New Excuses or New Solutions?

Many of us sellers have been discussing the lack of sales recently. We can blame it on the economic ups and downs, the time of year and the website we choose to sell through. I've used this excuse frequently throughout the years. "It's June, everyone is at weddings & graduations..." 

Rhinestone Hair Comb offered by OhFaro

But that's not solid reasoning. There are millions upon millions of web users in the world, all unique individuals. Some shop while at work, at home, in the library after class, during class, while waiting for flights, to alleviate boredom & to distract from life. Hundreds if not thousands of reasons to buy exist for all these individuals. 

Nippon Handpainted Dish offered by jenscloset

Yes, the economy is bumpy. In my state of California, unemployment hovers around 12% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's bad news. But let's look at this a new way. If you were told you had a life threatening disease, how would you feel if the doctor looked you in the eye and said you only had 88% chance of survival? I'd be over the moon with joy! 

John Deere Territories Map offered by 10karri

I am an optimist. I find that helps me get through times such as this and enables me to see through the mental clutter that fills the airwaves. 88% of the California population is employed! Those are all potential customers. Rather than bemoan lack of sales, let's figure out how to reach them. As many have mentioned, people are buying on eBay. If that's true, then we know people are buying-just not where we want them to. The question is, how can we get them to Etsy? 

Vintage Parking Meter offered by YesterdaysSilhouette

Facebook. I know it's a bad word for some folks, but try to remain open minded. Because if you're willing to sell on eBay and pay between 10-15%, you should consider Facebook. I pay for an ad on there. I have it capped at $3 a day. I pay for each click to my Nachokitty Facebook page-around .30 a customer. That's a lot cheaper and it provides me with a captive audience to advertise to that loves vintage. (You do need to update your page often, and not just with sales pitches) 

Students Reference Books 1911 offered by treasurehuntvintage

Expand your Audience. Are you selling Internationally? Is EACH of your ads explicit by outlining shipping to individual countries? Imagine a buyer sitting in Ireland browsing Etsy. She finds a mid century piece she adores and looks at the shipping to see this: 

Shipping info found on every Etsy sellers page

It's intimidating. It doesn't say Ireland. What does Everywhere Else really mean? She doesn't want to be stuck buying the item and then dealing with getting the money back if the seller won't ship to her. She decides to surf to the next shop. I am shipping over 1/2 of my items out of the country: China, Japan, Luxembourg, Austria, South Korea, Australia, Russia etc. I've never had a problem, but caution should be exercised. Common sense is always a good idea. 

Vintage Dutch Carvings offered by thecreekhouse

Use other websites to your advanage. I just recently set up a new shop on eBay. On my ME page, I link directly to my Etsy profile page. I put a few very desirable high end items on the site and waited. Within 12 hours two people had come over to my Etsy shop and purchased things. For the 10 days those items were listed I received 49 visits from my ME page and 12 sales. One for over $1800. (Which is significant when you consider what it would have cost to sell that on eBay vs Etsy) Yes, a few things sold on eBay too, but the big winner was the Etsy shop. 


I've been told there may be issues with this on eBay. I'm not linking directly to my shop, so I feel fine with it. Use your own judgement.

Pharmacy Mortar & Pestle offered by jenzee09

Are you blogging? Promote it. Reach out to other blogs. Yes, it takes time, but it's free. Find a voice for your blog and  start being consistent. Then promote it on your Facebook page. Take your camera with you everywhere. Give your opinions about items you find or see. Be an active blogger and you will get found. It takes a little time, but when combined with your Facebook page it'll be quicker than you expect. 

Irish Round Tablecloth offered by HouseofLinens

Customers are out there. Millions of them. We just need to think outside the box and find new ways to reach them. Look at your shop objectively. Make it user friendly, promote it, promote your brand, promote your items and stay involved. I always thought June was a terrible month. This year it was busy for me. Go figure! 

Shop Window Basics

Arranging store windows is a critical marketing effort retail stores undertake. That blank space offers a fantastic opportunity to shape customer opinion, convey a message about the store image & convince the customer they need to come in. Print media also depends on their arrangements to lure customers. Similarly, our Etsy store fronts provide us a valuable marketing opportunity. 

Colors are balanced and lighting is strong by mascarajones

We've all seen them. You enter an Etsy store and feel affronted. The colors are askew, lighting is inconsistent & the page lacks a sense of balance. While you might take a cursory glance, stores that look this way appear jumbled & disorganized to our minds and we generally leave quickly. 

 A poorly designed shop. Colors are clustered together, there is no unification. 

Having an organized and visually balanced shop is critical for one major reason. Our customers are looking at a computer screen. The glare, lighting, tiny fonts & eye strain all make for a shopping challenge. If we counter that by providing a calm, balanced and well lit space, their eyes will relax and enjoy wandering throughout our shops. 

The same shop, redone. Colors & materials are balanced out. 

Our shops should be staged every day. Like putting a front page worthy treasury together, your shop should look fresh, coordinated and well thought out. If you have a bunch of similarly colored items, spread them out to help the eye balance. Perhaps you have several tiny or large items. Treat them the same as colored items and balance the shop out. 

Excellent use of color & lighting. I want to look more! By marybethhale

Keep in mind what your shop looks like above the fold. Meaning, what does your shop look like on a standard laptop screen? Good web designers think about this when building new websites. What that section of your shop looks like is very critical-it is the only impression many potential customers will get. Many will not scroll down if they're not tempted by those top lines. 

Great use of color, balance & subject matter by goodlookin

I don't rearrange my whole shop every day-that would be a time waster. But if we're listing, I do make sure items are balanced in order to compliment each other. One thing I do do daily is change my featured items. Even just moving the same items around freshens the shop and can give a totally different look. 

A balanced, relaxed and fascinating shop by hurstdesigns

By treating our shops as retail space, we'll bring a more professional feel to them. That's critical in building trust and reliability, two qualities we all need to convey this holiday season. 

Ignoring the Decades

1980's Panetta Necklace offered by popgoesmyvintage

When my wonderful Grandma passed on, my aunt & Mom went through her items, selecting what pieces they wanted. The remaining items were spread out on blankets throughout the house. My brother & I, the only grandchildren, were told to take what we wanted. My mom and aunt were born between 1939-1942. To my surprise, I found they left most of the items from the 40's, 50's, and 60's.  I remember my Mom saying that the brightly colored California pottery from the late 40's was tacky.

1985 Breeders Cup Book offered by goodlookin

I have found this true ism applies to most people. No one seems to value items from the decades they've lived through. I have encountered this time and time again in my estate liquidation business. I've found this to be true of myself: I can't imagine wanting to wear a 1970's dress, much less sell it!

1980's Kinetic Earrings offered by mascarajones

That said, I know I need to remain open minded. I see other shops doing quite well with things from recent decades. But to be honest, I have a hard time accepting that vintage now applies to 1991. Due to this bias, what are we overlooking as sellers? What high ticket items are we passing by?

Jointed Ceramic Snoopy 1970's Ornament I sold

Would you think Snoopy is worth anything? Many sellers just consider Peanuts a modern cartoon, not recognizing Charles Schultz has been gone for 11 years now and Peanuts was introduced 61 years ago. Pieces from the late 70's and mid 80's can be very valuable. I sold a jointed Snoopy ornament from 1979 recently for several hundred.

1970's Wayfarer Sunglasses offered by dahlilafound

I saw a mid 1980's Atari game sell for almost $1200. I almost fell over. I never knew Jessica McClintock dresses from the late 70's were desirable. I found calculators from the early 1980's selling for strong prices-for way more than I ever thought any such device could go for! Now you likely don't sell these things and are asking yourself, why should I care? Because you're out there. You're at sales. If I placed $500 in a box for you, you'd take it. So why pass by recent vintage that will provide more spending money for the real vintage you love?

One of the rarest games from the 1980's, worth a mint

The trick is to educate yourself. Yes, eBay can help a little, but dig. Prices are variable and you'll need to have several examples before settling on a price you can depend on. I prefer looking at collectors websites and reading blogs. Look at shops on Etsy that specialize in the recent decades. I've been amazed by what Etsy sellers are able to get for 1980's pieces. Way to go Etsy sellers!

1980's Valentino Sweater offered by hillbillyfilly

Be flexible. Be open minded. Embrace change. Next time you walk into an estate and only see recent vintage, embrace it. Don't run because you don't see classic pieces. Look with a sharp eye and nab those items that are the modern collectibles of today.