Handmade Groups

I just had my 2 year anniversary of selling my personalized gift items on Etsy.  I remember the day my mom called me and told me she had heard a report about Etsy on Good Morning America.  I signed up that day and have never looked back.

I have to say though, it is tough getting started at first.  But, the Etsy community (on Etsy and off) is, by far, the best group of people I've interacted with as a seller.  I started joining groups that help promote each other's handmade shops, and that is where I really made new "friends" and learned a lot more about the industry.

Here is a list of groups I've joined and I recommend you join too if you're new or experienced handmade seller.

Etsy FB FANatics (facebook)
I ♥ their flash-mobs they do to collect new facebook likers to your page.

Cross Marketing Guru's (Etsy Group)
This group is a small close-knit group of handmade sellers.  The group is actually on Etsy, but once you get set up, there is contacts and correspondence through Yahoo!Groups, Facebook and their blog too.  This is where you find other businesses to work with.  And together, they help promote each other.  This group accepts Artfire and Zibbet sellers too!

On Fire for Handmade (Facebook)
This group is a great place to post your sales, new items, treasuries, etc. 

It's Better Handmade (Facebook)
Another great group to post your sales, new items and treasuries for more exposure.