When you're new to Etsy, you're desperate to make that first sale (I know I was!) and I remember that it seems to take forever.

I know plenty of you think it's your store, your prices, Etsy customers etc, but here's one set of events that applies to every new seller.

It's all about connections and connections take time.

It could go a little something like this:

&hearts Day 1 &hearts
When you first open your store, nobody can find you. You may as well have opened on Pluto. You will not sell anything.
Connections - 0*

&hearts Day 2 &hearts
Then you list a product. It appears first in the Time Machine and puts your shop at the top of the Seller list. But it will quickly move down that list. If you're lucky a couple of people may stumble across you in these places. You probably still won't sell anything!
Connections - 4*

&hearts Week 1 &hearts
You list more products (hopefully over a period of days). More opportunities for different buyers/sellers to visit your store. Maybe some of them will 'heart' your store. If so, you'll appear in their favourites list.
Connections - 20*

&hearts Week 2 &hearts
You start making forum posts. Now you're building relationships with other buyers and sellers. Hopefully they're starting to visit you.

As you build up these relationships, you'll find more and more people put you in their favourites lists. The more favourite lists you appear in, the more likely it is that people who visit another sellers store will wind up in yours.
Connections - 80*

&hearts Week 3 &hearts
Now you've built up a decent number of connections on Etsy.

Maybe someone will pop you in a treasury (more connections), you're now hearting people (they check their hearts and bingo! more connetions), you're regularly posting in the forums (connections), and you're listing regularly (you guessed it - connections).
Connections - 300*

&hearts Week 4 &hearts
Finally all these connections and links to your store pay off. Someone buys something. Now your store also appears in the 'Sold' Time Machine and in 'feedback'. Plus the buyer will start talking about what he or she bought from you - so now you're also getting word of mouth outside of Etsy.
Connections - 1200*

You can see where this is heading. The connections build up exponentially, which explains why nothing happens for 4 weeks or 8 weeks or 12 weeks and then all of a sudden you're rushed off your feet!


So if you're new, don't panic.

Just build up as many connections (on and OFF Etsy) as you can.

xxx scarlett



* number of connections example only and based on nothing more than my fertile imagination.

Posted at 9:46 pm Sep 1, 2007 EDT