most important thing is photographs. If you are serious about selling your wares on cyberspace, you need to invest in a decent camera and learn how to use it. These days, you can buy a great point and shoot with macro capabilities for about $200. Worth itself in gold in the long run. Try a Canon Powershot, they take some awesome photos. Next, take advantage of all 5 slots Etsy gives you to post your photos. Nobody is going to click on a blurry photo. Once you get the hang of taking great pictures, then you need to start working on writing great descriptions. Give color examples, exact size dimensions, exactly what type[s] of materials were used, etc. In other words, make the potential buyer feel like they are “holding” the item, by just seeing it in a picture…like when you read a good book, you can picture the scene just by reading about it…that’s what I mean. Like this for instance ~ what type of material is it? Cotton? Knit? Jersey? What colors are in the Butterfly Applique? Is the applique hand-stitched? What does the mask even look like? I can’t tell from the picture…stuff like that. Maybe try reading doll clothing descriptions from other sellers to get some ideas. And Ron is right, the clothes should be displayed on dolls, even if it’s dolls you aren’t selling. I would invest in a “popular” doll, or dolls and then use them for models. Taking photographs outside, in natural light, is the best way to photograph most items, especially clothing. Take the dolls to a park, put them on swings, have them playing in a flower garden, etc., get creative. Start working on these things and then, when you have everything perfect, start advertising. Right now, I’m afraid you’ll be wasting your money and time advertising. Another great little handbook to have handy is this one ~ it’s so worth the investment. I wish all of this information was available to me when I first started out. It’s much easier for people starting out these days.
So, I hope this helps, somewhat. I’m certainly willing to help out any way I can. Good Luck!!"
Gosh, I hope I gave her some good advice :)
And, since I'm "feeling the love", I'm giving away a pair of these awesome "Irish Coffee" earrings! All you have to do is comment on this post and Ozzy will be picking the winner on Monday! That's it!! Good Luck!!I feel in love with this today:
appropriately named "who loves you" and, if you just feel in love with it, too...it's for sale right here! And, there will only be 1 of these...he's a one of a kind. So cute!!brrrrrr....I'm going downstairs to hang out by the fire a bit ~ it's getting wintery out there!
♥ & peace always ~ Kathy
"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.” -- Nadine Stair
