My two cents on etsy success

I'm nearing 3400 sales. Cool huh?

This is a post I added in the etsy forums in response to the question: "Over 100 sales? Share what you think has attributed to your success!"

Great photos, awesome customer service, cool packaging, renewing and having a large variety of items to choose from all add to success.

Something I would like to add is the vital importance of communicating with your customer - I can't tell you how many items I have purchased from other sellers on etsy and never received an email or convo acknowledging my purchase with a thank you and letting me know how soon it would ship. This is a real pet peeve of mine I guess.

With every sale, I convo the day of the purchase if the buyer already has some feedback, if not, for new buyers I email them, thanking them for their purchase and letting them know there items will ship out shortly.

Because of this initial communication, I can't tell you how many customers email me back when they receive their items and let me know how happy they are. This simple practice creates repeat customers because they know there is a real person behind the storefront.

Also, this gives the opportunity for the customer to let me know if they experience any problems with their order, so that I can take care of it immediately - EVEN if it's not my fault. I want happy customers, so they want to keep coming back.

I do a lot of promotion outside of etsy. Facebook works and I have to say that I have made a lot of sales from using Twitter. I don't spend that much time out of my day to do these. My blog however suffers from my time constraints. I would like to be more actively blogging.

I know a lot of sellers do not have good results from showcases, but I do have a lot of success with the Main Showcase when I do them.

Also, having a good product, with good quality is important. I know there are a lot of other sellers on etsy who sell scrabble tile pendants. Some sell for higher prices, some for lower. I choose what I am comfortable with. I also try to define my shop through it's differences.

I started a site for sellers called Coaching Handmade. It's a membership site with live classes, a great resource library and forum for sellers who are looking to enhance their sales. I've learned a lot and I share my experience and knowledge with other sellers as well. I think it's important to keep learning and stretching ourselves to succeed.

I wish everyone continued great success and a fabulous holiday season!