Comments on: Your Opinion Wanted: Opening Up A Shop Despite The Competition

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 18:55:22 +0000

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.

By: Shasha Ravacio

Shasha Ravacio — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 12:12:59 +0000

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.

By: kerry

kerry — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:54:28 +0000

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!

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:06:56 +0000

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.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:21:30 +0000

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!

By: Judi Painted it

Judi Painted it — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:16:52 +0000

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

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:04:52 +0000

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

By: Denise McLachlan

Denise McLachlan — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:44:17 +0000

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.

By: Christina P

Christina P — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:41:30 +0000

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!

By: Karin

Karin — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:37:15 +0000

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!