The issue I’m having with selling on ETSY are my competitors selling their listings for half the price.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Oof. Yeah I get it. I found someone selling embroidery art for a fraction of the price that I do the other day. I looked closer and saw that it was printed fabric in an embroidery hoop! I had to put my phone down at that point. 😄

@jennykay780

Ай бұрын

Are they running a sale or do they sell at that price. I will run sales with a huge discount on items. It seems to bump them up in the listings and when they are at regular price they still sell. Helps your listings get a nice boost.

@inezkuijtnaiveart7873

Ай бұрын

Yes I have the same problem!

Great having coffee with you in the morning! Cheers from Sweden, you funny lady💛

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Thank you for joining me! ☕

I also have a Charlie in my life, he's a Brittany spaniel. He typically waits until I'm on the phone to either a) bark at the world, or b) bring me every toy he owns. I have no idea how starting a youtube channel is gonna work for me. 😅 Thanks for the insights, as always!

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

You have a SPANIEL??! My thoughts are with you. I used to have one growing up and they are a special kind of nuts. 😄

@belindaroadley

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss Yup, about 8 months into his puppyhood I reached the point where I was like, "What have I DONE?" Now I've just embraced the crazy 😆

@inezkuijtnaiveart7873

Ай бұрын

😂😂

Omg your shirt and doggo are soooooo cute!!!! 🌻🐕🌻

HAhahaha! You crack me up!

Chatty is good. My traffic is all organic but I could do with a bit more. I've made over 100 sales since I started in October which I am happy with. I'm planning to start a KZread channel in September and see how that goes - at least my 10 year old daughter will watch it. She's my biggest cheerleader.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

That's so cool. My daughter and husband have arguments about being the first to like my videos. Having cheerleaders like these are priceless. 😊💚

A cute t-shirt, a puppy dog AND raspberry blowing in the one video. Best video on the internet today! 😀In answer to your question, in the last week I promoted myself on Pinterest daily, posted in a couple of online forums - and thought about putting a Facebook post up but didn't actually do it. I don't suppose that last one counts. You asked me to keep you updated about Pinterest though - it's two months this coming Friday since I started posting daily, using keywords, pinning other people's stuff, following other creatives, etc. So far I have had a smattering of re-pins, no follows and no click throughs to any of the items. However I have heard it takes about 4 months to see proper traffic so I'll keep going.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Thanks so much for letting me know. I keep thinking about it and I don't know why I'm dragging my heels. Just not sure where to start I think. I hope it keeps getting better for you!

@gillianmcmurray

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss Kara Buntin has some Pinterest videos on her tutorial channel. I went thought them, made some notes and then went for broke. I used Pinterest when it first started and got a lot of visits to Etsy back then. I think it's a bit harder to get seen these days 😆

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

She knows her onions does Kara! I turned to her membership when I needed Google SEO help when starting up the website and found it really helpful too. 😊

I do really struggle to drive my traffic, it is true! I feel like I'm throwing spaghetti at a wall and talking to myself on Instagram and TT lol. I'm also really struggling with feeling like another person trying to sell people stuff in the sea of ads and influencers when I know $ is such a sore subject with the economy at the moment. It's something I desperately need to work on for sure because you're right, it is impossible to get seen on etsy these days (and I did notice my views go down when I turned free shipping off but I refuse to turn that back on 😅)

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Yes this! Selling and promoting during a time when people are finding things challenging financially, I think about this a lot. For my part I'm trying to include more lower priced items so that if someone did want to purchase from me, it wouldn't be such a big investment. But it's tough for all of us. Hopefully things will ease up soon. 💚

@Truth.illustrated

Ай бұрын

I can relate! ;p

I finally opened my Folksy shop a few days ago! So far I have promoted it nowhere, still not sure how I'm going to do that, but I want to get a few more items onto it first and make sure I'm doing everything right. BTW I was really struggling with my photos (no light, no space, too windy to do it outside etc.), so I ended up buying a little light box from Amazon. It's made such a big difference!

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

I might have to go down the lightbox route. At least then I'll be able to get some kind of consistent lighting. Thanks for bringing it up as I'd completely forgotten about them as an option! 👍

Charlie the Corgi!

Awwww, doggie 🥰

I started my own shop after watching your vlog but now its dead ...... hope it picks up after summer. Love your shirt 🌻

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

On Etsy? It is very quiet at the moment. Do you sell anywhere else?

@CuriosityJuice

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss On Etsy, I already had but started new website after listening to your insight :) for me Etsy so far is doing well but good to have a backup plan.

Hi Kim 😊 it seems shops are sending coupons when people leave items in their cart, not just on Etsy, but other online stores too, and customers are starting to expect it. When I'm shopping for beading supplies I put various items in my cart to then compare and decide on which things I like best, and if I don't checkout the same day, I'll get emails with 10% coupons. Some shops will offer a percentage off a larger dollar amount purchase, such as "10% off $50". Those offers actually prompt me to buy, even though the actual savings might only be a few dollars. My own Etsy shop is currently closed, but if I re-open it I'm going to adjust my pricing and offer those types of coupons instead of running sales, and see how it goes. The thing is that people are looking for the cheapest price and true handmade items can't compete on Etsy anymore. Some of those slashed prices might even be shops trying to unload leftover inventory.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Sadly I think you're right. And for those of us that don't want to offer discounts/coupons, that's fine but then we need to be ok with fewer sales too perhaps. I think I'd be more worried if I didn't have my website. Sales there are much healthier and regular thankfully. Hopefully I haven't jinxed it! 😄

I almost exclusively have organic traffic only on Etsy. If I did social media, I would use it to send people to my website. If I had a website. I do offer a 10% abandoned cart and 10% returned customer. I’ve never done sales, and don’t plan to. I actually find SEO fun, but I do absolutely zero research on what words to use. I do fairly well, but apparently Etsy is changing up the algorithm again, so…

When you go through and change/ add keywords and titles the algorithm resets your listing. I hurt my store doing that. Went through and adjusted all my titles. Sales just dropped. I also hurt my store a different time by changing the name.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Yeah if your SEO is getting you seen in search then there's really no need to mess with it. Of course you do need some kind of keywords in there though to help the search algorithm out.. I'm really not helping myself! 😄

I do pretty good driving traffic to my Etsy, I can’t seem to get ANYONE to my website. But I also admit I can’t figure out what’s actually working. May/June have been my best months since starting my business 2 years ago and that happened AFTER I decided I was gonna pump the breaks and not do as much

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Are you driving traffic to both your Etsy shop and your website at the same time? I ask because I only drive traffic to my website. If folks want to purchase from my Etsy shop they can, but they have to find their own way there. Convenience is definitely a factor sometimes.

@SuperDankBadger

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss I do try to drive traffic to both. I’m honestly afraid to stop promoting my Etsy since right now it’s the only one making any income if that makes sense

You should sell your products for the same price across platforms. Yes, you don't pay Etsy fees on your website, you do however have to pay for your Shopify website. You are sending your customers to your website which takes time and time is money. Just a thought!

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Don't worry, the prices on my website factor in the costs of running the website too. 😊

Thanks for another great video! It felt nice knowing that the things I know I'm not doing well enough, I'm not alone in this boat. You say you're a fan of videos in listings. I've so far only added a video to 1, but plan to for all of them. What do you feel makes a good product video? Or at least what are you prepared to do for one? I'm thinking of making a little turntable for my homemade light box, and can take a video of every listing having a spin. But the idea of getting attractive footage of all of my jewellery being worn by attractive people, or my household items in actual use opening bottles and such. That's SO much time and work. Edit: After watching you making the sunflower stick'n'stitch, the finished top looks awesome

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Thank you! I can still remember the pain from stitching up those sunflowers. 😄 The good news about videos is that as a buyer, I'm only really interested in seeing the product in good light and being spun around. Basically it mimics how I would look at something in a shop. The other thing I've started doing instinctively is looking for any photos in the reviews. I'm not looking for super polished and modelled photos. I was REAL. That's me in buyer mode anyway. I hope that info is helpful. 😊

@DrunkenDwarfIron

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss that is good news. And very helpful thanks :) I found an old record player on Freecycle I'm planning to canibalise for a turntable. That may be the very next small project.

You just make me smile. 🥰

+ not to good but still here. My god you can talk, and love it.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

It would be a boring video if I just sat there and said nothing! 😄

@JLJCoastersPlus

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss that would never happen.

Your photos aren't bad, Kim. Please don't slam them so hard. At least you are able to get true-to-life colors. I cannot get a true-to-life with my pos phone, I have to have my daughter take them for me. When she isn't available, my pictures are terrible, terrible, terrible! Hugs

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Aw thank you. I guess we're all our own worst critics. 😊💚

I got a kick out of you with your dog today. Sending more traffic to my Etsy shop is my biggest problem. I’m struggling with whether to include the free shipping for over $35 purchases option. That, along with some coupon discounts is reducing profit a lot.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

I mean you could certainly try it and see if it works for you? It turned out I'd had the free shipping over $35 switched on for some time in my own shop, and got zero sales from it. So I personally won't be offering that again.

@ptarlow7708

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss in the Fall, I was finding people buying two or three prints so it did seem to work but then I find I can’t also allow discount coupons for favoriting or having an item in cart. I would have to increase my prices a lot to really make that work, and then might really get no sales. Right now, in June, that has been happening anyway. Back to needing to increase my efforts on social media, I think.

Doggo!!!!!😍

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Relentless, red bull doggo! Oooh I sent your order out today, your comment has just reminded me that I didn't mark it as dispatched! *Slaps head* I'll do that in the morning. 😄

@LMPeas

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss Woop Woop, Thanks! Also, feeling your corporate comparisons recently..... You sent coffee with my order right? :P

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

I would've done, but I was too busy drinking it. 😁☕️☕️

@LMPeas

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss 😂

What is that word that you say at the end of the video instead of goodbye, that starts with T, contains an O, and possibly a R and an A as well?

@KimBliss

17 күн бұрын

Ta-ra? It's just how folks say goodbye in the part of Wales where I'm from.

Hi Cutie Charli!! I love your shoulder flowers 😊 🌼 My Etsy shop is not doing well. I actually turned off the upgrade since it wasn't helping. I haven't sold one thing 😅 I will try the discount today. I question lowering my prices on Etsy every day! I couldn't imagine someone who has 1000 listings on Etsy to fix their SEOs 😂 Do you find most of your website buyers find you through Etsy or this KZread channel?

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Yup, I hear you. Etsy is so quiet at the moment. For my website, people mainly find me here on YT, but a lot of folks will then follow me on IG from here and sometimes either buy after I promote there, or they'll join my mailing list and go from there when I have a shop update. It takes time to forge that connection and build trust. But this (and my other handmade channel) are a huge part of getting my work out there. 💚

@MeganMcKiernanArt

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss 💌 Thank you for sharing. I have so much work ahead of me lol I'm excited to join your Patreon, so I'm doing that right now!!

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

Ooooh thanks for joining us over there! 😊💚

If I may say this, I think you need an assistant do all those tasks you don't like so you can just create, create, create,....

You have such beautiful eyes 😊

Running sales does nothing for me. I’ve been on Etsy for about 8 years and it’s so different now. You should send your traffic to your own website because Etsy can shut you down at anytime. I think Etsy is doing some tests because I haven’t been getting views or sales for months. My daughter has a sticker shop and she use to average 3 or 4 sales a day and no visits or views on her shop either. I thought maybe they weren’t showing our stuff and searched with another browser and the items did show up so I’m not sure what’s going on. I noticed my stuff only showed with the exact match to the first part of my title, not the cross matching like they say they do. I do get sales if I run adds though but they stop when I turn them off. I always use all tags in my seo, well because it’s an algorithm so how are they gonna find you.

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

The platform is very different now, you're right. I hope that the changes they bring in will help, but it's going to take time to see the effects. Not to mention that we're heading into a time of year that is traditionally a quiet time for many even when things are good. I think if you are able, use this time to start building something off of Etsy. Be that your social media, a mailing list or something like Pinterest. Anything that could help you with time. 💚

Loved your co host today Kim! Truisms with in 👍👏😁

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

He's usually sat right outside the door, a corgi shaped door stop. I thought I'd let him in this time, but was quickly reminded why he has to be Door Stop Charlie while I'm filming. 😄

@JohnLee-mk1tj

Ай бұрын

@@KimBliss To funny Kim, a corgi shaped door stop 🤣😂🤣💗

Do you think it's also because you've built up a custom base and social media following? I don't think a website would be as successful for a new shop compared to Etsy

@KimBliss

Ай бұрын

I do! Which is why I say building a community around your business is so important. Whenever I make a video about websites I always point out that they may not be a good fit if you've just got started too. That being said through, I've had more organic visits and sales through Google search on my website than on Etsy. So I'm not driving all of them. 😊