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<title>5 of the Best Selling Wood Crafts on Etsy (Plus a Tour of Successful Woodworking Shops!)</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2014 14:30:43 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[best selling etsy crafts]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[best selling etsy shops]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[great etsy shops]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[wood craft ideas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[woodworking]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[woodworking ideas]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1748</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Wooden crafts are so beautiful to me. I love the wood’s inherent character and uniqueness – no two can ever be exactly alike. And I’m not alone! Lots of people these days prefer natural, handmade wooden crafts over mass-produced, environment-harming versions. If you’re good with wood, you might find a big market for your wooden crafts on Etsy. A lot of...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/best-selling-wood-crafts-on-etsy/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Wooden crafts are so beautiful to me. I love the wood’s inherent character and uniqueness – no two can ever be exactly alike. And I’m not alone! Lots of people these days prefer natural, handmade wooden crafts over mass-produced, environment-harming versions.</p>
<p>If you’re good with wood, you might find a big market for your wooden crafts on Etsy. A lot of search traffic to this site includes terms like “best selling wood crafts on Etsy”, which makes me think a good number of people are curious about either buying or selling wood crafts.</p>
<p>This article is a small tour of just some of the thousands of fantastic wooden crafts out there on Etsy and what you can learn from these featured shops.</p>
<p>Get inspired!</p>
<div id="attachment_1749" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/109423550/wooden-dinosaur-toy-set-waldorf-wood?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=wood+dinosaur+toys&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1749" class="wp-image-1749" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/imagination_kids_dinosaur_toys.jpg" alt="imagination_kids_dinosaur_toys" width="520" height="381" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/imagination_kids_dinosaur_toys.jpg 526w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/imagination_kids_dinosaur_toys-300x219.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1749" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/109423550/wooden-dinosaur-toy-set-waldorf-wood?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=wood+dinosaur+toys&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">Smiling dinosaurs</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Imaginationkids?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ImaginationKids</a></p></div>
<p>PS: I’m not a woodworker myself, so if I got something wrong about your craft please leave a comment so I can correct this article.</p>
<p>PPS: I selected these shops myself and I don’t know the owners of any of them. I’m sorry if I overlooked your shop or another great shop. Etsy is huge, and I’m just an Etsy addict who loves to feature shops that catch my eye. (Leaving a mean comment will not get your shop featured.)</p>
<h2>Painted Wooden Signs</h2>
<p>Wooden signs are awesome: you can make them say whatever you want and there’s <em>no</em> shortage of things to say. They can be very inexpensive, too: just grab some wood (reclaimed, recycled, brand new, scraps from a previous project, anything works), think of something to say, and paint it on! Competing successfully with the bigwigs would require finding a unique angle, such as personalization or saying something they’d <em>never</em> print on a sign sold at Target.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/trimblecrafts?ref=l2-shopheader-name">TrimbleCrafts</a> <strong>(17,000+ sales)</strong> has so many funny signs I don’t know where to start! This shop is a great example of how to combine craftsmanship with a well-developed sense of humor. Something I love about this shop is how many of the signs are pretty similar in size and style, leaving buyers more free to focus on choosing a message and colors (and probably allowing for more predictable shipping containers and weights for the seller).</p>
<div id="attachment_1769" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/nice-normal-family-trimble-crafts1.jpg"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1769" class="wp-image-1769" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/nice-normal-family-trimble-crafts1.jpg" alt="nice-normal-family-trimble-crafts" width="520" height="423" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/nice-normal-family-trimble-crafts1.jpg 569w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/nice-normal-family-trimble-crafts1-300x244.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1769" class="wp-caption-text">Many of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/trimblecrafts?ref=l2-shopheader-name">TrimbleCrafts</a>‘s painted signs are clever and funny like <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/84496968/remember-we-are-normal-family-wood-sign?ref=shop_home_active_13">this “Nice, Normal Family” sign</a>.</p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/CrowBarDsigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name">CrowBarDsigns</a><strong> (1600+ sales) </strong>makes made-to-order signs for homes and bars using reclaimed wood and weathered-looking paint. I like this shop because of its casual sense of humor. Whereas a lot of signs are inspirational and uplifting, this shop makes signs I actually laugh at. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f600.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<div id="attachment_1750" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/124696386/wooden-sign-bar-sign-humorous-funny?ref=shop_home_active_7"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1750" class="wp-image-1750" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/paddle_crow_bar_dsigns.jpg" alt="paddle_crow_bar_dsigns" width="520" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/paddle_crow_bar_dsigns.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/paddle_crow_bar_dsigns-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1750" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/124696386/wooden-sign-bar-sign-humorous-funny?ref=shop_home_active_7">Funny sign</a> made from reclaimed wood by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/CrowBarDsigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Crow Bar Dsigns</a> (I see what you did with your name there, <em>Dsigns</em>. Well done.)</p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ASign4Life?ref=shop_sugg">ASign4Life</a> <strong>(1300+ sales)</strong> Of course, if <em>you</em> get into sign-making you can make ’em say whatever you want, be it serious, sentimental, inspirational, hilarious, commemorative, or any of the above. This shop has wonderful photos, which caught my eye, and even though the shop is just over a year old its been selling signs at a rate of about 1 a day!</p>
<div id="attachment_1753" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/170293018/choose-your-letters-large-hand-painted?ref=shop_home_active_19"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1753" class="wp-image-1753" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/family_sign.jpg" alt="family_sign" width="520" height="348" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/family_sign.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/family_sign-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1753" class="wp-caption-text">Awesome idea and beautiful execution: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/170293018/choose-your-letters-large-hand-painted?ref=shop_home_active_19">big wooden Scrabble tiles</a>! Custom tiles made and sold by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/170293018/choose-your-letters-large-hand-painted?ref=related-1">ASign4Life</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/thesummeryumbrella?ref=l2-shopheader-name ">The Summery Umbrella</a><strong> (3,200+ sales)</strong> goes beyond signs (though they do sell signs, too) to also offer cut-outs and other cool shapes to decorate with.</p>
<div id="attachment_1770" style="width: 580px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/summery_umbrella_shark.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1770" class="wp-image-1770 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/summery_umbrella_shark.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="380" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/summery_umbrella_shark.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/summery_umbrella_shark-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1770" class="wp-caption-text">I love this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/158681288/shark-reclaimed-wood-sign-33x12x05?ref=shop_home_active_10">shark</a> cut-out sign by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/thesummeryumbrella?ref=l2-shopheader-name">The Summery Umbrella</a>!</p></div>
<p><strong>How to succeed with wooden sign-making</strong></p>
<p>The most successful sign-makers on Etsy have an <strong>excellent sense of typography (fonts) and composition</strong>. They know how to put words into a rectangle in a way that pleases the eye and puts emphasis in the right places. They’re pretty clever when it comes to choosing what to say. I found plenty of signs decorated with stretched out Comic Sans, and if you have no idea why that’s horrifying, you may have an uphill battle building a successful Etsy business out of sign-making. But if you’re great with text and graphic design (and marketing your shop), there’s always room for fresh talent!</p>
<p><strong>Just beware…</strong></p>
<p>The painted wooden sign category on Etsy is <em>saturated</em>. Thank a low barrier to entry (paint words onto wood, done!) and a pretty much endless variety of things to say. Signs can be heavy and awkward to ship, so costs could end up being a concern, too. Sign-making suffers a little bit from “I could make that myself” syndrome, though the best signs are clearly the result of a talented eye and a steady hand.</p>
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<h2>Laser-Cut Wood Crafts</h2>
<p>Laser-engraved and laser-cut wood is a little off the beaten path as far as handmade crafts go, but the results are professional and stunning to look at. This woodcraft category definitely does not suffer from “I could make that myself” syndrome, and there is some truly unique stuff out there. It’s also a pretty untapped market (and what few artisans there are in this space seem to be doing well with hundreds, if not thousands, of sales) and potentially a lot more lucrative than sign painting.</p>
<p>Here are a few laser-cut wood craft shops to inspire you!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLaserCo?ref=l2-shopheader-name">TheNorthwoodCo</a> <strong>(2000+ sales)</strong> Ornaments, cufflinks, and more – all carefully cut from wood and embellished with a laser. This shop opened in 2014 and, with over 2000 sales since then, is making more than 1 sale a day!</p>
<div id="attachment_1755" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/183328583/rock-n-roll-cufflinks-plectrum-cufflinks?ref=shop_home_active_7"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1755" class="wp-image-1755" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/laser-cut-cufflinks-the-laser-co.jpg" alt="laser-cut-cufflinks-the-laser-co" width="520" height="389" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/laser-cut-cufflinks-the-laser-co.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/laser-cut-cufflinks-the-laser-co-300x224.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1755" class="wp-caption-text">Tiny engraved text laser-cut into <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/183328583/rock-n-roll-cufflinks-plectrum-cufflinks?ref=shop_home_active_7">wooden cufflinks</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/183328583/rock-n-roll-cufflinks-plectrum-cufflinks?ref=listing-shop-header-1">TheLaserCo</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValekRollingPins?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Valek Rolling Pins</a><strong> (18,000+ sales) </strong>is a great example of a laser-cut woodworking shop serving a distinct niche. Serving a niche is a good thing – it means you’re a specialist and an expert in what you do. If you do one thing fabulously well, there’s little need to try to do everything. Through specialization, Valek is <strong>the</strong> shop for customized rolling pins.</p>
<p>Decorate your dough with the original laser-engraved rolling pin! A clever idea well executed. Photographing embossed cookies along with the rolling pins was a smart idea, because I would have totally doubted the magic of engraved rolling pins. (Now I just really, <em>really</em> want one!)</p>
<div id="attachment_1756" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="alekRolli"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1756" class="wp-image-1756" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/personalised_rolling_pin.jpg" alt="personalised_rolling_pin" width="520" height="346" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/personalised_rolling_pin.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/personalised_rolling_pin-300x199.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1756" class="wp-caption-text">Customized laser-cut rolling pin lets you sign your name in the dough! Rolling pin by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValekRollingPins?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ValekRollingPins</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Elementsinspiration">Elements Inspiration</a> <strong>(</strong><strong>16,700 sales)</strong> Laser-cut wood crafts don’t have to be limited to finished, complete products. This shop’s specialty is in making little trinkets and embellishments that other crafters might purchase and attach to their own crafts. The variety in this shop is overwhelming! There’s really something here for everyone. (I wouldn’t be sad at ALL if <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191041145/set-of-4lasercut-wood-dr-who-tardis-15?ref=shop_home_active_6">these little wooden Tardis minis</a> showed up in my mailbox :D) This shop is a great example of serving a need: unique, quality embellishments made of wood for other crafters. The thousands of positive reviews make it clear that this shop is getting it right.</p>
<div id="attachment_1763" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/251393445?"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1763" class="wp-image-1763" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/wood-bees-6-elements.jpg" alt="wood-bees-6-elements" width="520" height="429" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/wood-bees-6-elements.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/wood-bees-6-elements-300x247.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1763" class="wp-caption-text">Little wooden <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/251393445?">laser-cut bees</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Elementsinspiration?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Elements Inspiration</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SarahMimoClocks?ref=l2-shopheader-name">SarahMimoClocks</a> <strong>(500+ sales) </strong><strong>**Undiscovered artisan!** </strong>My first thought at seeing these stunning clocks was <em>“wood can do that?!” </em>SarahMimoClocks takes laser-cutting and clockwork to a whole new level! This shop is another great example of choosing a niche and just completely owning it.</p>
<div id="attachment_1758" style="width: 502px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/106949917/sophia-clock-laser-cut-wood-wall-art?ref=shop_home_active_12"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1758" class="wp-image-1758" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sophia_clock_laser_cut_wood_clock.jpg" alt="sophia_clock_laser_cut_wood_clock" width="492" height="605" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sophia_clock_laser_cut_wood_clock.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sophia_clock_laser_cut_wood_clock-243x300.jpg 243w" sizes="(max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1758" class="wp-caption-text">Imaginative and detailed <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/106949917/sophia-clock-laser-cut-wood-wall-art?ref=shop_home_active_12">Sophia Clock</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SarahMimoClocks?ref=l2-shop-info-name">SarahMimoClocks</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhDs?ref=l2-shopheader-name#">PhDs</a> <strong>(2500+ sales)</strong> makes beautiful laser-cut maps well-suited for historical sites, offices, and other high-end professional uses. Yet another example of choosing a niche and owning it.</p>
<div id="attachment_1757" style="width: 529px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/189621257/lake-norman-north-carolina-wooden-laser?ref=shop_home_active_8"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1757" class="wp-image-1757" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phds_laser_cut_map.jpg" alt="phds_laser_cut_map" width="519" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phds_laser_cut_map.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/phds_laser_cut_map-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1757" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhDs?ref=l2-shopheader-name#">PhDs</a> makes many things, but I think her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhDs?ref=shop_sugg">laser-cut maps</a> are some of her finest work.</p></div>
<p><strong>How to succeed with laser-cut wood crafts</strong></p>
<p>The most successful laser-cutters seem to have chosen a niche to perfect their craft in. Whether it’s maps or clocks or little trinkets, the best selling wood craft shops have mastered their niche. Aspiring laser-cutters will need to master their machinery and software as well as having a good handle on design and composition. Interestingly, this is one of the few woodworking crafts that doesn’t really require a steady hand, since most of the work is done by the laser and you via the computer.</p>
<h3>Just beware…</h3>
<p>The equipment you’ll need to laser-cut wood is pricey and there’s a definite learning curve, but the possibilities are infinite and competition is relatively thin.</p>
<h2>Handcrafted Wooden Toys</h2>
<p>The market for handmade wooden toys exploded over the last few years as parents turned away from cheap crap made in questionable conditions overseas in favor of natural, simple toys from local artisans. Let’s meet some successful wooden toy makers!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Imaginationkids?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ImaginationKids</a> <strong>(12,000+ sales)</strong> caught my eye with their brightly painted toys. A lot of wooden toys on Etsy are sold unadorned or with a clear veneer, so the stuff in this shop really stands out! These toys also look hand-cut, rather than laser-cut like most others.</p>
<div id="attachment_1771" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61641720/sun-stacker-waldorf-wooden-toy-orange?ref=shop_home_active_21"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1771" class="wp-image-1771" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sun-stacker.jpg" alt="sun-stacker" width="520" height="421" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sun-stacker.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sun-stacker-300x242.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1771" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61641720/sun-stacker-waldorf-wooden-toy-orange?ref=shop_home_active_21">Sun stacker toy</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Imaginationkids?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ImaginationKids</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlesaplingtoys">Little Sapling Toys </a><strong>(41,000 sales)</strong> is the reigning champion of sales in the wooden kids toys category on Etsy, and for good reason: their toys are gorgeous! And adorable. And many of them are rather clever, too. They’re just plain and simple toys, and many have the option to be customized with the child’s name.</p>
<div id="attachment_1765" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/63108989/personalized-wooden-toy-camera-modern?ref=shop_home_active_4"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1765" class="wp-image-1765" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera.jpg" alt="little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera" width="520" height="520" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera-150x150.jpg 150w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera-300x300.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/little-sapling-toys-personalized-camera-45x45.jpg 45w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1765" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/63108989/personalized-wooden-toy-camera-modern?ref=shop_home_active_4">Personalized toy camera</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlesaplingtoys?ref=l2-shopheader-name">LittleSaplingToys</a>. Start ’em off young. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f600.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlewoodenwonders?ref=related-shop-2&ga_search_query=wooden+cars&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">Little Wooden Wonders</a> <strong>(8,800+ sales)</strong> makes personalizable wooden children’s toys with a cool twist: many of their toys are interlocking, like puzzle pieces!</p>
<div id="attachment_1766" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/116741998/elephant-puzzle-wood-baby-elephant-eco?ref=shop_home_feat_2"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1766" class="wp-image-1766" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/interlocking_elephant.jpg" alt="interlocking_elephant" width="520" height="346" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/interlocking_elephant.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/interlocking_elephant-300x199.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1766" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/116741998/elephant-puzzle-wood-baby-elephant-eco?ref=shop_home_feat_2">Interlocking elephant puzzle toy</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlewoodenwonders?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Little Wooden Wonders</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HowellsProducts?ref=related-shop-2&ga_search_query=wood+toys&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">HowellsProducts</a> <strong>(8,200+ sales)</strong> picked a niche and owned it: toy building sets!</p>
<div id="attachment_1767" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/natural-building-blocks.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1767" class="wp-image-1767" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/natural-building-blocks.jpg" alt="natural-building-blocks" width="520" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/natural-building-blocks.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/natural-building-blocks-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1767" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HowellsProducts?ref=search_shop_redirect">Howells Products</a> makes <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/150848519/lowest-price-toy-building-blocks-27?ref=shop_home_active_2">simple building block toys</a> for kids at great prices.</p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SmallthingsbyAmanda?ref=related-shop-21&ga_search_query=wooden+dollhouse+furniture&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_view_type=gallery">SmallthingsbyAmanda</a> <strong>(3,100+ sales) </strong>creates adorable tiny dollhouse furniture. Etsy runneth over with building blocks and stacking toys, but dollhouse furniture seems to be mostly a lost art outside of vintage. This shop stands out with its sheer variety of adorable micro-size options. (I also wish I had a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/196019710/dolls-house-pink-armchair-with?ref=shop_home_active_5">pink gingham lounge chair</a> in my own home!) If you’ve got a steady hand and love working “miniature”, then consider making little toys for slightly older kids!</p>
<div id="attachment_1776" style="width: 367px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/249363318?"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1776" class="wp-image-1776" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dollhouse-furniture-smallthingsbyamanda.jpg" alt="dollhouse-furniture-smallthingsbyamanda" width="357" height="268" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dollhouse-furniture-smallthingsbyamanda.jpg 320w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dollhouse-furniture-smallthingsbyamanda-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 357px) 100vw, 357px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1776" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/249363318?">Dollhouse furniture set</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SmallthingsbyAmanda?ref=l2-shopheader-name">SmallthingsbyAmanda</a> – even the shop photos are tiny!</p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArksAndAnimals?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ArksAndAnimals</a> <strong>(10,000+ sales)</strong> found yet another great niche – little animals and play scenes! I’m a big dork for dinosaurs so this warmed my heart. I love this shop’s focused product line and clear name.</p>
<div id="attachment_1780" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dinosaurs-volcano.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1780" class="wp-image-1780" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dinosaurs-volcano.jpg" alt="dinosaurs-volcano" width="520" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dinosaurs-volcano.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/dinosaurs-volcano-300x224.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1780" class="wp-caption-text">The volcano ignites! <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/98021336/dinosaur-animal-set-wooden-block-toys?ref=shop_home_active_1">Dinosaur toys</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArksAndAnimals?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ArksAndAnimals</a></p></div>
<p><strong>How to succeed making wooden toys</strong></p>
<p>The market is wide open, and if you can bring a unique perspective you’ll do even better. Think beyond baby blocks and wheeled cars, and you’ll have an easier time standing out. Most people shopping for wooden toys are looking for something “classic” or “natural”, so be sure to play up those points if they apply to your product. Personalization is also a big win.</p>
<p>You’d be competing with the big dogs (and every Chinese toy factory on the planet), but there’s a hungry market out there eager for quality. Bonus points if you have children (or know someone with children) to test out your toys and pose with them for Etsy shop photos.</p>
<p><strong>Just beware…</strong></p>
<p>Artisans making childrens’ toys their niche have a considerable responsibility to ensure their toys are safe. Make sure everything you sell is rugged and too big to fit into little mouths. Also, the top shops selling wood crafts are all clearly working with laser cutters. If you weren’t digging laser-cut wood crafts, you might find lasers unavoidable in the kids toys realm as well.</p>
<h2>Wooden Home Furniture & Decor</h2>
<p>If you like to dream big with your wooden crafts, you might find enjoyment in furniture making!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SereneVillage?ref=l2-shopheader-name">SereneVillage</a> <strong>(1,100 sales) </strong>sells rustic-looking farm tables, picnic tables, TV stands, and more – all made from reclaimed wood! It’s not furniture, but one of my favorite items in this shop is <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/181851704/custom-professional-food-photography?ref=shop_home_active_20">this decorative food tray</a> for food photography. This shop finds is voice in vintage-looking one-of-a-kind pieces.</p>
<div id="attachment_1773" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/beach-table-serene-village.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1773" class="wp-image-1773" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/beach-table-serene-village.jpg" alt="beach-table-serene-village" width="520" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/beach-table-serene-village.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/beach-table-serene-village-300x224.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1773" class="wp-caption-text">Lovely <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/196536500/end-table-wood-weathered-table-serene?ref=listing-shop-header-1">weathered end-table</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SereneVillage?ref=l2-shopheader-name">SereneVillage</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesignedForUse?ref=related-shop-1&ga_search_query=wooden+bookshelf&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_view_type=gallery">DesignedForUse</a> <strong>(320 sales)</strong> sells stained and painted crates! It might look like you’re getting a completed shelf, but you’re actually just going to recieve all the crates needed to build it yourself. While this probably saves on shipping and is a clever way to offer customization, it wouldn’t hold up in an earthquake prone part of the country! (A few nails of your own might help with that.) Still, I think it’s a neat idea and certainly easier than moving a full-size bookshelf every time you relocate.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/crate-bookshelf.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1777" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/crate-bookshelf.jpg" alt="crate-bookshelf" width="520" height="696" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/crate-bookshelf.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/crate-bookshelf-224x300.jpg 224w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/shabbyshores?ref=l2-shopheader-name">ShabbyShores</a><strong> (780 sales) </strong>capitalizes successfully on the “shabby chic” beach cottage trend. (And if you think 780 sales isn’t impressive, consider the shop is only a year and a half old.) Everything in their Etsy shop has that same “well-loved” look to it. Something I didn’t realize as I initially explored this shop is that most of the furniture is actually small jewelry boxes! These pieces are so detailed, I originally thought they were dressers and nightstands.</p>
<div id="attachment_1775" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1775" class="wp-image-1775" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox.jpg" alt="shabbyshores_jewelrybox" width="520" height="521" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox-150x150.jpg 150w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox-300x300.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/shabbyshores_jewelrybox-45x45.jpg 45w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1775" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214712103/beautiful-jewelry-box-distressed-wood?ref=shop_home_active_2">Beach chic jewelry box</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/shabbyshores?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Shabby Shores</a></p></div>
<p><strong>How to succeed with home furniture on Etsy</strong></p>
<p>Pick an aesthetic and stick with it! The best-selling furniture shops on Etsy do one style and they do it well.</p>
<p><strong>Just beware…</strong></p>
<p>Reclaimed and “shabby cottage chic” is <em>everywhere</em> on Etsy. I’m sure there’s room for yet another mason jar rack, but if that’s not your style, don’t feel pressured to follow the crowd.</p>
<h2>Wooden home decor and accessories</h2>
<p>This last one is just a catch-all for all the cool wooden crafts on Etsy that are useful and/or beautiful but don’t fit into any of the previous categories!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/BatelierHandicraft?ref=search_shop_redirect">BatelierHandicraft</a> <strong>(715 sales)</strong> makes beautiful iPad stands, book holders, and other small wooden things that are useful around the house or office. This shop’s photography is beautiful, which help its simple but efficient products shine.</p>
<div id="attachment_1772" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/180378094/wooden-ipad-stand-square-holder-in?ref=shop_home_active_2"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1772" class="wp-image-1772" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ipad-stand.jpg" alt="ipad-stand" width="520" height="347" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ipad-stand.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ipad-stand-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1772" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/180378094/wooden-ipad-stand-square-holder-in?ref=shop_home_active_2">Wooden iPad stand</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/BatelierHandicraft?ref=l2-shopheader-name">BatelierHandicraft</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/KidBizLetters?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav">KidBizLetters</a> <strong>(880 sales)</strong> sells beautiful monogram-style letters crafted out of 1/2″ Baltic Birch and painted your choice of colors. This shop caught my eye because I think the dying art of cursive and monogramming is super cool, and because these monogram decorations look really well made. I bet this shop does a lot of business around the wedding season! Customers love custom stuff, especially when it comes to keepsakes like this.</p>
<div id="attachment_1778" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kid-biz-letters.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1778" class="wp-image-1778" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kid-biz-letters.jpg" alt="kid-biz-letters" width="520" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kid-biz-letters.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/kid-biz-letters-300x224.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1778" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/174032002/wood-monogram-circle-framed-letters-all?ref=shop_home_feat_4">Wood monogram circle</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/KidBizLetters?ref=l2-shopheader-name">KidBizLetters</a></p></div>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LifeUnscripted?ref=l2-shopheader-name">LifeUnscripted</a><strong> (548 sales)</strong> makes a variety of small wooden decor type stuff for the home, including coat hooks, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/102038280/shabby-pie-sign?ref=shop_home_active_11">word art signs</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/93195733/bookends-for-nursery-bookend-boys-room?ref=shop_home_active_8">small bookshelves</a>, and even <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/94789014/old-fashioned-kitchen-stool?ref=shop_home_active_13">kitchen stools</a>!</p>
<div id="attachment_1779" style="width: 530px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/110936757/boys-room-decor?ref=shop_home_active_14"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1779" class="wp-image-1779" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/coat-hanger.jpg" alt="coat-hanger" width="520" height="316" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/coat-hanger.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/coat-hanger-300x182.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1779" class="wp-caption-text">A <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/110936757/boys-room-decor?ref=shop_home_active_14">whale that doubles as a coat-hanger</a>. Or is it a coat-hanger doubling as a whale? Either way, it’s awesome. By <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LifeUnscripted">LifeUnscripted</a>.</p></div>
<p><strong>How to succeed with wooden home decor and accessories</strong></p>
<p>Offer customization, a variety of finishes, and a top-notch product. There is a lot of competition in this category from retail stores, but you can stand out if you’re offering something extra, like a choice of finishes, a quirky feature (like a built-in chalk-board!), or an engraved name. This stuff is essentially small home decor, so you’ll want to think like a home furnishings store and offer a variety of finishes to match different tastes and styles in home furnishings.</p>
<p><strong>Just beware…</strong></p>
<p>Nothing really to be aware of here, just make sure you’re making quality stuff and marketing the heck out of your shop. Find a unique angle wherever you can, like this artisan who makes a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/188484621/ipad-stand-ipad-holder-tablet-stand?ref=sr_gallery_3&ga_search_query=wooden+ipad+stand&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">kitchen-themed iPad stand</a> (which would look nice in a kitchen) or this one who makes an iPad stand in the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/155865695/ipad-stand-rustic-wood-ipad-stand-for?ref=sr_gallery_22&ga_search_query=wooden+ipad+stand&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">shape of a cutting board</a>.</p>
<h1>That’s it!</h1>
<p>I hope you had as much fun looking at these handmade wooden crafts as I did finding, analyzing, and sharing them here. If you have a woodworking shop or know of a great one, please share it in the comments and tell us if you’ve applied any of the lessons from this article to your own shop!</p>
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</item>
<item>
<title>5 *More* Lessons from the Top 5 Etsy Shops</title>
<link>/5-lessons-top-5-etsy-shops/</link>
<comments>/5-lessons-top-5-etsy-shops/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2014 03:09:29 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy lessons]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy tips]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[selling on etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[selling tips]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[top selling etsy stores]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1734</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Every so often, I take a peek at CraftCount.com, visit the top selling shops, and try to divine their secrets. As of this writing, the top 5 selling Etsy shops (overall) are: BohemianFindings (390,693 sales) clbeads (339,638 sales) yummytreasures (300,318 sales) shareliving (284,037 sales) yadanabeads (276,560 sales) So what’s new with these shops? All five of them were in...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/5-lessons-top-5-etsy-shops/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1742 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/5_more_lessons_from_best_etsy_shops_banner1.jpg" alt="5 more lessons from top etsy shops: tips for your online craft business" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/5_more_lessons_from_best_etsy_shops_banner1.jpg 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/5_more_lessons_from_best_etsy_shops_banner1-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></p>
<p>Every so often, I take a peek at <a href="http://www.craftcount.com/">CraftCount.com</a>, visit the top selling shops, and try to divine their secrets. As of this writing, the top 5 selling Etsy shops (overall) are:</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/BohemianFindings">BohemianFindings</a> (390,693 sales)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/clbeads"> clbeads</a> (339,638 sales)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/yummytreasures">yummytreasures</a> (300,318 sales)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/shareliving">shareliving</a> (284,037 sales)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/yadanabeads">yadanabeads</a> (276,560 sales)</li>
</ol>
<p>So what’s new with these shops? All five of them were in the top 5 last time I looked, but, thankfully, there’s always more to learn about selling stuff on Etsy. (And no, I’m not going to waste time on tips like “sell beads” or “open your shop eight years ago” <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f609.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p>
<p>Here we go!</p>
<h2>1. Sweeten the Deal: Discounts and Coupon Codes</h2>
<p>Check out the banner and header text of the top 5 shops: all five are offering some sort of discount and/or promo code to enter at checkout. When some of the first text a shop visitor sees is “COUPON”, “DISCOUNT”, or “SALE”, I’d bet there’s a pretty good chance this helps massage sales in the right direction.</p>
<p><strong>Exhibit A:</strong> ShareLiving’s epic 20% sale banner. I don’t know if they’ll make good on the “today only” promise, but this is pretty hard to miss.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/share_living_20_percent_off_banner.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1738" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/share_living_20_percent_off_banner.jpg" alt="share_living_20_percent_off_banner" width="652" height="184" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/share_living_20_percent_off_banner.jpg 786w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/share_living_20_percent_off_banner-300x84.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /></a></p>
<p>You don’t have to get quite that over the top to get the point across, though. Check out YadanaBeads’s neat and tidy list of coupon codes:</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yadana_beads_discount.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1736" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yadana_beads_discount.jpg" alt="yadana_beads_discount" width="639" height="200" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yadana_beads_discount.jpg 780w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yadana_beads_discount-300x93.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px" /></a></p>
<p>YummyTreasures goes a slightly different route. They don’t feature a coupon code in their shop message, but they do use the space to talk about their flat rate shipping and mail upgrades.</p>
<div id="attachment_1735" style="width: 619px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yummy_treasures_flat_shipping_rates.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1735" class="wp-image-1735" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yummy_treasures_flat_shipping_rates.jpg" alt="yummy_treasures_flat_shipping_rates" width="609" height="189" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yummy_treasures_flat_shipping_rates.jpg 783w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/yummy_treasures_flat_shipping_rates-300x93.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 609px) 100vw, 609px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1735" class="wp-caption-text">Flat rate shipping? Oooh!</p></div>
<p><strong>Lesson:</strong> Use the shop intro to welcome buyers and then immediately sweeten the deal with some coupon codes or discounts. Offer promotional codes and free or flat-rate shipping. I used to fill this section of my own shop with cutesy on-brand text, but after changing it to say *FREE SHIPPING* I got two sales in a weekend. Probably not a coincidence…? (After all, the “free shipping” business model has done wonders for Amazon!)</p>
<h2>2. Organize that shop!</h2>
<p>All five of these top selling Etsy shops have organized their shop into nearly a dozen clearly labeled sections. Even better, in some of the top 5 shops there is a section for Clearance or BIG SALE. Some customers just *love* a deal! (Says the lifelong clearance rack surfer!) For a real life example, check out YadanaBeads’s section called <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/yadanabeads?section_id=12584140&ref=shopsection_leftnav_10">2 dollars or Less</a>.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1737" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/shop_sections_shareliving.jpg" alt="shop_sections_shareliving" width="216" height="426" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/shop_sections_shareliving.jpg 216w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/shop_sections_shareliving-152x300.jpg 152w" sizes="(max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px" /></p>
<p>Sections vary by shop, but there are a few constants across all five:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>10 or more sections</strong></li>
<li><strong>Lots and lots of items per section</strong> (okay, 1000+ might be more than you really need…)</li>
<li><strong>SALE section</strong></li>
</ol>
<p><strong> Lesson:</strong> Organize your shop into sections! Choose clear category names and don’t be afraid to use CAPS for important categories like NEW ITEMS or SALE.</p>
<h2>3. Have a lot of variety on offer</h2>
<p>Let’s say you sell socks. You sell men’s socks, size 10-12, in black.</p>
<p>You might eventually come to dominate the men’s socks market, but if you’re just getting started as a sock artist you would probably be more discoverable if you also sold women’s socks, children’s socks, socks in all the colors of the rainbow, or socks for people with big wide feet (tell me if you do!), or socks with funny pictures on them, or white socks for running, or clever socks that make it look like fish are eating your feet, or whatever you can think of!</p>
<p>And then once you found out that colorful children’s socks are actually your best selling products, you could focus your business on that specialty.</p>
<p>(I can’t talk about fun socks without plugging <a href="http://www.sockittome.com/">Sock it to Me</a>, a small craft biz in Portland, Oregon to which I owe about 50% of my sock drawer’s contents!)</p>
<div id="attachment_1739" style="width: 523px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pink_argyle_socks.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1739" class="wp-image-1739" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pink_argyle_socks.jpg" alt="pink_argyle_socks" width="513" height="342" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pink_argyle_socks.jpg 750w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/12/pink_argyle_socks-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 513px) 100vw, 513px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1739" class="wp-caption-text">Besides, the world has enough basic socks.</p></div>
<p>These top 5 Etsy shops might all look like bead shops at a glance, but none of them specialize in any one type of beads. Heck, most don’t even limit themselves to beads: they also sell chains, spacers, charms, hoops, buttons, findings, cabochons (what the heck is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabochon">cabochon</a> anyway?) and more!</p>
<p><strong>Lesson:</strong> Don’t sell just one thing. I made this mistake in my own shop when I started out, and it wasn’t until I explored a few more designs that I found a design that makes up most of my shop’s business.</p>
<h2>4. Sell useful stuff</h2>
<p>It’s probably not a surprise that the top selling Etsy shops are all hawking supplies and other usable materials. After all, Etsy is a crafting community catering to crafters and stuff that helps crafters, well, <em>craft</em>, is probably going to sell pretty well.</p>
<p>However, I think the world needs artists, not just suppliers to artisans. The takeaway here shouldn’t be to become an Internet version of Michael’s or JoAnn’s, it should be to sell something that satisfies a need someone has. What need are these shops filling? Probably the need for a specific kind of bead, the need to avoid driving to a bead shop, the need to order a specific type or quantity, and so on.</p>
<p><strong>Lesson:</strong> Fill a need, even if you’re selling a finished product. My best-selling product is a plush betta fish that the buyer can customize to their liking. Most of my orders come from people who have just lost a beloved pet betta and want to commemorate the fish’s life with a lookalike.</p>
<p>If you’re selling clothing and accessories, try to fill a niche that your local department store isn’t filling. If you’re selling toys, sell toys that are customized or made with responsibly sourced materials or whatever applies to your product.</p>
<h2>5. Get those 5-star reviews</h2>
<p>Every shop in the top 5 has a 5-star average. A 5-star average helps encourage new buyers to make a purchase, and they also represent a transaction that is likely to result in repeated transactions in the future.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/5-stars.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1745" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/5-stars.jpg" alt="5-stars" width="145" height="29" /></a></p>
<p>Alas, you can’t exactly get 5-star reviews until you’re getting sales, but this does highlight the importance of earning those 5-star reviews and encouraging buyers to leave 5-star feedback when your shop is starting out. Do whatever you can (within reason) to earn positive reviews. The most important things are shipping quickly, delivering faster than promised, responding to buyer inquiries, and using a sturdy mailer.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the sales to reviews ratio (sales : reviews) doesn’t vary much by shop.</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/BohemianFindings">BohemianFindings</a> (390,693 sales / 90,985 reviews) <strong>4.29 : 1</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/clbeads">clbeads</a> (339,638 sales / 140,058 reviews) <strong>2.42 : 1</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/yummytreasures">yummytreasures</a> (300,318 sales / 139,962 reviews)<strong> 2.15 : 1</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/shareliving">shareliving</a> (284,037 sales / 112,715 reviews) <strong>2.51 : 1</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/yadanabeads">yadanabeads</a> (276,560 sales) <strong>1.84 : 1</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>The outliers here are BohemianFindings, which has to make 4.29 sales on average to win a customer review, and YadanaBeads, which must have a pretty loyal following leaving feedback for every 1.84 sales. The other three shops make about 2 and a half transactions per feedback left. Getting buyers to leave feedback is a topic for another post, but it’s essential that those who do leave feedback leave <em>very</em> <em>positive</em> feedback.</p>
<p><strong>Lesson:</strong> Expect to make at least 3 sales for every one customer review/rating. Make sure it’s a good one by shipping quickly, offer freebies (like free shipping and combined shipping), and encouraging buyers to leave 5-star feedback with a pack-in or other reminder system.</p>
<h2>That’s all, folks!</h2>
<p>There you have it – 5 more lessons from the top 5 selling Etsy shops! If you liked this article, check out my previous articles dissecting top Etsy shops and general Etsy know-how:</p>
<ul>
<li> <a href="/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/">10 Top Selling Handmade Etsy Shops (and what you can learn from them</a></li>
<li> <a href="/5-things-best-selling-etsy-shops-have-in-common/">5 Things the Best-Selling Etsy Shops Have in Common</a></li>
<li><a href="/maximize-your-5-etsy-listing-photos/">How to Maximize Your 5 Etsy Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="/10-questions-your-etsy-photos-and-descriptions-must-answer/">10 Questions your Etsy Photos Must Answer</a></li>
</ul>
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<item>
<title>Etsy Listings: The Magic Number for More Traffic – Etsy Case Study: Part 4</title>
<link>/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/</link>
<comments>/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2014 08:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Listings]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Traffic]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1304</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to part 4 of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here. Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: How to use Etsy Tags Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings (You are here!)...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1557 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png" alt="What's the magic number? Here's how to get more Etsy traffic by (smartly!) adding more listings to you shop. " width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings-300x148.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p>
<p>Welcome to <strong>part 4</strong> of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here.</p>
<p><strong>Etsy Case Study</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: #4e7684;" href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: #4e7684;" href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">How to use Etsy Tags</a><em> </em></li>
<li><strong>Part 4:</strong> Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings <em> (You are here!)</em></li>
<li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy <em> (Coming soon)</em></li>
</ul>
<p>The basics are covered: the shop has a name, good titles, and some smart tags, but it hasn’t gotten over that “hump” that a lot of Etsy stores struggle with: getting past a handful of sales. Sales come from traffic, of course, and the topic of how to get more Etsy traffic is complicated. This week, we’re going to look at the traffic effects of adding more listings to the shop.</p>
<h1>More Listings = More Traffic, More Sales, More Everything</h1>
<p>Let’s say you have one small, red ceramic bowl in your shop.</p>
<p>You’ll probably snag a few customers looking for handmade ceramic bowls, but you’ll miss out on all the customers looking for large bowls, black bowls, painted bowls, white bowls, fish-shaped bowls, and so on.</p>
<p><strong>More things in your shop = more chances of something from your shop showing up in search.</strong></p>
<h2>Do you really need 100 listings?</h2>
<p>Helpful members on the Etsy forums often suggest 100 items as a baseline, but I think that’s overkill for a lot of shops. If you’ve got a unique, specific product that doesn’t have a lot of competition (in my shop’s case, that’d be my plush bettas) you can get found for that one thing just fine. In more saturated markets, like jewelry, it seems like you really can’t have too many listings.</p>
<p>You should, however, aim to fill up your front page. That means <strong>posting a minimum of 20 items</strong>. If there’s a magic number to Etsy listings, it’s at least 20.</p>
<p>(But don’t feel like you need to stop at 20 – aiming for 50, 75, 100, can only help).</p>
<p>Having lots of stuff on offer makes your shop look like a well-maintained, happening place, and customers like that. No one wants to send $20, $50, $100+ into a sketchy-looking place.</p>
<h2>What won’t work</h2>
<p><strong>Don’t make the listings identical</strong>. You’re going to have to vary the tags, titles, descriptions, and photos of every listing you post. It won’t do you much good to have two small red ceramic bowls, but having a blue large ceramic bowl and a small red ceramic bowl = twice the chances to capture the bowl buyers.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t worry too much about timing, just get ’em up</strong>. I added my 20 new listings over the course of three days and I saw no difference in the time of day posted. If there’s some magical time to post a new thing, I didn’t find it.</p>
<h1><strong>Etsy Shop Before</strong></h1>
<p>Before its makeover, the case study Etsy shop looked like this. (I think a tumbleweed just bounced through.)</p>
<blockquote><p>“But I offer 400 fabric choices! If only people would find me…”</p></blockquote>
<div id="attachment_1312" style="width: 668px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1312" class=" wp-image-1312 " src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg" alt="weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover" width="658" height="559" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg 1028w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover-300x255.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover-1024x870.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1312" class="wp-caption-text">(Those little round guys are known as grubs, and the bettas are, well, bettas. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p></div>
<h2>My Etsy Shop Mistakes</h2>
<p>The shop was sparse for a few reasons, which I now realize were <em>big</em> <em>mistakes</em> in my original shop strategy:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>I thought customers would want to customize the product</strong>, so I showed it once and told them how to choose a custom fabric</li>
<li><strong>I only sell two plush designs</strong>, wouldn’t it be weird to list a ton of the “same” thing?</li>
<li><strong>I was cheap</strong> and didn’t want to spend $4 when I could spend 20 cents!</li>
</ol>
<p>My hundreds of fabric choices are packed with keywords: flowers, pirates, skulls, rainbows, hearts, you name it, <strong>but my items are generic</strong>. I wasn’t capturing <strong>any</strong> of those searches! People looking for a “pirate plush” wouldn’t land on my customizable grub and think “oh, I want this with pirate fabric”.</p>
<p>These were big Etsy mistakes that I didn’t realize I was making until I started <a href="/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/">dissecting successful shops</a>.<strong> Successful Etsy shops list a TON of similar-looking things!</strong></p>
<p><strong>Are you selling a customizable product?</strong> You should list those variations <em>separately.</em></p>
<p>If your thing can be made with “rubies” or “diamonds”, make two listings. You’ll catch searchers looking for “rubies” with the first listing, and searchers looking for “diamonds” with the second.</p>
<p>It’s okay to mention that the item can be customized, but listing them separately will bring way more traffic for a much bigger variety of key words.</p>
<h1>Adding More Stuff to the Etsy Case Study Shop</h1>
<p>Before I could add 20 items to this shop, though, I had to do a few things:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Have 20 variations of a product on hand</strong> (fortunately, I already had plenty)</li>
<li><strong>Photograph those 20 variations from 5+ angles each</strong> (this took about 3 hours – <a href="/simple-white-background-product-photography-setup/">here’s the $5 setup I used</a>)</li>
<li><strong>Write listings for each of the new products </strong>(I copy/paste a template listing but I still write a unique opening blurb for each individual product)</li>
<li><strong>Post each product to Etsy </strong></li>
</ol>
<p>This took me several hours start to finish – it ate up the majority of a Saturday.</p>
<h1><strong>Etsy Shop After Adding More Listings</strong></h1>
<p>Here’s the shop after the 20 items were added. The product hasn’t changed – but there are so many more keywords in this shop now.</p>
<p>Now I’m going to get traffic for words like “pirate plush”, “strawberry plush”, “graffiti fabric”, and “pastel bubbles”.</p>
<div id="attachment_1315" style="width: 668px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1315" class="wp-image-1315" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg" alt="How to get more Etsy traffic: fill that shop up! Here's our Etsy case study shop after its listings makeover." width="658" height="751" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg 1028w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1-262x300.jpg 262w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1-896x1024.jpg 896w" sizes="(max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1315" class="wp-caption-text">Much better!</p></div>
<p>Isn’t it pretty? This shop looks much more alive now, and customers can see all the lovely varieties of plush bugs available.</p>
<h1><strong>Showing up in Etsy Search: Quantity and Variety</strong></h1>
<p>So, did it work? Is there more search traffic now? Let’s take a look.</p>
<p>Here’s the shop’s search data from February 2014.</p>
<div id="attachment_1306" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1306" class="size-full wp-image-1306" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png" alt="etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before" width="780" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png 780w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before-300x150.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1306" class="wp-caption-text">Etsy lets you look back at earlier data, so it’s easy to compare “before” and “after” and see if major changes are having the effect you hoped they would. Here, we see that almost all the keywords being used to find my shop are related to bettas, even though I offer more than just plush fish.</p></div>
<p>In February, 21 people came to my shop by searching for these key words. Most of my traffic comes from key words about bettas and fish. That’s good – since I do actually sell plush bettas.</p>
<p>But it’s not helping people find my grubs. Grubs are kind of weird. Most people don’t search for “plush grub”. However, people who see grubs in real life usually love them and I’ve sold them for years to friends and co-workers. Getting them to show up in search is trickier.</p>
<h2>Are your products weird or hard to describe?</h2>
<p>Try to find other ways to bring customers to your product by using more common phrases.</p>
<p>No one searches for “grub”, but they might search for “plush bee”.</p>
<p>By listing a big variety of grubs, I can now use words like “yellow” and “snowboard” – these words are relevant to my product, and to searchers. Imagine someone searching for a cute gift for a snowboard-loving girlfriend. A snowboarding-themed grub could be perfect! That’s the kind of buyer I need to reach.</p>
<p>For tips on writing listing names, see <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Part 2 of our Etsy Case Study</a>.</p>
<h1>Results: How’d It Do?</h1>
<p>Here’s my favorite part of the Etsy case study: <strong>finding out what works!</strong></p>
<p>Here’s a snapshot of the shop’s stats 3 weeks after adding the 20 new listings.</p>
<div id="attachment_1307" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1307" class="wp-image-1307 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png" alt="etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after" width="780" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png 780w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1-300x150.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1307" class="wp-caption-text">Big difference: 2 pages of keywords, and much more variety within those keywords!</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>Big improvement. Now I have a full 2 pages of search terms, and much more variety in those terms (ie: it’s not all plush fish anymore).</p>
<p>I waited another 2 weeks and checked my Etsy stats again:</p>
<div id="attachment_1549" style="width: 784px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1549" class="wp-image-1549 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg" alt="How to get more Etsy traffic: vary your titles and tags so you capture a wider variety of searches." width="774" height="371" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg 774w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic-300x143.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1549" class="wp-caption-text">5 pages of search terms?! I’ll take ’em!</p></div>
<p>It should be pretty plain by now: more listings = more ways for shoppers to find you.</p>
<h2>Effect on Sales</h2>
<p>Alas, I didn’t make any sales in this time. More traffic is always welcome, but it’s definitely frustrating to be a new seller not selling any products. I’ll explore more ways to promote the shop and how to experiment with pricing to make sales in future posts (and I’ll share an update when sales do start picking up).</p>
<h2>Tags are Important</h2>
<p>You might notice that “kawaii plush” is my second most traffic-pulling keyword. I only thought of this tag recently – just two weeks ago – and it’s already my #2 keyword. Tagging matters so much. <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Check out the tagging portion of this Etsy case study for more help with tags</a>.</p>
<h1>Increase in Etsy Feed Activity</h1>
<p>Another interesting thing that happened: people started adding my items to their favorites! It was slow at first: a couple favorites right after posting new listings, but then it started to snowball. By the end of this 5-week traffic experiment (as this post goes live), I’m now getting one or two new favorites <strong>a day</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1313" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png" alt="etsy_shop_case_study_feed" width="702" height="828" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png 702w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed-254x300.png 254w" sizes="(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Next Up: Shop Promotion</h1>
<p>Obviously, this shop is still in its infancy (but that’s why the case study is so exciting! You guys get to learn this stuff along with me :). But it’s getting real search traffic, favorites, and interest from real people on Etsy.</p>
<p>In the next part of this case study, I’ll explore a few of the most common ways to promote your Etsy shop <strong>outside of Etsy</strong> and I’ll share the results right here. Stay tuned.</p>
<p><em>PS: I realize that talking about the shop here on DIYCraft may be drawing traffic, too. That’s why the tagging and listing experiments were done before these posts went live. If you like my plushies or just want to see how I’ve set up my shop, please feel free to visit all you like. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> </em></p>
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<item>
<title>How to Use Etsy Tags: 13 chances to woo a buyer โ Etsy Case Study: Part 3</title>
<link>/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/</link>
<comments>/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2014 09:10:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy tags]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[how to use etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[tutorial]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1504</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to Part 3 of our Etsy case study, where we build an Etsy shop and share all the details right here! DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: How to use Etsy Tags (You are here!) Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings Part...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1520 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags to attract targeted buyers to your shop - Etsy Case Study Part 3" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p>
<p>Welcome to Part 3 of our Etsy case study, where we build an Etsy shop and share all the details right here!</p>
<p><strong>DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 3:</strong> How to use Etsy Tags<em> (You are here!)</em></li>
<li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy <em> (Coming soon)</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Last week we showed you <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">how to write effective, search friendly Etsy listing titles</a>. This week, we’re going to <strong>decode the secrets of Etsy tags</strong>.</p>
<p>Knowing how to use Etsy tags is an easy and effective way to bring more visitors and buyers to your Etsy shop, so we’re going to dissect tags and write some of our own.</p>
<h1>What are Etsy tags?</h1>
<p>Tags are words you write and attach to each of your Etsy listings. You get 13 Etsy tags total.</p>
<h1>How can Etsy tags help me get more sales?</h1>
<p><strong>Tags determine which search results YOUR STUFF appears in.</strong></p>
<p>If you only gave your items a couple generic tags, you probably aren’t showing up in a lot of searches. If you’re wondering why you aren’t getting much traffic from Etsy’s on-site search engine, poor tagging might be to blame.</p>
<p>When I was first setting up my shop, I just slapped in a couple one-word tags in my mad scramble to get the listing live so the sales could start rolling in. (Spoiler: the sales didn’t roll in.) Once I revamped my tags, I went from getting maybe one or two favorites a week to getting a few <strong>a day</strong>.</p>
<h2>The Magic of “Targeted Traffic”</h2>
<p>Which is better?</p>
<p><strong>A)</strong> 1,000 visitors but no one’s interested in what you’re selling</p>
<p><strong>B)</strong> 2 visitors and they both want what you’re selling</p>
<p>Of course it’s <strong>B</strong>! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>Visitors who want what you are selling are “targeted” shoppers, and well-written Etsy tags bring them to your shop. The next section will teach you how to write Etsy tags that bring in targeted traffic.</p>
<h1>How should I write my Etsy tags?</h1>
<h2>Rule 1: Be Specific</h2>
<p>The more specific your tags are, the more likely your visitors are ready to make a purchase. Someone searching for “earrings” could have anything in mind; someone searching for “silver hoop earring” is much closer to making a purchase (as soon as they find the right item).</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">The more words a searcher is using, the better they understand what they are looking for. </span></p>
<p>Consider the differences:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>rolling pin</strong> vs. <strong>embossed rolling pin</strong></li>
<li><strong>hat</strong> vs. <strong>Firefly Jayne hat</strong></li>
<li><strong>embroidery font</strong> vs. <strong>cute embroidery font</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The person who searched for “Firefly Jayne hat” practically has his/her wallet out!</p>
<p>YOUR tags should be like the latter. Use multiple words.</p>
<p>Vague terms are for shoppers who don’t know what they want yet. These people are just browsing. That’s fine, but you want the ones who are ready to buy.</p>
<h2>Rule 2: Use 2-3 word tags (long tail keywords)</h2>
<p>Remember also that you are just one seller in a sea of millions. If you tag your item “earrings”, well, I’ve got sad news for you – so did a million other people! You’ll never land on the first page for a search query like “earrings”.</p>
<p>No, you’re much better off tagging it as a “silver hoop earring”. There’s a good chance you can make it to page 1 for such a specific phrase – and you can dominate it, showing up for every single person who types that search string. (In SEO, this is often referred to as using <em>long-tail keywords</em>.)</p>
<p>Another example: everyone’s selling “car decals”, but you’re selling “zombie family car decals”. If everyone’s selling “pink scarves”, that’s okay, because you’ve got a “Crocheted Pinkie Pie infinity scarf”. You get the idea!</p>
<h2>Rule 3: Think Like a Shopper</h2>
<p>“Think like a shopper” means:</p>
<ul>
<li>Call it what your customers would call it</li>
<li>Use common terms</li>
<li>Use synonyms</li>
</ul>
<p>It might be really tempting to name all of your items cleverly. Naming your bracelets “Rosa”, “Emily”, “Olivia”, etc is cute, but it doesn’t work on Etsy. Not in tags or titles, anyway. (As a creator of “named” plushies, this was a painful lesson I learned the hard way.)</p>
<p>Buyers don’t know your naming scheme, they just know a general description of what they want. Buyers will type “long pearl necklace”, so meet your buyers where they are and use their language.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>Rule 4: Use Etsy’s search preview</h2>
<p>See that Etsy search bar? It’s full of clues as to which search queries are <em>actually</em> being used by customers.</p>
<p>It’s almost Easter, so let’s look for an “Easter dress”. I type “Easter dress” into search but Ety’s all like, wait up a minute! Did you mean<em> toddler, baby girl, pattern, for girls, 3t, infant, for women…? </em> This is tag-writing <strong>gold! </strong></p>
<p>I now include as many “tested” tags as I can for every item I list. These are terms shoppers are using – you should use them, too.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1508" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg" alt="etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags" width="425" height="370" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg 425w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags-300x261.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px" /></a></p>
<h2>Rule 5: Use synonyms (and find a helper)</h2>
<p>After years of thinking of my plushies as “grubs”, I was surprised when a friend held one for the first time and exclaimed, “It’s a flea!”.</p>
<p>My husband thinks they look like whales with extra feet.</p>
<p>My mom thinks they’re just weird.</p>
<p>The point of this story: <strong>ask someone else to describe your item! </strong></p>
<p>Find someone who doesn’t know your business very well, drop the thing into their hands, and ask them to describe it. I guarantee they’ll come up with descriptive phrases you’ve <em>never</em> thought of.</p>
<p>If you’re running out of tag ideas, start using synonyms. Gold and brass are similar in color; many shoppers don’t know the difference between crotchet and knit; ceramics and pottery are the same thing, whales and narwhals have a lot in common, etc.</p>
<h2>Rule 6: Use all the tags</h2>
<p>This one’s a no-brainer, but since every tag is an opportunity to show up in search you really want to use all of them. Resort to synonyms if you need to.</p>
<h2>Rule 7: Vary your tags</h2>
<p>Don’t use the same tags for everything. Focus your tags on what is unique about each of your listings. If your shop is using just 20 unique tags total, you’re far less likely to show up in searches than if you are using 200 unique tags total.</p>
<p>Tags can be confusing to Etsy newcomers because they seem to repeat what’s already in the title and description (especially if <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">you wrote an attention-grabbing listing title</a>).</p>
<h1>Let’s practice tagging!</h1>
<p>Okay, with all this in mind, let’s invent some hypothetical Etsy listing items and tag ’em.</p>
<p><strong>Example 1:</strong> You’ve made a Doctor Who “Tardis” cross stitch pattern and you’re ready to sell it on Etsy. (Can you guess what I’ve been looking for on Etsy lately? :D)</p>
<p>Good tags for your new pattern would include:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Doctor Who</strong></li>
<li><strong>cross stitch pattern</strong></li>
<li><strong>Tardis</strong></li>
<li><strong>Tardis cross stitch pattern</strong></li>
<li><strong>The Doctor</strong> <— Even if your pattern features just the famous blue box, your product is likely to appeal to people searching for other terms related to the show</li>
<li><strong>Whovian</strong> <— If your product is part of a fandom, feel free to tag it as such!</li>
<li><strong>embroidery pattern</strong> <— Use any and all synonyms that might apply</li>
<li><strong>Whovian embroidery </strong><— Again, it’s okay to repeat key terms</li>
<li><strong>Doctor Who pattern</strong></li>
<li><strong>geeky cross stitch</strong></li>
<li><strong>easy cross stitch <</strong>— Think of your product from an entirely new angle. How about difficulty level?</li>
<li><strong>Your name <— </strong>Use your own real life name or shop name as a tag, whichever is at the core of your branding</li>
<li><strong>Your shop name</strong> <— Use your own real life name or shop name as a tag, whichever is at the core of your branding</li>
</ol>
<p>See how much we are recycling some terms? That’s okay. Re-using the most relevant terms helps make your item even more relevant for those tags, and captures variations in searches around that word.</p>
<p><em>Psst: For some real Doctor Who cross stitch patterns, visit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeekyStitches?ref=l2-shopheader-name">GeekyStitches’s Etsy shop</a> – I had so much fun browsing her shop while researching this part of the Etsy case study!</em></p>
<p><strong>Example 2:</strong> Let’s sell a finished product this time: a simple ceramic bowl. How much can you really say about a ceramic bowl?</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Bowl</strong></li>
<li><strong>Home decor </strong></li>
<li><strong>Handmade pottery <—</strong> What else is it?</li>
<li><strong>Ceramic bowl <— </strong>“Pottery” and “Ceramic” are two different words that mean largely the same thing to searchers</li>
<li><strong>Glazed bowl</strong></li>
<li><strong>Pasta bowl <— </strong>Think “what would this thing be used for?”</li>
<li><strong>Fruit bowl <strong><— </strong></strong>What else might this thing be used for?</li>
<li><strong>Wheel thrown pottery</strong></li>
<li><strong>Red bowl</strong></li>
<li><strong>Food bowl</strong></li>
<li><strong>Large serving bowl</strong></li>
<li><strong>Shallow bowl</strong> <— Describe its properties!</li>
<li><strong>Your name</strong> <— Using your own name ties your items together and helps people who know you by name find your products</li>
<li><strong>Your shop name <—</strong> Reinforce your branding by using your shop name as a tag</li>
</ol>
<p>Turns out, you <em>can</em> say a lot about a simple bowl! Tags should reference materials, creation processes, purpose of item, uses for item, and physical description. Try to cover your item from multiple angles.</p>
<p><em>Psst: For some really special handmade bowls, check out <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AderoWillard?ref=l2-shopheader-name">AderoWillard’s shop on Etsy</a>, who I also discovered while researching this article!</em></p>
<p><strong>PS: Don’t misuse tags.</strong> There’s no sense tagging your chevron pillowcase “Super Bowl 2014” . You might show up in more searches, but your people searching for “super bowl 2014” won’t be interested in your pillowcase and Etsy frowns upon tag abuse.</p>
<h1>Tagging the Etsy Case Study listings</h1>
<p>Time for me to put this new knowledge to use in the Etsy case study shop. I didn’t always do a great job of tagging my own Etsy items.</p>
<p>Here’s my “before”:</p>
<div id="attachment_1510" style="width: 674px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1510" class="wp-image-1510 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags. My "before" tags left much to be desired." width="664" height="98" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg 664w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before-300x44.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1510" class="wp-caption-text">My Etsy tags “before”: I wasn’t using all the tags available to me, and I could have been capturing a wider variety of search terms.</p></div>
<p>And here’s my enlightened “after”:</p>
<div id="attachment_1514" style="width: 659px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1514" class="wp-image-1514 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags: use all the tags, use a variety of descriptive words, write multi word tags." width="649" height="150" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg 649w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1-300x69.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 649px) 100vw, 649px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1514" class="wp-caption-text">My Etsy tags “after”: More synonyms, longer tags, and greater word variety. Oh, and I actually used all 13 available tags!</p></div>
<p>Much better.</p>
<h1>Even MORE help with Etsy tags</h1>
<p><strong>Another tag tip:</strong> Spy on your fellow crafters!</p>
<p>No, not <em>steal</em> – just take a look at how similar items are tagged from shops that are succeeding on Etsy.</p>
<p>I sell plush bugs, so I searched for “Plush Bug” and clicked an item at random. Scroll to the bottom of the listing page to see the tags:</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1511" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg" alt="tags_felted_ladybug" width="948" height="159" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg 948w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug-300x50.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px" /></a></p>
<p>Jackpot!</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Did you notice the “Easter gift” and “Easter basket” tags?</strong> This shop owner is probably changing some of their tags to match seasonal demands. Smart!</li>
<li><strong>“Felt toy” and “wool toy”</strong> are good examples of smart synonym use</li>
<li><strong>“Ladybug theme”</strong> is interesting because the item is literally a felt ladybug, but someone interested in ladybugs as a larger theme might not know they want a plush, just a ladybug… of some kind.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Psst: The cute <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/183109434/ladybug-felted-toy-natural-toy-for?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=plush+bug&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto1&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">felted ladybug featured in this example is from BossysFeltworks’s shop</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>More tag tips</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Read what <a href="https://blog.etsy.com/en/2011/make-your-shop-more-relevant/">the Etsy blog has to say about tags</a></li>
<li>Take a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/teams/search/?search_query=relevancy&sort=relevancy&search_type=teams&ref=teams_search">look at the “relevancy” teams on Etsy</a>. (Yes, there are Etsy teams dedicated to helping your products get seen!)</li>
</ul>
<h1>Go forth and tag your Etsy items!</h1>
<p>You’ll have to practice a bit before you can just bang out tags like a boss. Go ahead and re-tag one of your listings with all of this in mind:</p>
<ol>
<li>Be specific</li>
<li>Write two- and three-word tags</li>
<li>Think like a shopper</li>
<li>Test the usage of search phrases in Etsy’s search bar</li>
<li>Use synonyms</li>
<li>Use all the tags</li>
<li>Use different tags for each item you list</li>
</ol>
<p>Remember, you can edit a listing’s tags without re-incurring the listing fee.</p>
<p>Re-tag your items and then <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">check out Part 4 </a>for tips on driving more traffic to your Etsy shop. And if you read this far, thank you! I hope you found this exhaustive guide to tags helpful. If you spot an error or have an even better tagging idea, please leave a comment and say hello. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
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<item>
<title>Get Discovered with Search Friendly Etsy Listing Titles – Etsy Case Study: Part 2</title>
<link>/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/</link>
<comments>/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2014 08:30:33 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1324</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to part 2 of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here! Today we’re going to look at writing search friendly Etsy listing titles so your products can grab traffic from Google and Etsy searchers. We’ll look at successful Etsy shops, deconstruct the way they...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_21.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1346" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_21.png" alt="Etsy Case Study, Part 2: Get discovered with search friendly Etsy listing titles. Everything you need to know to write great, searchable Etsy listing names for your handmade goodies!" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_21.png 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_21-300x148.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a>Welcome to<strong> part 2</strong> of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Today we’re going to look at writing search friendly Etsy listing titles so your products can grab traffic from Google and Etsy searchers. We’ll look at successful Etsy shops, deconstruct the way they write listing titles, and break it down into a formula for your own products. This technique is great, especially for new shops. It gets your items showing up in search and in front of buyers – exactly what you need to start making sales.</p>
<p><strong>DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 2:</strong> Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles (You are here!)</li>
<li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Tagging your Etsy Listings</a><em> </em></li>
<li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy <em> (Coming late May)</em></li>
</ul>
<p>If you caught our first post in this series, <a href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a>, then you’re probably thinking about listing your very first Etsy item!</p>
<p>This is where things get interesting.</p>
<p>The vast majority of Etsy shops never make it past the initial “hump” of getting beyond a handful of sales. <strong>The good news:</strong> there is a 99% probability that your slow sales are <strong>not because</strong> there’s something wrong with your product. There’s someone for everything. (Seriously.) The challenge is in <strong>connecting</strong> with that someone (or someones) and <strong>marketing to them.</strong> That’s the bad news. Reaching customers is <em>tough</em>.</p>
<p>Behind every successful shop is a long story of hard work and perseverance. Sure, some shops get lucky – and sometimes lightning strikes in the middle of a sunny day. That’s okay, we’re going to build ourselves a lightning rod!</p>
<p>Today in our Etsy Case Study we’re going to talk about <strong>writing search-friendly Etsy listing titles.</strong></p>
<h1>Meet the Etsy Case Study Shop</h1>
<p>Before we go any further, I’d like to show you the shop I used for this case study (yes, it’s a real shop!). I used my own Etsy shop, a shop I started in 2009 to sell plushies. It has 19 sales (over the course of 5 years) and virtually no traffic (people visiting). No sales yet this year, and maybe 2 last year. <strong>This shop is basically dead. </strong>(I’ve been a bad shop mom. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f641.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p>
<p>But that just meant it was starting with the same problems that most shop owners have – no traffic! No sales!</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Note: </strong>It’s not a “secret shop” or anything like that, and all the traffic studies featured below were conducted before I exposed the shop on DIYCraftPhotography (and subsequent tidal wave of traffic). The shop is named <a href="http://etsy.com/shop/WeirdLittleFriends">Weird Little Friends</a>. You can visit the shop and say hi. My plush love visitors. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p></blockquote>
<p>At the start of this case study (back in February), the shop <strong>had just two items</strong> and <strong>the names aren’t very good. </strong>The names aren’t <em>findable</em>. The products themselves are great, but standing out on Etsy requires a bit of linguistic wizardry when it comes to writing titles. Here’s how to write a great Etsy listing title designed to grab search traffic.</p>
<h1>What’s in a Listing Name?</h1>
<div id="attachment_1350" style="width: 802px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_item_title_make_every_word_count.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1350" class="size-full wp-image-1350" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_item_title_make_every_word_count.jpg" alt="etsy_item_title_make_every_word_count" width="792" height="144" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_item_title_make_every_word_count.jpg 792w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_item_title_make_every_word_count-300x54.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1350" class="wp-caption-text">Use all 140 characters to maximize your chance to show up in searches</p></div>
<p>Suppose you’re selling a plush fish on Etsy. You might be tempted to name it “plush fish” and be done with it.</p>
<p>(This is what I did for years.)</p>
<p><strong>There’s a better way to name your Etsy items. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Do these 2 things when you write your listing title:<br />
</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Use all 140 characters allowed</li>
<li>Pack it full of relevant terms</li>
</ol>
<p>Think of all the words and phrases that describe your item. Starting with the three most relevant words, work your way from left to right. A rough Etsy title “formula” looks like:</p>
<blockquote><p>Most Accurate Terms, Alternative Description Terms, Materials, Size, Who Its For, Color, Generic Description</p></blockquote>
<p>This naming technique will get your item showing up in LOADS MORE searches.</p>
<h2>Here’s a real world example:</h2>
<p>This little guy used to be a <strong>“Plush Betta Fish”</strong>.</p>
<p>Now he’s a <strong>“Plush betta fish, stuffed fish toy, kawaii fish, koi plush, flannel plush with safety eyes, personalized toy, blue, green, geometric fabric”.</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_1349" style="width: 554px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/retro_rings_betta_front.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1349" class=" wp-image-1349 " src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/retro_rings_betta_front.jpg" alt="retro_rings_betta_front" width="544" height="351" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/retro_rings_betta_front.jpg 680w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/retro_rings_betta_front-300x193.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 544px) 100vw, 544px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1349" class="wp-caption-text">It’s not just a “plush fish”, it’s a “Plush betta fish, stuffed fish toy, kawaii fish, koi plush, flannel plush with safety eyes, personalized toy, blue, green, geometric fabric”</p></div>
<p>Whoa! That’s kinda long and convoluted! Yes, yes it is.</p>
<p><em>But it works.</em></p>
<p>Not convinced? I resisted, too. But once I did it, I went from 0 views a day to a couple a day plus some favorites and treasury additions. Whuatt?! I didn’t change the item or the photos, just the freakin’ <strong>name!</strong></p>
<p>Then I realized… all the best shops are doing it.</p>
<h2><strong>Successful Etsy Shops & Their Search Friendly Listing Titles</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThreeBirdNest?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Three Bird Nest</a> has over 77,000 sales.</p>
<p>Pick any item at random out of this shop and you’ll find a name like “<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/176718358/crystal-beaded-headpiece-bohemian-chain?ref=shop_home_active_11">Crystal Beaded Headpiece, Bohemian Chain Headband, Adjustable Headpiece with Crystal Beading and Lobster Clasp in Teal (HB-188)</a>“.</p>
<p>That’s a long name, isn’t it? But look at all those phrases someone might search for: “crystal beaded”, “bohemian”, “adjustable”, “lobster clasp”, “teal”.</p>
<p>The search friendly Etsy listing title gets customers in the door, the incredible photo keeps them hanging around.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/crystal_headpiece_threebirdnest.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1353" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/crystal_headpiece_threebirdnest.jpg" alt="crystal_headpiece_threebirdnest" width="611" height="354" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/crystal_headpiece_threebirdnest.jpg 1018w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/crystal_headpiece_threebirdnest-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlesaplingtoys?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Little Sapling Toys</a> has over 22,000 sales.</p>
<p>How much can you say about a wooden teether? A lot, actually! Talk about materials and use generic terms like “toy” even though it’s technically a “teether”.</p>
<p>A typical listing has a name like: “<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61888016/baby-toy-california-state-wooden-teether?ref=shop_home_active_2">Baby Toy California State wooden teether personalized wooden toy</a>“. So cute, and so much more likely to show up in search than “teether” alone.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/california_teether_little_sapling_toys.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1354" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/california_teether_little_sapling_toys.jpg" alt="california_teether_little_sapling_toys" width="611" height="354" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/california_teether_little_sapling_toys.jpg 1018w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/california_teether_little_sapling_toys-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhiteMagickAlchemy?ref=l2-shopheader-name">White Magick Alchemy</a> knows it’s not just a candle, it’s a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/126164756/dragons-blood-2x3-pillar-candle-pure?ref=shop_home_feat_3">Dragons Blood . 2×3 Pillar Candle . Pure Golden Seal Resins, High Magick, Protection, Luck, Love, Money, Clearing, Banishing</a>.</p>
<p>The long name gets the item showing up in search, and spellbinding photography (love the props) lures customers in to explore the shop.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/white_magick_alchemy_candle_dragon.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1355" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/white_magick_alchemy_candle_dragon.jpg" alt="white_magick_alchemy_candle_dragon" width="611" height="354" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/white_magick_alchemy_candle_dragon.jpg 1018w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/white_magick_alchemy_candle_dragon-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/janinekingdesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Janine King Designs</a> doesn’t call it a camera bag, she calls it a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/182566371/set-mini-chevron-camera-bag-and-dslr?ref=shop_home_active_23">SET Mini Chevron Camera Bag and Dslr Camera Strap, Small Dslr Camera Bag Slr and Camera Neck Strap, chevron brown red blue (MTO)</a>.</p>
<p>Searchers looking for “DSLR camera strap”, “camera neck strap”, “chevron brown” will all have a good chance of finding this cute camera bag.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/set_mini_chevron_camera_bag_janine_king_designs.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1356" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/set_mini_chevron_camera_bag_janine_king_designs.jpg" alt="set_mini_chevron_camera_bag_janine_king_designs" width="611" height="354" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/set_mini_chevron_camera_bag_janine_king_designs.jpg 1018w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/set_mini_chevron_camera_bag_janine_king_designs-300x173.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px" /></a></p>
<p>Getting the hang of it? Good! The next section will show you how to write your own search-friendly Etsy listing title.</p>
<h1>Writing Search Friendly Etsy Listing Titles</h1>
<p>I’ll admit it, I cringed when I learned this was <em>the way</em> to name Etsy items. I like minimalist names.</p>
<p>Love it or hate it, though, Etsy’s search algorithm gives preference to terms found in the title, so your title needs to be full of the best, most relevant terms you can think of.</p>
<h2>Finding Words for your Etsy Listing Title</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Make a list of single and multi-word phrases</strong> that describe your item</li>
<li><strong>List design characteristics:</strong> natural wood, aluminum, organic cotton, goth, futuristic</li>
<li><strong>Target an audience:</strong> who is it for? Baby, gift, vegan, husband</li>
<li><strong>Include special features:</strong> adjustable, personalized, non allergenic</li>
</ol>
<p>Still wracking your brain? Here’s a few more ways to find words for your Etsy listing title:</p>
<p><strong>Try searching on Etsy for some of your keywords:</strong></p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/search_keyword_necklace.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1326" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/search_keyword_necklace.jpg" alt="search_keyword_necklace" width="432" height="471" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/search_keyword_necklace.jpg 432w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/search_keyword_necklace-275x300.jpg 275w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Show it to a friend and ask them to describe it!</strong> I thought my “grubs” were simply “plush grubs”, but in the hands of a friend they’re “fleas” and “bugs” and “it’s almost like a fat little whale!”.</p>
<p><strong>The first three words are the most important three. </strong>Whichever words you use first in your title should be your best, most relevant words.</p>
<p>To use my example from above, “plush fish” becomes so much more: “Plush betta fish, stuffed fish toy, kawaii fish, koi plush, flannel plush with safety eyes, personalized toy, blue, green, geometric fabric”</p>
<p>The best way to get good at this is to keep practicing. It’s free to edit your existing listings, so go ahead and edit a few of yours with longer SEO-friendly names.</p>
<h1>Case Study Shop: Listing Title Improvements</h1>
<p>Here’s another example from our case study shop.</p>
<p>The other item was “Big Grub (Custom)”. This name had a nice brevity to it, but it wasn’t helping the item show up in search. Who searches for “grubs” anyway? Unless you’ve met met and are familiar with my brand and product, you probably don’t think to type “grubs” into Etsy, even if you would actually like my product if you saw it in real life.</p>
<p>The new name is “Grub Plush Toy, Kawaii Bug Plush, Stuffed Flea, Safety Eyes, Customized Plush, Cute Plush, Soft Toy, Snuggle Flannel, Colorful”.</p>
<div id="attachment_1359" style="width: 621px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/blush_plush_grub_listing1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1359" class=" wp-image-1359" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/blush_plush_grub_listing1.jpg" alt="blush_plush_grub_listing" width="611" height="341" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/blush_plush_grub_listing1.jpg 1018w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/blush_plush_grub_listing1-300x167.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1359" class="wp-caption-text">“After” the listing update: this item has loads of good keywords in the title now.</p></div>
<p>How’d it work out? Pretty darn good. Between this change and the change we’ll talk about next week (adding more listings), my shop went from 0-1 views a day to what looks like an average of 4 or 5 a day with some days coming in over 10!</p>
<p>Check out this pretty graph:</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/march_2014_search_results_improved.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1491" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/march_2014_search_results_improved.png" alt="march_2014_search_results_improved" width="774" height="356" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/march_2014_search_results_improved.png 774w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/march_2014_search_results_improved-300x137.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px" /></a></p>
<h1>One more thing to try</h1>
<p>Here’s a well-kept secret on Etsy: the Etsy ad keywords tool. Access the free tool here: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/search-ads/keywords">https://www.etsy.com/search-ads/keywords</a></p>
<p>In the Etsy keyword tool you can compare the cost to list an ad targeting various keywords. This gives you a sense of what words are considered valuable in Etsy’s eyes. In my case, I found that “insect plush” doesn’t even rank (few people are searching for it, if any) but an ad targeting “plush narwhal” is $5.00 per 1,000 impressions! My grubs are kind of narwhal-ish and might appeal to someone who likes narwhals. Rather than describing my item as an insect, perhaps I should pretend it’s a hornless narwhal. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>Browsing the keyword tool is just another way to find terms related to your item.</p>
<h1>Etsy Item Title Do’s and Don’ts</h1>
<p>Quick tips for writing your search friendly Etsy listing titles:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Do</strong> put the most relevant words first</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> use as close to 140 characters as you can</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> consult a thesaurus/friend/search engine if you need help describing your item</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> use similar words – “silver” and “grey”, “ocean” and “lake”, etc</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> speak the language of your customer – if you insist it’s not retro, but 9 out of 10 friends think it’s retro, it’s probably retro</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> use commas to separate search terms</li>
<li><strong>Do</strong> mention materials, color, size</li>
<li><strong>Don’t</strong> put completely irrelevant words into your title (that’s called “keyword stuffing” and it is frowned upon by Google and Etsy)</li>
<li><strong>Don’t</strong> use hearts, periods, squigglies, or other non-letter / non-comma characters</li>
<li><strong>Don’t</strong> use trademarked words</li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Naming and Opening Your Etsy Shop – Etsy Case Study: Part 1</title>
<link>/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/</link>
<comments>/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:45:49 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy Shop]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[naming]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1331</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Welcome to part 1 of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here! DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop (You are here!) Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: Tagging your Etsy Listings Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1344" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png" alt="DIYCraftPhotography's Etsy Case Study: PART 1: Naming and Opening Your Etsy Shop" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11-300x148.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Welcome to</span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"> part 1</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing <em>Etsy shop case study!</em> We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here!</span></p>
<p><strong>DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Part 1:</strong> Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop <em>(You are here!)</em></li>
<li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a><em> </em></li>
<li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Tagging your Etsy Listings</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings</a></li>
<li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy (Case study underway…check back soon)</li>
</ul>
<p>In this first post of the series we’re going to explore the steps of opening a new Etsy shop.</p>
<h1>Are you Ready to Open an Etsy Shop?</h1>
<p>Most of us old-timers just jumped feet-first into Etsy. We picked a shop name on a whim, threw a poorly lit photo (or five) into the shop, and crossed our fingers. This worked pretty well… in 2006. Don’t feel like you missed the boat – it’s <strong>still</strong> a good time to get into Etsy. The Internet isn’t “filling up” and there’s more people looking for handmade every day. It’s just a little harder to stand out. Are you ready to open an Etsy shop? If you can answer “yes” to most or all of these questions, you’re ready to open an Etsy shop.</p>
<h2>Things to Know & Do Before Opening Your Etsy Shop</h2>
<p><strong>Do you have 10-15 products ready to photograph and list?</strong> It’s okay if some of the 10-15 listings are variations on the same product, the point is to make your shop look full. If you have 10-15 products that can be described with different words and phrases, you’re ready to go.</p>
<p><strong>Can you take good photographs of your products? </strong> A smartphone camera or a point and shoot camera is enough to get started with. The simplest photo shoot for your crafts: daytime lighting, simple camera, and a sheet of white poster board or a plain wall for the background. For help taking great photos of your products, check out our <a href="/simple-white-background-product-photography-setup/">Under-$5 DIY White Background Photography Setup</a> and our <a href="/table-top-photo-studio-kit-reviews/">Table Top Photo Studio Kit Reviews</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Are your products ready to go?</strong> If your product takes a while to make (dry times, etc), do you have some on hand, ready to ship?</p>
<p><strong>Do you have the mailing supplies you’ll need to ship customer orders?</strong> You’ll probably need boxes or bubble mailers, clear tape, and something to print an address label. I make plushies, so I like to double-bag everything I ship: one plastic bag tightly around the product itself inside a water-resistant mailing envelope.</p>
<div id="attachment_1337" style="width: 586px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1337" class=" wp-image-1337" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg" alt="grub_order" width="576" height="409" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg 960w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order-300x212.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1337" class="wp-caption-text">Packing and shipping orders can be a job itself!</p></div>
<p><strong>Can you reliably recreate a made-to-order item? </strong> If your product is made to order, are you able to recreate that first one you used for the photo?</p>
<p><strong>Will you be able to fulfill customers orders in a reasonable amount of time?</strong> If someone buys a custom order tomorrow, will you be able to sit down and make it in the next week or so?</p>
<p><strong>Do you have a general idea of what your shop should look like? </strong> You’ll want to use a consistent logo, typeface, and visual theme throughout your shop. You can always “re-brand” later, but don’t start without a sense of shop style. Not sure how to get started branding your shop? Choose two words that describe you and your products:</p>
<ul>
<li>“cute and pastel”</li>
<li>“gothic and elegant”</li>
<li>“old-world and magical”</li>
<li>“rustic and charming”</li>
</ul>
<p>Type those words into Google Image Search and see what comes up. If you’ve never attempted graphic design before, expect to spend a few hours trying things out with text and image placement.</p>
<p>Despite what some professional graphic designers might try tell you, you can DIY this part too.<strong> It’s completely possible for you to develop an aesthetic for your shop and create a good-looking banner on your own. </strong>After all, you know your shop’s “look and feel” better than anyone else.</p>
<p>Of course, you shouldn’t just take the first thing you come up with – graphic designers spend time developing a vision for a project or website, and you’ll probably go through several iterations yourself. If you need inspiration try to mimic the typefaces, colors, and design elements you find when you search for your terms. You’ll get ideas by looking at what others have made (nobody works in a vacuum, after all), and as you work, you’ll develop a design that suits your store.</p>
<p>In short, don’t let a lack of graphic design background hold you back. Some of the most successful Etsy shops are using simple banners that didn’t come from a graphic designer’s portfolio. (If you aren’t happy with what you’re coming up with, try <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_in=everywhere&query=etsy+banners&page=1&layout=auto">Fiverr</a> or <a href="https://www.etsy.com/search?q=etsy%20banners">Etsy</a> for designers.)</p>
<p><strong>Related</strong>: <a href="/5-best-apps-free-photo-editing-online-2013/">5 best web apps for free photo editing</a></p>
<p><strong>Do you know how much it’s going to cost to ship your item?</strong> Etsy will ask you what it costs to ship your item and can even help you print shipping labels, but you’ll need to know how much your item weighs and how much it costs to ship wherever it’s going. Shipping outside of the US is pricey – my 4oz plushies typically ship from the US to Europe for around $10. To find out shipping costs, the surest way is to package up one of your products, take it to your local post office, and ask the clerk: “How much to ship this to <em>name of furthest away state</em>?” and “How much to the UK?”. They’ll weigh your package and tell you.</p>
<p><strong>Do you have several hours to dedicate to the set-up of your shop?</strong> It’s easy to open a shop, but so much <em>stuff</em> goes into creating a shop it’s easy to underestimate the time it’ll take to get fully up and running. Creating banners, listings, writing policies and your own profile will take a few hours.</p>
<p><strong>Are you prepared to market your items? </strong> Setting up a shop and stocking it with items is half the battle (at best). Most of the work will be in marketing – blogging, tweeting, pinning, getting in touch with other artisans. Your marketing strategy will become critical to your shop’s long-term success. Don’t panic – this work is ongoing and gradual, you don’t need to worry about it upfront. Just know that you’ll have to do it for long-term success.</p>
<p><strong>Are you ready to think like a business owner? </strong> Pricing, marketing, inventory, answering customer questions – your craft business is just that, a business.</p>
<h1>Choosing an Etsy Shop Name</h1>
<p>If you’ve been agonizing over The Perfect Name for your Etsy shop, you were right to do so! Your shop’s name is <em>incredibly</em> important!</p>
<p>Your shop name will appear in your shop’s URL and all over Etsy:</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1396 alignnone" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg" alt="your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here" width="417" height="33" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg 417w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here-300x23.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px" /></a></p>
<p>If you talk about your shop with people you meet in real life, <strong>you’ll have to say your shop’s name out loud (a lot)</strong>. You’ll print it on <strong>business cards</strong> and <strong>mailing labels</strong>.You may even <strong>hang it over your craft fair booth</strong>. No wonder you’re having a hard time naming your shop. (</p>
<p>Maybe you’ve always known what you would call your shop and the name is completely available – that’s awesome, go ahead and register it! This section is for the rest of us. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p>
<p><strong>The name you choose for your Etsy shop should be:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Original: </strong>Definitely<em> don’t</em> copy another shop or existing brand (but you knew that already). You don’t want to get hit with a cease and desist two years from now when your shop is humming along and everyone knows you by that name.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Google the name</strong> – Is anyone else using it? Do they look well-established? If so, avoid this name.</li>
<li><strong>Check if the domain name (yourshopname.com) is available.</strong> I use <a href="http://www.dynadot.com/">dynadot.com</a> for checking and registering domains. Unless it’s available for $9.99, move on. Brokerage services to secure “premium domains” start around $70 and the domains themselves can cost <em>thousands of dollars.</em></li>
<li><strong>Is the name available on social networks?</strong> Check Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>If the name passes all of those tests, it’s probably safe to say it’s original.</p>
<div id="attachment_1398" style="width: 486px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1398" class="wp-image-1398 " src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png" alt="pterodactyl_teapots" width="476" height="342" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png 680w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots-300x215.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1398" class="wp-caption-text">Checking “pterodactyl teapots” – looks pretty open as far as brands go.</p></div>
<p><strong>Brief: </strong>Your shop name should be 3 distinct words or less (give or take). Long names are harder to remember and can be tougher to design logos for. Don’t rely on abbreviation, either – you want people to learn the full name and so they can search for it and recognize it. Also: Twitter limits your name to 15 characters. My shop name is too long for Twitter – <em>booo!</em></p>
<p><strong>Memorable:</strong> What Etsy shop names do you know by heart? Do you think you remember them because they’re clever, poignant, made you laugh, or some other reason? Capturing the same for your own name is tricky, but worth trying for.</p>
<p><strong>Spelling Counts:</strong> In my above example I chose “pterodactyl teapots”, but pterodactyl can be a difficult word to spell unless you know about the whole “pt” thing. Try to avoid misspelling a common word – you’ll forever be saying <em>“That’s ‘<strong>creations’</strong> with a ‘<strong>k</strong>‘” </em>when you tell people your shop name.</p>
<p><strong>On Brand: </strong>A name that’s “on brand” fits the shop’s aesthetic and products. A name that is “off brand” clashes with the products. Figuring out whether a name is on brand or not is a good time to find an outsider’s perspective. Ask a friend what they think of when they hear the name you’re considering. If your friend says “kids’ toys” and you’re selling bunny slippers, it might not be a good match. Branding is super important, so here’s an example before we move on. Let’s say you sell handmade chocolate teapots. Good shop names might include “AfterDarkTeapots”, “CocoaBeanTea”, or “TheMidnightPour”. Names like “WinterFrostJewelry” or “SparklingJadeScarves” wouldn’t fit a shop selling chocolate teapots.</p>
<p><b>Descriptive but not restrictive</b><strong>:</strong> A good shop name describes your products <em>and</em> lets you expand your product line (logically) without requiring a wholesale rebranding. Let’s say you’re still selling handmade chocolate teapots. You’ve decided to expand your product line. “Teapots” is still a logical word for a shop that now includes chocolate tea sets and chocolate teabags, and all the terms pertaining to “chocolate” still work (even if they’re a bit of a stretch) for white chocolate and raspberry chocolate teapots.</p>
<div id="attachment_1339" style="width: 260px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1339" class="size-full wp-image-1339" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg" alt="cadbury_chocolate_teapot" width="250" height="250" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg 250w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1339" class="wp-caption-text">A real life “chocolate teapot” by <a href="http://www.truffleshuffle.co.uk/store/cadburys-chocolate-teapot-p-6653.html">Cadbury</a></p></div>
<p>But if your shop is named AfterDarkTeapots and you start adding scarves and organic makeup, the name isn’t going to fit. And that’s okay – because you can (and should) <strong>open a completely separate shop for those unrelated items</strong>.</p>
<h2>Help with naming your Etsy shop</h2>
<p>As if that wasn’t bad enough, Etsy only allows you to rename your shop once. Yikes! Did you come up with the <em>perfect</em> Etsy name only to find it’s already taken (probably by someone who isn’t even using it)? Talk about aggravating! Or maybe you thought “ChocolaTea” was perfect for your chocolate teapot shop, but then you saw a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=chocolatea&oq=chocolatea&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1896j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8">bunch of brick and mortar tea shops</a> are already using it. <em>Boo hiss!</em> If all the good Etsy shop names are already taken, here’s some things to try: <strong>Play with a favorite phrase</strong> Puns, jokes, and popular sayings can make for good shop names. Going back to the chocolate teapot examples, “The Midnight Pour” is a play on “The Midnight Hour”. It’s silly, but it’s memorable and original (maybe). <strong>Put a bird on it</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1335 alignright" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png" alt="bird" width="204" height="182" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png 425w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird-300x267.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px" /></a>I know, it sounds funny (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0XM3vWJmpfo">and it is</a>), but if you’re really stumped on an Etsy shop name try attaching a bird name. How does your shop name sound with “Finch”, “Sparrow”, or “Robin” added in somewhere?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Also works with trees, flowers, fish…</p>
<p><strong>Combine letters of your own name</strong> A decade ago I was frustrated by my name always being taken, so I combined letters from my first and last name to create “Majoh”, a moniker I still use and am usually able to find available on new social networks. <strong>Try Panabee</strong> <a href="http://www.panabee.com/">Panabee</a> is a free name generation tool. Just type in some words and see what it spits out. See your name idea with vowels merged, letters swapped, suffixes added. Look, “PotAChoc” is available! So is “Chocolapot”. Those are kinda cute, and I’d never have thought of them on my own.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1332" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png" alt="panabee_chocolate_teapot" width="608" height="284" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png 1014w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot-300x140.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Try something outrageous</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Your shop’s name doesn’t <em>have</em> to describe what you sell – lots of shops don’t, in fact. What if you worked “cuttlefish” into your shop name somehow? (If you do, show me! I love cuttlefish. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Don’t get too hung up on “the perfect name”</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Here’s a funny truth: a lot of top shops break the so-called “rules”. Head on over to <a href="http://craftcount.com/category.php?cat=3&subcat=3">craftcount.com</a> to see top shops by category – half of ’em have abstract names! Can you guess at what <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TomBanwell">TomBanwell</a> or <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/owlsay">Owlsay</a> are selling from their name alone? I can’t – and it doesn’t even matter, because these are super successful shops with over 10,000 sales!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Meditate on it</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Take a break from thinking about your shop name and venture out into the world. Go for a walk through a new neighborhood, visit a new shop in town, or listen to some new music. Inspiration comes from all over, and often flows when you least expect it.</p>
<h1>Filling out your Etsy “About” Profile</h1>
<p>A good Etsy profile tells people who you are. A great Etsy profile enthralls visitors with your <em>story</em>. Oh, and it should also be professional yet personal, well-written yet not stiff, unique without being off-putting, and humorous if you can manage it. Easy, right? <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f600.png" alt="๐" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> When you’re first setting up your shop, a brief blurb about yourself and your products is sufficient. You can always come back later to spruce it up. <strong>Your Etsy profile should include:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>A greeting.</strong> Say hello! Welcome visitors to your shop, and thank them for visiting.</li>
<li><strong>Describe yourself.</strong> A sentence or two about who you are. Are you a 20-something? Mother of four? Old guy with a new hobby?</li>
<li><strong>Talk about your process.</strong> When do you feel most creative? What inspired you to make what you make?</li>
<li><strong>Describe your materials</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Answer common questions.</strong> What kind of paint is that? How long is your turnaround time?</li>
<li><strong>Links to your social media profiles and your website. </strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Above all: Keep it brief and inject some personality into it!</p>
<h1>Writing your Etsy Shop Policies</h1>
<p>Etsy shop policies is a standalone section of your shop where you can detail your shop’s policies. This page tends to be a bit more dry and business-y, especially compared to the “about” profile. <strong>Here’s a cheat sheet for filling out your Etsy shop policies:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Welcome:</strong> A brief description of you and your shop, with a link to your About page</li>
<li><strong>Payment:</strong> Whether or not you accept PayPal (you should), if orders need to be paid in full before you ship (generally a good idea)</li>
<li><strong>Shipping:</strong> Gift wrapping options, gift note options, details about your packing materials (sturdiness, recycled, etc), estimated ship times</li>
<li><strong>Refunds and Exchanges:</strong> Length of time customer has to contact you in regards to complaints or concerns, a promise to resolve the issue (“on a case by case basis” is a good phrase to use here)</li>
<li><strong>Additional Policies & FAQs:</strong> Custom orders, wholesale, disclaimers, whether your items are suitable for children</li>
<li><strong>Seller information:</strong> Your name and address</li>
</ul>
<h1>Making an Etsy Banner</h1>
<p>The process of making an Etsy banner is worthy of its own post – and many Etsy shops exist to sell custom banners if making a banner is entirely outside your skillset. If you’ve got at least a little bit of image editing savvy, you can copy the image below and make it yours with color fills, text, and photos. Or just make a new image at <strong>760 pixels wide by 100 pixels tall</strong>. <a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1338" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png" alt="etsy_banner_default_size" width="760" height="100" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png 760w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size-300x39.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px" /></a> <strong>Your Etsy banner should include:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Your shop name</li>
<li>Same typeface you use on your individual listing images</li>
<li>Imagery that is representative of your items and/or brand</li>
</ul>
<h1>Choosing your Profile Picture</h1>
<p>Your profile picture is like a <strong>little ambassador for your shop. </strong>It’s your likeness in the Etsy community. When you post in the forums, it’s the only thing people will see of your shop.</p>
<ul>
<li>Choose an item that looks good at a small size</li>
<li>Avoid text unless you’re working with just a few letters.</li>
<li>Generally, it’s best to put a product shot in your profile picture. Logos don’t usually grab interest the way a photo of a real product does.</li>
</ul>
<p>Here’s how profile pictures appear in the Etsy forums:</p>
<div id="attachment_1399" style="width: 501px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1399" class=" wp-image-1399" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png" alt="etsy_forums" width="491" height="609" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png 702w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums-242x300.png 242w" sizes="(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1399" class="wp-caption-text">Choose a profile picture that entices visitors to click and learn about your shop.</p></div>
<h1>Ready to go live!</h1>
<p>You should now have a live Etsy shop, complete with perfect name, a banner, about page, and a policies page. In the next Etsy Case Study update we’ll show you <span style="text-decoration: underline;">how to post your first item and write a great listing title</span>.</p>
<p><a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Part 2 of the Etsy Case study is live! Read it here!</a></p>
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<title>10 Top Selling Etsy Shops in the “Handmade” Category (and what you can learn from them!)</title>
<link>/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/</link>
<comments>/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Feb 2014 16:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[craft business]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[tips]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=986</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In need of a little inspiration? Take a peek at the top selling Etsy in the “Handmade” category (this excludes vintage and supplies) – these shops are all doing something right. Last time when we looked at best-selling Etsy shops we looked at the best sellers overall and found mostly shops selling supplies. This time,...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10_best_selling_etsy_shops_and_what_you_can_learn.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1299" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10_best_selling_etsy_shops_and_what_you_can_learn.jpg" alt="10 Top Selling Etsy Shops - and what you can learn from them!" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10_best_selling_etsy_shops_and_what_you_can_learn.jpg 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10_best_selling_etsy_shops_and_what_you_can_learn-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p>
<p><strong>In need of a little inspiration?</strong> Take a peek at the top selling Etsy in the “Handmade” category (this excludes vintage and supplies) – these shops are all doing something right.</p>
<p>Last time when we looked at best-selling Etsy shops we looked at the best sellers overall and found mostly shops selling supplies. This time, we’re looking at shops that sell handmade things.</p>
<table id="tablepress-4" class="tablepress tablepress-id-4">
<thead>
<tr class="row-1 odd">
<th class="column-1">Name</th><th class="column-2">Sales</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="row-hover">
<tr class="row-2 even">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest">Beanforest</a></td><td class="column-2">89,525</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-3 odd">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/threebirdnest">Three Bird Nest</a></td><td class="column-2">75,320</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-4 even">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/zenthreads">ZenThreads</a></td><td class="column-2">66,472</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-5 odd">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GraceandLaceCo">Grace and Lace Co</a></td><td class="column-2">65,962</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-6 even">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThinkPinkBows">Think Pink Bows</a></td><td class="column-2">63,526</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-7 odd">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/zoeysattic">Zoey's Attic</a></td><td class="column-2">61,116</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-8 even">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/collageOrama">Collage-O-Rama</a></td><td class="column-2">60,205</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-9 odd">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/signaturetshirts">SignatureTshirts</a></td><td class="column-2">60,044</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-10 even">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/norajane">norajane</a></td><td class="column-2">59,927</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-11 odd">
<td class="column-1"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/RivermillEmbroidery">RivermillEmbroidery</a></td><td class="column-2">57,701</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<p> </p>
<h1>What You Can Learn from Etsy’s Best-Selling Shops</h1>
<ol>
<li><strong>Use clear, daylit photographs. </strong>Thanks to white backgrounds and bright lighting, items for sale in the top 10 shops look great. (<strong>Also</strong>:<a href="/product-photography-lessons-etsy-photoshoot/"> 13 Tips for Better Etsy Shop Photos,</a> and <a href="/best-cameras-for-craft-and-food-photography/">Best Cameras for Every Budget 2014</a>)</li>
<li><strong>List a TON of products</strong>. All of these shops have 200+ items in stock, some have nearly 1,000 items! Not that quantity trumps quality, of course. Think of it this way: if you have just one item in your shop, you’re less likely to be found than someone with 50 items showing up in search. Fuller shops also look more enticing. Barren shelves tend to spook customers. Aim for at least 20 products to start – 20 listings is enough to fill your shop page nicely.</li>
<li><strong>Have a Facebook presence</strong>. Creating a Facebook page for your craft business increases your exposure and gives you another avenue to reach your fans.</li>
<li><strong>Develop a shop “personality”. </strong>Every single shop in the top 10 has a “character” to it – you can almost guess what kind of personality the shop owner might have. Personality is what makes handmade so awesome, so don’t be afraid to “brand” your shop with a bit of “you”.</li>
<li><strong>Sell individuality</strong>. All of the top 10 shops are selling “individuality” – shirts printed with clever sayings, buttons with a sense of humor, decorative stamps, pretty headbands for babies and adults, decorated t-shirts. In fact, all of the top 10 shops are selling things to <em>wear or decorate with.</em> Think of these shops as selling a bit of individuality that can’t be bought in a mass-market store.</li>
<li><strong>Use a consistent “look and feel”</strong>. The products are presented similarly – same zoom level, consistent lighting. The overall effect is harmonious and coherent, making it easier to focus on the products themselves.</li>
<li><strong>Under $30</strong>. With a few exceptions in just a couple of these top selling Etsy shops, nearly all of these top-selling handmade shops offer their wares at prices somewhere between $3 and $25. Don’t fret if your products cost more, but if all your products are $100 you might want to add a few smaller items to your shop.</li>
<li><strong>Take it all with a grain of salt.</strong> After all, <a href="http://indieuntangled.com/make-1m-year-selling-knitting-successful-etsy-importer/">Three Bird Nest is now accused of importing and reselling its wares</a>.</li>
</ol>
<p>Top-selling Etsy shops data from <a href="http://craftcount.com/">craftcount.com</a> – check ’em out, Craft Count is a great way to discover fantastic Etsy shops!</p>
<p><strong>More Etsy tips:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="/5-things-best-selling-etsy-shops-have-in-common/">5 Things Best-Selling Etsy Shops Have in Common</a></li>
<li><a href="/product-photography-lessons-etsy-photoshoot/">13 Product Photography Lessons from my Fake Etsy Photoshoot</a></li>
<li><a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Search-Friendly Etsy Listing Titles</a></li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>10 Questions Your Etsy Photos and Descriptions Must Answer</title>
<link>/10-questions-your-etsy-photos-and-descriptions-must-answer/</link>
<comments>/10-questions-your-etsy-photos-and-descriptions-must-answer/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jan 2014 05:20:01 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[checklists]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Pinterest]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[publicizing]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=898</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When a shopper views your products on Etsy, Pinterest, or your own craft blog, they donโt have the luxury of picking up your products, trying them on, feeling them, or asking you questions about them. Your photos and descriptions are doing the heavy lifting here! If your product photos and descriptions leave something to be desired, customers...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/10-questions-your-etsy-photos-and-descriptions-must-answer/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10_questions_your_photos_descriptions_should_answer1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1288" alt="10 Questions your Etsy Photos & Descriptions should answer. Includes *real life* examples from successful shops!" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10_questions_your_photos_descriptions_should_answer1.png" width="441" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10_questions_your_photos_descriptions_should_answer1.png 441w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/10_questions_your_photos_descriptions_should_answer1-300x247.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">When a shopper views your products on <strong>Etsy, Pinterest, or your own craft blog, </strong>they donโt have the luxury of picking up your products, trying them on, feeling them, or asking you questions about them.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Your photos and descriptions are doing the heavy lifting here!</strong></p>
<p>If your product photos and descriptions leave something to be desired, customers are going to hit the “Back” button and may never return. Here are <strong>10 questions</strong> your Etsy photos and descriptions <em>must</em> answer to <strong>get customers clicking “ADD TO CART” instead of “Back”!</strong></p>
<h2>1. Why is it special?</h2>
<p><strong>Your photos and your description must tell a “story” about your product!</strong></p>
<p>It doesn’t have to be a<em> long</em> story, just enough to <strong>illustrate your product’s place in a potential customer’s life.</strong></p>
<p>When was the last time you saw a popular soda advertised by listing its ingredients? You’ve probably never seen that, because marketing is almost always about selling an aspiration or a feeling. If you’re using your product description text to describe the photo, you’ve missed an <strong>huge</strong> opportunity to touch the heart of a potential customer.</p>
<p>Don’t describe your toy as a <em>“Pink bug”</em> when you can instead write: <em>“Wy is good at make-believe and keeping secrets, and he’s always up for a pretend tea party.”</em></p>
<div id="attachment_906" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/questions_photos_and_descriptions_must_answer_tell_a_story.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-906" class="size-full wp-image-906 " alt="etsy advice tell a story in the description" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/questions_photos_and_descriptions_must_answer_tell_a_story.jpg" width="500" height="605" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/questions_photos_and_descriptions_must_answer_tell_a_story.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/questions_photos_and_descriptions_must_answer_tell_a_story-247x300.jpg 247w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-906" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/33252171/betta-plush-male-custom?">Betta plushie</a> is by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeirdLittleFriends?ref=l2-shopheader-name">WeirdLittleFriends on Etsy</a>.</p></div>
<h2>2. Why is it better than others like it?</h2>
<p>Chances are, you aren’t the only one making an item like yours. <strong>Here’s your chance to distinguish your product!</strong></p>
<p>Demonstrate and explain your product’s competitive advantage. What makes yours better than others like it? Don’t bash others, just elevate yours by demonstrating its quality and unique features.</p>
<p>Use your photos and descriptions to explain <strong>how your product will make your customer’s life easier</strong>, <strong>more convenient</strong>, or <strong>just more fun</strong>. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HomeStreetDecor?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Home Street Decor</a> gets it right with this listing for a chevron pillow cover. The item’s description points out a shortcoming in similar products (an “envelope” style back) and plays up Home Street Decor’s hidden zipper.</p>
<div id="attachment_905" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/home_street_decor_pillow_covers_competitive_advantage.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905" class="size-full wp-image-905 " alt="etsy advice show off your competitive advantage" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/home_street_decor_pillow_covers_competitive_advantage.jpg" width="500" height="1082" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/home_street_decor_pillow_covers_competitive_advantage.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/home_street_decor_pillow_covers_competitive_advantage-138x300.jpg 138w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/home_street_decor_pillow_covers_competitive_advantage-473x1024.jpg 473w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-905" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/159589669/decorative-pillow-throw-throw-pillow?ref=br_feed_12&br_feed_tlp=home-garden">Chevron pillow covers</a> are by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HomeStreetDecor?ref=l2-shopheader-name">HomeStreetDecor on Etsy</a>.</p></div>
<h2>3. How much does it cost?</h2>
<p>Etsy makes cost a given, but if you’re blogging or pinning your crafts (and you should be for maximum exposure), it’s easy to overlook the price.</p>
<p>Don’t be shy – <strong>if you’ve done your pricing homework, your product’s price shouldn’t be a detriment to shoppers. </strong></p>
<div id="attachment_921" style="width: 442px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_price.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-921" class="size-full wp-image-921" alt="etsy_price" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_price.jpg" width="432" height="106" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_price.jpg 432w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_price-300x73.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-921" class="wp-caption-text">Etsy makes displaying a price easy, but if you’re blogging or pinning, either include your price there or direct buyers to your shop.</p></div>
<h2>4. How big is it?</h2>
<p>It’s tough to judge the size of things shown in isolation. At least one of your photos should <strong>provide a sense of scale</strong> by<strong> </strong>posing your item with a human, pet, or familiar object.</p>
<p>If it’s an art print, show it on a wall. If it’s jewelry, put it on or hold it up to your ears! Customers unsure of size may be hesitant to make a purchase – or unhappy once they receive the item. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MARIAELA?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Mariaela’s Etsy shop</a> gets this one right. She includes a beautiful close-up shot and <strong>at least one on-model shot</strong> for every item she sells.</p>
<div id="attachment_915" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mariela_copper_earrings.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-915" class="size-full wp-image-915 " alt="Mariaela Etsy shop copper earrings" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mariela_copper_earrings.jpg" width="500" height="733" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mariela_copper_earrings.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mariela_copper_earrings-204x300.jpg 204w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-915" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/119963027/gift-for-her-copper-earrings-wonderful?ref=related-0">Copper earrings</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MARIAELA?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Mariaela</a></p></div>
<h2>5. How many are included?</h2>
<p>For many products, the quantity is obvious (and it’s often “one”). But for others – such as greeting cards and craft supplies – you should make it clear how many your buyer will get.</p>
<div id="attachment_922" style="width: 544px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/description_quantity.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-922" class="size-full wp-image-922" alt="etsy include quantity in description" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/description_quantity.jpg" width="534" height="72" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/description_quantity.jpg 534w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/description_quantity-300x40.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 534px) 100vw, 534px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-922" class="wp-caption-text">Make sure your description includes a quantity, especially if it’s not immediately obvious.</p></div>
<h2>6. How does it fit?</h2>
<p><strong></strong>Essential for any kind handmade item that’s intended for wear.<strong> Show your item on a human model or a mannequin</strong> to give prospective buyers a good understanding of the item’s fit, length, and style. <strong>Include measurements in the description</strong>, even for small items like jewelry.</p>
<h2><strong>7. How do I use it?</strong></h2>
<p><strong>Always include at least one “action shot”</strong>, especially if your product is meant for use with another product. For example, if your product is an iPad stand, show your product holding up an iPad. If your craft is a recipe, show it as part of a complete meal or style it on beautiful dishware.</p>
<p>Etsy shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/dognamedbanjo">Dog Named Banjo</a> does an excellent job of demonstrating the usefulness of their flagship product, the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61020143/podpillow-for-iphoneipod?ref=shop_home_active_41">PodPillow</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_904" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dognamedbanjo_podpillow1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-904" class="size-full wp-image-904 " alt="dog named banjo pillow etsy advice show product in use" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dognamedbanjo_podpillow1.jpg" width="500" height="500" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dognamedbanjo_podpillow1.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dognamedbanjo_podpillow1-150x150.jpg 150w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dognamedbanjo_podpillow1-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-904" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/58241975/podpillow-for-iphoneipod?ref=shop_home_active_25">Adorable PodPillows</a> are an original creation from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/dognamedbanjo">DogNamedBanjo on Etsy</a>.</p></div>
<h2>8. What options are available?</h2>
<p><strong>Got lots of color options? Show ’em off!</strong> If feasible, include a chart of all the options. One of my favorite Etsy shops, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/6060?ref=l2-shopheader-name">6060</a>, provides an excellent chart that pairs color options with names:</p>
<div id="attachment_911" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/6060eyes_helps_customers_choose_options.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-911" class="size-full wp-image-911 " alt="6060eyes etsy advice show options with labels" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/6060eyes_helps_customers_choose_options.jpg" width="500" height="406" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/6060eyes_helps_customers_choose_options.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/6060eyes_helps_customers_choose_options-300x243.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-911" class="wp-caption-text">Hand-painted safety eyes by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/6060">6060</a></p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>If it’s a bespoke item, tell customers what parts of it can be customized.</p>
<h2>9. What is it made of?</h2>
<p>Include at least one close-up shot to <strong>show off your item’s materials.</strong> In the description, <strong>list every ingredient or component</strong>, including stains, dyes, fabrics, stuffing material, zippers, and fabrics.</p>
<p>Many shoppers buying handmade are looking for natural products. If your item caters to people with a particular preference, show it off!</p>
<ul>
<li>Organic?</li>
<li>Low VOC?</li>
<li>Hypoallergenic metal?</li>
<li>Gluten-free?<strong> </strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>These are selling points! </strong>This <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61288615/gluten-free-playdough-100-natural-mama?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=gluten+free&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all">100% natural modeling clay</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaKs?ref=l2-shopheader-name">MamaKs</a> is made with gluten free flour, essential oils, and no synthetics or artificial dyes. It’s organic play dough!</p>
<div id="attachment_916" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mama_ks_play_clay_gluten_free.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916" class="size-full wp-image-916 " alt="etsy advice include materials" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mama_ks_play_clay_gluten_free.jpg" width="500" height="835" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mama_ks_play_clay_gluten_free.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mama_ks_play_clay_gluten_free-179x300.jpg 179w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-916" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/61288615/gluten-free-playdough-100-natural-mama?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=gluten+free&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all">Natural ingredient modeling clay</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaKs?ref=l2-shopheader-name">MamaKs on Etsy</a></p></div>
<h2>10. Is it pre-made, custom order, or a pattern?</h2>
<p>It’s easy for customers to confuse the three, so make it very clear whether your item is <strong>already made, or made to order, or a pattern. </strong></p>
<p>Customers looking at a photo might expect to get that exact item, so make it clear when that’s not the case. If you’re selling a bespoke item or a pattern, that’s a selling point!</p>
<div id="attachment_920" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/betta_fish_beezeeart_pattern1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-920" class="size-full wp-image-920 " alt="beezee art betta pattern etsy advice for selling patterns" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/betta_fish_beezeeart_pattern1.jpg" width="500" height="630" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/betta_fish_beezeeart_pattern1.jpg 500w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/betta_fish_beezeeart_pattern1-238x300.jpg 238w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-920" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/155749375/betta-fish-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_active_12">Betta sewing pattern</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeeZeeArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name">BeeZeeArt on Etsy</a></p></div>
<h1>Putting it All Together</h1>
<p>If you answer these 10 questions in your photos and descriptions, your craft business will be well on its way to success! It’s a lot of work – but it’s worth it!</p>
<p>Before we go, let’s look at one shop that pulls it all together. This <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/armstreet?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Armstreet</a> listing for a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/armstreet?ref=l2-shopheader-name">suede corset</a> nails it – and the shop’s sales count suggests this is a very successful shop.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Beautiful and clear photos</strong></li>
<li><strong>Storytelling in the description</strong></li>
<li><strong>Size options</strong></li>
<li><strong>Material options</strong></li>
<li><strong>Shows the item “in use”</strong> (imagine if they laid the corset on a table and took a photo of it by itself)</li>
<li><strong>Link to the full set</strong> for shoppers wanting the entire outfit</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_912" style="width: 490px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_listing_done_right.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-912" class=" wp-image-912" alt="etsy advice a perfect listing" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_listing_done_right.jpg" width="480" height="740" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_listing_done_right.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_listing_done_right-194x300.jpg 194w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/01/etsy_listing_done_right-664x1024.jpg 664w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-912" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/109269708/medieval-renaissance-custom-flax-linen?ref=shop_home_active_65">Suede corset</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/armstreet?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Armstreet</a></p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Remember, you can always go back and edit your Etsy listings without being charged $.20 again.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you enjoyed this article, please pin it or share it with friends!</p>
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</item>
<item>
<title>5 Things Best Selling Etsy Shops Have in Common</title>
<link>/5-things-best-selling-etsy-shops-have-in-common/</link>
<comments>/5-things-best-selling-etsy-shops-have-in-common/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2013 07:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=679</guid>
<description><![CDATA[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...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/5-things-best-selling-etsy-shops-have-in-common/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/etsy_best_selling_shops_5_traits.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1149" alt="5 things the best selling Etsy shops have in common" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/etsy_best_selling_shops_5_traits.jpg" width="441" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/etsy_best_selling_shops_5_traits.jpg 441w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/etsy_best_selling_shops_5_traits-300x247.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 441px) 100vw, 441px" /></a></p>
<p>Have you seen <a href="http://www.craftcount.com/">Craftcount</a>? <a href="http://www.craftcount.com/">Craftcount</a> 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.</p>
<p>5 things best selling Etsy shops have in common are: <strong></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>selling supplies</strong></li>
<li><strong></strong><strong>clear photos</strong></li>
<li><strong>consistent shop appearance</strong></li>
<li><strong>multiple photos</strong></li>
<li><strong>branding</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Okay, that’s great, but what do those things mean for <strong>you</strong> and <strong>your shop?</strong> Read on and learn how to incorporate these techniques into your own Etsy shop!</p>
<h1>1. Supplies for Sale</h1>
<p>Somewhat surprisingly (to me, at least), the top 10 Etsy sellers overall are <strong>all selling <em>supplies</em> rather than completed handmade crafts</strong>. The top 10 is dominated by beads and jewelry supplies.</p>
<div id="attachment_1153" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/clbeads"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1153" class=" wp-image-1153 " alt="beads_clbeads" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beads_clbeads.jpg" width="600" height="166" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beads_clbeads.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beads_clbeads-300x83.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1153" class="wp-caption-text">Beads by top Etsy seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/clbeads?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">CLBeads</a>. From left to right: 25pcs <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/125994317/25pcs-swarovski-5810-crystal-pearl-grey?ref=related-6" target="_blank">Swarovski 5810 Crystal Pearl Grey beads</a>, 10pcs <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/169503446/10pcs-swarovski-5000-round-crystal-white?ref=related-1" target="_blank">Swarovski 5000 Round Crystal White beads</a>, and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/125994478/25pcs-swarovski-5810-crystal-pearl?ref=related-2" target="_blank">Swarovski 5810 Crystal Pearl-Mystic Black 33mm beads</a>.</p></div>
<p>(Okay, maybe it’s not <em>that</em> surprising once you consider that Etsy frequently “cannibalizes” its own community. Sellers are often buyers are often sellers!)</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t despair – you’re not doomed to become a bead reseller</strong>. While supply shops make up the top 10 <em>overall</em>, the top 10 in the <em>handmade category</em> are crafters selling original creations in the form of witty pin buttons, paper goods, and clothing designs.</p>
<h1>2. Clear, Well-Lit Photos</h1>
<p>There’s no getting around this requirement: becoming a top seller on Etsy requires<strong> clear, well-lit photos</strong>.</p>
<p>The easiest recipe for good photos is:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Hold your camera steady</strong> (or use a tripod)</li>
<li><strong>Crop your photo</strong>s to highlight your product</li>
<li><strong>Shoot during daylight hours</strong> for best results</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Want to learn more?</strong> DIYCraftPhotography is built on beginner-friendly photography tutorials!</p>
<ul>
<li>Follow our <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/diycraftphoto/photo-lessons/">“Photo Lessons” Pinterest Board</a> for advice from all over the web</li>
<li><a href="/7-cs-of-craft-photography-checklist/">The 7 C’s of Craft Photography</a></li>
<li><a href="/the-magic-of-bounce-lighting/">The Magic of Bounce Lighting</a></li>
<li><a href="/black-background-photography-velvet/">Black Background Photography</a></li>
<li>How to <a href="/how-to-take-white-background-photos/">Take Great Looking White Background Photos</a></li>
</ul>
<h1>3. Consistent Shop Appearance</h1>
<p>Check out <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/theblackapple">The Black Apple</a> and top handmade seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest">Bean Forest</a> for two fantastic examples of consistent shop appearances.</p>
<div id="attachment_1151" style="width: 590px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/theblackapple"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1151" class="size-full wp-image-1151 " alt="the_black_apple_shop_brand" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/the_black_apple_shop_brand.jpg" width="580" height="399" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/the_black_apple_shop_brand.jpg 580w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/the_black_apple_shop_brand-300x206.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1151" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/theblackapple">The Black Apple</a>‘s beautiful illustrations share style and color palette.</p></div>
<p>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!</p>
<p>If your Etsy shop is looking a little less than coherent, try these tips (and see the linked examples) in your own shop.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Similar backgrounds</strong> – See how Etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest">Bean Forest</a> uses a variety of brown paper as backgrounds? You wouldn’t want the backgrounds to look <em>identical</em>, just <em>related.</em></li>
<li><strong>Same crop distance </strong>– Products are all cropped to the same zoom level</li>
<li><strong>One concept, numerous executions</strong> – <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MadisonStreetBeauty">Madison Street Beauty</a> does this very well. Their concept is “pile of powder makeup”, the execution is a different fireworks-like “burst” of powder for each shot.</li>
<li><strong>Limited Color Palette</strong> – <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/threebirdnest">Three Bird Nest</a> 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.</li>
</ul>
<h1>4. Multiple Product Shots</h1>
<p>Top Etsy sellers take advantage of Etsy’s multiple product shots per listing. They show the product from <strong>multiple angles</strong>, <strong>up close</strong>, and inform the viewer of any available <strong>variations. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Great example:</strong> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Bean Forest</a> 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.</p>
<div id="attachment_1155" style="width: 568px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/169899272/raised-on-sugar-cereal-and-saturday?ref=shop_home_active_11"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1155" class=" wp-image-1155 " alt="beanforest_buttons_listing_photos" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beanforest_buttons_listing_photos1.jpg" width="558" height="184" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beanforest_buttons_listing_photos1.jpg 996w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beanforest_buttons_listing_photos1-300x98.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 558px) 100vw, 558px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1155" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/169899272/raised-on-sugar-cereal-and-saturday?ref=shop_home_active_11">Cereal and Saturday Morning Cartoons button</a> by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest?ref=l2-shopheader-name">BeanForest</a></p></div>
<p>Remember, shoppers can’t hold or play with what you’re selling. Your images have to demonstrate its size, thickness, material, and quality.</p>
<p><strong>Read More:</strong> How To <a href="/maximize-5-etsy-listing-photos/">Maximize Your 5 Etsy Listing Photos</a></p>
<h1>5. Strong Brand</h1>
<p>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:<strong> take a photo from one shop and put it in another. Doesn’t it look out of place?</strong></p>
<p>Below, I’ve put four items from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/shareliving">Shareliving</a> next to four items from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/yadanabeads">YadanaBeads</a>. 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.</p>
<div id="attachment_1156" style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/shareliving_yadanabeads.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1156" class="size-full wp-image-1156" alt="shareliving_yadanabeads" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/shareliving_yadanabeads.jpg" width="810" height="398" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/shareliving_yadanabeads.jpg 810w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/shareliving_yadanabeads-300x147.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1156" class="wp-caption-text">Two top-selling Etsy shops. On the left: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/shareliving">Shareliving</a>. On the right: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/yadanabeads">YadanaBeads</a>.</p></div>
<p><strong>Does your shop have a brand?</strong> Even if your items are all different, photographing your products against similar backgrounds and using a limited color palette will unify them visually.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>So go wild! Your shop is your show.</p>
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<title>How to Maximize Your 5 Etsy Listing Photos</title>
<link>/maximize-your-5-etsy-listing-photos/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2013 07:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[etsy listing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[photos]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=694</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Etsy lets sellers include up to 5 photos for each item listed. This is awesome – you’re gonna need all 5! But don’t just take five photos and call it a day – you can maximize your 5 Etsy listing photos by following this easy guide. Your Photos = Your Sales Pitch! Your photos sell your product....</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/maximize-your-5-etsy-listing-photos/">Read More</a></p>]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/500_maximize_etsy_listing_photos.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1375 aligncenter" alt="Tips for maximizing your 5 Etsy listing photos. Here's how to make EACH photo count!" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/500_maximize_etsy_listing_photos.jpg" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/500_maximize_etsy_listing_photos.jpg 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/500_maximize_etsy_listing_photos-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p>
<p>Etsy lets sellers include up to <strong>5 photos for each item listed</strong>. This is awesome – you’re gonna need all 5! But don’t just take five photos and call it a day – you can maximize your 5 Etsy listing photos by following this easy guide.</p>
<h1>Your Photos = Your Sales Pitch!</h1>
<p><strong>Your photos sell your product.</strong> Online shoppers can’t pick up your product, feel its weight, and look closely at its details, so your photos have to do the heavy lifting here.</p>
<p>Etsy listing photos should answer these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>How does this product<strong> feel</strong>?</li>
<li>How <strong>large</strong> is this item?</li>
<li>What <strong>color</strong> is this product?</li>
<li>Is this item <strong>well made</strong>?</li>
<li>Will this item<strong> fit</strong>?</li>
</ul>
<h1>Maximize Your 5 Etsy Listing Photos</h1>
<p>Follow this simple guide to get the most bang for your buck in your 5 Etsy listing photos.</p>
<h2>Shot 1: The “Click Grabber” shot</h2>
<p>Etsy uses the first photo on the left to represent your item when it shows up in search. This photo has to be your very best shot – it’s what I like to call your “click grabber”.</p>
<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/5_etsy_listing_photos1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1384" alt="5_etsy_listing_photos" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/5_etsy_listing_photos1.jpg" width="638" height="173" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/5_etsy_listing_photos1.jpg 638w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/5_etsy_listing_photos1-300x81.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px" /></a></p>
<p>An effective click grabber…</p>
<ul>
<li>piques the viewer’s curiosity</li>
<li>looks good at a small size</li>
<li>makes it pretty clear what the item is</li>
<li>doesn’t <em>have to</em> show the whole item</li>
</ul>
<p><em></em><strong>That last point is worth some more discussion:</strong> many Etsy sellers make the mistake of putting a rather bland, far-away shot as their default. The interesting photo(s) get hidden inside the listing, unseen.</p>
<p>This is backwards.</p>
<p>You want your most <em>compelling</em> shot up front, even if it’s not your most <em>complete</em>. It’s okay to <em>hide a little bit</em> – you want people to click, so get them interested without giving it all away.</p>
<p><strong>How do you know which of your shots is best?</strong> Test it! Put your favorite on the far left and see how it performs for 7 days. After 7 days, re-arrange the shots in the listing and see if clicks go up. Keep re-arranging every week until you find your winning shot.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Case in point:</strong> I used to stock my shop with photos like this one, all zoomed out and flat because this composition shows the entire product. Seemed logical, but nobody was clicking.</p>
<div id="attachment_1378" style="width: 370px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1378" class=" wp-image-1378 " alt="My default shot was zoomed out and difficult to "read"." src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_1.jpg" width="360" height="360" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_1.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_1-150x150.jpg 150w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_1-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1378" class="wp-caption-text">“Before” shot was zoomed out and flat. Unsurprisingly, nobody clicked this version.</p></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">On a whim, I tried using this zoomed-in shot as my default shot.<strong> Clicks and faves went way up!</strong></p>
<div style="width: 370px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" " alt="Maximize your Etsy listing photos: Using this zoomed-in shot of my product got way more clicks." src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/octavius_2.jpg" width="360" height="360" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Etsy Listing Photo Tip #2:</strong> Wow ’em with the first shot. This photo gets way more clicks than the previous one did. <em>Lookatdatface.</em> <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/182830975/octavius-the-note-betta-plush-betta-fish?">Octavius</a> is from my own shop,<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeirdLittleFriends?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Weird Little Friends</a>.</p></div>
<p>I was wrong: you don’t have to try to show the whole product, just show an inviting image. Learning how to select a “click grabber” takes a bit of practice. Try browsing Etsy and seeing what <em>you</em> click.</p>
<h2>Shot 2: The “Big Picture” shot</h2>
<p><strong></strong>Unfold/unwrap/lay flat your handmade object and capture all of it. The goal of this shot is to show your product in its entirety.</p>
<p>Sometimes this shot is better used as your click grabber, but oftentimes “whole object” shots are less exciting than what you can do with a closeup or action shot.</p>
<p>Think of the “big picture” shot as being rather technical. It answers these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>How large, exactly, is this thing?</li>
<li>What does it look like unfolded/unwrapped?</li>
<li>What does the design look like when it’s not folded/wrapped?</li>
</ul>
<h2>Shot 3: The “Back/Bottom” shot</h2>
<p>This shot shows your product from an unusual or different angle. Let shoppers see the backside (or underside).</p>
<p>Adding a shot of the back or bottom gives viewers a much better understanding of your product’s design.</p>
<div id="attachment_1379" style="width: 370px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/four_2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1379" class=" wp-image-1379" alt="Maximizing your Etsy photos: Show your product from the side or bottom." src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/four_2.jpg" width="360" height="360" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/four_2.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/four_2-150x150.jpg 150w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/four_2-300x300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1379" class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Etsy Listing Photo Tip #3:</strong> Lay your product on its side or show the bottom.</p></div>
<h2>Shot 4: The “Action” shot</h2>
<p>Show your product being worn, played with, on display – whatever makes sense.</p>
<p>If your product is jewelry or clothing, showing it on a model is essential. You might be shy about appearing in the shot with your product, and that’s okay as long as you can find a friend who<em> isn’t </em>shy about it! Showing your product with/on a live model gives viewers an instant sense of size, fit, and purpose.</p>
<div id="attachment_1380" style="width: 352px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/obey_my_brain_squid_hat.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1380" class=" wp-image-1380" alt="obey_my_brain_squid_hat" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/obey_my_brain_squid_hat.jpg" width="342" height="389" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/obey_my_brain_squid_hat.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/obey_my_brain_squid_hat-263x300.jpg 263w" sizes="(max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1380" class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Etsy Listing Photo Tip #4:</strong> Show it in action! Awesome aqua-colored <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/63908234/large-fleece-squid-hat-light-turquoise?ref=shop_home_feat_4">Large Fleece Squid Hat</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ObeyMyBrain?ref=search_shop_redirect">Obey My Brain</a>.</p></div>
<h2>Shot 5: The “Detail” shot</h2>
<p>This one’s easy – just get up close and show off the best details of your product. Every product has details – stitches, paint brush strokes, embossed lettering, sprinkled sugar, sequins, paper texture – you name it.</p>
<p>Is your product a tool or a supply or otherwise contribute to the creation of a finished product? Consider showing that finished product, too. Valek Rolling Pins does a fantastic job of showing off the tiny, laser-cut details in her customized rolling pins.</p>
<div id="attachment_1381" style="width: 580px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/valek_rolling_pin_detail_shot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1381" class="size-full wp-image-1381" alt="valek_rolling_pin_detail_shot" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/valek_rolling_pin_detail_shot.jpg" width="570" height="422" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/valek_rolling_pin_detail_shot.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/valek_rolling_pin_detail_shot-300x222.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1381" class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Etsy Listing Photo Tip #5: </strong>Dive into the details! Capture the tiny touches that make your product special. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/179169155/dinosaur-pattern-embossing-rolling-pin?ref=listing-shop-header-0">Dinosaur pattern embossing rolling pin</a> by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ValekRollingPins?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Valek Rolling Pins</a>.</p></div>
<h1>Even *More* Ideas for Maximizing your Etsy Listing Photos</h1>
<p><strong>Still don’t have five shots?</strong> That’s okay, some crafts don’t <em>need</em> all five. You can still make good use of the extra photo slot with the following tips:</p>
<h2>The “Family Portrait”</h2>
<p>If appropriate to your product, line up a bunch of them in a big rainbow – or group them together like a family portrait.</p>
<p>If it’s not feasible to make a bunch of your product, consider showing a stack of the alternative materials instead. Invite shoppers to choose their own colors/fabrics/embellishments.</p>
<div id="attachment_1382" style="width: 580px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainbow_bunnies.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1382" class="size-full wp-image-1382" alt="rainbow_bunnies" src="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainbow_bunnies.jpg" width="570" height="427" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainbow_bunnies.jpg 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2013/09/rainbow_bunnies-300x224.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1382" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/lamagique?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Iamagique</a>‘s listing is for <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/72163202/super-kawaii-crocheted-bunny-no1">one crocheted bunny</a>, but she uses one of her photos to show off a whole group of ’em. So cute!</p></div>
<h2>The “Request Requester”</h2>
<p><strong>Invite your shoppers to order a customized version</strong> of your product with this shot.</p>
<p>“Order a custom version made just for you!”</p>
<h2>The “Soda Can” Shot</h2>
<p>If your “whole object” shot doesn’t communicate scale very well, include another shot with a soda can or a coin to make your product’s size crystal clear to shoppers.</p>
<h2>The “Brand” Shot</h2>
<p>You still have a photo slot left to fill?! How about creating an image that represents your brand, like a nice tall banner?</p>
<p>Advertise your services – do you do custom work? Repairs? Tell viewers a bit more about yourself or drive visitors to your personal website.</p>
<h2>Your Logo</h2>
<p>Fill that last listing photo with your logo. Think of it as a sort of digital business card. The logo will re-emphasize your brand and remind viewers of your off-Etsy url (if you have one).</p>
<h1>Help, I *still* don’t have 5 photos and I’m out of ideas!</h1>
<p>Browse the shops of other sellers selling similar products. What do they do with their listing photos?</p>
<p>When <em>all else</em> fails, take a nice photo of yourself holding your product. Seeing the artisan behind the product is what separates Etsy from the local W*Mart down the road.</p>
<h1>A Few Don’ts</h1>
<p>Remember, each shot should feel like it has a purpose. Hopefully I’ve given you plenty of ideas above, but don’t include five shots for the sake of having five shots.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t include two (or more) photos that are</strong> <strong>too similar</strong>. If the second photo doesn’t show something different than the first, such as another side or a different fabric option, viewers with sluggish connections will resent clicking and waiting for the same image to load.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t include poor quality photos</strong> just for the sake of having five photos. Three great photos is much better than three great photos and two bad ones.</p>
<p><strong>Don’t <em>always</em> show multiple items if your buyer is only getting one. </strong>One (if not more) of your photos should be of just the thing your buyer will actually get. If you always show your product in clusters of three, your shoppers will think they get three and be disappointed when just one arrives.</p>
<p>There you have it – a whole slew of tips for maximizing your Etsy listing photos! What do <strong>you</strong> do to make your listing photos stand out? Let us know in the comments!</p>
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