It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy! I now have all of the tissue paper examples I wanted completed. I’ve also finished all of my rose examples, I now have about 10 colors, examples of bouquets and the other items I want to sell.

Now it is on to the hard part – figuring out how etsy works. I’ve set up my new gmail account (perfectlypaper@gmail.com) to put all my etsy emails in a nice little folder that I haven’t opened since I joined Etsy. Now I’m going through and finding that when you have an account with etsy, they send you tons of newsletters and updates on new features on the site and lots of articles on how to be successful, how to price your items, stories for newbies like me, etc.

The Basics of Etsy

Never used etsy before? Neither had I. There are still tons of things I don’t know about the site that I’m hoping I pick up as I go. I didn’t really grasp how long this site has been established, which means there has been plenty of time to accumulate lots of nifty features and sections.

The Storque

Here you can find all sorts of articles on tips, tricks and ideas for your shop. This is where the section on success stories from featured members who have quit their day jobs came from. Another very helpful article (more like a book really) is the How To’s of Selling Guide. This gives all the basic information you need to know about creating an account, opening your store, how to take pictures, pricing, advertising, marketing, blogging. TONS of useful information for someone like me that doesn’t know where to start.

Alchemy

Alchemy is a great addition to the regular buy/sell feature of etsy. Here buyers are able to request a custom item they are looking for. Similarly to the wanted section of Craigslist or your local newspaper, Alchemy allows you to have anything you want made for you – and you choose who you want to make it. As the buyer you give the specifics you want, the price tag you are willing to spend and the time frame you need it in. Sellers bid on your item and you decide based on pricing/feedback/examples, etc which seller you want to create your item for you. Here’s a help guide on how Alchemy works.

Virtual Labs

This is a great place etsy has, again for people like me that are new. They have tons of online classes and chat rooms to receive advise from fellow sellers. They do chats on how to quit your job, about being a newbie, allowing others to critique your store to help you be more successful. It’s a great place to get feedback from others and learn as you go. Check out the Virtual Labs!

Forums

Here etsy is set up much like a message board where you can ask questions on any topics and read fellow estians (is that a word?) questions as well. This is something I haven’t gotten into yet. Once I get everything else done and up on the site I want to start looking through the forums and post what I can. I think it’ll be a good way to interact with others on the site!

Through my newsletter emails I found two forum posts that I thought were useful. This one is on secrets others share on etsy tips and this one is on etsy tools you might not have know existed.

Other Cool Things

Blogging seems to be popular for etsians and many articles I read talk about it being a good tool to help boost your sales (or at least exposure). Once you set up your blog (through sites like WordPress, which I use, Blogger, Typepad, etc) you can register your blog on Technorati which helps people find your blog when using search engines. This article gives good advise on how to make your blog more popular.

Random site I found along the way…if you want to see what the top sellers on etsy are selling to try and figure out what you want to sell, or if you just want to look at the successful people and see how you compare, here is a good place to see the top sellers on etsy.

Right now I’m trying to not get overwhelmed, which is easier said than done. I want to be successful and I want to do things right, but the reality is I just don’t know much about etsy. I’m going to put up what I have, continue to work on more, try to post here often to give others advise and some humor and try to market myself the best I can. I’m hoping I can pick up on everything else I need to know as I go!