How to Successfully Sell Jewelry on Etsy

Lovely Bracelet by Naturally Heartfelt.

Many people jump into an Etsy shop without taking the time to learn how to be successful at it. I'm an Etsian and I love the community and ease of use of the site itself. However, it took me a year to learn all the ins and outs, tips and tricks, so I'm here to share with you a few things that I wish someone would have told me.

Educate Yourself On Selling First: Do's and Don'ts and The Storque
First take time before stocking your shop to read the Do's and Don'ts of Etsy, and review some of the "Quit Your Day Job" articles in the Official Etsy Blog, called The Storque. Not only with this prepare you for what to expect, but will give you advice and suggestions from peers on how to run your Etsy shop. Education of the Etsy universe is key. Once you are in, continually refer to The Storque, and the Forums for help.

Lovely photos, items, and creative packaging at Heaven Sent Crafts.

Stock Your Shop With Good Selection
Your shop should then be stocked with a good selection of items, ranging in price so that you may eventually find and target your market. Selling all higher-priced items at first may alienate your lower-priced customer base. At first, a good selection is key.

Good, Clear, Close Up Photos Are Key
Gorgeous photos will encourage customers to shop with you. Grainy photos, or photos that do not show detail in your work will not sell your item. Good photographs can be had with even the oldest, cheapest cameras if you capture natural light and know how to zoom in. Practice makes perfect.

Tags and Keywords Will Make or Break You
You can have the best priced, prettiest jewelry in the world, but if it's not properly tagged or categorized no one will ever find it. Read up on how to properly tag your item, and how to use all 14 tags. If you need help, search the web as many sellers discuss this.

Join a Team
Join a Team on Etsy, most are free and are based on either location or theme. You may wish to join a local team and/or a jewelry themed group. Teams band together to help promote each other's items and in turn will obtain more exposure for your items.

Be Prepared to Work to Promote Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy
Etsy gives you a low cost platform to sell your wares, with a free shop, charging only minimal listing and sales fees. However, the promotion and success of your shop is up to you. You must work hard outside of Etsy to get your shop noticed, by promoting it on other social networking sites like Facebook, Blogs, or Twitter so that you may drive customers to your Etsy shop.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ira_Mency
Ira Mency sells vintage on Etsy at Retro Chalet Vintage Shop, and runs a vintage blog at Vintage Chalet. 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6062363