Pros and Cons of vending on Etsy

[PracticalDancer]

Hello, all!

There may have been a thread about this earlier. A quick search only turned up a thread where the poster went back and replaced all posts with elipses . . .

I am thinking about starting to vend on Etsy.com and wanted to find out the pros and cons from the members here. It seems easy and inexpensive to set up (pros), like you get good visibility (pro), but that as with all vending, one risks a little mocking for bad metadata and design (cons).

Before I jump in, thoughts?

Thanks,

Anala

 

[Bellydance Oz]

What are you thinking of selling?

 

[PracticalDancer]

Costume accessories, mostly. I have been making hair falls, panel skirt and sleeve / wristlet sets, some scarves, and sword bags. These are quick ways to get my creative geek out. But, before I read through the sites 500 line T&C section and go through the hassle, I thought I would see if anyone here had taken the plunge. I know that creators like the Gypsy Kiss have been wildly successful; but, she has to be the exception, I would think.

 

[AndreaSTL]

I had some crocheted hip scarves up at one time, but I never sold one. I sell them just fine at seminars, but nothing on Etsy. I think part of the problem is getting visibility. There are now so many vendors making similar items. Joining in forum discussions will get you more visibility with other sellers, but dance wear isn't as universally appealing as, say, a shirt or a vase or something. Even though more people might see it, they still may not need what you are making.

There are some really successful sellers there, though. I think some have been there since early on and have developed a following with repeat customers. You would probably do better if you add new items frequently to keep the shop fresh, and taking good pictures is a must.

Why not give it a shot? It really is an inexpensive business model, and who knows - maybe you'll be wildly successful and sell out within an hour. Wouldn't that be awesome? Since you don't have to pay a fee just to set up a shop, I say go for it. There's really only one way to find out if it will work...

 

[Ariadne]

I know someone who has an etsy shop. The secret to success there is to have a high visibility on forums and other outlets that contain your specific demographic and to occasionally advertise via e-bay through individual auctions that link back to your personal (not etsy) site. It's all about name recognition and it does require dedicated marketing. At the same time you need to have great customer service and build a good reputation. It's hard work to make an etsy shop profitable.

 

[Amulya]

How does that visibility work? I thought that everything shows up in seaches if it's relevant. When I do an Etsy search it seems that it's the latest listings first.

I did think of selling at Etsy as well but haven't done yet because I gave away too much of my stock. But if listings only get seen if you post on forums etc it sounds like it will be too much work...

When it comes to belly dance stuff, the place is flooded

 

[Ariadne]

That's why a good reputation is so important. It is so easy to get buried in the search engine on etsy that you really need to get yourself out there advertising wherever your market is. Keeping and growing your clientele is based purely on having a good customer relation so they will recommend you to others. Like you said the market is flooded so being someone they want to come back to instead of a "vender concern" makes all the difference. You actually have an advantage in that you are already well known on the forum so getting started may not be as hard.

Having your own independent website also makes all the difference because then you have other marketing options besides just posting new threads, like using e-bay for advertising or including business cards with any order that advertises your website for repeat business.

Yeah it is hard work. Why do people (in general) assume opening a successful online business is easy? It's like any other business, you get out of it what you are willing to put into it.

 

[AndreaSTL]

I just did a search with "belly dance costume" and got 2,743 items. That's a lot to wade through! First people have to find you - what if you're buried on page 62? Then you have to get them to feel OK with sending you money. As Adriadne stated, posting on the forums makes potential buyers feel better about buying from you. If they feel they "know" you and you've been active on the forums, they probably feel like you are less likely to flake on them.

You could definitely be a success on Etsy, but with so many other vendors there it takes way more than just posting your items. I was only slightly active on the forums, and to be frank about it I wasn't willing to put in an hour or more a day reading and posting on the Etsy forums.

 

[Amulya]

The feedback system doesn't work very well, I bought from sellers that don't give rep. I gave them positive rep though. I bought some awesome custom made make-up and a beautiful necklace

 

[SeeJaneDance]

I know this thread is a couple of weeks old, but I've got several friends with varying degrees of successful Etsy shops, and I've witnessed lots and lots of discussion on the topic...

First, the items come up in searches, by default, in the order in which they were listed. The most recently listed items come up first. You pay a small fee (naturally) to re-list an item that's gotten buried in the heap. You can also have your items in treasuries, but I think that's mostly luck and having excellent, color-coordinated photographs.

Second, I think it's beneficial if you post on off-Etsy forums (like this one or others, or even just Facebook) and share the things you've made. I help to moderate a craft forum, and while we don't allow sales posts, you can absolutely post things you've made and just stick your Etsy (or Artfire or your personal website or the names of your cats) in your signature (though that last one won't help you sell stuff--except maybe to cat lovers). I think that's fairly common practice, and if you're actually willing to talk about the things you make and materials and time and what you're working on next and be a real contributing person about it, it's a great way to put yourself out there that's not spamming or shilling, but rather creating a good reputation for yourself. It takes time, but if you're active on forums to begin with, it's just another way to do that.

And third, the key is to be GOOD. Etsy is full of BD stuff, but half of it is second rate or over-priced (for what you're buying). Real dancers, even students, know that quality items cost money, but they also (hopefully) know what quality looks like. And Etsy is not a bountiful horn of plenty when it comes to quality. So you need to make things that people would be willing to spend money on, and then, just as important, take photos of those things that express the quality. Oh, and be accurate and thorough in your description and tags. I hope that helps!

 

[Amulya]

And so many vendors resell things that come from EBay, they just take a different picture of the item. I have seen some Chinese belly dance costumes being sold as home made...