Catching up on Etsy, Craft shows and a mid-November report

I hate when I don't a chance to blog more than once a week, but my boys had 2 days off from school last week and we had bunk-beds delivered for them, so there was a big clean-up project in their bedroom. Yesterday, we had a baby-shower for my sister-in-law and this week I have to prepare for the upcoming craft show on Saturday 11/17 in Manahawkin. Hopefully this won't be my only chance to blog this week.

So let's start off with Etsy... The amount of stores opening seems to be growing by leaps and bounds, with over 93,000 shops open (I'm not sure if all shops have items listed) and it appears that many of the shops are listing and promoting their items in the forums. The promotion forum has been moving quickly and I've noticed that a promotion is lasting on the 1st page for only about 1 minute, not really much time for the buyers to see your items. Promoting is a necessary evil on Etsy and while it's more "miss" than "hit", it's something that every new shop (and semi-new) must do to attract buyers to their shops.
After a very good October, I was a bit nervous about November. I wasn't sure I could keep up with the sales on Etsy while doing a couple of big craft shows and continue to keep my inventory levels where I think I need them to be.
October sales on ETSY were very good and I reached and surpassed what I thought was a lofty goal for the month. My craft show at the end of the month was okay, but the items I did sell were those I had in my Etsy shop, creating more work for November. I didn't need to worry much however... I went the first 11 days of the month w/o a sale in my shop. It did give me the chance to build up my inventory and get my shop back up to my desired # of listings (between 35-40) and still have time for my family and the bunk-bed project (and it was a project... I can't believe the amount of junk my 10 yo was able to hide in his room...LOL)
I did make my 1st sale of the month earlier this morning, after doing some promoting before work. One of the 4 items I promoted sold and the buyer went to my shop and purchased a 2nd item. So we started out this week nicely... I just love having a some positive momentum going into a craft show!
Which brings me to this weekend's craft show... Manahawkin, NJ. The show is usually a big one, with very good vendors ( they only accept handmade vendors) and the turnout is usually good. It's a Saturday show running from 10-3 and easy to find. Route 9, minutes south of Toms River and just north of Rt 72 ( the highway that leads to Long Beach Island) Come on out , if you're in the area and stop by my table to say HI!!

So with 42 shopping days before Christmas, I have a couple shows this month and hopefully at least one in early December. I finally broke the zero for November sales today and here's hoping that trend continues!
I'm looking for an ETSY shop to feature in this spot next week, once I catch my breath. If any one's interested, leave me a comment and I'll pick out the shop in the next few days.

Back to promoting and then on to my crafting when I get home from the JOB...
til next time-
R