Best products from r/Etsy

For "prints" - I'm able to make 300 that have substantial amount of white space...as in not completely full color edge-to-edge, but illustration, or lots of colored text & boxes on white background. But I find to print 2 A2 cards on a sheet with a full bleed is about 30-40 seconds or so. I haven't used a stopwatch or what not, but I usually just let the printer do it's thing, I run off and do errands like the dishes, and just come back to make sure the ink isn't streaking if it's warned me that it's low. Usually a sign the ink is low is if there's like a skip in the print, or a very thin line...or if a color like magenta is done then the print will be lacking the pink tones.

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I get everything from Amazon, and currently I've found these to work great:

• Hammermill 80lb Cover (it's very velvety feeling and takes ink well, not super stiff but a good overall cardstock weight). It feeds VERY WELL through the printer.
  
  
• Accent Opaque 120lb Cover I bought 1200 sheets of this. It's VERY stiff board and really adds substantial weight to greeting cards, and takes color very well. The only downside is because it is very thick, every so often the printer won't grab the paper to feed through if you try to pre-load 5+ sheets of it. I have to do 2-3 sheets at a time for the printer to be able to grab it. There's also 100lb as well that's slightly thinner and good for cards and feeds a little better but I got the 120 because I had some weird Amazon coupon to make it much cheaper than the 100.
  
  
  I've also found great color with the other following papers:
  
  
• Hammermill 24# paper Excellent for just daily printing - I found 20# to be very thin but still doable! But love the 24# because the colors turn out nice and smooth.
  
  
• Canon Luster Photo Paper This paper is amazing for photography prints...I'm not too keen on glossy types but this makes the color feel richer and the luster texture helps to hide any small jpeg articfacting or imperfections in the file/print.

Collections or Categories, it doesn't really matter - what matters is that A) you're consistent, and B) they are self-evident (clear). In other words, you need to endeavor so that a customer is not going to be surprised when they click on a section. Understand that a customer is always going to have some expectation when deciding to click on a category, and that expectation will range from something as straightforward as:

"I am looking for rings, so I am clicking on the 'Rings' section and I expect to see a bunch of rings"

to

"I see 'Tree of Life' and I know that nature-y things appeal to me, so when I click on 'Tree of Life' I expect to see things that are all clearly related to one another thematically in some way AND I can clearly see why this collection is called 'Tree of Life' through the general brand/theme conveyed by this collection of products."

Therefore, in the first example if a customer clicks on 'Rings' and sees some rings as well as bracelets and necklaces....that customer is surprised. Pretty straightforward. In the second example, if a customer clicks on 'Tree of Life' and sees a bunch of jewelry that really doesn't look like it's thematically tied together in some way AND/OR that jewelry is really not conveying the theme (maybe it's all industrial/steampunk stuff) - that customer is surprised. Surprise comes from when expectations are not met, and in this case customers being surprised will lead to disappointment and frustration. Having consistency and clarity will reduce customer confusion/frustration, and that will keep curious customers from bailing out of your store.

That said, as demonstrated above, it is generally much easier to be both consistent and self-evident with Categories, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is better. As you rightly point out, if you have a strong brand that resonates with your customers, the Collections approach can actually be a pretty powerful way to expose your products to your customer and snag sales you otherwise wouldn't have. It just takes a lot more work to maintain consistency and clarity with Collections because it depends on having strong, clear branding. With that in mind, I think if you go the Collections route you really, really, really need to be very careful and deliberate about it in order to maintain consistency and clarity - but if you do it right, you will go farrrrrr.

As an aside, I strongly recommend the book "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" by Steve Krug. It was originally intended to teach user experience and human-centered design principles to web designers, but honestly it's one of the best damn books out there for anyone trying to convey information of any kind on the internet. It's short and awesome and the world would be a better place if more people read it and practiced its principles.

1. Have an interesting, inviting display/set up. Make sure your tablecloth is fitted and goes to the floor because you will be hiding your boxes under the table and I think it looks kind of cheap/tacky if customers can see them. I have both 6 foot and 8 foot tablecloths because I have vended at enough places that they've both been used. You should also know the size of the table and booth so you can think of ways to be utilize the space you're given. Don't forget some chairs, but if the craft fair is good, you won't have time to sit because you'll be too busy talking with customers!
   
   
2. Pinterest is a good place to search for booth table set up ideas or search Instagram for #boothdisplay. I bought my displays from here. This, of course, depends on what you're selling! Getting a good display together is not cheap. :(
   
   
3. Don't forget business cards, money (cash and your Square reader synced with Etsy), bags for your items/packaging, and also PRICES! Even if you have a stand with the prices listed, people will ask you how much things are. Also, people don't like asking how much things are (or at least I don't) and are more likely to pass if the price isn't obvious (or at least I am). Be prepared for people to comment "that's too much" or "I can make it myself for cheaper." Don't take it personally. Just smile along.
   
   
4. Bring water/something to drink, plus snacks, and maybe a #1 helper. The helper can bag things while you ring up customers, talk with customers (if you have more than one) about your product, and also just handy to have around for bathroom breaks and someone to talk to when things are slow.
   
   
5. Don't be afraid to swap out your product if it isn't selling. I sell journals, so if I notice that people are always passing over certain journals that are on display, I swap them out for different ones that might draw interest. It's also good to periodically straighten up your booth because with customers touching and moving everything, it can look messy quick!
   
   
6. Make friends with the other vendors selling. They might give you some leads on some good craft fairs to apply to!

We sell similar items on our store. If the stuff inside the dome isn’t secured down with glue there’s basically no way to ship it. Redo it, use glue to make sure nothing inside moves around. The glue we use is great, dries clear and isn’t super brittle like super glue is. Lemme see if I can find it on amazon...

https://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Craft-Bond-Tacky-Clear/dp/B000LNR27U/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=craft+glue&qid=1555186771&s=gateway&sr=8-4

That’s close enough, but we use the quick dry version. It really is perfect for this type of application. It’s way stronger than you’d think. I use it all the time for gluing bones and preserved moss, etc.

Anyway, once everything inside the dome is secure (shake it a bit to make sure), it’s just a matter of wrapping the dome in bubble wrap and using a bigger box so there’s room for extra protective packing.

Anyway, from a fellow oddities/curiosities dealer, good luck! Love this piece btw. What’s your IG/Etsy store called? We’re @MVMarketplace 🖤

For a matte, super thick feel I have used Accent Opaque Cover Smooth 100# White, my printer is able to pick up the thickness, sometimes I need to hand feed it but with clean rollers it’s fine.

I also really like Hammermill Smooth 100lb Cover, it’s got a nice velvety smooth feel to it, not as mega-thick as the Accent Opaque but still a substantial card thickness to feel elegant. This one tends to feed a little easier in my printer the Accent Opaque is very very sturdy.

I did try a single sided gloss once...the only inkjet compatible one I was able to find is from Desktop Publishing Supplies here though in the end I just really liked the look that a matte card gave and because the papers I use were thick already, the quality seemed to be very good without it needing that shiny look on the outside.

I fold everything by hand - since my file is set up 2/page I actually fold the whole letter paper in half (vertically) once by hand, then press the crease down more a second time using a bone folder, and then trim the folded sheet into two cards so the edges aren’t as staggered.

Don't listen to the other person about "markets". There are bathbombs being sold for $17 dollars EACH with free shipping and the seller has 11k sales in less than 2 years.


Etsy isn't about being in a race to the bottom with other sellers. If you want to, make your items more than $10 and add on the shipping into the total OR just do the thing Etsy is promoting where the shipping is free after $35+ and price your items in a way that suits you. I promise you, having free shipping as a option (such as with a set minimum to meet) is tens times more enticing to buyers and benefits you a lot more (especially for lightweight items) than just selling one $6.50 + $4.50 shipping item. I have over 80k sales and make 12k a month out of ONE of my shops. I've never once let my competitors pricing influence how I "value" my work, and when I opened my shop I charged more than most people, and I've surpassed all of them in daily sales (30-60 orders a day) for over 2 years.

Okay, enough of my rant, as for shipping extremely lightweight items (with a focus on bath&beauty), these boxes are fairly popular, and you can find them on uline in larger amounts once you start selling regularly: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5B91Q3/?coliid=I15B0YY5IERKN5&colid=3LI4KLG3587E8&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it with these bubbles https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Original-Cushioning-Perforated-1061835/dp/B0021L9M1Y/ They come in 12 inches, but you can cut it down so that each 'roll' is only 3 inches across (so it turns into 3" x 60', 4 rolls), that gives you a ton of bubbles to use. Use it to 'wrap' around your product - left to right, top to bottom, like an X sandwich. As for liquids use something like 3M No Residue Duct Tape around the caps to keep it from slipping open while it's being shipped (they have it on Amazon, but it's wayyy cheaper at home depot or lowes) squeeze the lid to make sure the tape is stuck good and then put then in plain generic ziploc bags, such as these https://www.amazon.com/Plymor-Heavy-Plastic-Reclosable-Zipper/dp/B0194CUNCO

They should be relatively safe being shipped this way. I used those boxes for (unrelated to beauty) another product I sell and they are extremely difficult to crush.

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_onRXBbYRA0N0E

It's good enough but the fabric backgrounds were wrinkled which was annoying. You can see that in the photos. I'll show you some photos I took with it.

http://imgur.com/a/Wmauqy4

I looked on YouTube for where to put the lights. I hadn't thought of putting them outside the box. It makes a way better effect outside the box being diffused through fabric than straight on. Good luck!

Something I don't read others doing enough but makes a world of difference is to use a gray scale card (like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QXU8VI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) for each lighting condition. Just snap a picture of your product with this small card beside it and then take the same photo without this small card. In your favorite photo editing program adjust the whites, blacks and mid levels using the photo with the card and then apply the level settings to the photo without the card. It's so easy to do and takes the guess work out of having the right colors, brightness and contrast. I've gotten a number of 5 star reviews with the customer noting how the colors of my products match exactly to my product photos.

Some minor photo editing would really improve your photos. You can increase the frontal lighting, contrast, sharpness, brightness, deepness, etc. all digitally after the fact and see some drastic improvements. I use a free program called Photoscape which is a simpler, less extensive version of Photoshop, and it's pretty intuitive and user-friendly. People ask me about my photos a lot, and no one believes it's just an iPhone 5S, a tripod, some white poster board, and sometimes these lights. The magic happens with the editing on the computer.

If you're concerned about how well your product is explained, maybe go to some websites selling similar items in the same category and grab some phrases/wording/ideas from their descriptions.

Probably not worth it to promote if you're on the first page anyway, but maybe try it with a low CPC and daily budget and see what happens.

This is a bit nitpicky, but I would maybe opt for some bullet point lists in your descriptions instead of all the sentences and line breaks.

So painting and other modifications... I'm trying to think up something interesting and people would want to have...

There are cute little tin cases with scenes in them ( https://www.amazon.com/Gazelle-Trading-Handicraft-Dollhouse-Miniature/dp/B077HRC9Z5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=diy+miniature+tin&qid=1571720964&sr=8-1 ) that I'm thinking about.

Maybe I could put tiny tsum-tsums in there instead of the rabbits? Try and add touches that apply to a certain Disney movie? Don't know if that's enough incentive... It'd be nice if I could personalize the models (with names or little notes), but I don't know if I have the materials to go about that.

I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GKFWWIW/ref=twister_B07G7WQMDW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 works great and folds down fairly flat.

I typically buy packaging on Amazon. Although I ship in bubble mailers or poly mailers, not boxes. Here's a link for the quantity you need.

https://smile.amazon.com/BOX-USA-B1082-Corrugated-Boxes/dp/B01BGFU3YK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=10x8x2+shipping+box&qid=1550330983&s=gateway&sr=8-1

For actual boxes, if you don't mind reusing, I would ask grocery stores and liquor stores. Most liquor stores near me have empty boxes in the front of the store for anyone who needs them. In addition, you could ask on Craigslist, neighborhood FB groups, etc for people to save their old boxes (ie AMazon boxes) and reuse them.

I have this 16"x16" one. I put the lights on the outside and it works well. The fabric needed ironing. It might look wrinkly in some of my photos because I didn't iron it right away.

LimoStudio 16" x 16" Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box, AGG349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005CX9S8A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QQv8Cb1795CWZ

Here are some photos.

https://imgur.com/a/WG8lMdr