by Joy Maloney of JoyfulHandKnits

by Sue of SueRunyonDesigns


When you think about improving your Etsy shop does it become overwhelming? There are so many things you could do. There is so much advice from teams, forums, friends and blog posts about how it all should be done. I've been asked by Etsy shop owners over and over "What should I do to get more sales?"

My advice is "Just One Thing!"

That's it. Just One Thing. Pick something and work on it. Just that One Thing. One Thing at a time. One Thing is do-able. One Thing won't overwhelm. Sift through the info and pick something. One Thing.

If you want to pick One Thing that will probably have the most impact, pick your item photos.  Most us need work on that. It's one of the most important things for buyers since they can't pick up, try on or see your item in person. One Thing I've learned about on-line selling is:


Now, really, I'm not the person to ask about photography.  It is, by far, the hardest thing I have to do. I'm not a techno person. I don't like dealing with cameras and settings and computer things. Photography is all about the technical. I don't have a good camera and my computer skills are, well, not what they should be. When I start thinking about it I immediately become overwhelmed. I can't re-take all my shop photos AGAIN!  Yep, I've done it a few times. I've yet to be satisfied with it.

I've given it up and started the "Just One Thing" approach. If I try to do a large batch I get sloppy. They never look right. If I pick One Thing--one item--and try my hardest to take good photos of just that one little item, the pressure is off.

One item.  I can do that!

I can devote an hour of my time taking 50+ different shots of one little item. I can try different camera settings, different backgrounds, different lighting, different ways of showing scale, different angles, a photo collage, a different way of draping or composing, different props, different cropping. At the end of an hour I usually have 5 decent photos of that One Thing.

OK, wait a minute . . . 

Before you protest that you don't have an hour to waste taking 50+ shots of One Thing, I'm not suggesting that you do this all the time. I'm suggesting you do this once in a while. Not only do you get those 5 great shots of One Thing, but you will find a new way to take your next batch of photos, you will have discovered something--One Thing--(or more), that will improve all the photos you take from this point on! That's time well spent.

How do you pick the right One Thing to try? Pick something that has the potential to be a best seller and that you might get a chance to sell and re-list over and over.

Try it. Just this One Thing.

Let me know how it goes.

Need some inspiration? Here are some CAST team members that I think have great photos and unique ways of presenting their items:











Want to know how your photos compare to others? Put them side by side using Etsy's Poster Sketch Tool.

by Sue of SueRunyonDesigns

Based in the Lancaster Pa. area.

I am available to shoot your Events, Engagement, Portraits, Wedding, or Art projects.

I started taking photos as soon as I could hold my Dad's old box camera. Remember those?

My approach to photography is pretty straight forward; either in my art or portrait photography, “capture the moment”…what ever that moment is….joy, excitement, anger, anticipation, in short “details.” You will see that my work is not overly edited or photoshopped…I am not into phony …..what I find beautiful in people and things, is seeing them as they are, rather then making them into be someone they are not……..

I have won several awards from my local art association (Lancaster County Art Association).

My wife and I are Child Advocates for Compassion Int. Sales in my Etsy shop support our ministry with Compassion.


Steve's Facebook Page





I'm Glen Slagle, owner of Sneath's Chainmaille! I am a full-time student studying "International Logistics" and I want to eventually be the guy working in the background, coordinating shipments of bibles and supplies to other countries. I've been working with my church's High School youth group as a worship leader/helper for 9 years (since I was a freshman).

My chainmaille jewelry business started as a small hobby, making bracelets for free for friends of mine... after watching a Lord of The Rings marathon. When I realized that I could sell them, Sneath's Chainmaille was born!

I certainly understand how people can find such joy in looking at a sunset and reveling in the beauty of God's creation, but instead I've found this beautiful symmetry in linking hundreds and thousands of little rings together and seeing the patterns and shapes they form. I personally find it amazing, so I will keep doing it until my wrists go out (hopefully they don't)!

I started with bracelets, then very quickly switched to mostly stretchy bracelets because they are much easier to make, and easier for customers to get on and off. I had tried wrapping a few marbles by the time I started my Etsy site, but had never sold any, and so I didn't list them at first. When I did list the first one, it sold within the hour! What was more amazing was that it was my first sale!! Since then they've sort of become my trademark :)

More recently I've been delving into 3D maille sculptures, and dabbling in scales.