keeping it cohesive

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You may find that most of the items you select for your shop tend to be from a certain time period or decade. Whether that's a coincidence or not remains purely up to the seller but in my short time on Etsy, I've come to realize that sticking to a certain era or type of item garners me a lot more customers (and numerous seasoned sellers have suggested to me that this is the way to go as well) than not.

When I first started selling vintage, I was simply emptying my closet and trying to let go of some of my beloved vintage collection. Needless to say, my collection was a hodgepodge of all different things from all different decades though they mostly had a similar "look",  i.e. sweet, girly, feminine and heavy on the flounce for the most part. When I did post a piece, say, a wacky '80s, Cosby sweater, not only did it throw off the appearance of my mostly light-colored, delicate and pretty shop, it was simply harder to sell. The people checking out my store were not exactly lining up for heinously cool pullovers with a geometric print in marigold, as awesome as that sweater was. I came to realize that most of my custies were fans of my shop because of a certain image it conveyed, which seems like common sense, but it didn't sink in until I posted good old Cosby.

Eventually, I sold the sweater, but I ceased buying things that weren't of the shabby chic, girly girl variety. Once that step was taken, I refined my buying and posting strategy even more. As I pored over the sales I'd had, I came to the conclusion that my mod '60s stuff, formal dresses, and Edwardian inspired prettiness where it was at for me. Oh, and accessories. Accessories from any decade, as long as they fell under that description. It also helped in that the more classic, straightforwardly pretty pieces were popular with all generations whereas Cosby was only appealing to a certain type of customer. Plus size pieces also sold well.

So, in conclusion, my advice for all Etsy sellers is to really hone in on what makes your shop special or unique or even just popular by analyzing your sales, shop fans, hearts, etc. Maybe it's a certain decade or a specific type of item or like me, just pieces that go together aesthetically. You'll see your sales rise and it helps infinitely with face book and twitter. Even just visually, a shop that conveys a coherent vision is more memorable to potential customers. It may also help you get that oh so elusive blog mention and find your niche, as I've talked about before.