Cables and Showcases

Today I was at the computer poised and ready to book one of etsy's Main Showcase slots. They went on sale at 11am CST and there were hundreds of options. So I booked my slot and when I clicked on my Saturday October 9th slot there were 34 available. After I confirmed it I went right back and noticed that there were only 4 slots left.

Me, being the person I am decided to keep watching the number of open slots disapear by refreshing my browser every 5 seconds. Why did I do this you ask, to satisfy my own curiosity and to share the results with you. Here is what I found out.

After 3mins all of the weekend slots were gone. After 5mins the Monday and Wednesday of the first available week were also gone. At 11:07 CST all of the slots for the Main Showcase were sold out. Not a single one left out of the hundreds that were available. Crazy, I know.

Tomorrow the Storque Showcase goes up for sale at 11am CST. I will be there ready to pounce. I wonder how fast they will go.

Tomorrow is also the first of my showcases, otherwise known as the October Test.

So Far I have booked the following:

Friday October 1st, Accessories

Saturday October 9th, Main

Thursday October 14th, Accessories

Wish me luck. These Cozy Cables will be in the line up as well.

A Test

It is 10:45p (way past my geriatric bedtime) on a Friday night in Chicago and I have made a choice to test the etsy showcases.

Last weekend I participated in two craft shows. I did fairly well considering that I sell mostly winter items. I has about 30 sales over the to shows. Which is lower then I normally have Nov-Jan, but still good. It is pretty common for me to have between 15-30 sales in one show. Now here comes the crux of this entire post.

I only have 25 sales on etsy. Period. That does not seem right. It can only mean that I am not reaching my target audience or the etsy market is saturated with similar items. Possibly both.

My new goal is to boost my etsy sales by testing out some theories/hopes of mine. Instead of doing one of my intended craft show in the Chicago burbs this October. I am going to take that $60 registration fee (I know, right.) and spend it on etsy showcases. Once a week for all of October.

You might be thinking to your self. "Laura you always say that showcases never lead to sales, and end up questioning whether or not it was a waste of money." That is true, I do. However, this month I will put that theory to the test.

So, that is why I am away at 5mins to 11p poised over the Accessories Showcase. Wish me luck.

As always I will keep you posted.

-LB