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5 Things Best Selling Etsy Shops Have in Common

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5 things the best selling Etsy shops have in common

Have you seen Craftcount? Craftcount is a handy website for the top selling Etsy shops.  Looking at top sellers’ shops is a great way to see what others are doing right.  And, you’ll start to notice things the top shops have in common.

5 things best selling Etsy shops have in common are: 

  • selling supplies
  • clear photos
  • consistent shop appearance
  • multiple photos
  • branding

Okay, that’s great, but what do those things mean for you and your shop? Read on and learn how to incorporate these techniques into your own Etsy shop!

1. Supplies for Sale

Somewhat surprisingly (to me, at least), the top 10 Etsy sellers overall are all selling supplies rather than completed handmade crafts. The top 10 is dominated by beads and jewelry supplies.

(Okay, maybe it’s not that surprising once you consider that Etsy frequently “cannibalizes” its own community. Sellers are often buyers are often sellers!)

Even if you’re selling finished handmade goods, consider adding a few supplies to your shop. You probably have some remnants and leftovers just taking up space. When it comes to Etsy, you really can’t have too much in your shop. Listing supplies will help bring more traffic, drive up your overall sales, and bring more eyeballs to your finished products.

Don’t despair – you’re not doomed to become a bead reseller. While supply shops make up the top 10 overall, the top 10 in the handmade category are crafters selling original creations in the form of witty pin buttons, paper goods, and clothing designs.

2. Clear, Well-Lit Photos

There’s no getting around this requirement: becoming a top seller on Etsy requires clear, well-lit photos.

The easiest recipe for good photos is:

  • Hold your camera steady (or use a tripod)
  • Crop your photos to highlight your product
  • Shoot during daylight hours for best results

Want to learn more? DIYCraftPhotography is built on beginner-friendly photography tutorials!

3. Consistent Shop Appearance

Check out The Black Apple and top handmade seller Bean Forest for two fantastic examples of consistent shop appearances.

the_black_apple_shop_brand

The Black Apple‘s beautiful illustrations share style and color palette.

I’m completely in love with The Black Apple’s shop appearance – the limited color palette (soft blues, greens, pinks, oranges, and browns) and the consistent art style make the storefront look cohesive. Imagine if this shop decided to start selling hot pink knitted sweaters. Those sweaters would look really out of place!

If your Etsy shop is looking a little less than coherent, try these tips (and see the linked examples) in your own shop.

  • Similar backgrounds – See how Etsy shop Bean Forest uses a variety of brown paper as backgrounds? You wouldn’t want the backgrounds to look identical, just related.
  • Same crop distance – Products are all cropped to the same zoom level
  • One concept, numerous executions –  Madison Street Beauty does this very well.  Their concept is “pile of powder makeup”, the execution is a different fireworks-like “burst” of powder for each shot.
  • Limited Color Palette – Three Bird Nest creates a wide variety of clothing items in every color imagineable, but the overall shop look is consistent thanks to the beige/yellow/grey/tan color palette shared by most shots.

4. Multiple Product Shots

Top Etsy sellers take advantage of Etsy’s multiple product shots per listing.  They show the product from multiple angles, up close, and inform the viewer of any available variations.  

Great example: Bean Forest sells cute buttons. The first image is the button itself, the second shows the button’s size, and the third tells visitors that the button could also be made as a magnet.

Remember, shoppers can’t hold or play with what you’re selling. Your images have to demonstrate its size, thickness, material, and quality.

Read More: How To Maximize Your 5 Etsy Listing Photos

5. Strong Brand

Top Etsy shops all have a “brand” to them. This one’s a bit tougher to explain, but if you think of it this way it makes sense: take a photo from one shop and put it in another. Doesn’t it look out of place?

Below, I’ve put four items from Shareliving next to four items from YadanaBeads. Even though both these shops are selling jewelry items, it’s pretty easy to tell the shops apart. Branding comes through in the backgrounds chosen, the posing of the items, and the general “look and feel” of the photos.

shareliving_yadanabeads

Two top-selling Etsy shops. On the left: Shareliving. On the right: YadanaBeads.

Does your shop have a brand?  Even if your items are all different, photographing your products against similar backgrounds and using a limited color palette will unify them visually.

Don’t worry about following trends, just be yourself.  Show us something new, we’ve all seen white backgrounds and vintage revival. Fill your shop with things and designs that please you, and your brand’s “voice” will be that much stronger.  A strong brand voice attracts followers and, eventually, customers.

So go wild!  Your shop is your show.

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