As someone that dabbles in the creative, I've always known of Etsy and I've included lots of creations from sellers in my gift guides before. Although I have sold arts and crafts online myself previously, it's really just been via Facebook (before they made it impossible to reach anyone!), but having recently had a little more time to draw and paint, I decided to set up my own shop on Etsy and jump straight in.
It's still super early days and except for the odd social media post here and there, I haven't really tried to advertise my shop too much as I'm still flitting between ideas and not solely focused on what I want to be selling. I started with a few simple digital downloads of my illustrations which can be accessed instantly by the buyer and printed at home as they please.
Selling downloadable prints has been a great starting point as it means you don't really have to have any stock, or worry about posting and there's very little to pay out to get started. It's free to have a shop on Etsy, but you do pay per listing and they take a small percentage of the sale price. We're talking 20 pence to list and a tiny chunk from your profits. With digital downloads though the great thing is that it's costing you no more to sell 100 as it is to sell one, once it's listed and fees are paid you're good to go.
First Thoughts As An Etsy Seller
Starting on Etsy has been pretty easy so far. Setting up a shop was straight forward, it's as easy to load graphics and logos on as it is on any other social media platform and it gives you really clear advice on what to write in listings and what kind of images to include to help with sales.
I like the Etsy platform and it's really easy to use, swarming with talented artisans and packed with dreamy products and gifts that you just don't find on the high street. For those reasons I'm really happy to be a part of it and I am really enjoying it so far.
For the same reasons comes my only negative. There are SO many artists for example selling prints, that it's a really tough market to stand out in and feel confident in your own work some times. For that reason, it's really important to keep on top of the social media side promoting your shop and spreading the word about your products. Reaching a steady audience that like your style of work means that they may keep coming back, share your work and help you get more sales. It is a little demotivating seeing just how many amazing artists there are and knowing that you may be fifty odd pages into a search, but you can help improve that by using the right keywords, promoting well and keeping your page fresh and exciting. These are all things I am learning but yet to put into practise, hense my measly ten sales!
I know what I need to do to improve my Etsy shop and I'm super excited to work on it in the coming weeks and hopefully bring some new styles and materials to the table.
If you make something special and want to sell your items too, then I think Etsy is a great starting point. It's really easy to use and has a lovely feel to the community from what I've seen so far. You get regular emails with selling tips and it's pretty fool proof to use. My shop can be found by clicking here if you'd like to take a peek.
Have you sold on Etsy before?
