Just wanted to show you.. here's 2 that I painted.

This site might be helpful:

https://www.aapgh.org/blog/photography-tips

My friend has an Etsy site to sell things she sews. She makes pillows, pennants, banners, etc. A lot of it is custom, special order, and she works closely with the customer to get exactly what they want. She stays pretty busy and does very well.

Thanks Cindy...that is helpful.

I have bought a few things on Esty, no problems. I tired selling several years ago with no luck for what I had but now I don't' even remember what it was.

I don't have info about Etsy but both DD’s are tech savvy. One has a business, one works for an Ed Tech company.

Speak to those involved in online selling. There are ways to make your float to top.

Find out the ins and outs.

I buy a lot on etsy. A LOT. You can get custom made items made EXACTLY how you want in a lot of cases. Most sellers on there are very nice and helpful. I get lots of my "holidays" accessories from there, some funny shirts, and some really great window decals that I used in my holiday decor. The only problems I have had with etsy are completely my fault. For example, I often won't check WHERE the item is shipping from, so after 3 weeks of no delivery, I will go check and discover its coming from Poland or somewhere...

I believe they walk you through all the necessaries to set up your shop.

I really like your paintings. I buy from etsy from time to time, always feel grateful and happy.

Thanks so much. I've loved doing art since I was little.

I don’t sell anything on Etsy, but I do buy. I had a beautiful leather and silver concha dog collar made for our Doberman, Knight. Throwpillow covers made, etc. The only disappointment I’ve had was when ordering a bedspread. Turns out it was from India and very shoddily made. And, Etsy was quick to get me a refund. I say go for it, Karen!

I don't sell, but I do buy from Etsy. Earrings, mostly but also birthday cards and funny tshirts (for hubs at Christmas) also bumper stickers. To think about it, I have also bought some window valances, pottery and other miscellaneous stuff for our home. I love Etsy and have never had a bad experience with the sellers.

I buy from Etsy and I know my dds do too. I usually buy SVGs for my Cricut. It's so much easier to buy an SVG and have someone else make the design I want than for me to spend hours making the design . I recently bought a book stamp for my dds bday. I've never had a problem.

I've been very happy buying things on Etsy, and I plan to open my own store fairly soon, but I did quite a bit of research on this, which is why I have been putting it off.

One of the things that I learned (whether it is true or not) is that it is not a good idea to put your store on vacation. This is a problem for me because I spend one month in L.A. and then one month in Cathedral City. Therefore I would want to put my store on vacation whenever I am in L.A. because I have my inventory in CC and do not want to move it back and forth every time I change locations. The reason for not putting your store on vacation is that any gains you make in status will be lost when you do this, and you will be further down the list on searches.

Another thing I learned is that you need to have a fair amount of inventory before you open a store, and of course you have to have a lot of photos of each item. For paintings, you should have some extreme closeup shots to show brushwork. I've mostly made pillows, and originally I thought I would sell the pillow covers with the pillows, and I invested some money in pillow forms, but then I learned that people sell just the pillow covers, in order to cut down on the shipping costs.

You also need to create a brand for yourself and spend some thing thinking about marketing - something I am not good at all. I took a marketing class when I was getting my Interior Design degree, and I failed the first test, but that's because I answered the hypothetical questions on the test as if I were the average consumer. I quickly found out that I am not, and so after that, I answered questions the opposite way that would appeal to me, and then I made A's.

You will need shipping supplies, and you should do some research on the best shipping methods and get the costs for shipping added into your price. People want "free shipping" and so it is not a good idea to add shipping later, although that is an option. In either case, Etsy will take a percentage of both your price and your shipping cost, and so you will need to add that into your shipping cost.

There's a lot of accounting to be done, and I'm not good at that either.

Make sure that you have all your ducks in a row before you open your store because if you do not do it right the first time, it could very negatively affect your Etsy reputation.

I sell Napkin Rings on Etsy. I "caught on" fairly easily and I've been happy with how easy it is to finish out a sale and ship it. SouthlandOnlineShop

I buy on Etsy occasionally, have not sold. although I am thinking about it. I have been very happy with my purchases.

I've bought some furniture and outdoor decor on Etsy (started during the pandemic to support local businesses), and I'm actually waiting on a tree stump end table to be delivered. I've never considered selling, though.

I think your paintings are lovely. I have only bought a few items on etsy, never sold. I think the shipping could be a bit of a pain or at least a bit complicated with shipping the paitings. Of course I don't know the size so maybe they are smaller than what I am envisioning. You would also need to have very precise info ( dimensions).

Thanks for all the information. I still have to add more to my collection so it may be a while. You've been really helpful.