Recently my dad has made the decision to try and make some extra cash
from his hobby. When I was young I started playing Warhammer (fantasy) and my
dad, who liked to build model ships and things decided that he would build me
some scenery pieces to use while playing. They were fantastic and made my
battlefield the envy of my friends.
Well he kept up the hobby and now has a collection of items filling his
workshop. I suggested he try to sell them online and as I was selling my art on
Etsy I suggested he do the same as I found a number of other sellers selling similar
items.
He said ok but he was obviously nervous as he had never tried to run a
business online before and was completely new to Etsy. So he asked me if I
could put together a checklist walking him through how to make a listing.
So I thought I would share it with you all and hope it helps you all get
started. I’ve used one of my dad’s items as an example. Here goes...
1. Photos
Take photos of the piece you want to list from at least 5 different
angles.
1.
Straight (Showing the entire object but with enough of a
border around it to allow for the thumbnail to trim it down.
2.
Corner shot showing front and side
3.
2nd corner shot showing back and other side
4.
& 5. And at 2 close ups of interesting details or
1 close up and a photo showing the object beside something (e.g. cars or
models).
You will then load them into an image editing program (a useful free
option is Paint.net) by opening the program, click file in the top left corner
then open, then select the images you want to edit.
When editing be sure to use the “adjustments” “Level” option to adjust
your brightness and also to crop the images down to a nice size removing
unnecessary backgrounds.
Once your pictures have been uploaded reorder them into a pleasing order
being sure to choose your most eye catching image as the 1st one.
2. Listing
Title – This is how people find your item on etsy so you will want to
describe it as best you can. The title should include
what it is, what scale it is what type of product it is,
keywords,
and special features and if there’s
room what it is
again but in a different way so e.g.:
Watermill house 28mm scale model
building scenery terrain diorama handmade wooden table top games display piece with grass and
river water wheel
The title should not have any punctuation marks
Questions – Just fill in the boxes with whatever answer you feel fits
best but make sure not to leave any out
Description – This is how Google finds your item but also your chance to
sell your item to any prospective buyer. You want to get as much information in
here as possible but also keep it easy to read so lots of short paragraphs is
better than a single long one.
Paragraph one: What your item is and what it is used for
Paragraph two: How it was made, describing each detail with the Marks and
Spencer treatment. It’s not just made of wood, its hand crafted out of quality
1.5mm obeche wood. This paragraph can also contain how it’s presented but if it
gets too long feel free to take a new paragraph to describe this.
Paragraph three: Talk about any interesting or unusual detail that make this
piece stand out from any other. Again you can take a new paragraph to describe
multiple details if the item needs it and it usually does.
Paragraph four: Why should they buy this? This is where you tell the buyer
what this item would be great for and why they need it. Talk about the
advantages to it and why it’s better than other options. Some of this will be
repeating what you have already said but say it again anyway.
Paragraph five: Dimensions. Height width depth weight and anything else if
needed
Paragraph six: Explain any necessary points or Ts & Cs such as “does not
include figures or cars” or “Item has some damage to ... please see photos”
etc.
Paragraph seven: closing statement: This is where you invite the viewer to get
in touch if they want anything or need to ask something.
This may look like a lot but each paragraph need only be a couple of
lines long but spacing them out into multiple paragraphs make them very easy to
read.
Example:
Handmade building watermill and house ideal for any table top
and role playing games. 28mm scale for use with games such as warhammer,
dungeons & dragons, etc
Building is constructed with 1.5mm Obeche wood, 0.5mm balsa wood and has
a hand carved brick effect finish and terracotta tiles effect roof. This entire
building has been meticulously painted by hand to give a realistic, natural
appearance. The building is displayed on a diorama scene with carefully
constructed grass and shrubbery surround.
The model also sports a beautiful flowing river to bring the water wheel
feature to life.
This building is done in classic stone and plaster exterior decor with a
wonderfully warm and welcoming red door on front and back.
This model would be perfect for any table top game or even a lovely
ornament for a loved one’s mantle piece. It is displayed on a stand for easy
placement on any surface and will help to immerse players and enhance the
experience.
Dimensions:
Height - 17.5cm (7inches)
Width - 24cm (9.5 inches)
Depth - 11cm (4 inches)
Weight - 155g
If you have any questions or wish to discuss
customisation please feel free to get in touch.
Section – Choose a section/category in your shop
that will help sort your items better
Keywords –
This again helps
people find your item through searches so you need to choose 13 phrases that
you believe fit the item. Try to think more like a buyer than actually
describing the item. The keywords can be from 1 – 3 words long but are limited
in space. This process is a constant trial and error so try to use a handful of
different keywords each time to see which is more effective.
Materials
– List all the items
and processes you used in the creation of the item.
Price – This is one of the toughest categories
and one that will constantly change depending on your market. When deciding
your price you should consider the following factors:
·
How
much in materials did the item physically cost to make
·
How
many hours you worked on it and would like to get paid per hour (if this is
important to you)
·
The
price your competitors are selling at and if you want to undercut them or price
above them to show your higher quality
·
Listing
fees and etsy commission fees
·
Will
you include the cost of postage and packaging in the price and offer “free”
P&P
Quantity –
How many of a
specific item do you have? Although etsy prides itself of being a market for
handmade goods it is slowly becoming more and more biased towards favouring
mass produced goods making it difficult for creators of unique items. So bear
this in mind.
Postage – Always check royal mail website for a rough guideline on how much your item will cost to send but also factor in the cost of packaging as well. Make sure you always have at postage fees set for at least UK and everywhere else. You can add more for example shipping to Europe is usually slightly cheaper than shipping internationally but may not be worth your time to differentiate.
3. Final
checks
Give your
listing a quick once over making sure you’re happy with all your options,
wording and spelling. Then hit publish!
Well done now
on to the next one! For the full listing see - 28mm scale Watermill House
This method
has been successful for me but may not be for everyone but always adapt and
experiment to get stronger!
Thank you all
for stopping by!
Robert
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/7RayedDesigns
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