First Month on Etsy

Like many people, I opened my Etsy shop without many expectations. In 2013 I started creating custom, printed invitations and announcements. That year, in April, I officially opened my Etsy shop and set a goal of making two sales for the month. Much to my surprise, I made my first sale within 24 hours (cha ching!). The sales kept on rolling in and by the end of April I had sold over $1,300 on Etsy. There were a few things that led to my early success.

Etsy Statistics

Do Your Research

This includes knowing your product, knowing your market, and knowing your competition.

By know your product I mean know how to replicate it effectively, customize it for different needs, and ship it quickly. Opening an Etsy shop is a lot of work and a huge learning experience, so make sure you’ve got this part covered prior to selling!

Before you make your first Etsy sale, you should have an idea of who you are selling to. For me, I was selling graduation announcements so my market was college seniors. More specifically, female college seniors who had a lot of school pride. My designs included university colors and monograms, which was very on trend at the time. If you know your market, you will know how to communicate with them in a way that will lead to bigger sales.

I was successful my first month on Etsy because no one else was offering customized graduation announcements with university colors. I had a unique product and little to no competition which allowed me to make more sales. Consider your product and how you can take it a step further to make it different from the competition.

Stand Out Photos

One of the biggest keys to Etsy success is having great photos. When a buyer searches on Etsy, they are shown thousands of options of items to purchase. By having a stand out photo, you increase your chances of them clicking on your shop, thus increasing your chance of making a sale.

Take a lot of photos of your product from different angles, on a solid colored background, with natural light. I use my iPhone for Etsy photos all the time and edit using Pic-Tap-Go. Depending on what your product is, you can buy styled mock up photos to use in your listings. I’ve used mock up photos for my paper products and have also seen them used for things like mugs and t-shirts. Search for mock up photography on Etsy or Creative Market.

 

Have Great Descriptions and Tags

Make sure your Etsy listing descriptions include keywords someone searching for an item similar to yours would use. Think like a buyer! Use the keywords in your title, description, and tags. The stronger these are, the more likely Etsy will show you item in searches, leading to more sales.

Your description should contain general information about the product, it’s uses, sizes and dimensions, the materials used to make it, and anything else you think a buyer might find interesting. Answer frequently asked questions in the description space and use language encouraging the person reading it to press the button and buy!

Under Promise and Over Deliver

This is my number one tip in growing your Etsy shop sales. I highly recommend this strategy, as customers will be singing your praises in reviews and referring them out to their friends. In the product listing, set your shipping time to slightly longer than it actually is or provide a wide range. For example, if you’re able to ship an item in 3 business days, list it at 4-6 business days. Buyers will be pleasantly surprised and so excited to receive their items “early”. This also gives an extra buffer just in case something takes longer than expected on your end.

Are you ready to open an Etsy shop? I want to give you all the tips you need to get started! Download my guide now!