A Beginner’s Journey Through Etsy - Improving My Shop - Photographs

        I have been on Etsy for a little under 4 months now, but I have made quite a few improvements to my shop to make it better. I think in owning a shop on etsy, there are always ways to improve. As a shop owner, I am continuing to learn and grow. I have learned most from looking at information on Etsy, especially from reading Etsy blogs.  I am glad that I have made these improvements, and I would like to share them with you. 

It is very important to have good photographs of the items in your Etsy shop that represent your items well. This is obviously one of the first thing people see when they come to your shop, and they have the possibility of making a great impression. I have learned a lot when it comes to photographs. As a result of this, I have taken and retaken photographs of my items a few times. When taking photographs, you want to make the best impression possible. 

Photographs of my items have improved and changed a lot on my shop site. I started off with photographs that were taken directly from the top view in one uniform angle. The background was white with a wood backdrop, and I took it with the flash on my camera. Then, I saw on an Etsy blog that it is better to take photos at an angle to make them more interesting. I did this and took a second set of photos of all my items. This time I had a 4 colored background made up of construction paper. Then I saw, also on an Etsy blog, that it is better to take photos in natural light. I added this element with the photos at an angle, but had a blue and white clouds background. Some of my items still had a colorful background though. Finally, I read that it is better to have photos with a plain white background. I added this final element, but some of my older items still had a different background. I finally decided, to retake all my photos and make them all at an angle, with natural light, and with a plain white background. Was I happy with the results? Very much so. I say all this to take you through the progression I went through. Also, I wanted to share these tips that I’ve learned as a photographer of my products on Etsy. 

I hope you enjoyed what I shared, and can benefit from it. I will continue to discuss the improvements I have made in the coming blogs that I write. ‘Til then, hope you are enjoying your experience on Etsy!

Kelly Michelle

A Beginner's Journey Through Etsy: Sales!

One of the satisfying parts about being a shop owner Etsy is making sales. I mean that is one of the reasons why we are on Etsy, to sell our products and share them with others. That is actually our initial reason for joining, right? I wanted to touch on the subject in this blog post. I wanted to not only talk about my experience with sales, and how I got them, but also why being on Etsy is not just about getting sales.

When I first started, I was initially wondering when I would get my first sale.  I did get it within the first week of opening, and was super excited! Each month since then, I have steadily increased sales. I am currently at 37 sales, which is way more than I expected, as it can be tough to sell on Etsy. I am definitely not where I want to be, but I am continuing with Etsy in hopes my business will succeed to the extent that I want it to, and maybe even beyond that point. 

So what advice can I give for making sales? Promote, promote, promote. There are so many ways and avenues to promote on Etsy. You can, as I spoke of before, join teams. You can also join BNS and BNRs, where you can buy into these special treasury boards, and get your shop on them. More information about these are found in teams or treasuries search boxes. Just type in the keyword “BNS” or “BNR”.  There is also a tutorial on BNS and BNR boards here.  You can also advertise through sponsoring blogs, or put your shop information on your own blog, pinterest, twitter, and facebook. There are also craft fairs that you can sell your goods at to get more recognition. Telling friends and family about your shop helps as well. All in all, continuing to promote your shop is the best way to get sales.

I wanted to end with this thought: being a seller on Etsy, is not just about making sales. There is so much more to Etsy than just that. Being a shop owner on Etsy, is about sharing your craft with others, and being able to connect with others on Etsy. The community on Etsy is there for a reason. In the long run, it can help your shop to be a part of this community, regarding sales and such. Yet, there is so much more to learn and experience. Wishing you happy sales, but also a happy experience on Etsy!

Kelly Michelle

A Beginner's Journey Through Etsy: Talk About Teams

I have been on Etsy for more than 2 months now, and one of the best aspects of Etsy that I have discovered so far are the teams. What exactly do I mean by teams? Actually, Etsy has a lot of different teams that you are able to join as a buyer and/or seller on Etsy. Through being on teams, I have learned that Etsy is not just made up of individual shops, but it is really a community of artists and makers. 

There have been many benefits in joining teams on Etsy. First, I have been able to connect to other shop owners, both new to Etsy and those who have been around Etsy for a while. This has been great because I can learn so much from people who have similar goals and aspirations as me regarding shops on Etsy. It has also been a way to promote my shop and others’ shops . There are places to post new items, share your favorites from other shops, share sales or promotions that your shop is having, and so much more. 

In addition, teams are there for an Etsy shop owner to share their ideas, help each other out, or give advice. Another thing I have noticed about teams is that everyone is really friendly, encouraging, and helpful. I have enjoyed interacting and sharing with different people on Etsy. I think it is definitely a good thing when shop owners you may not even know in person, are willing to help you out with your shop and questions. 

If you new to Etsy, and you are not quite sure how to get connected, why not join some teams? You will gain more knowledge about Etsy, be able to promote your shop, and meet new people in the process. Just click on the “Community” link where the teams can be found.

Happy team joining!

Kelly Michelle

A Beginner's Journey Through Etsy: Introduction

Hi! I wanted to start this off with an explanation of exactly what I will be writing about here on Bella’s BNS blog. So here I am a newbie on Etsy. My shop has only been around for a couple of months. Yet, in that short time I have learned so much about the aspects and features Etsy have to offer. I feel like I know a lot about Etsy at this point, but am new enough to still have a lot more to learn.  The goal of my blog will be to help other new shop owners with suggestions and tips for their shop. I will also be here to talk about my experiences as a new shop owner, the challenges and joys of owning an Etsy shop. I am here to help all those newbies out, but also to take this beginners journey through Etsy with them. Do you think maybe there is not a lot to learn from a beginnner like me? Well, you would be surprised what someone can learn through a couple months on Etsy. Also, you never know what you can learn from me, even if you are not so new to Etsy. 

I hope you can take this journey with me through Etsy and the many things it has to offer. We will be talking about teams, treasuries, rearranging your shop, favorites, and a lot more. I will also add my personal experiences, including what I love about Etsy, how my journey on Etsy began, why I joined, and so forth. Finally, I will discuss things from my perspective as a beginner shop owner, such as expectations I have had and things that have surprised me. Let’s take thing journey together, and see what we can learn. 

Kelly Michelle