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The adventures of Lori Buff, a studio potter and teacher, as she makes ceramic art and enjoys life with friends, family and some dogs. Travel and other interesting stuff is also discussed.
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Almost There
We all know that it's helpful to have goals and then to take steps towards achieving them. Back in January I joked about not really making a New Years resolution to keep up with my Etsy shop. I did, at that time set out to do better with Etsy and increase my sales. I've worked at it at a pace that felt comfortable for me. I know I could do better, post lots more pieces and do all the other million little tasks that I am told I should do. But I have to work at my pace so the offerings are more but not nearly the 100 that it should be. I've interacted a bit more, visiting the forums and creating treasuries. I enjoy making them, they are fun and I get to see other people's work that I might not have normally seen.
Now I am almost there. The last piece that sold on Etsy brought me into a tie with the most I've ever sold in one year. And it's only July! Okay, it's the end of July but I do hope to sell some more pieces before the year is finished. That will mean that I achieved the goal of exceeding my previous sales years. That feels pretty good.
The bad news is that I'm a little lower on the cash side of things. It seems I'm selling more items but lower cost items. When I look at my shop it's easy to see why, the majority of my pieces are the less expensive ones. Well, that's easy to fix.
The other thing I noticed is that most of my customers from Etsy are new. This is a little strange to me since I have so many repeat customers (collectors?) here in Atlanta. These are people that come to shows, festivals and shops and look for me. These are the people that write or call and request a special item. I wonder if people are getting lost in the volume that is Etsy so I created a coupon that gives a little discount to customers who come back and purchase from me again. It feels like a nice way of saying "Thanks."
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
Now I am almost there. The last piece that sold on Etsy brought me into a tie with the most I've ever sold in one year. And it's only July! Okay, it's the end of July but I do hope to sell some more pieces before the year is finished. That will mean that I achieved the goal of exceeding my previous sales years. That feels pretty good.
The bad news is that I'm a little lower on the cash side of things. It seems I'm selling more items but lower cost items. When I look at my shop it's easy to see why, the majority of my pieces are the less expensive ones. Well, that's easy to fix.
The other thing I noticed is that most of my customers from Etsy are new. This is a little strange to me since I have so many repeat customers (collectors?) here in Atlanta. These are people that come to shows, festivals and shops and look for me. These are the people that write or call and request a special item. I wonder if people are getting lost in the volume that is Etsy so I created a coupon that gives a little discount to customers who come back and purchase from me again. It feels like a nice way of saying "Thanks."
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
Comments
You are building momentum! Most of my Etsy sales are to first time buyers of my work. I have a few repeat buyers but they are all people who found me via Etsy.
ReplyDeleteIt does feel like momentum Michèle, and it's thanks, in part to people on Etsy that are giving encouragement and tips.
DeleteSame here, new buyers too. Cute soap or sponge holders!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary.
Deletedam, lost comment again cause I wasn't signed in.
ReplyDeletewow, congrats, I find the etsy very confusing and I cant' even find shops I want to because I type in their name wrong or some such I think their search tool isn't that great and I think some sellers put in key words that don't relate to their product because they seem to come up when I do a search.
Once I get my kiln I'll open up my store and see what happens, ha, I may need your advice. the few sales I had on etsy were all from first time buyers
Hi Linda, I'd be happy to help you with your shop. My best advice is to read everything you can about selling on Etsy. Do it now while you're waiting for your kiln and your shoulder to heal. That way you'll be ready with a plan.
DeleteI just realized that my post tonight has the same title as yours! I must have chosen it because it was in my head from when I read your post earlier.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I know we can all inspire and influence each other's work, even the blog posts.
Delete