I opened my ETSY shop in 2013 and already worked with thousands of awesome peeps that chose my blog design services. Recently, I hit 3000 sales on ETSY ( it’s actually over 3100 as I see it now ) and it seriously has been one helluva ride. Since last April, I’m now primarily selling through my website, but ETSY still brings me around 30-40 new customers every month.

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• The Ultimate Guide For Starting Your First Etsy Shop.
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Since my previous posts about maintaining and starting an ETSY shop were perceived very well, I figured you might want to know what 10 things I’ve learned after 3000+ sales on Etsy:

1. UPDATE YOUR LISTINGS REGULARLY

As much as it’s important to upload high-quality products on your first days, it’s also crucial to keep challenging yourself in making your listings better as you go along. I usually update all of my themes twice a year. I re-think my strategy, delete items that are no longer selling. Although that might not be necessary in all cases, if the item is not selling well I would also change the description or images, every little helps!

2. RENEW YOUR LISTINGS IF SALES ARE GOING SLOW

This happened to me hundreds of times; I’d go days without even a single sale and once someone purchases one of my designs, I’d get three more orders in the next half an hour. It happens because when bought, your listings move to ‘most recent’ area. It gets discovered this way easier, so don’t forget to renew your items manually from time to time if you’re not getting any sales.

3. DON’T LET YOURSELF DOWN BY THE SLOW PERIODS

Don’t worry, if you’ve stumbled upon this post because you’re having a quiet period on your ETSY shop- that’s OK. Dedicating time for research, improving your products & connecting with potential customers is all that you must do during slower weeks or even months. Just remember- you’re not the only one, and we’ve all been there! Of course, it’s always a great idea to prepare yourself in advance for the times like this, so next time you make some extra income from your shop- save a little & pay yourself a set salary every month.

4. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A KEY

As in any other business- your customers are always right. Make sure to reply as soon as possible, include any extra info that you think might be helpful & feel free to offer a cheeky discount for your returning customers. It’s all about the little things that help you stand out from the crowd!

5. PRE-WRITE ANSWERS TO FAQS

Trust me, creating FAQ page is the best you can do to yourself & your business. Not only I share a link to my FAQ with every first-time customer, but I also sent out pre-written messages to save time. Every time I get a question I already answered thousands of times, I’d just copy & paste the reply to the enquirer. Doing this saves me lots of time that I can then use to create more products & market them. I love answering emails & messages every morning with a cup of coffee in my hand, but if I can do it faster, friendlier & still provide all the valuable info, why wouldn’t I?

6. SEO IS SOOO IMPORTANT

As with any other page online- you must think about scoring high on SEO with your Etsy shop. Make sure you use keyword rich shop & listing titles, write detailed descriptions, label your items right & share a link to your shop along social media & blogosphere.

8. ASK FOR REVIEWS

So the reality is- people are lazy. I personally rarely leave a review if I didn’t have any issues with the product purchased. However, if I ever get emailed with a request for leaving a review- I would go ahead & do it! I realize the importance of honest feedback & that’s why I email my customers to remind them that they can leave a review on my shop and help other bloggers with their experience. I also recommend leaving their link for some extra exposure there!

9. SET CORRECT PRICING

I see this happening all the time- new ETSY sellers start their shop with lowest prices thinking they will beat all of their competitors just because of affordability. The truth is, Etsy buyers usually prefer quality items. To them, the higher price means better item & I don’t blame them! I definitely see a point in paying more as then you can expect more. For this reason, the last time I raised my prices, I started offering free installation services with all of my themes.

10. JOIN THE COMMUNITY

ETSY is all about the community, so go ahead and have some fun, make friends & attend few local meet-ups. Meeting people that work in the same area as you can do wonders to your state of mind and business in general.

Hope you enjoyed this post, folks! Let me know how your ETSY shops are doing or if you’re thinking of starting one soon!