A question about my etsy shop...

[MermaidBrandie]

Ok so, I've been trying to really get my Etsy shop going but its been slow. So I have some questions for the community on how to get my shop going. :)

First item up:
Hair clips. I started making the little starfish hair clips so that people could have a starfish that was water safe, durable and hypoallerginic. I've sold a good few, but not nearly as many as I'd hoped. What can I do to make the hair clips more interesting? I'm already one of the few on etsy offering them in multicolor. What else can I do? Are my prices too high?

Tops:
I got randomly commissioned to make a top. I loved it! I them made another, but after that I've had no more interest. How can I fix that? I get that they're high priced, but it really takes a lot of work so I cant reasonably lower my price.

Adult toys:
Okay I get these are a slightly different market but there did seem to be a lot of interest. I thought maybe I'd price my prototype too high, but even after lowering it there still hasn't been a taker. Whats the reason here?

I'm thinking of making a few other things, pedants similar to Pearlie's (I've already talked to her), some scaled bracelets and I've even sculpting a webbed glove idea, but I can't get any further without more interest so this is me trying to figure out how to do that.

Thanks guys.


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[Talia]

OK, here are a few ideas I can think of.

First of all: Your shop. Write some policies: shipping time, custom work, returns... Anything you can think of. Many people take a look at policies before buying, to make sure the seller has all this stuff figured it out, and to know if they can return something if they are not happy or exchange it.
Also, fill up your "Meet the owner" page. Put pictures of you, what drove you into creating, or mermaiding... That way people can get to know you and your work.

Hair clips: Work on your pictures. I love your starfish, but I have one, and I know how it is. The coloring, the texture... Try to capture that on pics with natural light. In my experience, the best natural light is outside, during a cloudy day. That way you have the light but no shadows. Maybe someone with photography experience can help with that, my knowledge on that is limited. Also, get a head mannequin. There are some inexpensive ones at Amazon. And next Halloween buy an inexpensive wig at K-mart or Wallmart to clip your starfish onto it. I have found people don't like when you use yourself or a living person as model, even when what you are modeling is not the article they will get. When I sold mini hats and started using the mannequin, sales got up. People can see how to clip it, the size of the clip related to their head...
In my opinion, $20 is fine for 2 starfish. But I would change the strategy, and offer 1 starfish for $10. People have to read the listing to know they are buying two for $20, and they see $20 and think it is for just 1, and think it is too expensive. You can use the little box to offer more, and if they want 2 or 3 they will click on it and the price will adjust. Also, I would not put in the pictures anything that is not for sale (the pic with the starfish and the flower). Some people DO NOT read the listing, and will buy something thinking they get what it is in the pic.
Also, in this listing:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/227210395/tri-colored-silicone-starfish-hair-clip?ref=related-0
The pic where you are showing the clip, I can see something that I identify as a small yellowish stain. If it is a stain, I would not sell it. People want perfection, even if it is handmade, and some customers are very picky and vocal about it. If you want to sell something that is not perfect, I would offer it with a discount for the little messing up.
BTW, I love that starfish with the plants! I may comission one with other colors...

Tops: we all know they are expensive to make and take a lot of work. I would maybe make several (even if they are for myself) and take pics of them so people have an idea of different styles you can make. And be patient. People wil come.

Adult toys: I don't use them, so I cannot help with that, sorry!

Also: sell yourself. Post pics of facebook, or videos on Youtube, advertise on your blog, if you have one; offer to sign up on a maling list for coupons or offers.

It's not much, but I hope it helps!

[Mer-Crazy]

Maybe have one of those publicity give away/ contest type deals? You know, 'share this image on Facebook and like my page for an entry into my competition to win this thing'

[Winged Mermaid]

The thing I would say is to post better photos. Good photos sell more products! The ones you have up are rather, dark, grainy, and not very well focused. I find taking photos outside in natural light is best. Some of your wares may look better in direct sunlight, some may look better in natural light but not direct light (like in a shaded area or on a cloudy day). Whatever light you shoot in, watch your exposure. Even iphones have exposure settings for taking pictures now. If a pic is under or over exposed it comes off as unprofessional, and obviously you don't see the best of he product.
Watch your backgrounds too. If you shoot out in your yard and there's a bunch of stuff in your yard in the background it's not going to look very appealing. I'd also suggest you try and learn how to work a photo editor, like photoshop or gimp. They even have Photoshop Express for mobile devices now that's way easier than dealing with the whole application. Even cropping a photo well can be the difference between a good pic and a bad one.

Be sure you're utilizing your tags on your listings well too. You won't get too many customers from Etsy searches, but hey every customer counts, and to do that you need to have good tags for them to find you!
Also be sure to add shop and shipping policies. Right now you don't have either, which can make your shop look unprofessional to some.

Also selling on Etsy can be hard. You need to build up your fan base. Is your mermaid persona or your shop on social media? Presence on multiple platforms is really important for selling. Don't rely solely on a FB page, reach on those things is really low. It's great to have but don't settle for just that! If you rely solely on Etsy search, posting on FB, and here on MerNetwork you're going to be disappointed by number of sales. Heck I have a decently large following on all my mersona social media (3k-6k on various platforms) and don't even charge for my time (just based on materials) so my prices are low- I still have a hard time moving products! For example most genuine pearl necklaces go for $60-$400 and I have a hard time moving ones that are $20-$30. It's a tough gig!

Hope those suggestions help :) Good luck!

[Winged Mermaid]

Maybe have one of those publicity give away/ contest type deals? You know, 'share this image on Facebook and like my page for an entry into my competition to win this thing'

Just be sure to follow the rules of give aways on FB or you could land yourself in some hot water. I've heard of FB laying the smackdown on people for not following their rules. They'll even delete your page if they catch you. This little infographic lays it all out http://www.sociallystacked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/original_illegal-facebook.png

[AniaR]

I thought they did away with that rule? I wonder if fb has any updated info on their faq... *goes hunting*

[Mermaid Momo]

You can still do giveaways if you mention that Facebook has nothing to do with it at all and it's only you. They even have a little app that you can use now.

Hair clips: Personally for me I'd say better photographs of the product. There are tons of tutorials for making inexpensive light boxes and photography hacks : Like here (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=diy%20light%20box%20photography&term_meta%5B%5D=diy%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=light%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=box%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=photography%7Cguide%7Cword%7C1&add_refine=photography%7Cguide%7Cword%7C1)
You could even stage the light box by adding more ocean like props into the photo.

Tops: Same goes for tops, photos are everything! I'd say to invest in a body form of some sort or even (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=diy%20body%20form) make (http://mypeaceofjewelry.blogspot.com/2010/01/mannequin-diy.html) your (http://www.ikatbag.com/2011_08_01_archive.html) own. (http://verilymag.com/break-the-rules-not-the-bank-make-your-own-mannequin/) ( Edit: noticed you already have a mannequin. I'd say to photograph the one you have now, try to stick with close shots of the neck down to naval region.)And you can make a photo backdrop easily to stage photos of the top in. here (http://www.downhomeinspiration.com/10-10-minutes-diy-photo-backdrop/) and here (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=diy%20photo%20backdrop) and there are tons of tutorials on pinterest for making other props like barrels from cardboard that you can make your photo interesting. and even cheap lighting tutorials for better photos (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=diy%20photography%20lights). (and always take a picture of commissioned tops before you send them off to put in your portfolio)

Adult toys: photography (https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=how%20to%20photograph%20products) is one, also illustrations of other options and colors that you can choose from. Maybe get someone to review them?

Also for editing photos, if you use a smart phone, there are a lot of cool apps you can use. Here's a photo I took with my iphone and edited with a free app.
http://40.media.tumblr.com/192e215612bfd552df7a00e341527449/tumblr_nnsd4zwOJi1rqeghso1_1280.jpg

and for editing on a computer, do you have any programs?

[MermaidBrandie]

Wow, sat my phone down and got a TON of great replies! Thanks guys!

I do have a head form with a wig that I've retaken the photos with, but ya'll are right. My yard is kinda...well, small with lots of stuff in it. I'll work on finding a backdrop.

I have an old iphone so there's only so much editing I can do but I do have photoshop on my boyfriends' desktop. I'll try and work with that more.

I'll adjust the listings to show the price of one starfish instead of two, or make sure it shows two starfish if two is for sale.

I never considered the shipping policy/store owner background thing. I never pay attention to then when I'm shopping so it never occurred to me that it was important. Shipping info should be relatively easy to input but I have no idea what to write under my profile. I usually keep those brief otherwise I feel cheesy. :/

I'm on facebook too but thats about it. I was never good at twitter and whatnot.

Any thoughts on what people would like to see upcoming?


EDIT:

ok, shop updated. Its raining today so no chance for new pics, but I did switch some out with some that I thought I'd already done. Look better now?


EDIT AGAIN:

I got an instagram. Mermaid_Coyote >.>
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[WaterDragon]

I am not getting many sales on esty ether but I might be able to offer some advice,
Like others have said pictures are possibly the most important thing when it comes to selling online… and the most difficult to get right :fallover:(I am still light years away from the “magazine quality” pictures everyone recommends)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/225321087/multi-color-silicone-seasells in this listing you only use one of the five picture slots allotted to you, this means you are missing out on a chance to convey 4,000 more words (if a picture is worth 1,000 words). I would recommend showing some color variations, what would a red and bright green shell look like? How about black and purple? Orange and silver? I as a customer would be unable to easily visualize “Any two colors of your choosing, with or without glitter” when seeing just one example.

Use the four extra picture slots to show what colors you offer, what “with Glitter” looks like, what size the Shells are, and what the backs look like.

I think your shop has a lot of potential and I hope you get lots of sales soon.

P.S. Stalking ...err following you on Instagram (I'm Hideyholeinn) :rollover:

[MermaidBrandie]

I am not getting many sales on esty ether but I might be able to offer some advice,
Like others have said pictures are possibly the most important thing when it comes to selling online… and the most difficult to get right :fallover:(I am still light years away from the “magazine quality” pictures everyone recommends)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/225321087/multi-color-silicone-seasells in this listing you only use one of the five picture slots allotted to you, this means you are missing out on a chance to convey 4,000 more words (if a picture is worth 1,000 words). I would recommend showing some color variations, what would a red and bright green shell look like? How about black and purple? Orange and silver? I as a customer would be unable to easily visualize “Any two colors of your choosing, with or without glitter” when seeing just one example.

Use the four extra picture slots to show what colors you offer, what “with Glitter” looks like, what size the Shells are, and what the backs look like.

I think your shop has a lot of potential and I hope you get lots of sales soon.

P.S. Stalking ...err following you on Instagram (I'm Hideyholeinn) :rollover:
I had all the slots filled but they showed the shells on bras or with products not being sold in the listing so I took then down, as per other advice. I'll make more and get them up soon!

Yay stalkers!



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[WaterDragon]

I had all the slots filled but they showed the shells on bras or with products not being sold in the listing so I took then down, as per other advice. I'll make more and get them up soon!

Yay stalkers!




I missed that conversation sorry :(
It is so tricky to show what the product can be used for without people thinking they are going to get more then the listing is for.

I look forward to checking out your shops new listings and photos once you get them up :)

[Mermaid Coralia]

I would like to chime in about the photos and the tags. Good, well lit pictures are essential for selling on etsy, since you are trying to sell your product by catching someones eye when they are scrolling through hundreds of pictures of tagged things, leading to the tags, I had to search specifically for "silicone starfish hair clips" before anything would turn up, which I don't think many people will be searching for. I searched "silicone starfish", "starfish hairclip", and "silicone hair clip", and your product never came up. Which could be a contributing factor. Hope that helps :)

[MermaidBrandie]

I have the tags set so that SHOULD come up under any and all of those words separately. http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/08/2c64cfd83f79d23f6279584c76420f4a.jpg

Unless I'm doing this wrong?


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[Mermaid Coralia]

Looks good to me. I'm not familiar with how to tag products on etsy so I'm not sure

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'm just going to chime in and say that I actually think live models are more professional looking than mannequins, but like many others have said, the pictures need to be on point. Try a large blank wall as a back drop, if you have one, with simple but high definition photos. Always be sure the product is the main focus!

[MermaidBrandie]

Kelda, i def love the look of live models but....finding them. Lol i'm going to be looking for a large sheet or simple backdrop to hang behind my stuff. We're moving in a month though so that might be a while as we downsize before the move. :)


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[WaterDragon]

Have you had a chance to red through the Etsy Seller handbook?
here is the section on getting found in search's https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/category/getting-found
it might help answer some of our questions.

[MermaidBrandie]

Awesome, i didnt know about that!


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