3 Tips For Launching An Etsy Shop

Hi guys! I'm Carmen. Mandy was nice enough to ask me {and a few other lovely bloggers} to guest post for her while she's out of town, and I jumped at the chance to share a little bit of my world with her awesome readers! I run a vintage clothing Etsy shop, Shop Cheeky Cheeky, which specializes in pretty pieces from the 60s and 70s, as well as a few gems from more recent decades. I also blog at Cheeky Cheeky about all sorts ridiculous things- everything from life adventures, advice, and style posts to Real Housewives updates and music reviews. Balancing an Etsy shop with blogging, as well as working full time can sometimes be a lot to manage, for sure. {Not to mention the fact that I moved across the country a couple months ago from Ohio to LA!} But honestly, nothing I've ever done before in my life has been as rewarding as running my Etsy shop & blog. A lot of the questions I get from readers revolve around the process of launching an Etsy shop- how to set up photo shoots, how to decide what to sell, what shop policies to implement, etc. There are a million questions to be both asked and answered when deciding to launch an Etsy shop. Even though I might not be able to answer all of them right now, I thought I'd answer some of the most important ones here on Miss Indie!

Q: What if I don't have a fancy camera for photo shoots? How should I set up shoots for my clothes/handcrafted goods? 

A: This is one of the most common questions I receive. And the answer is simple- do what you can with what you've got. If you have a $2,000 camera, of course your photos are going to look great. If you have a $40 camera, they might not be quite on the same level- but that isn't a reason to put your hopes of launching an Etsy shop on hold. The most important thing to keep in mind when first launching an Etsy shop is just keep going. Don't let the fact that you don't have a nice camera hold you up! I mean, have you guys seen iPhone photos these days? Some amazing photographers have done experiments with iPhone photography on actual photo shoots to prove how great the quality can be. {Check out what I'm talking about here on FStoppers. SO cool.}  iPhone photos are amazing and pretty high quality. So, no excuses! Either get your hands on a point and shoot or just use your iPhone in a pinch. The most important thing is to not let this hinder you! When I launched my Etsy, we were using a point and shoot. {I have since upgraded to a DSLR.} As for the photo set up- my biggest recommendation is to do the shoot in a location with a TON of natural light. It's always easier to diffuse natural light than it is to create it- lamps and overhead lighting almost never look as good as natural lighting. You don't have to have fancy photo shoot tools like the professionals, just a well lit space and a non distracting background. If you don't have immediate access to a white or neutral wall for your shoots- just drape a white sheet or white muslin & get to shooting! It works like a charm.

Q: How do I figure out pricing, shipping & shop policies?

A: Ahhh, the not fun stuff. Pricing and shop policies are definitely not the most fun process of launching an Etsy shop. Let me tell you- I put off this part of my shop for a good month before finally caving and doing some research. The basic pricing model that I use at my shop is this:

Materials + Labor + Expenses + Profit = Wholesale x 2 = Retail

I found that formula on the Etsy blog and it has been my saving grace time and again. I don't always stick to this pricing model, especially when I feel like something is either worth way more or a bit less than what I payed for it originally. It's definitely an item by item process, but it's worth actually thinking about. As far as shipping goes- Etsy has some great articles about pricing and which carriers to use. We tend to favor USPS, and try to stay between $5 and $10 for domestic shipping, so long as the item isn't oversized. Make sure you evaluate each item individually. A heavy coat or vintage vase is going to cost more to ship than a lightweight dress or little trinket. Your shipping prices should reflect that. The last thing you want is to end up paying more to ship an item than you made off the sale in the first place. {That happened to me when I first launched. Not fun, but lesson learned.} I also did a lot of research looking at other shops I admired and took note of their shipping prices. I also looked to these same shops when writing our shop policies. I researched and researched shop policies until I felt like I had a good understanding of proper wording and policies that actually made sense. Then I tailored what I read to fit our shop. I highly suggest doing this. My shop policies might not be right for you. And maybe some other ones you read won't be either. But the more you read, the more educated you are about policies, and the better able you will be to write your own! So, when it comes to pricing, shipping & shop policies- the Etsy blog & other Etsy shops will be your greatest resource.

Q: How should I advertise my shop? What if no one buys anything?

A: You are not alone in this worry, my dears. I was definitely scared my shop would be a gigantic failure from day one. That's just human nature. But pushing aside that fear and moving forward with the needed steps to launch your shop is the only way to get around it. Instead of focusing on the fear, focus on what you can do to make sure your shop isn't a failure. The best way to make sure people see your shop is by adding accurate titles and tags to your items. Again, the Etsy Blog was a great resource for me when learning how to do this. Instead of naming items something kitschy and cute- title them with descriptions and keep the keywords in the front of the title. {Read more about this here.} When tagging items, make sure you're using tags people might actually search for- vintage instead of preowned, seafoam green instead of light blue green. Be descriptive and add tags that will help your items appear in relevant searches. And definitely use all of your tags. As for advertising- I frequently buy ads on blogs of my favorite vintage shops & vintage loving lady blogs. If you're launching a handmade items shop- target blogs that feature lots of DIYs and crafty goodness. Being proactive, utilizing the correct titles & tags, and getting the word out about your shop is the most surefire way to ensure your shop's success!

There you have it! Three simple answers to three very complicated questions. These are just the things that have worked for me in the past. My biggest piece of advice would be to not let anything stop you from launching your shop. It's much harder to get around to launching a shop and handling all the tough stuff that comes with launching, than it is to maintain the shop once you get it up and running. Set a date in your mind that you want to launch by- and just do it! Most importantly, remember that running an Etsy shop, just like blogging, is supposed to be fun. Enjoy the process of setting up your shop! Good luck, loves :)

Thanks for reading! Stop by my blog & shop and say hi!

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A huge thank you to Carmen for this super informative and helpful post! I remember how nervous I was when I started my shop a few years ago. All three of these things were big questions in my mind and Carmen answered them perfectly. I'm so excited for y'all to get out there and get your shops going. If you open a new shop up, please leave a link in the comments so I can check out your items (and maybe do a little Christmas shopping!). xo mandy

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