Any Etsy sellers want to chat / share tips?

[SinkGirl]

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve restarted my Etsy shop (well it has been up and running for five years, but I was pregnant when I started it then I had twins who are both disabled so I haven’t touched it in four years - I’ve just been selling digital downloads, so it’s just been ticking over with very very few sales (about 40 last year).

I’ve added lots of new items including a kit and have been trying to get back into the swing of social media as my pages had died a death. It’s hard going but feel like I’m getting somewhere (have turned over as much in the last month as I did all of last year).

I have a mammoth to-do list including taking all new photos, and restarting my shop selling finished items to run alongside my templates and kits.

I’ve been out of it for so long that I feel like I’m starting from scratch.

Would be lovely to talk to others about how they are doing, share tips on getting the best results, making listings as effective as possible, share info on things like where to order packaging and stuff like that.

Anyway, I’m here if anyone wants to chat :)

@SinkGirl

I hate photography so much - haven’t managed to take any photos I’m happy with yet. My house seems so light but as soon as you point a camera at something it’s all so dark. Have tried smaller lights and light panels but looks like I might actually have to get some proper lighting - just don’t have space at the moment!

I have a photoshopping shop and also do digital paintings. If you send me your photos etc I can sort them out for you. I have done some mockups for a nice lady who does nursery prints and have photoshopped them into settings which she loves. I do it for free but she has done a couple of beautiful cards for me in return. I'll do it for free provided it's not too time consuming as I love playing with the software x

Open to others too 😀. Free!

That’s such a kind offer thank you - I’ll try to get some decent ones to work from and get in touch, will happily make you a paper cut in return :)

I do digital painting from photos and just send a jpg digitally for the customer to print out (too lazy to print myself lol).

A repeat customer from America (think Martha's Vineyard territory) has a high end photography business doing those fancy baby and pregnancy shoots. She charges in the £100s for this service but it's very labour intensive so I'm sure it is worthwhile.

She also offers a painting service where she does a digital paint of one of the photos. She just 'paints the pixels' on the original photo, so it's not a real creative exercise, although looks nice. I paint digitally using Artrage and do the full sketching, painting, blending and so on using the photo as a reference. So takes a lot longer. She takes my digital jpg and then prints it out and gives it to her customer. Her website doesn't print prices and I am dying to know what she charges as I only charge £15 because I enjoy it so much and don't want payment. She doesn't have time to do the work herself.

Anyone any idea what she would likely charge?

@SinkGirl

That’s such a kind offer thank you - I’ll try to get some decent ones to work from and get in touch, will happily make you a paper cut in return :)

Just message me here and I'll send info on the best transfer method to preserve the quality of the photos x

@worktrip

I do digital painting from photos and just send a jpg digitally for the customer to print out (too lazy to print myself lol).

A repeat customer from America (think Martha's Vineyard territory) has a high end photography business doing those fancy baby and pregnancy shoots. She charges in the £100s for this service but it's very labour intensive so I'm sure it is worthwhile.

She also offers a painting service where she does a digital paint of one of the photos. She just 'paints the pixels' on the original photo, so it's not a real creative exercise, although looks nice. I paint digitally using Artrage and do the full sketching, painting, blending and so on using the photo as a reference. So takes a lot longer. She takes my digital jpg and then prints it out and gives it to her customer. Her website doesn't print prices and I am dying to know what she charges as I only charge £15 because I enjoy it so much and don't want payment. She doesn't have time to do the work herself.

Anyone any idea what she would likely charge?

You should outsource your printing - have a look at print on demand services, there are some that do framed art prints.

You really need to charge more - that must take so much time. How long does it take you? Please don’t undersell yourself!

I commissioned a well known (big following online, books published etc) digital artist to create something for DH - his rate was £350 per day, but he can charge that as he’s very in demand.

My work usually works out at £10-20 an hour depending on the size (I drop my rate when working on something that will take days).

Do you have a shop yet?

I have used a few apps etc to put prints on to walls in nice rooms etc but that’s so much easier with a digital item. With my paper cuts it’s really tricky as you want to capture the depth and shadows but it means taking a really good well lit photo and that’s where I struggle. Will try more outside now the weather is nice!

@SinkGirl Yes I have a shop. It's had very little new work in recent months and I'm not that bothered as the weather is nice and only returning customers, so somehow I've been pushed right down the ratings www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FabFantasyPhotos

I need to add new items I think but full on digital painting is much time consuming, but I can't bring myself to raise prices.

Photographing your products would be quite challenging I think if you are trying to capture different planes and highlights. I would give it a go though.

Wow. They are beautiful. Honestly I know it sounds counter intuitive but I think you’d sell more if your prices were higher - if I were buying I would look at the price and expect something that was rushed and not very good (I’ve seen too many Etsy listings where people use other people’s photos for their listings and then make something that’s nowhere near as good). If you can find a way to offer prints and framed prints without too much effort I think you’d sell more too - it’s quite easy to get something printed but most people don’t realise that and may put them off.

Really lovely work!

@SinkGirl Thank you. Food for thought there. My latest ones are actually much nicer and fully painted, but not added yet. Most of my commissions were from America before my shop died (coincided with Etsy changes) so the digital upload was easier.

When the summer ends I think I will look at your suggestions. I do need to sort things out... Your creations look lovely but very labour intensive. I can imagine that is so soothing if not rushed, but a nightmare trying to rush!

Hello, worktrip, I love your pictures! Especially the fairy pirate ones, so cool!
Agree with sinkgirl, £15 make them sound rushed ang not very good. There are crappy prints from China selling for that. Also how long do they take? And how much would you earn in tescos?!
If you let me know where website I can get my American cousin to call her and ask prices!

Sinkgirl, I think it’s quite easy to add shadows on Photoshop tho sure you know that!

@whyMrsRobinson

Sinkgirl, I think it’s quite easy to add shadows on Photoshop tho sure you know that!

I have tried that but they don’t look right. Plus I still have to get a good photo in the first place! I think I just need to try and get well lit photos straight on with them in a box frame so shadows are cast and then I can at least use one of the frame apps like Canvy to put them on a wall (Canvy is really good if anyone is looking - you can set the size so it’s in proportion too)

At some point I guess I will get better lighting

@SinkGirl

I bought an Officejet 7110 A3 printer and I’m really happy with the print quality. Especially if you use good paper for prints. I bought some packs from Amazon (think the brand is Marrutt- I got the matte paper in A4 and A3) and they come out really well. No scanner etc but I don’t need that.

I use DigitalPrinting for all my labels, booklets etc. They have a minimum cost of £15 per item (eg. 50mm round labels, or postcards) but you can upload different versions of the artwork for a couple of quid per item type. So I just buy as many of the item as I can for £15. They are quick and reliable and good quality.

@Sinkgirl - Hope you don't mind me asking a question about DigialPrinting

I've been looking at ordering from the website and the variations has confused me, does that mean I could order 100 flyers and have 25 of 4 different designs? And how does that affect the PDF i 'd send them?

Hope you don't mind me asking ☺ I've confused myself!

When you get to the quote page of a product, you can enter quantity and number of variations there.

If you entered 100 for quantity and 4 artwork versions, you’d get 100 of each design. So if you only want 25 of each, put 25 in that first box, then 4 versions.

It will let you upload 4 files if you do this, and they have templates you can download if you’re using illustrator or photoshop.

I’ve been watching this thread for a while and have seen so many beautiful things that are now on my Christmas gift list for friends and family!

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether Etsy offers a subscription payment option? Or would someone have to commit to the full spend outright (or maybe re-order monthly?).

I’m trying to find the best platform to use and struggling a bit at the moment!

Brilliant thank you explaining ☺

@Someaddedsugar

I’ve been watching this thread for a while and have seen so many beautiful things that are now on my Christmas gift list for friends and family!

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether Etsy offers a subscription payment option? Or would someone have to commit to the full spend outright (or maybe re-order monthly?).

I’m trying to find the best platform to use and struggling a bit at the moment!

Do you mean as a seller? The fees you pay outright? It's low fees until you make a sale just the listing fee but you can often get this for free

@doadeer I mean more a subscription service that can be purchased for a monthly kids subscription box. I’m still mulling the idea over and considering where/how I could sell it.

Etsy is the right sort of platform but whether it’s got the potential to have a recurring payment I wasn’t sure. I know that a couple of the build-a-shop sites do such as Big Cartel.

Ohhh no I don't think you can do that. Probably need own site for that. You could use etsy to attract Sellers then in the box and follow up have details of the subscription service?

@Someaddedsugar

I’ve been watching this thread for a while and have seen so many beautiful things that are now on my Christmas gift list for friends and family!

I was just wondering if anyone knows whether Etsy offers a subscription payment option? Or would someone have to commit to the full spend outright (or maybe re-order monthly?).

I’m trying to find the best platform to use and struggling a bit at the moment!

For selling you mean?

The only essential upfront costs for Etsy are the listing fees - it’s $0.20 for each listing for three months, then you have to renew it for the same amount. If you had a quantify of 10 on one listing, you’d just be charged the $0.20 and then if it sells you’d be charged $0.20 to renew it.

The rest of the costs only happen when you make a sale (unless you opt into Etsy ads which gets your listing higher in the ranking, but you don’t have to do this) so it’s really cheap to start :)

However, if you sign up using this link, your first 40 listings will be completely free (and I’ll get 40 free listings too when you start listing) so you can set up without spending anything and see how it goes :)

etsy.me/3itJRkS

Oh I see - no, sadly they don’t offer that yet. I agree - I would still sell one off items on Etsy as it’s good for getting in front of people, and include a flyer about your subscription. I know people who run subscription services just via their social media accounts - I don’t know if shopify or similar have this option.

Of course you could sell like a 1, 3, 6 or 12 month subscription on Etsy (I’ve seen people do this on not on the high street as well) but it would have to be upfront.

What are you selling?

Thank you@SinkGirl - appreciate the feedback and that is a good idea.

To be honest it's probably not the best idea, but more recently for gifts I've been making up boxes that go with books and other little bits for the younger ones in our family and they have genuinely loved them, and my niece asked if she can have one every month which led me to wonder if it was worth a try to see if it would take off. Almost like a themed box through the post. There are other sellers out there but they're independent websites for £30+ a month which seems excessive for the content, whereas to be honest it'd be more for the love of reading for me!

Did anyone see the new seller star notification?

I don't send mine tracked so rubbish for me

@doadeer I missed that. what’s it about?

www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/introducing-star-seller/1021005855344

Should be at top of your shop as an announcement