Shop updates - over 40 ideas for vintage Etsy sellers

Still-life

Etsy shop updates are like a mini-blog. They are an opportunity to market your items to potential buyers. The more updates you post, the more often you appear on the front-page feeds of those who like your shop. Also, you can share your updates to social media channels. They link back to your item, making it easy for shoppers to make a purchase from your shop.

Etsy wants you to use images that aren't the same as our five listing images… What a great opportunity to showcase your brand. And exercise your creative side!

Over 40 shop update ideas for vintage shops:

In use in a seasonal way

1. What is your inspiration? A barn shop? Grandma’s place? Your own collection? Show it.
2. Post a pic of your vehicle full of new finds. Or as you unload them. Or as you clean them.
3. Post a shot of an auction, sale or home where you pick your items.
4. Show off new (or old) finds in an interesting group of color(s) or style(s).
5. Showcase your photo booth or where you stage your items for photos. Did something unusual ever happen?
6. Photograph your items stored in an interesting way. Try a wide angle.
7. Demonstrate ideas for styling and/or using your items.
8. Showcase your items for sale in or on other venues, like your shop or at a show.
9. Simplest approach: "just listed is this great..."
10. Take more item shots than you think you will need for listings. Use the extras for shop updates.
11. Is your home decorated with items in the style that you sell? Can you artfully stage an item in your home and post that?
12. Show an aspect of your life that might be interesting to others and relate to your vintage shop.
13. Make artisticstill-life compositions of items for sale. Photograph and post them. Recombine items for sale.
14. Stage your item in a seasonal setting. (This is my favorite.)
15. Showcase your item in use.
16. Where’s Waldo? Bring items on vacation and photograph them in interesting places. (I took some jewelry shots with a NYC skyline view while visiting.)
17. Seasonal inspiration of items – fall scene with fall colored item, snow scene with a winter piece.
18. Re-photograph shop items with a different background, on a rainy day, or in a different season.
19. Show off your customer's photos of the item.

    

    Shop Update photo using a rustic Filters app

20. Item needed: place an Etsy tag on the spot where your item could be.
21. For a vintage souvenir, feature a photo of the place it came from. 
22. Showcase your partner, kids and/or pets with your items.
23. Color match your items to something seasonal, especially seasonal Pantone colors. Or color match your items to each other.
24. Show your packaging area.
25. Post a picture of an item gift wrapped or ready for shipping.
26. Show any extras you send.
27. Offer those who have favorited your shop a “Thank You”coupon code. See how many use it.
28. Reward previous customers with a coupon code. (How many use it?)
29. Celebrate a certain number of sales, items in your shop or feedbacks with a coupon code.
30. Compose a graphic shop announcement about your upcoming vacation (even a new baby!)
31. Post a screen shot of your latest 5-star review.
32. Post a link to your latest blog post or other SM activity.
33. Post a screen shot of a newly stocked shop section.

    

    Treasury-style update. I even repeated my photo!

34. Highlight a picture of your item in a magazine, blog, movie or television presentation.
35. Post a screen shot of your items on a Pinterest board, Facebook or Instagram post.
36. Post a photo collage of related items in your shop.
37. Use some special effects on a nice secondary listing photo. This works well for simple retro items.
38. Tie an interesting photo with an item you have for sale. 
39. If you are hankering for treasuries, make your own. Use a grid on Canva to feature your items all together. 
40. Showcase a gorgeous close-up detail of a piece.
41. Post a map (vintage, weather, etc.) with your location tagged.

Additional points I keep in mind:

Seasonal color feature

• Have a variety of photos available from which to choose
• Have something brief to say about the item
• Vary the look of your photos
• Don't use the lead photo from the listing

How do you do a shop update? That's the subject of another post.

Item staged in a different seasonal environment