Apps I Use for Selling on Etsy

Along the same lines as Blogging Tools, I found myself getting into tools/sites that I use for sales so I broke that off into this post:

Etsy

Even as I am starting to branch out into physical booth for sales (and possibly consignment??) I still like to have Etsy as a landing page & sample of work available by me.

Pinterest

Along the same lines, I like to keep a dedicated Pinterest board to my previous work, especially when it comes to one-of-a-kind pieces to be referenced by customers or used as inspiration for future work.  This has also been handy in knowing what needs to be duplicated for popularity's sake.  I also use Pinterest to brainstorm my craft show set up, new patterns to try, and any marketing or advice I might come across that I find worth referencing.

Square Up

Square has been a great tool for accepting credit payments in person plus generating a neat, digital sales receipt for anyone requesting one.  So far the only draw back has been that my particular smartphone (LG Spectrum 1st gen.) is not fully supported so I always have to type in the card numbers which results in a higher fee.   I still did fairly well at the Make It Indie fair in November but it sure has me thinking about that next phone upgrade this spring....
*Edit: Now that I have a Samsung Galaxy S5, the Square card reader works like a charm!*

Facebook

To promote art/craft shows I am participating in, to send customers for product + experience feedback as well as interaction, share new items listed in the shop, latest blog post link, and anything I find interesting that I think my followers may also enjoy.  I like to keep my Facebook light-hearted but centered around the knitting/crocheting/crafting theme.

Maybe not so surprisingly, I have noticed that some have even used my Facebook page as a way to contact me via message instead of my email.  This is how I was invited to join the Merchant's Landing Arts & Craft Show!

Free "scrap" bracelets

Freebies

Speaking of physical shows, I've also found that a little freebie is a great draw to your table.  I like to crochet long leftover scraps of cotton yarn into bracelets which I offer for free to whomever.  I find it is a great way to strike up a conversation with anyone "brave enough" to pick out a free bracelet.  :)

PDF Compressor

Once I started selling PDF patterns, I needed a compressor for the large image-heavy files that are my pattern's signature.  And not only do I want to make friends wait hours to download a large file, but Etsy does not allow pattern files greater than 20mb.  So needing a solution, I found Chrome's free PDF compressor + was instantly impressed with not only it's ability to crunch the size of my recent pattern from 38mb to 1.35!  But it even preserved the quality of the crisp images!  Sold!

Wholesale

So far I haven't branched out into wholesaling (purchasing or selling) but it has crossed my mind several times.  Does anyone have any wholesale experience?

Spread the Word

And as always, word of mouth through supportive friends and family members has helped generate a fair handful of sales this past holiday season.  Plus a few times when asked what do I do for a living (a question that always makes me cringe), I mention that I am a knit/crochet instructor as well as an Etsy shop owner.  I like to show pictures of what I make via my smartphone (images taken directly with my phone as well as pulling up my Etsy shop on my phone) and hand them a business card, encouraging them to explore my shop more when they are home.  I don't know how well it works, but I figure it can't hurt, right?


I'd love to hear what tools you use for "pedaling your wares" :)  If you already have a post about it, would you mind pasting a link to it in the comments section?  I'd love to read it!

Referral + Affiliate links help me bring you valuable content without ads.  I recommend products + services that I use myself or that come highly recommended by peers.  
Any sponsorships that you see in my sidebar are handpicked by me because I believe in their products + services and think they could benefit you.

Make It Indie was a Huge Success!

This is definitely my favorite picture from this day:

My husband took this one; I think he has a nice, artful eye.

I think my booth set up skills have greatly improved, even from the Art Walks, but especially from that first one in April last year.  I feel like that one (table set up) haunts me... Does anyone else feel that way about their first show?

Not only is the look of my table starting to get a nice look & feel to it, but the set up time was only 45 minutes compared to over an hour with the Art Walks!  I suppose it could be because Hubby was helping me and we were only setting up merchandise instead of a tent, tables, and then merchandise.  ;)

Make It Indie ran from 10am - 7pm (we arrived at 8:30am to set up).  I sat right behind, and made a new friend, Triple L Crochet & Knit.  I think we had a pretty good time visiting and swapping ideas, which is always fun.  

Thistle & Bees was next to me, which really helped to alleviate both our nerves about doing our first indoor show.  I would say it also helped to pass the time, but we were so steadily busy, that time passed right along at a swift pace.  I couldn't believe it was 4pm already and I had hardly eaten any of my breakfast (bagel & cream cheese)!  I'm thrilled to report that I made my booth fee and broke even as early as noon or 1pm, thanks to all my new, fantastic customers!  

Like this young lady who got to design her own hat by choosing her flower color & hat color.   Then she waited patiently while I sewed them together into her own, unique design!

Monday night, finishing up the 3 ear warmers. I had three orders that are very nearly complete; I just have buttons to sew onto the ear warmers and they are scheduled to go out in the mail later this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

Knitting & crocheting complete; just have to sew the buttons on.

It was such a joy to meet so many new people interested and in love with my wares.  :)  I definitely need to do more shows like this one in the future.  I was floating on Cloud 9 the whole evening and all of Sunday, working on orders.  I think I am just now starting to come back to reality and thus getting things like follow-up emails and blogging done.  ;)  

Thanks for all your support!  Next up is getting all the new items photographed and listed in the shop so you can see all the choices that were available at the show.  Happy Wednesday!

I'm Back!

See?  What did I tell you.  Without a deadline I don't get anything done :(  I don't really know what kicked my butt into gear, but last week I opened an email for Etsy on Success (selling on Etsy) and normally I don't have time to even read them but this time I did and boy did it get my attention!  I couldn't believe how much energy welled up inside of me to get moving on this shop.

On top of that email, I had a few other motivators:
*I sold a dishcloth - right off my needles! - back in July while I was babysitting.  I hung that $5 on my bulletin board to remind me that I can do this.  I just need to start and stop being so afraid of failing.  Even the lady that bought it from me told me I need to sell them and that she loves them.  Which always helps to know that I'm not just making some boring thing :)
*This week: an old high school friend of mine stopped by to buy a quart of (homemade) applesauce from me and ended up buying 2 scarves, a hat and a matching pair of mittens from me!  And promised to tell me to her friends (to buy hats, scarves, etc).  All of a sudden I didn't feel silly wanting to sell my articles like I have all the years past.  All of a sudden I felt like I had something to offer that was worth someone paying me to make.  :)   So...
*Last night I ordered business cards listing my Etsy shop from vistaprint.  Now I'm hooked.

I really want this to work and I feel like I finally have a confidence behind my desire to finally put it into gear and drive this passion.  Heck, I even asked a few of my co-workers today about their experiences selling on Etsy and ended up getting numbers to get together over coffee & swap notes on the process.  So we'll see where it goes from here.  :)