Business 101: Etsy Selling Tips from 32NorthSupplies

32NorthSupplies says:

We hit 5,000 sales a couple days ago and wanted to share a few of the things we've learned along the way. Some things are tried and true, others surprised us and made us wish we'd done them sooner... * LIST OR RENEW THINGS EVERY DAY Not only does it keep your store fresh and full, but listing/renewing a few things every day keeps your listings closer to the top of search results. Being at the top means buyers see your items sooner. *GOOD PHOTOS Most of us have heard it a million times but it couldn't be more true: good, clear photos taken in natural light that are accurate representations of how items look are photos that make sales happen. There are tons of sources and tutorials if you're not sure how to set up your shots that are all worth looking into (search the forums and the storque to start). Taking advantage of being able to add multiple images to listings also helps sell items. Different angles and detail shots add to your listing and help give your customers an idea of what they're really looking at. If you sell multiple colors of the same thing, consider including a color chart as one of your photos to show customers available options. *RESPOND PROMPTLY TO CONVOS Customers appreciate prompt responses. It shows you value them and their time and that you take what you're doing seriously. *SHIP QUICKLY We ship orders out within 2-24 hrs, the only exception being Sundays and holidays. Customers appreciate getting their items fast. It lets them know their business is valued and that getting purchases in their hands is a top priority. Quick shipping tells your customers they can count on you and increases the likelihood of building a repeat clientele. *USE CLEAN PACKING MATERIALS We're all about recycling packaging materials, and encourage it, but we never send out purchases in dingy or inappropriate packaging. For example, we recently received a purchase packed in a used food box. What should have been an exciting moment was instead became "Eew gross!" It's important that when a customer opens their package they're as excited as when they first saw it on Esty. *DON'T GOUGE ON SHIPPING Charging for postage supplies is more than fair, as is accounting for things like standing in line at the post office to mail international orders. But charging an exorbitant amount on shipping turns customers off. From the beginning, we've offered overage refunds for combined shipping on multiple items purchased. Customers appreciate and recognize fairness and will come back to shop again. *INCLUDE MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS IN THE SHIPPING SECTION OF LISTINGS This is something we wish we'd done from the start. We made postage to Canada, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan standard on the majority of our listings and saw sales increase immediately. Not everyone wants to ask then wait for you to add their country -- give them the option to shop with you and check out right away. * MAKE GOOD USE OF THE REARRANGE FEATURE Keep your shop looking fresh and organized by re-ordering your shop. We recently started arranging certain pages of our shop by color and saw sales increase immediately. Rearranging allows you to make customers feel like your shop is always new. *PARTICIPATE IN PROMOTIONS Last month we participated in the Christmas in July Sale and had a great result. We were sure to advertise the terms of our sale in our banner with extra details in our shop announcement to make it clear and obvious to customers. *USE LOGICAL CATEGORIES With over 1,000 items in our shop, organization is a must. Etsy allows 10 categories so make the most of them with concise and descriptive names. When we're shopping we often pass over shops that don't categorize their items. Don't get me wrong, we love a good treasure hunt, but there is a such thing as too buried. *KEEP DESCRIPTIONS CONCISE AND ACCURATE Descriptions that are short and sweet are easy to understand. Be sure to include accurate measurements and, if possible, include an object like a quarter in photos for size comparison. *KEEP YOUR SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT BRIEF AND YOUR SHOP POLICIES SIMPLE AND STRAIGHT FORWARD Etsy is a super visual place so a brief shop announcement means less scrolling to get to items and less text between your customers and their future purchases. Simple shop policies make customers feel comfortable and know what to expect. *THE GOLDEN RULE "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." So simple, so true, something we've all heard before and something to always keep in mind.

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