I get asked a lot by people on how did I get so many sales so quickly so here is what I do:

1.  Paid for someone to make me an awesome avatar and banner so that I get noticed very quickly

2.  Have at least a page full of product available with different ranges of prices.  I find that I sell quickly with my items that are priced lower than $12.  But I have sold a few puppets in the $25 range and three to one person so you never know.

3.  Get noticed.  I make sure that my eyeball avy is plastered all over Etsy.  I post in the forums because people look at the avatar and say....hmmmmmm.....and click!

4.  Stake out a treasury.  In Esty there is a free "promotional" spot that you can try to get if you are lucky.  There are only 150 available and spots open up at different times.  If you do get a treasury, you will want to list your favorite things.....DO NOT POST YOUR OWN ITEMS!!!  This is looked down on and then the whole "get noticed" becomes a negative one.  You will have your shop name on the treasury so people can look into your shop as well.

5.  Chat it up.  This is my favorite way of promoting and getting sales.  There is a chatroom in the forum section where you will find me almost every day chatting in there.  I love to chat but this is the coolest chatroom ever because you can post pictures of things on Etsy...including your own; however, I don't recommend posting your own pictures....be patient....people will snoop into your shop and post for you.  Make friends and they will continue to promote you by "word of mouth" even when you are not in the chat room.  I can almost gaurantee that if you mention "puppets" (that is what people call me in there) someone will know me.  I have gotten a majority of my sales this way.  Here is a big tip if you should venture into the rooms.....CHAT....there is nothing worse than a lurker and YOU WILL BE CALLED OUT.  It can get pretty fiesty in the room but just think of it as promotions and you will love it.

6.  List items as frequent as possible.  Every time you list something, it will be seen briefly on the front page.  I like to list something and then look at how many views I get almost instantly from the "newly listed" section on the front.  Which brings me to point #7.

7.  Take great and interesting photos of your items.  There is nothing worse than a boring "this is my such and such" picture.  You are able to have up to 5 pictures for each listing.  I try to get as many different photos as I can of my product.  I also find that those that have a great or funny picture tend to get more views.  I ignore bad photos and in turn shops....so be wise to make the most out of your pics.  I even include in my packages a signed picture of my puppet as a promotional stuffer.  Oh and another important note about listing photos....put your favorite picture in the first spot because this will be the picture that people will see in the chatrooms and will only see the other pictures if they click on it.  This is the same for in your shop.  Only the first pic will be seen in your list of items.  Also.....PLEASE....be sure to crop your pictures to square before you post.  There is nothing worse than seeing half of an item during the chatroom.  You see, it will show up great in your shop but in the chatrooms, they are cropped to square and also in the treasuries.  You definitely do not want to see just a puppet torso without a head.  You would be surprised at how many people do this.

8.  Pay attention to tags.  This is the most crucial thing that even the most seasoned Etsian has ignored.  I look at my "competition's" tags to see what they are using.  Tags are what people search for products such as "puppet" or "finger puppet."  What most newbies don't understand is that you can create your own tags.  When you are listing, just add the first "Etsy" tag that is already made and then in the next box, you can type whatever you want.  I was surprised to know that a friend of mine who has just celebrated her 1 year Etsyversary didn't know that you can create your own tag....WOW...I joke with her now saying "I can't believe you even lasted a year!!!"  Ha ha ha.

9.  Have low shipping.  This is one that I fudge around with the most.  There is nothing worse than seeing an item listed for $3 but then the shipping is $5....that just doesn't make sense.  I try to get as accurate shipping costs as I can.  I was surprised to find out that a lot of people look at the shipping to determine if they will buy or not.  This brings me to interntional shipping as well.  Some international buyers won't even look at your shop unless you have "everywhere else" shipping quotes.  This is true for measurements, too (although I have been really lazy about putting in metric measurements in my descriptions).

10.  Promote outside of Etsy.  So you all hear me talking about Etsy all the time....well, I do that a hundred times more in my daily life.  My car is PLASTERED with Etsy promos.  I have three yes three car magnets on my car.  Two have the picture of my banner and my etsy web address.  The other is on the back of my car that has the Etsy logo and my etsy address.  I also have a matching antennEYEball on my car.  You can see it in my shop (see I bet I made you want to go check it out....and my shop!)

Well I think I have worn out my fingers for the night.  If you can think up any other questions that I might have missed, please don't hesitate to ask me here or privately.  I LOVE TO CHAT!!!....and now it is time for me to hit the Etsy chat rooms....HA HA HA!!!

 :)Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

I know that I set up my etsy shop as a sideline, I am not sure yet how significant it will be (as I don't think my schedule from September will allow me much making time).  But I do want to get it right.  The only note of caution to the UK newbie is to bear in mind that all items inc shipping are in dollars so it is important to get the pricing right.  I have to go back and recalculate all of mine and re do all my shipping costs.

But we live and learn.

See you in the chat room!

Thanks Nikole

That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell. Now folks don't have a excuse to start selling on Etsy.

Billy D.

Thanks so much for the advice.  Advertising know-how does not come naturally for some of us. So we appreciate all the help we can get! 

Julie

These are great tips! I am starting a "Puppet Business" section on PuppetBuilding.com, could I possibly include this there? You'd of course be credited as the author and I can provide a link to your Etsy shop if you like.

You're a sharp cookie Nikole, and it's obvious that you have an excellent grasp on Etsy culture. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all of this stuff up for us in a clear and organized way. That's a lot of useful information, and will be extremely helpful. 

Thanks again!

 

Ron G.

Andrew....by all means use it.  I would be honored and I am so excited that I actually have some note worthy info to share with you all at last....hehe.

*UPDATE*

I wanted to add that there are new features to Etsy being built what seems to be every few months or so.  I recently tried out a showcase.  You pay like $7 to have a spot in a specific showcase of your choice.  It did not generate any sales for me nor anyone else I have talked to that has tried this.  I just wanted to let everyone know to save you a bit of money.

I also noticed that you can now have clickable links added to your Etsy site.  This is soooooooooo convenient.  Before, you had to ask people to copy and paste links to their browser.  Now, all you do is type in the address (i.e. in your shop announcement) and it will show up in blue font ready to be clicked.  I LOVE Etsy for adding this simple feature to each shop.  I am now able to link up my two shops in my shop announcements and make it easy for customers to find.

If you look in the community section of Etsy, you will find different rooms to explore.  Every once in awhile you will see workshops available.  Some can even be viewed in a live chat room with a live video feed of the workshop.  When the room is not in use, you can also use the room for your own video chat.  It is really interesting because there is nothing to download.  All you do is enter the room by clicking on whatever room entices you.

HAVE FUN EXPLORING!!!

Just wanted to pop up and say thank you to Nikole for those fantastic tips!  I haven't ventured over to give Etsy a whirl yet as a seller, but I've been very satisfied with my handful of jewelry purchases.  Etsy just gives a much friendlier feel than the intimidating behemoth that Ebay has become. 

PS:  I think you have one of the most adorable avatars!  If you had pink highlights in your hair, you could be the sister of a friend of mine! 

HA HA HA...you are welcome and I am actually getting red highlights added....funny.  Great minds think alike! :D

this is an extremely valuable post. thank you! i am bookmarking this.

ariella
http://www.puppetheap.com

Hi guys.

When you guys sell on Etsy, do you list the puppets in "Toys?"

I've got a couple of puppets there, and they're currently listed in Toys...just wondering if anyone else uses anything different.

Thanks!
Jeff

I don't list on Etsy, but I think if I did I would list under "Everything Else" or maybe even "Dolls and Minitures" depending on what type of puppet I was selling.  Now if you are marketing your puppets as toys for kids then I think yes you would list them in that category. 

Good idea.  I will probably end up going in Everything Else from now on. 

I definitely am not marketing them as toys...in fact, I mention right in the information that the puppets aren't toys. 

Everything Else should work pretty well.

I like your etsy-tutorial Nikole. I have to get rid of some marionettes and sale seem to be a good idea. Thank you for a good advice.