I have recently become unemployed and I was going to sell my crafts on etsy. Has anyone had success with making a living on etsy or is it just a spare time thing to to make a few bucks?
My experience with etsy is that you need to promote it nicely for it to work effectively. Seems like theres so many buyers selling similar things that its just kinda lil hard to do. I started to make lil cards i slip in a lil bag with whatever im selling that has a link to my etsy. It kind of helped but not much and I advertised on certain forums and things I'm on. Just takes a little work but I'm thinking about using a different site that might generate more customers from the actual site.. maybe ebay? I don't know yet, good luck <3
Since etsy is still a bit of an 'obscure' site that not a lot of people know about, there is A LOT of promotion that needs to be done on your part for your shop. Etsy is handy to have as 'extra income' but I wouldn't rely on it to become your primary source of cash. I've known a lot of people who've made more money selling their handmade items at craft shows, fairs, etc than online. But again, etsy's a good place to have as an 'extra' place. Good luck with it!
You guys are in luck! Here is a list of 50 sites you can use to promote your Etsy shop. I personally have 960 sales on Etsy. It's true... you have to promote and network to get your work seen. I actually took two years off from Etsy when I first started. I did a lot of research and came back to Etsy and sold alot. The trick is to make unique stuff, make it well, and have good photos of your work. It's a combination of many things. Hope this list helps. http://www.createapendant.com/etsypromote.htm
