I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! Apart from being ill, I had a great time! I spent so much time with friends and relatives, eating, drinking and generally being merry!
But what has really excited me over the holidays is this…I made some sales on Etsy!
I took the leap and opened my shop in May last year but I think it was about August until I actually started to list items. I was so excited to have created this shop, and all the banners, logos etc that go with it! Then I waited…and waited…and waited…no sales!
I knew it would take time so I was patient at first, then a bit anxious, then very anxious! I noticed other shops who’d started after I had and they were selling things, so why wasn’t I?
I kept thinking back to my featured artist spot on MsBittyKnacks blog and knew I had to follow my own advice: “don’t expect too much too soon, there are lots of great crafters and artists out there and it can take time. Enjoy what your doing, soak up advice and information wherever possible and the rest will follow.”
So I waited some more, listened to the advice of others, tried a few different strategies (including Etsy Search Ads, you can read both posts on my findings here) and nothing seemed to be working. I felt pressure to achieve my first online sale and just wished it would happen. I figured that it would start the ball rolling, I’d get feedback, word-of-mouth would spread and more would follow.
To be honest, I was having a bit of a crisis of confidence before Christmas. I had decided to take time over the holidays to decide if I even wanted to continue with my business at all. It had taken so much time and money and effort to get this far, but was it worth it?
On New Years Eve I checked my emails…and there it was. An email from Etsy to say that someone had looked at my shop, and not just favourited an item or my shop, they had actually bought something! I was sooo happy! I was telling everyone!
I felt so relieved and I could relax and enjoy the festivities! Then the next day something strange happened…I checked my emails, and there was another order!
And whilst typing up this post, I made another sale!
I thought I should share this story for anyone else who has an Etsy shop and is feeling the pressure in the run up to their first sale. If you can, keep going!
It’d be great to hear any advice or experiences from other Etsy sellers. How long did it take for your first sale? What things did you try to kickstart your shop? What advice would you give others?
Karen x
twentythreetwo 