After receiving such wonderful feedback from Angela’s questions about Etsy vs Other E-Commerce Sites I received the below question from Alissa.
I have a question/problem and was wondering what others do and if it happens to them. I’ve been a graphic designer for 20 years, and I started to work up a plan and open a shop with invitations and cards. After looking around, the sheer magnitutude of people doing this scared me. These people are just so creative and have such great ideas! I am so intimidated that I am afraid to even go through the time and money of opening a store and not making a sale and my designs not being good enough. How do others handle this?
I know many of you opened up your shop with what you probably considered stiff competition so I would love it if you could give Alissa your thoughts and advice in the comments!
*Stationery featured in photo from Orange Beautiful
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Building your creative business? Sign up for the Handmade Success mailing list and get even more juicy business advice delivered weekly.
Hi Alissa I totally understand how you feel. However, the real question you need to answer is “Will I be doing a disservice to the world by not offering what I’ve been gifted with?”
Who do you passionately want to serve? Keep them in mind and go for it.
I’ve always viewed competition as a good thing, it spurs me on to be better. My motto has always been “Do it better, do it differently” whether that is better designs, better promotion, better customer service or taking a different approach, finding a new audience, technique or personality for my products. Sure it’s hard, but it would be no fun if it were easy! (that’s what I keep telling myself anyway!)
If you envisage Etsy as being like a store that people enter and browse through, comparing the different items and then buying what they like best, then it is easy to become discouraged by the sheer numbers of other people selling comparable items.
Don’t! Although some people will find your store through the internal search engine, (especially if you are smart about your keywords and tags), what is far more effective is to consider your Etsy store a convenient online catalog that makes it easy for people who have already discovered and appreciate your work to purchase it.
Focus your attention on defining your customers, why they would like your particular style, and then do the marketing to those people outside of Etsy, as well as structuring your product descriptions to appeal to those customers.
I’m gonna piggy back on what Tola said! Really!
And if you want it you’ve got it-you’ve just got to Believe. Ok now I just piggy backed on Lenny Kravitz lyrics. But it’s the Truth.
The experience of joining the marketplace and becoming part of the Etsy community is sheer fun, exploration, adventure, inspiration. First, Say Yes and Go For It. Next I suggest a mission/intention statement, and to stay the course for a set amount of time regardless of sales traffic mood etc. Feeling fear is a good sign you are taking the next step for your art and business. I would definitely be more afraid of you not trying! Keep the faith and have fun with it.
A little story first – I have a good friend, who hates her job and wants to start a business where she can work at home. My friend is looking to do something totally unique, something that no one has done before. She has been on this quest for years because the truth is, she will NEVER find something that no one has done before. Personally, I think it’s a way of justifying not following her dream – fear of failure? fear of success? who knows, but what I do know is – she will be stuck, complaining, in her job for a long time to come.
Since man created the wheel, there have been no new creations, just different interpretations, and variations on a theme. There will always be some one who does what you do, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but they are out there, and they are making sales! Don’t over think this – JUMP RIGHT IN! Learn all you can about Etsy, selling to stores, craft fairs – any way you can promote your business – then start small, grow smart, keep learning and before you know it, you’ll wonder why you were so nervous about getting started! Just don’t be like my friend and never even start!
My first advice is you are good enough and you should go for it! I have been doing a lot of reading of books and listening to many speakers talk about starting a business, and you have to believe in both yourself and your products first. It is so much easier to market and sell products you love and know will benefit someone.
If you love making invitations and cards, and it is your passion…GO FOR IT!!!
Focus on the positive, but always be prepared for someone to not like your work. That is OK.
I would like to sell my fine artwork, which is also a highly competitive industry. The hardest part for me now, is to find a way to say what I do to people that explains why my artwork is different from all the rest.
Find a way to show how your products have value, and you have a great shot for success.
Best of luck!!!!
I agree with what everyone has already said – they have said it well!. We are all unique and even if we practice the same craft as someone else, it will always be unique to you – your style, your vision, your talents.
Go out and be unique, even if you are in a sea of apparent sameness, because ultimately, you are are far from the same as everyone else!
Hi! Insightful comments. All I can add to this is “The biggest risk in life is not taking one.” Gor for it!
I am amazed by what everyone has said above!!! It is not only inspirational to you, Angela. but I am feeling energized just by reading the posts!!
I was in the same boat like you not too long ago. I opened my Etsy shop last Nov & my specialty is crochet (and obviously A LOT of other ppls too). I can’t say it’s been magic. It definitely has been a slow process, but one that has totally been worth it. Once I got my first sale, it then became “real” & my energy to create increased every time someone purchased something from my shop. The key is to finding the ppl that LOVE your product bc your product is YOU.
I agree! Yes there are a lot of wonderful shops on Etsy, but there is no limit on how much creativity Etsy can hold! Also, shoppers care not only about the product itself but the service they receive, so that is another way to distinguish yourself. I sell mostly vintage and there is a sea of vintage on Etsy, but I’ve continued to work at it and share things I love and my shop is taking off! When I had time I also knit scarves (another big category on Etsy) and most of them have sold even though they were a small part of my shop. It is possible to distinguish yourself, it just takes time and a lot of work
I opened my etsy shop last March. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into, but I love making jewelry, and had lots of positive feedback from friends and family-decided to give it a try. I soon discovered how much competition there is, and how much more it involved than just doing what I love-making things. I have made a few sales and gotten into a few treasuries-and am grateful for these small successes. I have a 3 prong sort of plan to establish myself as a jewelry designer, and the etsy shop is only one of the pieces. I am working on the next piece, and am getting ready for my first craft fair next weekend:)
The thing is, yes there is competition, but there is only one you. Only you can create and craft what you do, so your work is unique and worthwhile. Think about how many people need and use cards and invitations-the possibilities are endless. It’s just a matter of figuring out where “your” people are, and establishing yourself.
I don’t have this all figured out myself yet, but I feel like I am on my way! I have been an artist all my life and worked in several different disciplines….we can say there’s lots of competition and it’s all been done before, or we can say there is only one me, and what we do is the gift we give to ourselves and our world. Don’t measure yourself or the value of your work by what other people are doing-it’s a real creativity killer!
When I opened my shop on Etsy I followed the steps put forth in the Etsy Seller Handbook and I think it really helped. I have a long way to go but I have seen my sales improve as time goes along. You need to concentrate on your titles, descriptions and key words.
It is not really expensive to open an Etsy store and that is a plus. I would say why not…you really do not have much to lose except for your time.
What everyone is saying is all soooo true and inspiring!! I sew for the love of sewing & creating products that are beautiful AND useful.
When we started traveling full-time, I sewed only for myself, then other campers started seeing my products & asking me to make things specifically for them,….which snowballed into doing craft shows, where I made things in advance, rather than to specs.
I developed a following of sorts, but it got more & more difficult for people to find me, as we kept moving around (we were workampers, so we took new jobs about every 3-6 months, wherever we wanted to be geographically). My etsy shop was opened so my peeps could find me without having to keep up with our wanderings. The fact that now people all over the world have my stuff is just amazing to me – and very gratifying too!!
I still get custom orders – lots of ‘em, and those are the ones that really challenge me to get creative & inventive, so I enjoy those the most. But if I hadn’t put myself out there in the first place, I wouldn’t have had SEW MUCH FUN!
If you need your day-job to pay the bills, stay in it, but still open up your shop. As it grows, your confidence will too! (I still do the happy-dance every time I make a sale!!!) Good luck & may the sales fairy bless us ALL!
Alissa- My advice is to pick a niche, and stick with it. Graphic designers can do so many things! I know- I am one! But I really think if you find that 1 niche you really excel at, that you will stand out from the crowd. I have a friend who is designing digital art print with really bold graphics, they really show her design style and she’s already sold 4 prints (opened like 3 months ago)! I think it all comes down to finding your skill set and niche and working from there. Don’t try to do everything. Good luck!
Everyone has told me that the biggest competition on Etsy is jewelry, which is what I sell and I went for it anyway. I haven’t sold a lot on Etsy but use it as my showcase for my products and end up getting face to face sales because I have an online presence. The fees are low and the site is easy to use and can be linked to a Facebook page, so to me its a no brainer.
I agree with the other comments that even though you have the same category of product, your poduct is unique. What I’ve learned in life is that you have to do things even if you are afraid because what you thInk is scarier than the reality. So go for it and good luck.
I say go for it! I started out just doing it to make a little play money and a little cash to put in my girls accounts. I didn’t expect to be swamped with orders or anything… it was more of a creative outlet for me and I love designing so I figured why not make a little fun money with it as well. I’ve managed to keep myself VERY busy! I think if your style is unique or stands out people will find you. I too have preused through shops and some look very similar to others so I try to keep a bit of my old “digital scrapbooking” style to my shop. It’s what make my cards a little bit different. I’ve had a lot of people comment that they love my products and I always try to give the best service possible. It just makes me really happy to hear their positive feedback and even feedback they get from invitees. If it’s something you are passionate about and can start up with little cost…. why not try it? You don’t have a lot to lose! Best of luck
1) Check out your competition or who you feel has it all going on.
2) Pick out what you love about their site and what you feel yours is lacking.
3) Create a game plan on how you can do better than theirs.
4) Go do it without constantly looking back and comparing.
5) Keep at it and dont give it. If you need to modity things just keep changing and growing. But DO NOT give up. If this is what you love to do than do it.
Good luck
Judi
Go for it! Find the things that make you, you and design away. You have your own likes and dislikes that that make the things you create unique. I crochet and I get intimidated sometimes by the other crochets who are selling things faster than me. But I look at my shop and I know that I love everything in there and that everything in there is all me. Keep doing what you love and go for it!
My advice would be not to worry about the competition. Though it helped keep me motivated in the beginning, it started to choke my productivity and limited my potential as I can see it is already doing to you. My single best piece of advice is to ignore the competition and stay your course. If you’ve been a graphic designer for 20 years, you’ve already got it figured out. A couple of videos to learn a few online selling skills like keywords and such and you’ll be on your way. Following your competition will not make you successful, you need to get your cometition to follow you.
You are all so amazing and inspiring! This will be such a great post for us to share with others thinking about selling their craft or opening an Etsy shop. All of your advice is great for life in general too. I love being surrounded by all of your fabulousness!
I didn’t care if there were great makers in my genre out there. I always tell myself, “Here I am, this is me. Take it or leave it.” I don’t want to sulk 5 years later not forgiving myself to have never even tried.
I actually think the competition makes me more inspired. I see so much good work that it challenges me to make mine better or more unique. It really pushes me to figure out my trouble spots and gives me time to make happy accidents! My thoughts always try to stay positive and to continue to keep trying and learn more.