100 Sales On - The Three Most Important Things I've Learned!

So ... I recently reached the landmark of 100 Etsy sales - yay me! The photo is of the first painting I ever sold on Etsy, back in May 2007! It's taken me a while to get to 100, but to celebrate I thought that it'd be nice to post something about what I've learned along the way. So, here are the top 3 pieces of advice that I would give to someone starting to sell on Etsy - 1. Pictures are really, really (really) important. Even if you have the most wonderful, beautifully made items, if the photograph is blurry, doesn't show your item from all angles, or is unattractive (e.g. it's been taken on the floor, there's lots of clutter in the background etc etc) it DOES make a difference! I had one painting listed for months, but I knew the photos were a bit rubbish. Once I finally got round to retaking the photos, it sold within a week! 2. You need to be visible; basically, selling is a numbers game - the more people who look, the more chance you have of a sale. If people can't find you, they can't buy from you. I don't think it really matters how you stay visible, and different things probably work for different people. I used to think relisting was a good way to be seen, but lately this doesn't seem to have been so effective. Some other things that I do that I know for certain have brought me at least 1 sale have been - posting in forums, taking part in chat, being featured in Treasuries, being on Facebook, submitting work to be featured on blogs, adding lots of photos to Flickr and joining groups there, and starting a customer mailing list. 3. This is as much a matter of common courtesy as anything else really, but always try to be professional, polite and pleasant. If someone sends you a convo asking something, try to reply promptly and be friendly. Even if you can't help them, don't just ignore them - still respond, and at least thank them for their interest. Do what you say you will - if you say you'll ship the next day, then ship the next day. If you can't for whatever reason, then let your buyer know. Value every customer and treat them as you'd like to be treated - you never know if that person buying your $1 item will come back and buy $100 dollars worth later on!