Hot Etsy Seller Tips from the Etteam

The Etsy Treasury Team is not just about making Etsy treasuries. We're a pretty fabulous group of Etsy sellers that have expertise in many areas. We do monthly shop critiques of our members shops, host giveaways, and share a lot of awesome marketing and selling tips with each other. We thought it would be fun to have each Etteam member share one of their favorite Etsy seller tips and share them with you here - so you can benefit too! We hope after you've read through our tips, you'll drop us a comment with your favorite Etsy tip as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Etsy Treasury Team

1. From Reema of Trendie Treasures: Customer is the King! A happy customer will come back and bring more customers..... for an online business I would engage with customers to make sure his needs are catered to in every way and he's happy.

2. From Rose of Waterrose: With the changes at google you have an excellent SEO tool built right into your browser. Have you noticed when you type in a word/phrase to search for something up pops a list of suggestions? The suggestions are the top keyword/phrase searches on google. Choose to use the top, or choose to use the middle choices where the field is less crowded. Use some of these words at the top of your item description or in blog articles or titles.

3. From Shay of Just Peachy: When you create a new listing if you don't want to post it just yet here is a quick way to put your listing on "hold" until you are ready. Create your new listing, but on the last page, before you click "finish", go to your favorites folder in your browser. Create a folder called etsy items need to list or whatever you want to call it. Then add this page to your favorites, and make sure it's in the folder that you made so you can easily find it again. After you have done this, close down the browser. Come back any time you are ready to list by just going to your favorites folder, open the page and just click "finish".

4. From Pam of PJLacasse: One of the biggest things you can do (to improve sales and views) is Networking.

5. From Nicole of Nikid: Treat your Etsy shop as you were a speciality shop: Offer great customer service and go the extra mile. Your customers will not only appreciate it, they will give you more business in turn.

6. From Jaci of ByTheWay, ByTheWaySide & ByTheBy: I struggled so with photography - everything was so dark and when I lightened them in Picasa, it just made it look like there was a white fog on the item.  Then I found the "EV" setting (Exposure Value) on the camera.  I set it to plus .3 or .6 and it opens the aperture to admit more light, while keeping the shutter speed constant.  It takes away the dim look of photos.  If there is one tip I would give for people wishing to be in a treasury, it would be to make sure your photos are light, clear and crisp!  Easily achievable with this tip!

7. From Donna of ValentineFiberArts: My Etsy tip is to join some Etsy teams.  Teams will offer you a variety of benefits.  First you will meet alot of nice people and then you will have Etsy friends.  Teams offer support when you have a difficult customer, tips on sales and other marketing stratgies.  The combination of team members will offer to you a wealth of knowledge and team support.

8. From Karrita of MyMother's Garden: My favorite tip to share is about the importance of tagging your items for free advertising.  Tags are the keywords  that  sellers use to help people find the items in our shops when they search on Etsy or any search engine that will then link back to your shop. When creating tags for your listings you'll want to include style, texture, size, motif and patterns, and specific colors. If you come up with the best tags for your items you may be pleasantly surprised to find your items pictured on Google with a link directly to your shop. (For more detailed information on tagging your items for maximum exposure check out this great article from the Etsy Treasury Team:  http://etsytreasuryteam.blogspot.com/2009/03/tagging-for-maximum-exposure-in-etsy.html).

9. From Lauren of Originals by Lauren: I do alot of alchemy and custom orders. First of all, I ask alot of questions to make sure we are both on the same page.  Then I save all emails and convoes until after the item is received and positive feedback is left. This way if there is any confusion, I have proof of what they asked for.

10. From Heather of Nifty Knits: My top tip is to embrace the international spirit of Etsy by making sure you have shipping profiles in place for across the world. Google Analytics showed me that in last month alone my shop received visits from 57 different countries. It would be foolish of me not to ship to any of them with an urge for a meerkat! With time zone differences it's best not to rely on potential buyers sending you a request for a shipping quote, Etsians are often impulse buyers, I don't want to have to wait for hours while you sleep and have a life before checking a price for me, so please add some in now!

11. From Krystle of DKJewels:  Always be your own critic. It can be very easy to get stuck in one specific mode of doing things. I am always having to force myself to take a step back and see what I can improve on. I have redone my pictures many many times. Constant improvement is a must in my opinion. It keeps things fresh and new.

12. From Yael of TheJoyofColor: We all know that a good photo is essential for selling on line.  My best tips (after a year of experience) are: Buy a good camera it makes all the difference, ( I have an SLR Nicon DX); Try to take picture in daylight  colors looks better and correct; Shoot some basic plain picture that shows your item as it is; For the first picture - the eye catcher try to shoot a more "artistic" Styled or close up, a unique angle that inspires the imagination.

13. From Teresa of TeresasPrimTreasures: My best tip is join a team! It's amazing what you can learn from others!

14. From Jenny of AuthenticArts: The most important tip I have about getting good pictures is to play with the settings on your camera!  (I use a point and click digital camera beside a large north window, I set the jewelry on a grey background and have white mat-board set up on two sides to reflect light onto it.)  But the most important part is that I set my camera to "snow" scene setting, adjust the exposure to +2/3, put it on macro and turn off the flash.  The only editing I need is an auto contrast!  Better and faster pictures.  (I use different settings for portraits with the same fast results.)

15. From Celeste of CricketsCreations: It's helped me tremendously to have confidence in my own creativity and ignore any doubts. I am a big believer in designing all my own work.  Rather than looking at others’ designs for ideas, I follow my own inspiration or my customers’ custom orders.  I even have a little chant I made up that I often sing while working:

Follow your heart
Do what you want to do
Follow your heart
Do what you were born to do

16. From Lauren of LeapingGazelle: Get connected! Become involved in a community in the best way that fits your art, your schedule and your life. Running a business can sometimes feel like a lonely venture, and meeting up with other creative minds, whether it's on the internet or in person can help fuel your creativity, give you ideas for marketing your business, and provided you with people power... because you don't have to figure out everything yourself. There are so many people who've already done the legwork willing to share what they've learned.  I highly recommend joining an Etsy team, getting involved in twitter or flickr, or finding a local group in your creative medium.... it's amazing the amount of energy and ideas a group of creative minds can generate.

17. From Sandie of ZaftigDelights & KnitzyBlonde: Never say never: Think about the amount of time we sellers put into promoting our shops - its a lot! So if someone actually makes the effort to find me and convos me about something they want - (recently someone asked me to copy a pattern of a favorite dress which I do not normally do) or anything that I'm not used to doing, say YES! Its a great way to add to your repertoire. If someone asks for something that I do not normally do - do the research and see if it is possible. Most of the time, the buyers are willing to pay the extra dollars it may be to accommodate their request. So don't let potential customers walk away - get out of your comfort zone and give it a shot!

18. From Lynn of MidnightCoiler: Always acknowledge a sale as soon as you receive it. Send a personalized email using the the buyer's first name, when, how and what you'll ship, confirm their special instructions, give a heart-felt thank you and sign your name.