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#1
07-29-2008, 06:18 AM
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Tell me about Etsy
I like to knit -- it's something to do with my hands while I'm watching TV, or playing Scrabble, or chatting with a friend. I switched from needlepoint to knitting for this after accumulating a bin full of completed projects that I never got around to doing anything with -- knitting seems more "practical."
I've made several scarves for myself and a simple sweater. I then tackled a stitch sampler afghan, and am now finishing up another afghan for a friend. Last week I went to the shore, and took along a slew of perle cotton and some circular needles to play with. I'm almost done a scarf -- straight stockinette on oversized needles, with stripes running lengthwise. I used about 15 shades of yellow-green-orange, with each row a different color and long tails at each end for a self fringe. It's turning out really nice, but it's totally not the kind of thing I wear (it's a lightweight accessory scarf, not a heavy outerwear scarf). I started thinking, hm, I should sell this. Hm, Etsy. Hm, I could make more scarves like this and sell them. I poked around there last night, and the logistics seem pretty straightforward, and I think I could ask for $35 for this with a straight face. I'm not sure what my materials cost was -- the cotton came out of my needlepoint yarn stash -- but it's probably $15-$20 worth of yarn. Obviously, to charge roughtly double what the materials cost me doesn't make sense from an hourly wage point of view -- but looking at it as "I like to knit anyway, and this way someone else pays for the yarn" it has a certain appeal. Quite a bit, in fact. So -- tell me about Etsy, both about quirks of the site and the process I should know about, and about your experiences selling there. Do things sit there for months, or is your turnover decent? Should I wait until I have several items to open an account an post? Is my plan totally nuts? Etc. All comments and anecdotes welcome -- TIA! 
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#2
07-29-2008, 09:44 AM
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This isn't about Etsy, but just to say that as long as you're fine with not even making near minimum wage for your work (so you're not doing it for money to live on and you'd be doing the knitting ANYWAY since you plain enjoy it but can't keep everything you make), you might have a chance.
People honestly don't understand the amount of labor that goes into handcrafted objects. Check out this cross stitch I did.. It's around 20,000 stitches (40,000 really, since a cross is two separate stitches) and used 90 different floss blends. People LOVE it. People practically DROOL over it. People say I should SELL it. And when I ask how much they think I should sell it for, they say, "Oh, you could get $50 for it!" A hah. Hah. Hah. The labor ALONE (going with $5/hr) would be at least $4000. Anyone willing to do that? Heck, the materials (linen it's stitched on, floss, scroll frame, etc.) were about $100. Just don't plan on making some huge business, is all I'm saying.
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#3
07-29-2008, 09:49 AM
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That's very lovely work, zweisamkeit. I look at etsy and drool over the items they sell. I bought a beautiful dress for a friend at her baby shower there and was very pleased with the quality of the workmanship.
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#4
07-29-2008, 11:10 AM
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I don't have much advice on *selling* items there, but I've bought a few items from Etsy, and I absolutely LOVE the selection and uniqueness of the items. I could spend hundreds of dollars there a day if I could.... What I love most is that it's affordable and you'll always have that one-of-a-kind item! I think the drawback you might find is that people may not spend a gross amount of money of a handmade item... I know these items are make by hand which takes a lot of time and love.... but I couldn't/wouldn't spend over $50 on a handbag for example.
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#5
07-29-2008, 11:13 AM
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This scarf will end up taking a little over a week, at an hour or two a day -- and all of those hours being multitasked (I'm talking, watching TV, or playing Scrabble at the same time).
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#6
07-29-2008, 11:31 AM
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I like your work, twickster. Have you used etsy before? I've never sold anything on there, but I do buy regularly, and everyone seems pleasant and generally nice. I imagine the hardest part about etsy is being seen - etsy provides several ways for buyers to showcase their stuff. I find myself going back to the same shops; I imagine building up a group of semi-regular customers is how a lot of etsy sellers keep their shops going.
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#8
07-30-2008, 10:07 AM
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How about advertising your skills and making stuff on request? Sometimes people will have an old sweater they loved, or a knitted doll, or anything handmade, but it is falling in pieces. Suppose they could send it to you and ask you to make a replica?
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#9
07-30-2008, 11:25 AM
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Thanks, guys -- but apparently I'm not being clear. The question isn't "how can I make money," but "is there anything it would be helpful to know before starting to offer stuff on Etsy?"
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#11
07-30-2008, 10:12 PM
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Heya, twicks. I have an Etsy site.
I've had it for more than a year and have sold only one item (to a friend!) I recently joined one of the Etsy "Street Teams" for my medium. Street Teams are groups of artists. Go to "Community" then click on "Teams." On the page that takes you to, under the "What Can I Find Here" heading, is a link to "Profiles," where you can look up teams. I'm guessing there are many knitting teams, and there might be teams that are better suited to your particular kind of knitting. There's probably a Philadelphia team. My point about joining a team is that I have learned a helluva lot about promoting an Etsy site. I don't necessarily do it, because my time and energy right now are going into doing juried shows, but since I have started participating in my team's blog and in the monthly "challenges" (i.e., create a piece based on a particular theme), the number of views of my items has increased significantly. And that's paid off in my Google ranking. Google "Bepob Beads" or "bebopbeads" and I'm the first hit. I've also learned that the way you "tag" your items is really important. The logistics of the site are indeed very straightforward. I suggest you search Etsy for knitted items like yours and look at the way they are described, photographed, priced, etc. If you put your stuff on Etsy with the expectation that it will sell just because it's out there, you'll be disappointed. But there ARE many people selling successfully on Etsy because they have figured out how to promote their presence. Feel free to PM or e-mail me if you want more info.
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#12
07-30-2008, 10:17 PM
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Thanks, freck. I'd thought of you, but couldn't remember whether you were on Etsy or a similar site. This info is extremely helpful -- and I'll definitely let you know if I come up with more questions!
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#13
07-30-2008, 10:21 PM
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I opened an Etsy store to get a 'supportive' friend off of my back. Haven't sold anything through that.
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#14
07-30-2008, 10:26 PM
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#15
07-31-2008, 02:54 PM
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Are we allowed to show off our Etsy shops? Here's mine. I like Etsy very much. It's low maintenance, really easy to navigate, and the fees are extremely reasonable--far less than the fees I've paid with Ebay. It's got a thriving customer base and seems to be a great online handcrafts community, in addition to a marketplace.
How you tag your items is weirdly important, as is your photography and your banner--those are the things people seem to get snooty about. There's a ton of helpful information about the best marketing and promotional practices in the forums and the "Storque". They hold online seminars and critiques. Helpful things that immediately come to mind--take the best photos you can, and use all the available photo slots for each item. Every time you list or renew a listing it appears briefly on the front page, so the more frequently or routinely you post, the more exposure you'll get. I go through cycles where I post things all the time, then slack off for a bit. My sales fluctuate accordingly, but I still get bursts of interest even in the slack periods, so the search functions must work. One thing I like is the Time Machine feature, which allows you to browse the last 1000 items listed. You can also browse by geography to buy locally, color if you have a friend that likes pink stuff, and a fun feature called "pounce" which finds you new shops with low sales. What freckafree said about Google rankings is true, too. I had someone find me from the other side of the country because they'd done a Google search for a particular feature on a dog leash--and my Etsy shop was in the first few hits. Sweet! Last edited by NajaNivea; 07-31-2008 at 02:55 PM.
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#16
07-31-2008, 06:03 PM
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Very cool stuff, NajaNivea -- and an excellent example of a great Etsy shop. Distinctive, niche merchandise. I'm swimming out there in the gigantic sea of jewelers. Good advice, too. I am guilty of not taking advantage of all the photo slots.
BTW, your punk kitty collars? BEST. MODELS. EVAH! 
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#17
07-31-2008, 06:29 PM
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Freckafree and NajaNivea, both great sites -- I'll be back to both!
What I like about Etsy is Alchemy -- the idea that if I want something, I can have somebody make it for me, just like that! If I don't have a friend who knits, I can acquire a friend who knits -- in Tennessee or Wyoming or wherever -- and have her make me baby booties or a scarf in any colors I want at a price we agree on! Everybody wins! I just love even looking through Alchemy and seeing the stuff people are looking for. Right now I see people wanting: A handmade chuppah Ceramic toilet bowls to serve chili in Tea-flavored lollipops Medical alert bracelet for 5-year-old girl and plenty of people who don't know exactly what they want, like "Need favors for my bridesmaids." The only tiny issues I've had is looking for tuba items, I found a woman who had French horn earrings and when I told her they weren't tubas, she said she'd change the description, but it took her two months to do it (her loss, because she might have sold them to a French horn person) and when I wanted to sign up as Sigmagirl, there was already a user by that name. But there has never been any activity by Sigmagirl. I wonder if I can ask if that account is dormant, can I have it?
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#18
07-31-2008, 06:55 PM
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Thanks for the info, Naja. Sounds like you and freck are in agreement that I should come up with a distinctive name and look for my shop -- yikes. I'd been planning just to register as twickster, always my preferred nom du net, and leave it at that. Guess I'll have to give that whole end more thought.
Glad to know it before I get started, though -- thanks for your advice! ETA: Yes, those collars are way too cool! Last edited by twickster; 07-31-2008 at 06:57 PM.
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#19
07-31-2008, 07:12 PM
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Yeah, one quirk of Etsy is that you can't change the name of your shop later.
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#21
07-31-2008, 08:00 PM
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#22
07-31-2008, 08:18 PM
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Regarding turnover and visits, it depends on how active you are with updating your inventory. I've gone months and months without anyone looking at my site, until I add a new item. Then I get people checking out my older stuff.
A couple of Christmases ago, I was really busy with shipping out orders, as I imagine a lot of Estyers are. So you may not get any customers until November or December--which means plenty of time to build up your merchandise!
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#23
07-31-2008, 09:09 PM
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About those models--don't be fooled. They look all quiet and complacent, but just head for the kitchen and they turn into jackals  . freckafree and monstro--you won't believe this, but I've seen both your shops before! Cheers for the Klimt piece, frecka, and monstro, your vases are beautiful; I can't believe you sell them so low. Oh! I forgot about Alchemy--I've used it in both directions and agree that it's a great feature. Through Alchemy I made someone a cool, hefty kilt belt to go with her husband's new Utilikilt... I figure, anything I can do to foster and support* the wearing of kilts, right? *
Last edited by NajaNivea; 07-31-2008 at 09:14 PM.
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#24
07-31-2008, 09:13 PM
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 ) and knitting. Twick's Twisted Knits Twick's Twists I really, really, really wanted my store to be The Venerable Bead (get it?!!? ), but the name was taken (not on Etsy, but elsewhere.)
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#25
08-01-2008, 04:05 AM
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I am an Etsy addict. SRSLY.
I could easily find myself spending 2 hours a day if not more just looking at stuff there. It is far superior to a craft show done by bored talentless grannies and housewives and a better selection of other stuff, not just what is popular and trendy. Some of the prices are way out there, and I've seen things just sit there that are lovely, but no one is going to pay XXXXX amount for THAT when someone else has something similar for 1/3. Alchemy is The Bomb ( YMMV) I am having someone else do my xmas knitting because a) my time lately is very limited because of my suckall craptacular job b) I"m not sure I can make 6 of this one thing consistently. c) I want to work on my first sweater. (I'm a knitter, too.) I've never sold anything there, but all of my purchases have been very very pleasant experiences.
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#26
08-01-2008, 04:13 AM
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That is amazing! When I win the 25 million dollar mega million lottery tonight, I will pay you $4000 for this work or a custom order AND give you a nice tip. the key word in this sentance is WHEN Nava your dog portraits are really good! Monstro ooooh, your vases and shop name are perfect! freckafree I like it! I didn't forget anyone, did I?
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#27
08-01-2008, 06:14 AM
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#29
08-01-2008, 08:28 AM
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I have 'hearted' everyone so far! You all are very talented.
Here is my shop . I haven't sold anything yet, but I have been very happy with the ease of posting there and as soon as I can I am getting a better camera and taking better pictures and will be doing other things to increase my traffic. I know people who have done very well there, and people who haven't sold a thing. But I guess that's just the way it goes. Last edited by TheFaerie; 08-01-2008 at 08:31 AM. Reason: Because I wasn't finished yet.
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#31
08-01-2008, 07:27 PM
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My piece Your piece
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#32
08-01-2008, 08:08 PM
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Hey, thanks, LavenderBlue and Shirley Ujest!
I'll take you up on that offer, Shirley, though I'm supposed to win the lotto as part of my retirement planning, so there's a conflict of interest, here. Man, I'm gonna be spending a lot of time looking on Etsy tonight! Last edited by zweisamkeit; 08-01-2008 at 08:09 PM.
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#33
08-01-2008, 11:02 PM
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Last edited by NajaNivea; 08-01-2008 at 11:03 PM.
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#34
08-01-2008, 11:42 PM
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Ooooh! "Knitwicks" comes to mind. Swell afghan colours!
I am an Etsy buyer of... well, I've bought a couplefewdozennnnn items there. I have loved them all, and only one seller bailed out, and my credit card refunded the money even though it was past the PayPal time limit of 45 days. One thing that I absolutely LOVE about Etsy is that I can get someone else to sew custom garments for me, for what I consider to be ridiculously low prices (100 dollars or less!). I sew, you see, but when I get burned out on sewing (as happens from time to time, like since February when I finished a full-length, fully lined Vogue melton coat with velvet trim for my preteen daughter), it doesn't mean I stop liking clothing custom-made to my measurements. That's where Etsy comes in! And for cards... and baubles... and gifts... mmmEtsy. As a buyer, I can only advise you to: ship fast, and ship honestly i.e. estimate shipping reasonably, but refund overage. If someone emails you saying, "I have not yet received this item," respond with the date and method you shipped the item, not just, "Well, I sent it, so it should be there any day now." The one seller who bailed out on me lied outright saying she had shipped the (custom-ordered) item, then later apologized for "letting my personal life get in the way of my professionalism." This was complete nonsense, and merely irritating. Etsy deleted her shop (which had well over 300 positive feedbacks when I ordered my item) after she reneged on several deals at once in the same fashion. Honesty is the best policy -- if you can't deal for whatever reason, say so. "Little extras" so often included with purchases are very nice, but I honestly prefer simple courtesy and pleasantness in the convos around the purchase, a reasonably quick turnaround, and a product that appears as advertised. That's all it takes to make me leave effusive feedback and return to the seller later. A little handwritten card with the purchase is no more costly than a bit of cardstock and goes a long way in terms of adding a personal touch -- it's really all you need. Price is not a big issue with me as a buyer. As a needleworker and sewist I understand how much work goes into these things, and if I like something unique, I will pay, period. Price what you think things are worth, not necessarily what you think people will pay. Experiment and see what happens. Great photographs of your items will convince buyers that they can see what they're paying for -- that's very important because you don't get to see or touch the items until they arrive, of course. Good luck with your enterprise!
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#35
08-02-2008, 07:48 AM
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You have one successful shop yourself! You should be proud. Last edited by monstro; 08-02-2008 at 07:51 AM.
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#36
08-02-2008, 08:19 AM
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I don't know if you've already seen this, but it can't hurt - here is the Etsy Selling FAQ.
As an Etsy buyer I think it works best when a seller spaces out their listings. If you have 5 items to list and put them all up at once it's very easy to miss if I'm not browsing the category or checking recently listed items at that particular time. Staggering them gives buyers more of a chance to find your item. If you can, please put international shipping costs in the listing. I love, love, love when sellers do this, it makes buying from them so much easier. In general I find Etsy a lot friendlier than eBay. The shipping and product prices are very reasonable and I enjoy buying straight from the artist. There's such an amazing variety of stuff and I'm boggled by how talented some people are.
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#37
08-02-2008, 08:46 AM
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Thanks, I appreciate it. I really, really love what I get to do for a living--the whole thing was a hobby that got a little out of hand. Evidently people spend money on their pets... who knew?
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#38
08-02-2008, 11:57 AM
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Another listing technique that really works well for me is using two kinds of listings: pre-made pieces and custom work. Some of the listings are for particular collars, things I've made for the online galleries in my main website or just pieces that I made for fun--things I already have made and on hand. Other listings are for a custom piece in a particular size for a set price. You can control the number of orders you get by adding custom listings whenever you have the time for a new project.
It's convenient for buyers, because it allows people to order exactly what they want, and effectively nets you an alchemy sale without the buyer having to go through the extra steps of an alchemy request. It saves you the trouble of setting up a jillion different listings for every possible color, size, stitch option, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum, assuming that all scarves of a certain size will be the same price. Take photos of every piece you make, and over time when you collect two or three scarf photo sets, you can then set up a listing for a custom piece. You can tell them in the description that custom pieces are handmade to order and therefore take X amount of time to do. If someone requests something particular that will change the cost of production, you can set up a custom listing for them with their order specs and custom price. You might take a photo of your yarn stash artfully displayed for the fifth photo slot and allow people to choose their colors that way, which if you're a yarn collector might help you use up stuff from your stash, too Another nice thing about the custom listing is that you get to display up to five times as many items as you would making single-item listings, which is really helpful in both directions if you want to be able to show off a lot of things in less space, or if you need to pad out your shop. People like options and variety, and it's fun to be able to deliver exactly what someone wants. I also find it totally gratifying to get project ideas--things that might never have occurred to me to make. In addition, you have single item listings, your projects that are ready to be re-homed. Instant gratification for buyers who want stuff ready to ship, and also lets you clear out your project drawer! Last edited by NajaNivea; 08-02-2008 at 11:59 AM.
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#39
08-02-2008, 12:07 PM
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Oh, and about the time-frame for a custom piece, lots of people don't mind waiting to get exactly what they want. I ordered a pizza stone which has taken months and months to finish and I am so excited to get it this week. I was happy to wait knowing that it was a tricky request I made, and I was happy to fork over some bucks for it, too!
On the other hand, doing custom stuff sometimes makes it "work" instead of trading cash for fun projects, so YMMV on that one. That's kinda how I fell into it--so be careful about it taking over your life
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#40
08-02-2008, 12:12 PM
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Okay I swear I am about to stop spamming the thread, but this seemed apropos: Storque article on choosing a shop name.
Last edited by NajaNivea; 08-02-2008 at 12:14 PM.
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#41
08-02-2008, 02:38 PM
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Not spamming, at all, Naja -- your comments are extremely helpful, as are Kayeby's, gorgonzola's, and, well, everyone's. I'm defnitely going to do this, but prob. not till after I'm back from vacation in two weeks.
Knitwicks is good -- I'm thinking I may dig out and sell some of my old needlepoint projects, though -- so maybe something about stitchery in general? (Hell, if people can put a new username up for voting here, why not an Etsy shop name?) Thanks, all --
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#42
08-02-2008, 03:11 PM
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Twickstitch? I like Knitwicks and Twick's Knits both--any syllable combination is fun to say.
I think even if you sell the needlework, it's fine to have a knit-centric name if that's your main focus. My store name says "leather" but I also sell drawings and other art from time to time. Stitchin Twicks? Twicks Stitches? Knittin Twicks? Knitcentric Twicks? Twisted Twicks? Twisted Knickers? Kickin' Tits? Last edited by NajaNivea; 08-02-2008 at 03:14 PM.
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#43
08-02-2008, 05:18 PM
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I just saw that on Etsy and came here to post that very thing!
Freckafree, your stuff is fabu. Quote:
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#44
08-03-2008, 03:46 PM
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As soon as I read that I thought "Stitchery Twicks"
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#45
08-04-2008, 08:27 AM
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Shop Names
I'm serious about letting you guys vote on a shop name for a shop selling mostly knitgoods, maybe some needlepoint. Here are the suggestions so far:
TwicksKnits TwicksTwistedKnits TwicksTwists HowsTwicks Knitwicks Twickstitch StitcheryTwicks (Apparently the names are no spaces, no punctuation, thus the form some of these take.) Any other ideas? any preferences amongst these?
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#49
08-04-2008, 10:40 AM
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Whichever one you'd most like to see on your shop banner. (Yes, I suggested Knitwicks, but it ain't my shop.)
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