please help improve my store

http://stores.ebay.ca/Knits-Yours-Knot-Mine​

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That is the link to my ebay store, there's a few pages worth of stuff there. I'm getting a lot of traffic but my sales aren't as good as I'd like them to be, so I was hoping - knowing how brutally honest hipforumers are - that you can help me improve it.

If you can take a minute or two to just look around. Please post comments, I won't take offense to anything, so post at will. I do want to have a store that's yarn-craft themed, not to divert too far away to anything else.

Thanks!

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with having a plethora of items in your store. I say keep what you have because it gives people more options.

I do think that in order to gain more traffic and sales, you need to be out actively promoting your store. Here are some tips that I use when promoting my etsy store.

* Business cards/flyers. Leave these wherever you possible and legally can. This is your calling card, so hand it out to as many people as you can.

* Don't put all your eggs in one basket, meaning, don't just post links here on hipforums to your ebay auctions. There are tons of online venues one can use to help promote their stores. Use, blogger, tagnation, tribe, livejournal, craftycouch, craftster and myspace to help promote your store. Make sure you read the legalities of it before posting links to your store on those sites. SOme allow it others have strict policies, but there are loop holes you can get around in order to join communities and get the word out about your store.

* Radio and print ads. There are tons of local and inexpensive ways to place ads. Make sure you research to find out which ones will gain more traffic for you.

* Ask around at local coffee shops, salons, thrift store, dance studios, art studios, student unions... to see if you can leave flyers and cards on their bulletins, that way people can find you. Also check local grocery stores because they all have community bulletins.

* Local craft shows/fairs and events. Do as many as you can and let people there know about your site.

* Word of mouth. The cheapest nad best way to let people know about your store.

While EBAY and Etsy gets lots of traffic, they aren't solely advertising your store, so make sure you are taking every measure to do that. People can't buy from you if they don't know about you.

 

can u regroup everything by item type and make it ez to navigate around and find what your lookin for?

 

Thanks Hipmoon, good advice

Soaringeagle, yes I can.... I didn't realize that ebay had Store Categories until I've already posted all my stuff, I'm going to have to figure out a way to do that now that everything's already posted. (I'm not as computer savvy as I'd like to be!) But hopefully in the next couple of weeks....

 

^ What they said As frustrating as it can be sometimes, an online store presence really does need to be geared toward the computer-illiterate. You have a greater chance of losing customers to people who "can't figure it out" than to people who are frustrated with the system being dumbed down a little. So simplify as much as you can, into yarn, beads, notions, "done" stuff, etc.

Get an insane amount of business cards printed up and hand them out all the time. I'm a walking advertisement for our stuff, and anytime someone comments on it I give them a card. I also give away a couple with every sale and a small stack every time a friend or relative buys or I gift them something. My mom wears one of my purses and gives out my business cards all the time. Also leave them in local shops of every sort, and craft stores. Even the big chain stores usually have a system for taking/giving out business cards to refer people to local artists.

It might be a little frustrating for a while, because you'll be putting so much into it and not getting very much return for a while, but it comes back eventually.

Craft shows and that sort of thing are definitely a great idea. Not only do you get more exposure from potential buyers, but it's also a good way to network with other small business owners who can refer to you/you to them, and also a good way to meet potential wholesale customers.

Good luck!

 

thanks everyone... awesome ideas.... keep them coming, positive or negative.... be brutal.... thanks so much. I'm very green at this and appreciate all that comes to me

 

Everyone's come up with fantastic ideas, thanks so much for helping me out! Because of my vacationing next month, major improvements will kick in as of January, including my listing a whole smack load of hand knits. Thanks for everyone's input and support!