Hi Everyone!
I hope all is well.
I was looking for some advice! I feel like this could be the right forum. I make handmade lingerie (mod edit - linking to your Etsy shop isn’t allowed)! I was looking for some advice for marketing, as people who obviously have a love for these garments, where or how exactly do you find what you are looking for? Like how would YOU navigate Etsy/the web to find what you are looking for or something eye-catching?
A million thanks!
That mod link made me chuckle 
I’d like to take credit but the link was the OP
I love it even more now 
LOL being silly does not hurt <3
But I’m still completely serious; I do want to reach a broader audience, and would love to heart feedback.
Etsy isn’t somewhere I would think to go to for lingerie, unless I saw an ad with a really good photo.
I wouldn’t google search lingerie, I would search in shops websites. Instagram is probably where I see the majority of lingerie ads, probably because I follow some lingerie accounts there. So for Etsy, I would suggest social media to get peoples attention. Especially if its niche lingerie.
Good to know! I think I have strong photos, I’ve collaborated with a few great photographers in my area. I’ve been using FB/Insta … Those all have strong responses, and I’ve been doing direct orders. Obviously it is quite limited to the groups/following I have. I thought it would be best to just ASK real people what they use to find items rather than watching a million YT videos where someonetalks about how to direct traffic to my site.
I was thinking of using Etsy ads- but based on your response (and to be quite honest a few other things have turned me away from advertising there) it sounds like it could be a wasted resource. I think I’ll try out the ads on social media. Before marketing I don’t think I’ve used Etsy for much either.
Thank you!
Yeah you’d need to get me to Etsy to see your Etsy ad.
I guess now that we all know you’re on Etsy, we would just need to know the name to search for and there’s the rub (pun intended).
If by some coincidence it was the same as your forum profile name then I guess we could join the dots but I m sure it’s not that straight forward?
As a man who shops for lingerie for Mrs. Val, I tend to avoid having to go to the store so I like the online concept. The problem is that if it doesn’t fit, Mrs. Val can’t return it and it is a throw away almost.
Some really good lingerie comes from Spain and I have bought from there. Usually your typical mall stores (but online) is where I will go. I have never done Etsy or any of the knock off “Shein” stores or cheaper mass-produced lingerie.
I also find that the sizes are extremely inconsistent and the material is either uncomfortable or just poor quality and if worn, they tend to disappear into the trash and I never see them after their maiden voyage.
Shipping to Canada is also an issue as you have to place a huge order to get cheap/free shipping and also to avoid the costly import duties.
I actually have stopped buying stuff for Mrs. Val as she never really wears it anyways… throwing bad money after good I suppose. But I do enjoy browsing!
I’ve never bought lingerie from etsy before because I wouldn’t know where to look. I’d agree with @JoCat, getting ads onto social media and other sites would be a good place to start. I’d actually really like some custom made, individual pieces of lingerie but my worry would be that they wouldn’t fit and then I wouldn’t be able to return them and it would be an expensive experience. I think it would be a good idea to be very clear about the measurements that you have designed your lingerie to fit, that way you’ll have more confident and happy customers.
Welcome to the forum! I’d say etsy is a great place to be selling on for sure as that’s were I do most my sales too for my business but also if you was to have a good social media presence on instagram and tiktok then that may help to boost traffic to your items
Yes, I suppose that is the challenge because of hygienic purposes I cannot issue returns. I tend to leave my side straps open for my designs for that exact purpose I feel like it will fit a wider demographic of people better.
I think a lot of people, like you, enjoy the online experience so I definitely think its the way to go. I hated the idea that when you buy a set it comes with the preselected small bottoms match with small tops because its not always true. I like that Etsy allows the flexibility to modify that so I’ll have people look at the chart and decide what would fit them best from there. But I am thinking of doing the old school way of marketing by attending handmade goods markets as well sometimes people just want to get out the house, and I think my items are eye-catching since I’m trying not to be influenced by trends.
Shipping in Canada sucks, because it is very expensive, but I’m working with a smaller company for shipments and it’s cut that price down to around 10-15ish dollars and includes tracked shipping.
Thank you for the response, I sincerely appreciate it!
I try to maintain a social media presense. I think a lot of my follows like seeing the BTS so that’s fun as well. Tiktok … Is the bane of my existence … LOL
Haha sounds like your doing all the right things though to best sell your brand! 
This is true. I’m trying. I try to be transparent about sizing as I can, usually I’ll do a photoshoot with a local photographer so I have a live model and know that my items are doing what I want them to do on other people and not just me. Thank you so much!
Thanks!! <3
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