Reader Request: Behind the Scenes Selling Online

Tending an online vintage shop is actually quite grueling work, if you're gonna do it right. That's why I don't really keep up with Fine & Dandy Vintage as much as I would like. It's turned into more of a as-I-have-the-time thing. I have a lot of respect for people who do shop updates once or more than once a week.

Sourcing vintage clothes is sort of a trade secret for most vintage sellers, but I would love to share with you some behind the scenes necessities I've found quite handy in running my Etsy shop from home.

The trickiest part of running an online shop from home is controlling the clutter. When I had a basement, this was an easy solution. Now that I'm in an apartment, I've found that rolling racks and hidden shelves are my best friends. Everything new that needs to be photographed stays on the rolling rack, and once things are listed, they are folded and placed onto the shelves for compact and out-of-the-way storage. Cotton bins and metal baskets corral smaller accessories.

I've experimented with using both live models, displaying clothing on hangers, and dress forms/mannequins. Recently I've found using dressforms and a mannequin (head) is both convenient for me, and shows better how a garment would hang on a human body than just laying out clothing or displaying on a hanger.

I've sourced both my dressform and mannequin head from eBay sellers, but you can also find these things at antique malls or retail store supply outlets.

When I first started out selling vintage in 2004, I used a point and shoot camera with a flash. People still bought the clothes I sold, but since then I've become much more motivated with giving potential customers a more pleasant shopping experience, from the design of my Etsy banner, to the photography of the goods. (I'll talk about shipping another day, but that is very important too.)

Years ago I bought my first SLR camera with interchangeable lenses. This helped me with product photography, but I was still bound to shooting in the daytime using natural light. This past year I purchased a legitimate lighting setup that has given me flexibility when shooting times as well as more professional looking product photos.

I chose to purchase strobe lights instead of continuous lighting, because of the uncomfortable warmth generated by continuous lighting. After some practice, it's easy to figure out how to control shadow placement and light your subject in a professional way. For me, I basically jumped in head first and tried finding forums online to help. I'm still learning, but I think I've come a long way!

Follow along in the comments section for questions and answers. Next time I'll talk about enhancing your customer experience with easy, unique, and inexpensive shipping ideas! I've had lots of great feedback with these techniques, so stay tuned, and in the meantime...

Comments

[Annalise Furman]

I love to hear about your experience as a seller. Finding time to consistently update the esty shop is probably the hardest thing for us. I can't wait to hear about your shipping tips.
XOXO

[kara marie riley]

Thanks for the advice!
I've been selling vintage online for years but still havent got into a routine with it! I need to invest in proper lighting/background like you said..
:)

[Nesha]

I'm really glad you posted this! I'm starting an etsy shop very soon and I'm looking for all the advice I can get. I think I'll find it easier to update every week so I'm not really concerned with that, but I am concerned with finding ways to make sales, promote your etsy shop etc. where are the best places to advertise, what are the best marketing techniques to use...? :)

[Nesha]

Oh and Amanda, your way of displaying the items you sell in a blog post is really pretty and simple!!! Maybe you could discuss that side of things with us too sometime :)

[Shannon]

Really great information. Thank you so much for sharing.

http://shannonhearts.blogspot.com/

[lisa]

Ohh, I've recently been searching for a rolling garment rack! Do you recommend the one you have? Your pictures always look so great!

[christi]

So helpful!! Thank you so much for sharing your secrets... You've convinced me to just break down and use a white backdrop, as well as invest in lighting.

Just found your blog, i absolutely adore the layout and graphics of it. keep up the inspiration!!

http://sleepydarlings.blogspot.com

[le]

thanks for sharing your gems :) so appreciated le xox

[Mandi]

Lisa, I just found this one at Bed Bath and Beyond. I think it was around $75, and it has two sides for stability and more storage. But it takes up quite a bit of room!

[lisa]

Thanks! I'll have to check that out!

[Catherine Pepper]

You are a brave women to open up your thoughts and fears to the blogging world. Things such as this do teach us that life is short.
Embrace all those around you and remember, this too shall pass.
Take care x

[olive green anna]

What kind of lighting set did you buy?

Anna

[Mandi]

Anna, I got a set from Amazon- just two strobe lights on stands, and had to buy little remote receivers to plug into the backs of them that sink with something I put on the hot shoe of my camera. I thiiiink the brand is Cowboy Studios- because they were affordable. Also, my most recent shooting, I ditched the umbrellas and pointed the strobes up and away, and down and away from my subject, so the lighting was more even and diffused, with less harsh shadow.