Am I Invisible on Etsy or WHAT?

[Fridaboatswain]

I know I'm not, btw but I'm feeling the tiniest bit disheartened that no one's even looking at my page after 2 weeks. I've paid £1 per day upon request from Etsy to try to drum up a bit of interest with a 3 second ad every 48 hours or something, but I'm thinking of just gathering up my bits and bobs and just having a car boot sale

I'm a silversmith, sell silver jewellery around the £18 - £30 mark and free P&P. It's nice stuff, according to people I've gifted it too

I'm not linking to the page because I'm not using MN as advertising, but I would genuinely love some seasoned advice!

Btw, I've been on MN 14 years (trying to fend off any forthcoming accusations of spamming) and using a new name tonight to post something sensitive, but just doing this first.

Thanks for any advice.

Absolutely make sure you're using all 13 (?) tags to cover all bases in terms of keywords people may search.

I think the etsy market is saturated. Its taken me about 5 months to get one sale. DS said something about algorithms meaning the shops with more sales come up first on the searches so the newer shops don't get a look in

That said, your stuff sounds just up my mums street and I need a present for her. She's amazing so deserves something special. Any clues as to how I can find you? Or can you PM me a link?

I used to see jewellery on Etsy. It takes a lot longer than 2 weeks to get going. It’s a saturated market. There’s a definite knack to it so keep going.

Join the Facebook group "Not on Amazon". It's full of Etsy sellers and a great way to generate interest in your wares.

As you haven't posted anything sensitive under this name yet, don't. Keep this one for the jewellery & use a new one for that.

I hate Etsy, but I'd love to look at your jewellery! Please add it PM a link.

Best of luck! I'd need a lot of help to get going online. Give me a spot in an actual market anyway!!

I think you need to add some very specific tags. People go on Etsy searching for something they can’t get anywhere else.
For example, I searched for ‘hare pendant’ ‘hare necklace’.
Make sure you put on tags for the subject of your items, not just the type of thing it is.
A frustrating thing as a buyer is that i want something unique and handmade and it’s all mass produced factory tat. Could you put a tag to make it clear that your stuff is genuinely handmade?

Get on pinterest!

Please DM me slink, sounds right up my street.

Also very interested in this jewellery- link pls!

I sell on Etsy (not jewellery) and yes, you need to use all your tags. You really do need to be on all social media to get the widest market possible.

What you sell is really really common on Etsy it's pretty much most of Etsy! which means you need to work much much harder to be seen.

Look at your photos. Can you make the primary photo (the thumbnail) more eye catching? Plain white background doesn't seem to be cutting it these days.
Look at the top sellers of the sort of products you sell and learn from them.

Are you adding the short video to your listings? If not, add that.
I have a rotating thingie that I put my stuff on and film it for 15 seconds. People do seem to like it.

Join FB, Instagram and all that and have some giveaways. Join groups and be active in them - not just promoting your stuff but praising others on theirs. That's important because it makes you look friendly and supportive so always find something nice to say.

Keep at it. 2 weeks is nothing. It took me months to start getting regular sales.

I have a friend who sells jewellery on Etsy like you with limited success her prices are similar to yours, she has significantly more success at craft sales etc, its not my taste but people seems to like it. Like you she does casting and I know how long casing takes and she makes no little money. The market is very saturated but my husband works and sells in the design world he would say price is key. What people fail to understand is that price speaks and adds quality. I think her prices are too low compared with for example our local "craft barn" who are charging three times as much (I know they are charging a huge mark up). Her work is of similar quality/design to the stuff sold there but if I didn't know her jewellery I would think its of poor quality e.g. not sterling silver, not as well made.
I also think with jewellery you want to be able to hold it in your hand and put it on.

Placemarking! I have an Etsy shop and by some miracle have done well with macrame even though there are literally thousands of macrame artists on there!

I had a phone call from an Etsy advisor (mainly to push Etsy advertising credits!) He said tags and attributes were the most important things that get your products seen. Use keywords in your title but don't repeat them, so not 'silver earrings' 'flower earrings' silver jewellery'. Instead put 'silver earrings' 'flower jewellery' 'ladies studs' etc.

Download the Etsy seller app. On the main page under orders there's an orange link that says 'view all traffic details'. If you press that it will take you to a list of popular search terms that brought customers to you.

Neil Patel website is excellent for seo. He has different sections for Etsy, Instagram and websites. Good luck!

Also meant to add good photos are essential again with jewellery people have to understand be absolutely convinced they can see what they are getting.
I dont think my friends photos are quite up to it. The problem is proper professional photographs are very expensive to have done and the amount you're charging unlikely to justify the out lay. Youre in a catch 22.

Oh, and don't pay for Etsy ads until your shop is fully optimised. Otherwise you'll be throwing money down the drain.

Get your labels on Instagram too.

If I search #twigearrings will yours show up? If not why not? Go and make a comment on one of your posts ASAP and the really interested here will be able to find you eventually.

Etsy is saturated with nice but mundane stuff, I often end up using some quite odd search terms to find something a little different.

I know your issue is actually getting people to look at your offerings, but echo Isee, re pricing. Your prices sound low for what sound like quality products.

I personally have no tips but have enjoyed listening to the Rebel Entrepreneur podcasts about how to make a small business work. Good luck!

(That should’ve said sell)

Do some tiktok videos of your stuff? If they get picked up on the tiktok algorithm it could help.

As a consumer I’ve gone right off Etsy because I can’t tell if it’s hand-crafted or “cheap crap from China” and I’ve definitely seen the latter there.

You’d be better off on your own platform as Etsy seems to have drifted far from its origins.

Another one keen to see a link if you can

I am a star seller on Etsy and have made a very nice extra income there for about 4 or 5 years. But I sold nothing for my first year and it was all because I didnt realise the tags were necessary. Also, I am sure, once you make a sale, your listings become more prominent in Etsy so you naturally gain more visitors and eventually your sales escalate. Go back to your listings and add as many tags as they allow. Good luck.

I find the Etsy algorithm lines "little and often" so I try and list something every day/every other day.

Also, using the Camera+ 2 app has sooooo improved my photos. Worth every penny of the £6.99 cost.

Please link under this post then name change for your other post.