Good Morning,

Today the blog has some helpful hints for listing those wonderful handmade items you create.

Let's begin with Titles and Tags. Depending on where you list your items, character count and number of tags may vary, but the process is the same. Choose a title for your item.

Does it have a name? Many artists choose to call their piece something, names like "Emma", "Aurora", "Bob" to differentiate one piece from another, things like, "Paramour", "Enchantress", and "Princess" work just as well.

What is it? Bracelet, Earrings, Painted Box, Etched Glass? Be sure to be specific.

Helpful Hint: Many sites have crawlers or bots that will pick up on words in your title, their own little SEO searchers, make sure everything is spelled correctly. Check out the sites categories and try to include one word in your title that matches the category you would like your item to be found in. Spelling, spell-check does not catch all errors and even insists words are wrong if it does not recognize them. Take the time to check your spelling, and double check those triple score words, like Labyrinth and Cephalopod, twice.

Example: Fafnir Chainmaille Silver and Gold Dragonscale Bracelet

*It doesn't have to have a name, Chainmaille Bracelet works just as well, or you may include the name at the end of the title instead: Chainmaille Dragonscale Bracelet - Fafnir

Tags: Tags should reflect the above, and they should also be descriptive if possible. Ask yourself these questions when thinking about tags: What is it? Who is it for? What does it do? What color is it? What is it made from? Is it a particular fashion or style?

Example: bracelet, women, teens, jewelry, chainmaille, gold, silver, fashion, Rocker, Biker, Fantasy, handmade, dragonscale

Helpful Hint: Include words from your title in your tags as well. If your stuck you can also use words like: "traditional", "modern", or "classic".

Photography: Is it necessary to have a professional take your photos? No, many do, but most handmade artists are also the photographer. Getting that perfect shot is tough and there are all kinds of how-tos around the web. Here are a couple of more suggestions.

Do not use your cell phone. Just no. Although the picture looks great on the phone's screen it will not translate well to a site and will look blurry and out of focus. If you must use your cellphone, get a "selfie stick", this will help steady the phone for a better picture. Go through the phone's photo settings, many times the app has different size settings, use them, they will help.

Use at least four pictures, even if two are kind of the same. Try to shoot the item from different angles, both sides, from the top down, on a different background and a close up of the detail.

Helpful Hint: Get to know your digital camera. Does it have a MACRO setting? The Macro setting is used to magnify and capture very small things in focus and detail.

Example: Tiny Frog-Prince Charms

Almost there. You have a title, tags, and a photo. Now comes the hard part, the description. Should it be long or short? What information should be included? What does one say about the item?

Does it have a story? You can make one up. Where did it come from? What did it experience on its journey? What can the customer expect from the piece? Is it heavy? Light weight? Comfortable?

Take the time to jot down words on a list that you can refer to when listing the item and construct a simple sentence around it.

Example: This pair of earrings is light weight and comfortable enough for all day wear.

Completed Listing Example:

Chainmaille Dragonscale Bracelet - Fafnir

This beautiful chainmaile bracelet is elegant and understated. Simply stunning in Silver over Gold rings, one might imagine why a Dragon is required to guard a King's horde. Named after the dragon of myth that once guarded a great King's treasure, Fafnir is sure to keep your treasures safe and will effortlessly coordinate with everything in your closet.

Perfect for Fantasy Film or Event attire, Cos-play, SCA, LARP costume needs or a wonderfully fun piece for Game of Thrones or History Channel "Vikings" fans.

8" long and 1" wide. Handcrafted from 14Kt Gold--plated and Silver-plated (over brass) jump rings, finished with a Slide clasp for a secure fit.

Arrives boxed, ready for gift giving.

*Also available in Gold over Silver rings. Please see the shop for our collection of ready-to-wear items or contact us with your custom request.

Tags: Chainmaille, jewelry, bracelet, Fantasy, Film, costume, Viking, cuff, women, dragonscale, gold, silver, metal

Please see the actual listing here: