What is THE #1 Most Important Tip for Selling Online?
What is THE #1 Most Important Tip for Selling on Etsy or anywhere online? It’s not SEO, NOT having the best keywords, NOT writing a good description, NOT holding your mouth right.
Depending on SEO for Etsy sales is like putting all your eggs in one basket.
So what is the secret???
Take.Good.Pictures.
That’s all. The End. You may be excused.
But I hope you’ll hang with me while we expound on this a little more.
It sounds like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have attractive photos, no amount of other tips and tricks will help you sell successfully.
Not that I have “arrived,” you understand. My efforts at this goal are always a work in progress.
I can’t tell you the number of times I have bought what I thought was a unique item, only to get home and see 3 pages of the same thing on Etsy. Frustrating.
But surprisingly, mine often sells. Why? Good clear photos that show the whole item. Not partially cut off, blurry, or too dark. I know this sounds overly simplistic. Everyone knows that, right?
But here’s what I see on Etsy ALL the time. Photos with items cut off, like the two below, requiring an extra click for a potential buyer to see the whole thing, and they often won’t bother.
It is acceptable to take half shots of large or tall items, as in the below photos.
More no-no’s…blurry or too dark….
If you find you have taken a blurry photo, for heaven’s sake, re-shoot it! Blurry photos do not sell!
Yesterday I saw an Etsy photo that was not only too dark, but blurry as well, and they were paying for an ad to promote it! A waste of money.
Photos too dark. Yes, I have seen them practically black where you really can’t see the item at all. Why don’t sellers bother to fix it?
Here are some of my early product photos….are these REALLY too dark?? Absolutely!
When you don’t have auxiliary lighting, or a good camera station with natural light, photo editing is the next best thing.
There are many photo editing sites. The one I use is Picmonkey, which used to be free, but is no longer. It’s an awesome site at a very reasonable price. But there are other free sites for photo editing.
Here are the 4 photos again, lightened and improved using Picmonkey’s tools. They’re better, but the 2nd one down would be better shot on a black background.
Most could be improved a little more by shooting on a white background, as in the flag holder photo, top left. Debates rage for using/not using white backgrounds. Personally, I think they are beneficial and really help most items pop. To each his own.
You can use the photo editing features of picmonkey to get a stark white background, or you can use another free website called fotofuze to get the same effect.
Tutorial for Using Picmonkey
Enter picmonkey.com Click “Edit Photo.”
First click “Open” at the top to grab your photo….
Here is the screen for the most basic photo edits~cropping, rotating, straightening, sharpening, exposure, and resizing.
I commonly use cropping and exposure tools the most. A handy feature in the rotate tool is “straightening,” which comes in handy for me to fix crooked photos from using an uneven table at my camera station.
A look at the cropping tool….You can easily manipulate the size of your finished photo by enlarging or making your photo smaller.
Ta-da my favorite….exposure. This is how I get more light on my photo magically! I can’t believe how long it took me to notice this tool!
You can also use Picmonkey to watermark your photos….
Click the “T’s” on far left…
You can easily add your logo or shop name to photos by clicking “add text” and using any number of fun fonts of your choice in assorted colors.
Here are three Etsy sellers whose photography I admire:
PJ, vintage seller and owner of SeasideCollectibles shows us this exquisite crystal bowl. Did you know clear glass is hard to photograph, but PJ has nailed it. Look at the artistry of this piece!
Ellen Gonzalez, owner of KaleidoscopeWear, makes these lovely coats from sweaters she buys at the thrift store!
Tavin, vintage seller and owner of TavinsChoice, shows us a heart shaped trinket box, and just look how she has captured the details!
Each of these Etsy sellers have some beautiful photos and they immediately entice us to pull out the credit card, which is the whole idea for great photos, don’t you agree?
Etsy sellers, what is your favorite photo editing site? Do you have any tips to share?
Florence
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Great info article. Great tips! I sometimes use the smart photo editing app in my phone to add contrast.
A tripod would add crisp focus, especially to small items, like jewelry & smalls.
Branding is important to some whereas we prefer to show as much product detail as possible – without or the minimal addition of props.
Delightful to learn about photo editing options! Thanks!
Thank you PJ for those other tips. I must confess I have never used a tripod. I really need to master that art for my product photos. Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Wishing you many more sales!
I am honored Florence! Thank you! A very informative post. A bit of time can make a nice addition to the listing description. My nemesis is clear glass. Best wishes and prayers for your husband’s recovery.
Thanks Tavin! He is improving & feeling better. You & me both on the clear glass…I haven’t mastered it.
Great article, Florence! I used to sell on Etsy, and my shop is still there but very inactive. But you are so right about the photos. No one will bother reading anything if the photo doesn’t draw them in!
Thank you Carol!
Thank you for the tips! Photos make such a difference. I’ve thought about selling things on ETSY, but haven’t had the courage. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Aww, you could do it Marci! It’s not so hard. Just a learning curve like anything else.
Oh great i need this I just started a Etsy shop for my pillows and other items and this is good tips.
Maria
Oh, cool! What is the name of your shop? Thanks for dropping in Maria!
I was working hours on each photo in gimp before I heard about PicMonkey. It makes all the difference. I have hard an especially small window for photography because our winter days can be really short.
The importance of pretty photos cannot be stressed enough and its a learning curve will all need to conquer. Thanks for sharing.
Totally yes on the difficulty in getting good photos in winter! Long shadows do not a good picture make. And photographing on cloudy days…things turn out too dark. Thank God for Picmonkey!
You nailed it, girl! It distresses me to hear people complain that “nothing sells” and when you look at their pictures (and prices) you immediately know why. I’m like you. Still striving for the perfect pictures.
I use a free program called PhotoScape. Been using it for years and years. I’ve tried others, but nothing seems to do anything any better, or easier, so I stick with what I know.
Thank you Wanda! Hmm, I’ll have to check into PhotoScape. Haven’t heard of that one.
Florence, I agree all the way. I don’t have an Etsy shop but my blog is all about having clear photos so you can understand what I am showing and doing. When I first started I didn’t know about Pic Monkey and so I had to go back and redo years worth of photos. It is definitely the most important thing.
Mary, your pictures are always beautiful! I enjoy your photography, and I would aspire for mine to be good also. Alas, they aren’t always.
Great tips, as I know I am not a photographer and need help. I agree, great pics sell your merchandise, which is why I am about to reshoot some of my coats using a model and a photographer, instead of using the dressform in my studio. The picture you shared above was done with a model and a professional photographer at a local spot. What a difference! Thanks for the mention of my shop, etsy.com/shop/kaleidoscopewear !
The models do make all the difference & really sell your coats! The reason I fell in love with them was the pic I used…my favorite!