Still...?

So everyone over at the Etsy forums are still complaining about the change to the default search from 'recent' to 'relevant'. I'm getting quite tired of it, actually. I mean, if everyone complaining put as much time into advertising as they do with complaining, I bet they'd make sales out the butt!

Yes. 'Out the butt' is an industry term. It means 'a bunch!!!'.

 With my complaining about people complaining out of the way, I plan to buy an acrylic kit to see if I can justify making acrylic jewelry this weekend. A friend of mine who plays guitar said he might be interested in buying some acrylic guitar picks if I were to make some. So it might not be a bad idea. I could make them into pendants or earrings, as well. Hopefully I'll have enough money to buy my kit this weekend.

 I really need to start making some sales. I have one sale, but I don't really count it. I made that sale because someone saw my work somewhere else on the internet other than Etsy and wanted to buy it. So I put that item on Etsy only for that person to buy it. That was in July, and I haven't made another sale, yet. Maybe I just don't have anything that anyone wants to buy. I need to think of other things i can make. I wish I had some good ideas.

 I'm sure i'll think of something eventually. I would really like to turn it into my full time job. I'll keep chugging along.

 I also created a twitter account. Maybe that will help ;) Handmade of Awesome on Twitter

SALE -- and other things

Firstly, I started a sale in the hair accessories section in my Etsy shop beginning today at noon central time and going until Aug 31, 2011.  Its 10% off all hair accessories!

I used Etsy on Sale to carry out my sale.  We'll see how it goes!

Also, I've noticed the Etsy forums have quieted a bit from the frenzy it was last week after Etsy decided to change the default search from the most recently listed items to the most relevant items displayed.  There are still people complaining, but that's what people do.

I'm sure most people spent the majority of the weekend changing item titles and tags around to be more 'relevant'.  I've been doing it a little bit, but I didn't really notice any change after the default search was changed.  I still have only one sale, and I still have low views.  I'm not giving up, though.  I still think I can make this work.  Hopefully things will pick up after August.  I keep hearing how August is the worst month for sales.  We'll see.

I know I need to do some advertising, but scraping up that money is difficult.

Anyway, until later.

kbai

I've seen enough anger and fear in the past two days to last me until next year

So, apparently, there's a huge deal going on over at Etsy with Sellers.  (btw, here's my shop Handmade of Awesome)

It seems that very recently (as in, this week) Etsy has changed the default search results from the most recent, to the most relevant.  This means for you, as a buyer, you will get more relevant search results when you search for an item, instead of the most recently listed with the keywords you searched for.  This makes incredible sense to me.

What this means for sellers, is the way we have been selling on Etsy has changed.  Before this change took place, sellers could relist their items as many times during the day and night that they wanted to be at the top of the search results, without worrying too much about kewords and product titles.  Now, when buyers come to the site and simply search for what they want, the most recently listed items aren't going to appear, so, for sellers that have depended on spending hundreds of dollars a day or a week to relist their items multiple times a day and making those hundreds back and then some, are now not selling anything.

Many of these sellers depend on their Etsy shop, so now, they must go back through their hundreds of listings to change all the titles and keywords to be 'relevant'.  Which is what they should have been doing the whole time, I think.

I haven't seen much of a difference since the whole thing went down, so I guess I was doing things right.  I've read in their forums from sellers that are quite angry about this and from those that are super happy because now they're getting sales.  I guess I'm in the middle because I haven't seen any changes.  Maybe I need to start making things that are in higher demand, but I don't know what sells the best on Etsy.  I don't even know how to find that info out.  I've searched on google for a million different versions of the phrase, "what sells the most on Etsy" but have come up empty-handed every time.

I do know that I need better pictures.  I'm working on that.

I haven't heard from any Etsy buyers about whether or not they've noticed a better search or not, but I can imagine it would be quite better for them.

The thing is, though, is that if you go on the left-hand side of the Etsy home page and click on one of the categories like "Accessories" you still get the 'recent' search, and I bet its the same if you click on any of those other categories.

So 'recent' search sill exists, and will still play a part, but just not as large as it once did.

Slowly......slowly

I've been slowly adding more products to my Etsy store.  I'm confident that eventally, I'll be selling things.  Right now, I haven't sold anything, except for one item that I made and posted a picture of on my Google+ account.  I originally made it for a family member, but a gentleman on Google+ saw it and wanted it.  So I went ahead and set it on Etsy and he bought it from there.  Not a single transaction has happened since then. Its been about 2 months.

Anyway, it's not a huge deal.  I think business will pick up eventually.  I've been running out of ideas for crochet items that don't take forever.  Here are a few of the items I have added recently:

Etsy quirkyandquacky

Mostly ribbons and hair clips, but also a few crochet items.  I'm pretty sure crochet items don't sell all that great on Etsy.  I wonder why.  I guess maybe its because crochet is so easy and it doesn't take long to learn so anyone can do it.  Or maybe crochet makes people think of old ladies and its not fashionable to be reminded of old ladies!



I also have a www.madeitmyself.com account. This service seems to be free at the moment, but I can see that they will probably charge in the future. I have a few things up on there at the moment, but nothing extraordinary. I probably should get on getting more stuff on there.









I wonder what people think of my hair ribbons clips. I bet some people think they might be too bulky looking. I think they're way awesome, and if I had somewhere to wear them, like a party or a show, I totally would.

Little bit at a time

So I've been slowly getting things together, growing my business, Handmade of Awesome, little by little in what little free time I have after I get off work everyday.  (And sometimes during work, like now, when I shouldn't be)

I work in an industry that has a ton of down-time followed by short bursts of intense work.  I get bored.  So, I decided to update the blog today (I worked on my website, Handmade of Awesome, yesterday)

I just wanted to take the time to let everyone (no one) know that I have somewhat finished my website.  I guess websites are never 'done', so to speak, but whatever.

In the near future, I plan on offering acrylic items, such as jewelry, keychains, that sort of thing.  Also, electronics, such as a portable usb charger for phones and MP3 players, that uses two AA batteries.  I really can't wait to get all this together to offer.

I think I'm going to have to make more than one Etsy store.  If I plan on offering all these different kinds of items, I really will need more than one store, as to not confuse customers, I think.

The link for my Etsy store now is Handmade of Awesome, if you so happen to visit.

Anyway,  I guess that's all I have for right now. If you have any suggestions on how I can make things better or what you don't like that I'm doing now, feel free to leave a comment or send an email.

-Julie