five tips to help make your etsy shop even more amazing

just some things that i, as an etsy buyer and chronic window shopper, have noticed really turn me away from buying from an etsy shop and what you, the seller can do about them. with a few variations, this advise could also be useful for people with ebay stores or their own sales websites.
 
1) make items for a variety of sizes. there are many stores i've noticed have a lot of trouble selling their items and eventually have to mark down. not because the items are not beautiful, or because people aren't buying similar items, but because the person making the items makes all of them in the same size... usually this is someone who is used to making clothing for herself and already owns a lot of patterns, etc. in their own size. unfortunately, if you are not the exact same size as the person creating the item, you can't purchase it and if there are not enough people looking for that size, the item will not sell... carrying a wider variety of sizes means a wider group of potential customers.

2) take lots of quality photographs. if you're buying an item online, the only way you know what it looks like, what color it is, etc. is by photos posted by the seller. if you make an awesome item, but all i can see of it is a blurred photo of a blob or the photo is very tinted by light of a color that isn't the color of the item, i will either not purchase the item or will be disappointed by what i get. try to take as good quality photos of your item as you can. if it's an item with a front and back or different things on different sides, multiple photos are helpful... photos of slight wear on vintage items to show how easy it would be to overlook or repair a flaw are also important. and if you take one photo you've lightened to show detail or that doesn't accuarately show the color, one of the best things to do is take another picture and add  something like "the color is closest to the 3rd photo." in your despcription.

3) organize your shop well. one of the most frustrating things i've noticed is when an artist or crafter is very prolific and offers multiple items but does organize their items by category. for example, if i am looking for a pocket watch, but you also sell rings, bracelets, necklaces, cigarette cases, and tshirts, i may have to sift through a lot of items i'm not interested in in order to find your complete stock of pocket watches. luckily, adding categories to your shop is possible, and it makes it much more easy to navigate.

4) list thorough measurments for items meant to be worn. no matter what your thoughts on the matter may be, it's a fact that people come in many different shapes and sizes... even an item that's supposed to be "one size fits all" may be too large or too small for some people. it's not possible to try on clothes before buying them over the web,  so taking accurate measurements and buying items that fit those measurements are the closest most people can get to getting items that fit, especially with ladies' or vintage items where sizes can vary greatly. if i see an item which doesn't list measurements, i generally assume it will not fit me correctly and do not purchase it, and there are probably many people who either do the same thing or have had the frustrating experience of having something they were looking forward to wearing coming in the mail and trying it on only to have it not fit correctly. so take thorough measurements of articles of clothing or jewlery that have a size to them, and list them in your item. if the item fits a range of sizes or has a stretchy quality to it, try your best to list the sizes it will fit comfortably or tell how much it will stretch. this will save you headaches as well, since you won't have to deal with returned items or complaints due to poor fit.
 
5) be realistic about the cost of making an item and what people will pay for it.  of course, it would be wonderful to make your living just through your shop online, selliing something you love to make or buy or find, but just because you need money does not mean it's a good idea to mark up your products excessively. a friend of mine who owned a real life shop selling vintage items recently closed up, and one of the reasons she was forced to do so was that she overestimated the local income and the amount of money people were willing to pay for her items... remember that it is very rare to be the only one selling an item, and if people can get the same sort of thing much cheaper somewhere else, made from the same materials and of the same quality, they will do so. most people, especially at this time, are on a budget for non-essential items, and although they may prefer your work to someone else's, if you price it too highly, people will not buy it. this is not to say that your items might not be expensive. for example, leather is an expensive material, so if you make something out of leather, you need to cover the cost of your materials, and it will be more expensive than another material. but be careful of not charging so much for your item that it becomes ridiculous... if there is a very large price difference between your item of the same type and quality as another item, people will purchase the less expensive item every time. some of the artists i know who love using very luxe materials have gotten around this problem by offering payment plans on items, starting work after the item has been paid for or only sending after that time. this may or may not fit what you're trying to do, but considering it may be a good idea. another solution is making a simpler, less quality group of similar items if you're having trouble finding a buyer for your more expensive ones.

well, those are my ideas, which, regardless of what you're trying to sell, will help you to be a success!~ good luck selling your items!~