Calling all those who Etsy

[Stitchthis]

Do you have an etsy shop? If you do sell on etsy or shop and want to swap some ideas about how to increase profitability and sales then perhaps you'd like to join my new Mumsnet team on Etsy. Everything on there is so US orientated i thought having something more UK might be helpful.

Here's the link

[AngelsLieToKeepControl]

I don't yet, but will in the next month or so.

Do you find it worth it? What do you sell?

am also placemarking so I can join when my shop is up and running

[Stitchthis]

I sell antique quilts mostly and find it good for getting to the right audience. I'm still very much a beginner but am steadily increasing hits and have sold a couple of quilts at a profit so yes, it's worth it..

[FabricQueen]

Ohh, lovely! Thanks, will join. I sell Kindle and iPad cases, and I've only just started getting serious with it in terms of promotion, making lots of stuff for shop etc.
Also have a business facebook page, so if other MNers want to swap 'likes', that would be good too Find me on the MN team on Etsy.

[EsTutMirLeid]

fabricqueen do you make them yourself? They're great. I'll have a nose later. Because we are getting mil a kindle for Xmas and she would love one of those cases.

[didireallysaythat]

I buy from folksy rather than etsy - more UK based so no nasty custom charges or discovering they don't post outside the US...

[FabricQueen]

EsTut, yep I do. They are all handmade and custom fitted so can be made for any size gadget.

didi, I've heard about Folksy but never really checked it out. Maybe I will have a look and see, thanks.

[EsTutMirLeid]

Lovely. I'll have a browse later when DS isn't nagging me to get off MN and play with cars.

[Stitchthis]

Hurrah! Thanks fabric!

I Like folksy that, I can't sell on it because I haven't made the quilts myself. Also, Etsy seems to have a wider audience but I agree about customs charges. I tend to use a consolidation service and bring everything over in one go.

I set up a folksy shop for some of my digital stuff but, I have to admit I haven't set it up properly yet. Is folksy worthwhile?

[didireallysaythat]

I find folksy hard to search but I love the stuff on it and being little miss impatient I like not waiting for months when I've ordered from the USA by mistake (I know you can filter by country but somehow I wander off...)

[Stitchthis]

It normally takes a couple of weeks tops And then you get an exciting parcel!

[didireallysaythat]

Probably just me then. Months later and customs bills to pay on top. (Tip - ask them to mark it as a gift rather than a transaction and there's no customs bill).

[FabricQueen]

So I signed up to Folksy to see and listed one thing there, it seems okay but being the right stick-in-the-mud that I am, it just feels really weird and different! I wasn't keen and don't think I will be listing all my stuff on there as I am too busy making the stuff. I didn't feel like there was nearly as much footfall on the site as on Etsy.

I did however find a marvellous free plugin for FB called StoreYa (I think) that lets you import all your Etsy listings to your FB business page. Wheee! If anyone actually clicks to buy the item, they are just taken to the relevant listing on Etsy. I like it a lot. Worth a look if you have a page on FB.

Meanwhile I have had 3 sales in a week on Etsy and am feeling chuffed, thinking of upgrading my sewing machine with the money...

[GemmaTeller]

I have shops on both etsy and folksy plus two websites. I sell worldwide.

The views on my etsy shop are in triple figures daily, the views on my websites are in double figures daily and the views to my folksy shop are in single figures.

The search facility of etsy is far better than folksy and I love all the stats they provide you with.

At least once a month I get a partial sale on folksy where the customer has started the purchase then not paid.

Now that my views and sales on my websites have overtaken my folksy shop I have decided to close my folksy shop at the end of December.

All I need now is for my websites to overtake my etsy shops and hopefully I can reduce my etsy bills from triple figures each month

[AngelsLieToKeepControl]

I think I am just about ready to set up my facebook and etsy shops now.

I am really stuck on prices though, I really can't figure out what to charge.

This is a really basic and stupid question I know but how do you guys work out your prices?

[FabricQueen]

Someone told me on the Etsy forums that I should work out how much it cost to make the item, then x 4 it for a price. Then compare that price to what competitors are selling and see if it seems about middling for that item.

There is also an Etsy article about pricing that is quite helpful in their free online Seller Handbook, it's here: www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/a-simple-formula-for-pricing-your-work/

And the Seller Handbook is bloody good, it's to be found here: www.etsy.com/blog/en/2013/the-seller-handbook-archive/

[AngelsLieToKeepControl]

Thanks Fabric that was really helpful.

That's me got my first few items on there now.