Amber, this is going to be quick, I loved the advise now i"m off to open a second shop!!
bye for now

Nice article by @handmadespark. I hope HS will support multiple Etsy shops sometime soon, so we can make the most of the advice to open multiple shops.

I second that request for multiple shops!

Amber, this is a FABULOUS article. Really these tidbits are the litmus test as to whether one is TRULY serious about being competitive as an online shop.

This is great. I have one comment though. Overall, over the past year or two, the standard of photo quality on Etsy has gone from good to 'virtually professional.' I don't think the problem nowadays is very often the carpet or the couch…. it's the excellent photograph that isn't quite Simple Living or Martha Stewart or Sundance quality. It strikes me that very little in Etsy Finds or the front page looks much like it was really done by an indie maker anymore… I'm not saying we shouldn't all take excellent photos—I've worked really hard to get the skills as well as a 'signature look' that reflects the Japanese handmade paper aesthetic I use in my jewelry, and am trying to improve all the time (check it out at http://paperdemonjewelry.etsy.com. Comment VERY welcome!). But sometimes it can feel a bit discouraging that the standard doesn't really look all that indie anymore.

Paperdemon, I can understand that perspective. There are many levels of product photography on Etsy. I usually find that only the true "newbie" has issues with some of the situations outlined above. I do love sellers that not only have great artistic photographs but stay true to their indi biz roots. When their creativity can be expressed through their products and photography..then all the better! I will say that Juella Designs (pictured above) is an example of a seller that has gone through a broad photography learning curve. Her designs are evolving and she continues to work on expanding her product shooting skills. I love that she is enjoying the process and the journey..and that is one of the things we all love about indie businesses ;)

Good tips – thanks for taking the time to share them.

All 3 are great topics Amber. I had an Etsy designer do my shops banner using 1 of my photographs and I just love it. I never could have done something like that on my own! Being a photographer myself I've tried very hard to get good shots of my photographs, which btw is hard to do, and I am still improving. It's hard for a photographer to do sometimes so I so sympathize with those that don't do so well with their product photos. It's just practice, practice & more practice. And on the last point I totally agree with you about going to a shop that is full of lots of different products. That just drives me insane!

Love this discussion and holy moly did you see the bouquet in the pic at the top?? Amber Jordan of Noaki Jewelry rocks!

thanks all

Ha Abby..I am an editor here at Handmade Spark..no relationship to Noaki Jewelry, just loved their shop and wrote about it ;) I just love finding talent and sharing it with all of you! ~Amber Jordan

Really helpful advice, I'm just about to re shoot some of my jewellery and learn to use photoshop. Thanks

Great article, a lot to think about. Ah, the photos. I'm starting third round, what an improvement. When I look back at what I thought was good back then, is laughable now. I have learned that I don't need to have a light shining on my pillows when I'm taking a picture. I use natural, low light which looks too dark at first but once you brighten them on the computer, the true colors come through.

[...] is a follow up post to: High Traffic but No Sales? 3 Simple Suggestions. In last week’s post, I covered the importance of your banner, product shots and shop [...]

Great advice, I need to work on the photo issue…

[...] that go into the actual conversion of traffic to sales. I cover a couple of suggestions in my post: High Traffic but No Sales? TO GO! Back to those baby steps. Your TO GO task today is to review your tagging, titles and [...]

[...] how to install Google Analytics and track where customers were coming from.  When I started having higher traffic but no sales I revamped my Etsy shop – improving my titles, descriptions and price points.  I paid [...]

I totally agree about the expected quality of the photos.  This should be top priority.
Regarding the confusion for a person who is looking for a card and finds some other items, I have a question: what if all of the items are “Paper Goods” but in various categories?

Good advice