Q & A with Top Etsy Seller Ismoyo: Market, Increase Sales, and More!

Ismoyo's Etsy Shop, Ismoyo's Vintage Playground is filled to the brim with some of the most colorful and cute vintage treasures you've ever seen- and they sell! I had to sit with Ismoyo and get some of her Etsy selling mojo and secrets!

1. When did you start reselling, did you start online or offline?

I started reselling vintage treasures online in the summer of 2009. I had just moved to NY from Amsterdam two years before, and was already selling handmade items in my Etsy shop for almost a year.

2. Have you sold anywhere other than Etsy, why do you stick with Etsy?

Etsy is my main venue for online selling. But I do occasionally sell items to visitors of my site. I regularly get requests to look out for special items on my treasure hunts and I love “thrifting on request”. I love Etsy because of so many things, I like the look of the site, my items fit well and you can't beat the built in traffic of shoppers Etsy has.

3. What are three big things you feel have contributed to your success on Etsy.

- My Love for what I do.- Knowledge of what I sell.- Hard work.

4. Good ones! I love the "hard work" part, a lot of people skip that! It's not easy. Everyone wants to know how to increase those sales! What are your top tips on that?

I would say get your inventory up with quality products. In the Etsy forums people mention the magic 100 items a lot, but don’t stop there. The more listings in your shop, the more entry ways for people to get in and browse around. There are currently more than 3 million vintage items for sale on Etsy, if you only have 10 items for sale, it will be very hard to be noticed.

5. How do you interact with and engage the community on Etsy?

I stop by the Etsy forums almost daily, I don’t post a whole lot, but it’s good to check for changes and updates to the site. I have a twitter and facebook account where I give some sort of behind the scenes look and information about what’s new with the shop.

6. How do you market yourself on Etsy?

Except for keeping my shop freshly filled, most of my marketing if off-etsy. I don’t use the search ad option and being featured on the front page or in the Etsy newsletter is great, but not something you can control happening.

7. What are the three top mistakes you see people make on etsy?

The biggest mistake is not using all the tags. Again, you want as much ways for shoppers to find you. Unclear product photos and bad lighting. Good photography makes people click.

Descriptions that don't describe the item, no measurements or materials listed.

8. How about your top 3 tips for beginners?

-Research your items, know what you sell and what its worth. -Learn about SEO (Search Enginge Optimization).-Find the macro setting on your camera and learn how to set the white balance.

9. Have you noticed any sales trends?

For me usually the summer is the most quiet time sales wise. I’m still selling, but the holiday season at the end of the year definitely keeps me more busy. On the other hand, during the summer there are lots of flea markets, yard sales and estates to scour through. So it’s not necessarily a time of not a lot of work.

10. How about trends in WHAT sells?

That’s harder to say. I do sort of know by now what my shoppers like, what it is they come to my shop for. But there are also some items that I think will fly off the shelf and they don’t. Or at least not right away. I do well with vintage nursery decorations, wall décor in general, and vintage toys.

11. I hear that all the time and experience it too, sometimes items you think will sell fast don't, and random ones you take a chance on do! Random Time: What's better, deer, mushrooms, or robots!? 

Best interview question ever!! Knowing you I should say robots. But looking around my home I have to say Deer.

Thank you for the candid interview and for sharing so many helpful tips with us! We'll definitely put them into action! 

Still have questions or tips to share? Feel free to share them in the comments! I'd love to read YOUR reselling/etsy selling tips, too!

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Product Photography Basics: Boost Sales and Visibility on Etsy and Beyond!

I'm often asked for tips on my product photography, and I'm happy to share my pointers on taking appealing photos that raise interest and help you sell! You don't need a fancy camera or equipment to start with. All you need is time, patience, and a stubborn dedication to quality!

1. Consider Your Background: You can use colorful paper, vintage fabric, or let your home be the backdrop. Be creative. My background is a sheet of fifty cent poster board, but the result looks professional!

2. Bright Natural Light & Tripod: I see a decline in photo quality when I don't shoot in bright natural light. Schedule picture-time accordingly. Always use a tripod to prevent blur caused by camera movement.

3. Try Many Angles:  I forbid you from taking pictures from one angle! Get on your knees, lay on the floor with the subject. Turn the subject in all directions. Get intimate. It's photo-love-makin' time, baby.

4. Communicate the Use: Stage your item in use. Hell, create new uses for your merchandise! I "made" a planter (above) into a "pen cup" and sold it for twice as much as I would have before.

5. Play and Edit:  It's up to you to make the photo tangible and appealing to the buyer. Brighten, straighten, and crop your photos to perfection. I will follow-up with photo editing tips next time.

6. Right In-Camera: I may edit every photo I put online, but I also get my pictures right in-camera. It cuts down on editing time and yields a better result. Using a tripod and natural light will help you get the proper exposure so your post-production is only for minor and/or artistic improvements.

7. Personalize: My first product photos were rushed and bland. Now I'm getting a feel for them and inserting my personality. The increase in traffic and favorites is substantial! Stage your photos, and add props. Your viewers know when you're having fun, and it makes them want to buy and share your work.

8. Don't be Afraid to Re-Take Photos: My first priority is getting the rest of my merchandise online, but when that's done I'll replace photos that don't fit my new standard.

9. Innovate and Practice, Practice, Practice: Strive to learn new techniques, master your camera, and practice your ass off.

10. Shoot Daily: Try new things EVERY DAY and you'll see improvements quickly.

Just Get Started! My first product photos were not my best work, but they were clear and technically correct. I got my merchandise online and in front of eyes quickly and made sales immediately. Don't agonize if your work isn't where you want it to be. Just keep shooting daily, you'll discover your style and make improvements along the way. The priority is getting images online and making those sales! Be dedicated to quality, but don't get so wrapped up in it that you're paralyzed and don't get started. That used to be me, but no longer!

Got any photography tips to share? Still got photography questions? Let's discuss in the comments. I will follow-up with more product photography tips next time.

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Adventures in Etsy Selling: Some Tips From Me, Some Tips From YOU!

I'm obsessed with improving my Etsy shop. I've been gathering merchandise for years and it's cathartic to finally get it in front of admiring eyes, and creatively fulfilling photographing the finds and curating them into a branded collection!

Please share what helps for you in the comments. Let's help each other be successful! These are my researched tips on improving sales on Etsy:

1) Marketing is Paramount: We should strive to create the best quality, but the evidence is there- you can market your way to the top with Etsy. Bad photos be damned!

2) Use the Community: Etsy teams and forums have resources for dating vintage and improving sales. Bounce questions off fellow sellers, promote. Be helpful and genuine in the community.

3) An Ample Start: Take photos of 10-50+ items before you even make an account so you start with a full shop.

4) About Those Photos: With bright natural light and a tripod anyone can take professional-looking photos. Strive to provide the best quality.

5) Naming Items: I'm learning that the first couple of words of your item description are the most important. I've changed the order of words in items to have them sell immediately.

6) Listing Times: It's best to list (or renew) items during peak hours. My research says that's around 9:30 AM and 9:30 PM, what do you feel the peak traffic hours for Etsy are?

7)  Customer's Shoes: Look at your shop as a customer would. Think of what you like in a shop and expect in customer service, then provide it with your store.

8) Brick and Mortar: Think of your online shop like a brick and mortar store. (Ex: Your banner's the sign, the merchandise is on shelves for easy browsing.) This will help you create the ideal customer experience.

9) Think Outside of Etsy: Market your store on your blog and other websites. Put cards and banners out in your community. I've gotten plenty of online sales by locals who've found my cards or have seen my ads.

10) Quality Counts: I'm re-taking photos and re-writing descriptions because I won't be satisfied until I've created the best quality I'm capable of. Customers see the difference.

What are your tips for selling on Etsy? What helps you improve sales? If you're just an admirer/shopper, what do you look for in an Etsy shop?

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Hot Damn, The Thrift Core Etsy Site is Finally Launched! Beautiful!

Well it's ABOUT DAMN TIME! The Thrift Core Etsy shop is finally back online after nearly three years of being neglected. I listed three items online back in 2010, then never bothered with Etsy again since antique mall and blog sales were steady. I've been dying to launch another online shop and recently finished organizing the last box of vintage stock (yay!) so I busted ass the past couple of days to get this beast running.

I have hundreds of items I can add to the shop, lots of them are goodies you haven't seen! I'm excited to get work and I'll likely be adding at LEAST 10 to 20 items per day this month.

If you're Christmas shopping I have dozens of cute gifts for low prices. If you're looking for something in particular that you don't see in the shop drop me a line, because I might have it! Many items in the haul posts are available as well.

Discount Code: I'm offering a 10% discount to celebrate the launch. Type in "Dinobots" upon checkout to receive your discount for one week!

I'd love your feedback! Any tips for a beginner on Etsy? Let me know!

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