Saturday, March 1, 2008
I've been selling jewelry on Etsy for about 5 months. I've really been surprised at the number of pieces I' ve sold. Right now I'm averaging about a sale a day! That may not seem like a lot to most people - I'm definitely not making a fortune. But I didn't intent to support myself. I was just hoping to break even on the costs of a relatively expensive hobby. Plus, Etsy was an easy first step in learning about selling on the internet.
One of the early lessons I learned is that some things sell better than others.
Duh.
That may sound simple to you, but it's a very important observation.
I'd been creating jewelry for years but never tried to sell anything. I was just experimenting with techniques and styles. So I had built up an inventory of all kinds of stuff: beaded necklaces, dangle earrings, lampwork bracelets, my early metalwork.
So when I opened up my Etsy shop, I had many different kinds of jewelry listed.
Sales started slowly. My early sales were forged silver earrings. So I listed more styles. And they kept selling. So I made more new designs and got better at metal work, which I also really enjoy. And my forged silver jewelry kept selling.
My conclusion? Observing sales trends and responding to them was key to increasing sales. (OK, that sounds so elementary. But remember, I was a science major, not a business major, so I'm a little slow at these things.)
In case you're interested in which are my top selling items, the top 3 sellers in my Etsy shop are:
1. The Unfurling Earrings
2. Minimalist swirls
3. Silver Scroll Earrings
I'll be listing some more of my observations about selling on Etsy in upcoming posts.
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thanks for sharing :)
Thanks! That's very kind of you.
But what I just realized is my top 3 sellers are (in my personal opinion) my 3 best photographs.
I'll be posting an article on photography and Etsy selling in the near future.
your items are lovely of course so that always helps along with great photos.