Using Instructables to increase traffic to your Etsy shop
Several people have asked why I'd want to have a tutorial up for an item I'm selling on Etsy - the answer is simple! It's another way to drive traffic to the item you're selling while offering something nice to the community. :)
While many people on this site would love to make the item themselves, there are also a large number of folks that don't have the time/materials/resources to make the project and are fine with buying it!
I opened my Etsy store, making jiggy, in early September of last year. I've listed golden snitch necklaces, lego necklaces, fold over clutches, and some embroideries - many of which are instructables. I've sold a good amount of stuff on Etsy, especially the golden snitch necklaces - it's been much more successful than I had ever thought!
As of writing this, I've got around 5,500 views on Etsy, and a little over 1,000 of them have come from Instructables. (edited update - as of right now I've got over 9,000 views and 1,800 of them are ibles!) That's the majority of views I've gotten from an external site! The rest of the views have come from Etsy search, my tumblr blog, stumbleupon, and random websites that have linked to it.
I'd say if you have a successful project on Instructables, why not make a few extras and open an Etsy store? It could be a good way to get a start on Etsy. And if you've got an Etsy store you'd like to promote, why not post an awesome instructable showing us how you make an item from your shop? Just make sure to link to your Etsy store in the instructable's intro!
I'm definitely going to keep turning my instructables into listings for my Etsy store and vice versa. It's been a great experience. :D
While many people on this site would love to make the item themselves, there are also a large number of folks that don't have the time/materials/resources to make the project and are fine with buying it!
I opened my Etsy store, making jiggy, in early September of last year. I've listed golden snitch necklaces, lego necklaces, fold over clutches, and some embroideries - many of which are instructables. I've sold a good amount of stuff on Etsy, especially the golden snitch necklaces - it's been much more successful than I had ever thought!
As of writing this, I've got around 5,500 views on Etsy, and a little over 1,000 of them have come from Instructables. (edited update - as of right now I've got over 9,000 views and 1,800 of them are ibles!) That's the majority of views I've gotten from an external site! The rest of the views have come from Etsy search, my tumblr blog, stumbleupon, and random websites that have linked to it.
I'd say if you have a successful project on Instructables, why not make a few extras and open an Etsy store? It could be a good way to get a start on Etsy. And if you've got an Etsy store you'd like to promote, why not post an awesome instructable showing us how you make an item from your shop? Just make sure to link to your Etsy store in the instructable's intro!
I'm definitely going to keep turning my instructables into listings for my Etsy store and vice versa. It's been a great experience. :D
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I refuse to support Etsy's decision to let the resellers move in and take over like they have on Ebay. And the fact you HAVE to use PayPal also irks me. PayPal has committed too many offenses against people I know, myself included. I cannot condone doing business with companies that have forgotten about the needs of the very people that made them so popular.
Sorry - don't mean to preach, I just want creative people to understand the risks.
If anyone knows of a true HANDMADE marketplace, I would love to hear more about it.
(steps off soapbox and walks away...)
And embroidery too! For every handmade piece, there are tons of computerized embroidery patterns and pieces. I wish they at least had a separate category for the machined embroidered stuff - I don't consider that to be handmade! And they're tacky to boot. ;)
Good news though, on the paypal front. A few weeks ago etsy gave the option to do direct payment and I enrolled immediately. It's nice to give customers more choices. I haven't had any issues with paypal, but I know lots of people that have!
I've also had no luck finding something that compares to etsy. I feel like the sites are crowded with badly made tacky things, or they cost lots to list your things and they cater to a very select group of people.
And then conveniently drop a link to your profile in the intro! :D
Sunshiine
I added you to my circle and favorited your shop, too!
I added you to my circle and gave you some favorites!
That's a really good idea! I haven't started an Etsy shop, but the info you provided more than deserves a "bump" to get the attention of other members. :-)
Does Etsy provide a visitor counter like ibles ?
A
And they do! Both for individual listings and an overall view. :)
Also, sometimes just seeing how something is done helps me with other projects I'm working on. :) Hmm... I need to get me an Etsy...