Part Five
Because of recent emails I've been receiving I felt compelled to include this:
Yes, it's happening. I've already been receiving tacky, disgusting emails from people who want to tell me they are giving money to Japan IF they make sales.
I had an email last night from a woman who actually told me that 10% of her sales will go to help
Um, she has never made a sale.
Nothing in her shop was over $4.00.
And she really wants me to think that 10¢ on the dollar will be given to
Please. I'm not THAT stupid.
It doesn't matter WHAT her intentions are, she looks like she's using the tragedy in
I'll tell you why, because she's dangling
She's disgusting to me.
That has
And you can expect to see LOTS of this stuff before it's over. People will be coming out of the woodwork over what happened in
You know why I'm so skeptical? Because I've seen it all before...with 911, Katrina, and other horrible situations that have happened to others. It's the way of the internet and you have to be careful to NOT fall into their trap.
There are proper organizations that can be donated to. There are too many internet scams and ploys. You HAVE to be careful.
People who use other people's tragedy in order to get sales makes me sick. They disgust me.
As a guideline, here's Etsy's policies on Charitable Donations:
Charitable listings and shops
DOs and DON'Ts > Shops and listings > Charitable listings and shops
Etsy understands that members may wish to participate in fundraising for charitable organizations and causes. Charitable fundraising is subject to many laws, and unfortunately, there exist unsavory people who may attempt to take advantage of your good will. Therefore, for the protection of our community, Etsy has established some policies regarding charitable listings and shops that use charitable fundraising as a promotional tool. Members participate in charitable fundraising at their own risk.
- Members represent that any charitable fundraising complies with all applicable laws.
- A seller who promotes that their Etsy shop engages in charitable fundraising on behalf of a recognized tax-deductible charitable organization (for example: 501(c)(3) status or equivalent with the
IRS , similar legally-recognized non-U.S. charitable organization) must receive appropriate consent from the charitable organization. - The seller must include clear information about the organization and donation details in the listing and/or Public Profile.
- Listings created solely to solicit for donations are not permitted. All listings on Etsy must be for a tangible item available for sale.
- Members must comply with all policies, including Etsy's Community and Conversations policies. Members must not send unsolicited donation requests.
- A charitable shop involving multiple people must comply with all applicable rules concerning collective shops.
Using Shabby Chic in your descriptions / titles / tags
This is a huge no-no. Why? Because the woman who actually coined that phrase has it trademarked. No one can lawfully use that term without her permission.
Yes, you see a lot of people use it. And there's also just as many people who have had lawsuits brought against them and had their listings taken down.
It's a matter of time before it would catch up with you. Etsy themselves usually do not go actively looking for violations, it's other members who turn people in. And most times it's your competition.
Yes, it's THAT BAD sometimes.
Keep a good stock in your shop
Have as many listings as you can in your shop. The more you have, the more chances you're seen. The more you're seen, the better your chances at a sale, or ending up in a Treasury.
Use the 'Sections' feature in your shop
If you have a variety of things, or even if you sell one thing, but have a variety of sizes, colors, or whatever, use the Sections in your shop.
This makes it easier for your viewer to find someting they are interested in.
Plus, it's easier to just click on a Section than to click page after page after page of listings in no particular order.
Prices That Are Pleasing to the Eye
I've read in many places that the most pleasing to the eye is to have prices that are rounded off to just dollar amounts.
It just looks better to see $2.00 than $1.99, or $20.00 instead of $19.99.
It looks less 'cluttered' and it's prettier.
Showcase and Featured Item
A lot of people ask me if I think it's worth it to do a Showcase on Etsy....you know, the $7 a day deal.
When I was new it was a goal of mine to do the Showcase.
I wanted to have a really good stock in my store first. Sort of cleaning house before the guests arrive.
I was reading the forums and I kept coming across my very favorite types of threads (in forum-speak, the name of the topic is called a 'thread')
I loved the threads where successful, long-time sellers talked about the things they'd do differently if they had it to do all over again.
And every single time
So, I took their advice and saved my money and never did the Showcase thing.
However, it's up to you. If you want to try it, go for it. I'm just sharing what I learned from OTHER sellers.
I don't know about you, but I certainly trust the advice from those who have been there, done that, and know more than me.
Answer Your Emails / Etsy Conversations
This goes without saying, but you'd be surprised at the people who have come to the forums to complain about sellers who don't answer their emails, especially in a timely manner. And I'm talking about DAYS after a person has written.
And many of those people claim that the seller who ignored them just lost a sale.
I know we all can't sit in front of our computers 24 hours a day. We have a life, we're busy, we have other responsibilities.
But I'm talking about those who will ignore emails, or take too long to get back to the person.
We are running a business. We have to deal with things we don't like, don't enjoy, and even don't have the energy or motivation to do. It's no different than having a real 'brick and mortar' store.
If you want a successful business, you have to deal with it
Even if the person is asking something that you don't want to do, or can't do, answer them anyway. It's just good business practice.
Recently a woman wrote to me from
At first blush, when seeing that email, I assumed it was going to go no where. I knew there was no sale. But I answered her anyway.
Guess what, she found another way to make the purchase from me. She got a relative from the
And I had a sale after all.
You never know how something can turn around to YOUR benefit.
Fill Out All Information for Your Shop
It looks more professional if you have all your areas properly filled out.
This includes your profile, policies, shipping and payment, etc.
This is important.
I see a lot of complaints about this in the forums, too.
Plus, if Etsy is picking out a seller for the front page as a Featured Seller, they don't choose the people who haven't filled out policies or profiles or listed all their information. It looks less than professional to not do so.
Again, it's all a part of doing business. And if you don't have time to do it all in one day, pick out one thing to fill out every day, or every few days.
It looks good to have everything filled out. It gives the impression to the viewer that effort was put into that store. And it builds trust that you're not a fly-by-night shop that might just take their money and GO. After all, there's no information about anything.
I'd never trust a store that didn't have all their information for everyone to read.
Fill in Town and State
This is also important. I don't understand people who don't provide the town and state in which they live.
If you are so scared of being 'stalked' online, and you keep your town and state secret, and you want to be anonymous, then you have no business selling online.
Here's how it REALLY translates to a viewer...you look like you have something to hide. I don't know about you, but I like to know where my item is coming from. I don't want to do business with someone and then find out the item is coming from
I don't want to have to sweat it out and worry if I'll ever
I don't want to buy from
There are so many re-sellers on Etsy. It's against policy, but there they are. And many of them come from
So, these shops from
You WANT your customer to trust you. The first strike against you is not disclosing your town and state. Again, it looks like you have something to hide. How is this customer supposed to feel trust in doing business with you?
And if you want to be anonymous, then selling on the internet is not for you.
Again, these customers we hope to have are supposed to blindly send their money to us because we showed them a picture of what we SAY we have for sale.
Let's let them trust us. And we can start by telling them where we are.
I won't buy from people who don't disclose their location. I don't want to be tricked into doing business with people I don't want to do business with.
And if I need my item in a hurry and I was just tricked into buying something from
Avatars and Banners
Make sure you get an Avatar and a Banner for your shop. Etsy provides them free, till you can get one made for your shop. It looks more professional.
Think of it as the 'window dressing' before entering your shop.
Here's where to get your free shop banner. It's a banner generator:
Free Banner Generator
Here's a link for more free banners and avatars:
More free Banners and Avatars
Also, there's a personal decision to make...whether to have a picture of YOU or your ITEM, or something else on your Avatar.
It's completely up to you.
In the Etsy forums this subject comes up from time to time. Some people like to see the artist.
Some like to see the items for sale...and some want to see the item that's AVAILABLE, not something that can no longer be bought.
I've seen people complain that they see a great Avatar with an item they LOVE, but when they get into the shop, it's not there, it's not for sale, or it's long gone.
So, take that into consideration, too.
And what did I decide to do? I have an item that's available for sale on my Avatar, and my picture is in the middle of my banner.
Problem solved.
Another Way to Promote Your Shop - Use Your Avatar!
Here's my current Avatar, as of
I like to change my Avatar occasionally, to keep things fresh and interesting.
Notice that I used one of my dolls, which I have for sale in my shop. It's a doll that can still be purchased.
Also remember, if you are in a Treasury there'll be a 'featured' bar that will run across the bottom of your Avatar. So, in order to keep our most important information from being covered up while in Treasuries, put them near the top.
In my own Avatar I try to advertize Ugly Dolls and Craft Supplies more than Crocheted Cowls.
And I'm very well aware that my dolls are not for everyone. Not everyone liked ugly dolls. BUT, my shop offers MORE than ugly dolls. How is a person supposed to know that if all I have is an ugly doll on my Avatar, right?
You have one chance to bring people into your shop if someone's first introduction of your shop is thru your Avatar. That's your 'window dressing'. That's everyone's first impression.
If people aren't interested in my dolls, I still want them to come in and see what else I have. So, I included on my Avatar that I also have Craft Supplies, Crocheted Cowls, and MORE....
I took my simple Avatar and made it into a little mini billboard advertisement of what my shop has to offer.
Even if you DO decide to have discounts and free shipping and sales, THIS is the best place to advertise that fact...THEN to heart shops to death. Go to the forums and heart shops, go to the Treasuries and heart and comment.
Every heart ♥ you give to an item or a shop...every comment at the forums...every comment and heart you give at the Treasuries...you'll be seen. Your shop's advertisement will be right there, first thing they see.
You got the word out, and you didn't have to break Etsy policy and Spam or annoy people with endless emails and all that.
If you are putting up new Halloween or Christmas items, put those words on your Avatar. You have just advertised what's going on in your shop.
You can change up your banner, too, but that's only for folks who are already IN your shop. Your Avatar gets people interested enough to click on it and actually ENTER your shop.
That's your 'window dressing'. It's your front door. It's the welcome mat.
Your Avatar can make all the difference in the world whether or not people click on it and come to your shop.
Play around with it, try different pictures and word placement.
But keep this in mind...you want the words big enough to
To make sure it's going to align the right way in Etsy, go to Your Account. When you get there, go to your left and the third option is Public Profile. Click on it.
Right there at the top you see where you can browse your computer for the Avatar you want to use. Once you've chosen the Avatar you just worked on, go all the way to the end of the page and click to save changes.
Only THEN will you see the new Avatar. You have to scroll back up to see it.
This is how it'll appear everywhere you have your Avatar. Make sure you can clearly read your lettering / words. If not, go back and fix your Avatar and try it again till you get it the way you want it.
I still have to do this every time I make a new Avatar. So, it's not something you learn one time and get it right every time. You have to play with it and try it out.
Another Way to Be Seen And Promote Your Shop
I'm going to give you an example and from there you can adjust things for your own shop. This is another way to target YOUR audience and try to drive some traffic to your shop.
Here's my own example. I sell trims and laces. If I wanted to target the people I want to sell to, who do I reach out to and how?
It's simple. I go to the search. I figure, who uses trims and laces? People who make pillows, aprons, dresses, bridal accessories, etc. You get my point.
Then I type into the search apron. I go and see all the many aprons that are being made and sold. I go to as many as time will allow for me and I heart, heart, heart the hell out of shops that use trims like mine for making their items.
I haven't personally contacted them.
I haven't sent them an email, which is against Etsy policy.
I haven't Spammed them with notices of what I have, which is against Etsy policy.
All I did was leave a heart ♥.
If and when the owner of the shop checks out her shop hearts and who's stopped by, she'll see my Avatar with the wonderful advertising of craft supplies.
She 'might' click it out of curiosity, just to see what kind of supplies I DO have.
There you go.
I 'might' get a shop heart.
I 'might' get an item heart.
I 'might' even get a sale...and I HAVE gotten sales this way.
People can't find you if you aren't out there. Sure, they can search, but what if they haven't yet? It's up to me to go find THEM and let them know what I have.
We HAVE to go find our audience. We can't just list it and wait for sales. We HAVE to promote, but we have to do it without breaking policy.
This is merely another way to do it.
Anyway, I'll then go search handmade pillows, or curtains, etc.
I heart those shops. Again, as time allows.
I get the word out to people who use trims and laces that I have them in my shop.
No one is annoyed. No one is Spammed. No one has broken Etsy rules. And who knows, the person might see something I have that they can really use. Everyone is happy.
How to Leave Feedback
I think that some people who don't leave feedback simply don't know how. In case you are one of them, here's a step by step explanation of how to leave feedback.
Go to the top of any Etsy page to Your Account.
Click it.
When you get to your account page look to your far left.
Under Your Account you'll see Feedback, it's right under Purchases.
Click Feedback. When you get there you'll see the words 'Items waiting for feedback' and in brackets it'll tell you how many feedbacks you need to leave.
Right under that sentence you'll see THIS sentence:
Want to leave feedback for multiple transactions at once? Try our Batch Feedback Tool.
If you have only one feedback to leave for someone, just go ahead and leave it. But if you have more than one feedback to leave, use the Batch Feedback Tool. Just click those words on that feedback page and you'll go where you need to go.
And please remember, before EVER leaving a neutral or negative feedback, always try to contact and work with the seller or buyer FIRST.
Communication is your best friend.
Putting the word
Like I brought out before in one of the other blog posts, Google 'spiders' or 'crawls' our shops. If you have the word
Blogs that want your items for a free 'giveaway'
This is something to be very careful about. I see this brought up at the forums a
Lots of us have blogs. And some people, as a way of generating more followers and getting more views, will host 'giveaways' in their blog.
They will approach various sellers on Etsy, or other places, and ask for a particular item for
HAH!
Here's what happens most of the time...the owner of the blog hits people up for free stuff that THEY get to keep. And even if they put the item on their blog for what, a
What a racket.
Honestly, I could never live with myself. I couldn't do that to people.
But that's just ME. There
And look at it like this, if the blog owner wants to give away free stuff, why not put her OWN stuff up for the free giveaway? Why do YOU have to part with an item, pay the shipping, and the owner of the blog puts up a blurb about it, keeps it, or gives it away to someone else?
Who is the winner here? The blog owner, NOT YOU. She gets more viewers, more followers to her blog, she gets a nifty free item, and lots of exposure.
Some blog owners will tell you that the giveaway helps you
Do it if you want to, but you should first read the horror stories and rip offs of other people FIRST.
Always do your 'homework' before jumping into something. Then you can make an informed decision.
Many people target new sellers because they are eager, they are easily flattered, and they don't know any better. They don't have the experience to guard against rip offs like that.
Just be careful!
Shipping and Shipping Materials
Shipping prices have a lot to do with how you ship. Personally, I ship Priority with the USPS. I do that for several reasons.
For one thing, I can go on the USPS website and order
I have most of all sizes that are offered...all free.
I'm not in the position to go 'dumpster diving' to find various sizes of boxes. I DO have some regular boxes, but not that many because they are difficult to store without taking up too much room.
Besides, most dumpsters are full of roaches and the LAST thing you want to do is bring bugs into your home from boxes that came from a dumpster.
And, I like shipping in a crisp, clean, new shipping box.
It looks professional.
Also, never take a Priority box and turn it inside out so you can ship it cheaper. The post office ALWAYS knows when people do that, and they will charge you for Priority shipping. Or, worst case scenario, your customer will get the package, but THEY will have to pay the postage due.
Yikes!
I'd be pissed if that happened to me.
The newer Priority boxes are now printed on the inside so this can't happen.
Go here to the USPS website to order boxes:
United States Postal Service
You'll probably need to sign up and make an ID and password, but do it. It's worth it.
Keep this in mind...both the Priority boxes
So, do not attempt to use Priority boxes for First Class or Parcel Post shipping.
Bubble Mailers
This is another way to ship, and it's less expensive. If you go to Walmart, or anywhere that sells shipping supplies, you see how expensive they can be. But if you want to buy in bulk, go to eBay.
That's the only place I'll buy my bubble mailers because it's the cheapest price.
You can get various sizes and quantities. Just get the ones you know you'll use and stock up. Depending on your sales volume, they can last for years.
Packing Slips and Securing Your Shipping Label
Here's another tip to make sure your item gets to its destination.
If you have no packing slip, business card with your address, etc. ...if anything happens to your package and the label is destroyed, the post office has no way of knowing who to send the package to...not the sender OR the buyer.
It's a good idea to print out a simple packing slip, or at least provide something with your address inside. You have a better chance of having the package sent back to you, should anything happen to the label.
And, one of the things I do to make sure my label is protected against being accidentally destroyed is to put clear tape across the entire label.
The label warns to NOT tape it, but they mean the kind of tape that isn't see thru.
That way, the label has a better chance of staying in place and protected from rain and all sorts of things.
Figuring shipping costs
This is what I do to assess possible shipping fees. I'm in
So, let's say I have a small doll I want to list on Etsy. I need to put in something for shipping. I put the doll in a box, weigh it on my postal scale, then I take the address from one of my California customers and I 'pretend' I'm sending it to them.
I go thru all the steps on the PayPal label form, only I don't go far enough to actually pay for and print the label.
However, I do go far enough to know how much it would cost to send to my buddy Becca in
That's how I get my estimate on most things. THEN, if the shipping turns out to be less money for someone who actually buys the item, I just refund the excess shipping fees.
Problem solved.
And THIS way I don't end up eating too many shipping fees that I didn't charge enough for.
Just put in your listings that you do refund the shipping difference if it turns out you didn't need the full amount.
Everyone's happy.
But always assess possible shipping charges from people who are the furtherest away from you.
Better safe than sorry.
I've learned the hard way. When I first started selling online I UNDERcharged someone $17.00 on shipping. The item only sold for $5.00, I charged $4.00 to ship...and it actually cost me an additional $17.00 to ship because it was a very heavy glass item.
And that doesn't include the listing fees, Final Value Fees, and PayPal fees. This was on eBay many years ago.
Talk about learning a hard lesson. I basically PAID that guy to buy my item and I shipped it
I was devastated, but I learned my lesson.
The sweet guy saw it on the label and he reimbursed me. But don't think everyone will be that kind. A lot of times I still eat a few dollars in shipping here and there, and NO
But I always pay the difference back to THEM if I charged more than I needed.
Take that lesson and benefit from it.
Shipping from Home
I love shipping from home. I haven't seen the inside of a post office in about 6 years. I can even ship internationally from home, if I want to...but only if it's going Priority, which is the only way I ship internationally. The customs forms are filled right out while doing the label. It's soooo easy to do.
And here's another reason I love shipping from home..printing your own labels is a little bit cheaper.
What you will need is a shipping scale. You can buy them at Walmart, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, and places like that. And you can get a good deal on eBay, I'm sure.
My best bet is on eBay. Try that place first.
When someone pays you thru PayPal you can go to PayPal and click on the button that says Print label. The buyer's name and address and YOUR name and address is already on there. Just put in the rest of the information, like weight and measurements, etc.
I like to click to have the shipping amount displayed on the label. I think it's good to show the customer that you paid exactly the right amount, and so did they. It shows honesty.
Print the label. I don't use fancy labels...I use regular, cheap printing paper. You can get good, cheap printing paper at Big Lots, or Walmart, places like that.
The label is printed on that paper, along with your own receipt, and you can cut out both.
I put MY receipt in my transactions book on that item's page with a paper clip. It's there forever. If anything happens, I have that receipt.
Then I just tape the label onto the package.
I then go to the USPS website to arrange for a home pick up, which is free. To have items picked up the next day, you have to have the request in by .
I can get a sale today, but if I put in for a pick up, it won't happen till the next day.
I already have a system with my mailman. If I have a package pick up because of a last minute sale and I have the package ready, I just hang a piece of red crepe paper out on the door and the mailman stops and gets my package.
But that's between me and my mail carrier.
I live in a good, safe neighborhood. I can leave my packages out on my front porch in a big black plastic box. Everything stays dry and safe.
Not everyone has this situation. In most cases you can still arrange for pick up. There's a drop down box for HOW you want the package picked up...like for the postman to ring your door bell, have a pick up at the back door, front door, etc.
If for some reason it's not available for your area, just print out the label and get it taped on and take it to the post office. It makes things much faster. Everything is paid for and all you need to do is drop it off.
I also love shipping from home because now I never have to worry about driving to the post office, eating up gas, standing in long lines, especially during holidays, etc.
In the comfort of my own home and wearing my sweat pants and tee shirt, I can do my shipping without ever leaving the house.
It's all good in CattLand!
When putting in for a pick up on the USPS site, you have to have at least one Priority or Express pick up. You can have other things going out, and that's fine, but at least one of them (when putting in for it) has to be for Priority.
In other words, you can't put in for a pick up if you have only a parcel post package....but you can if another package is for Priority.
In my own situation it'll get picked up anyway because of my arrangement with my mail carrier. He's wonderful!!
More Organization Ideas
This is what I do. Seriously, I've been doing this since the very first item I ever sold online. I can take you to my books and show you every item I have ever sold online in my
I still have all my paperwork, all my label receipts, all my insurance receipts, everyone's email address, home address, whether or not they've left me feedback, notes on the transaction if it was a noteworthy transaction, item number, date listed, date sold, price, shipping fees, membership ID. It's all there.
You can buy them from any store that sells office supplies, and I often buy mine from Walmart.
I have one of these books for eBay, one for Etsy, one for ArtFire. I even have these books for things I purchase...again, one for eBay purchases, one for Etsy purchases, etc.
This way I can keep track of every transaction I've ever had, whether I'm buying or selling.
Each page in my system of organization represents a listing. If I listed something today on Etsy, at the very top of the page I'd have the item title, like if it was a Raggedy Ann doll.
Right under that I have the listing number. This is high up on the page, first two lines.
Then, on the rest of the page I have as follows:
Date of item LISTED
Date of item SOLD
Price
Shipping Price Charged
User ID of customer
Email of customer
Name
Address
Date Paid
Date Shipped
Feedback Given
Feedback Left
And there's plenty of space left for other notes, like if the person sent a check, money order, or if I refunded shipping fees, if they were a nightmare to deal with, etc.
It's all there.
When I print the shipping label I have the little shipping label receipt for my own records. This receipt is paper-clipped right at the top of the page and it stays there forever.
Everything I'll ever need to know about that transaction is on that one page.
So, if I list 12 things one day, each item will have their own page in that organization book. And as the items sells, I'll fill out the page accordingly.
I know, I know, it's real 'anal retentive' of me, but I've always been this way. I'm a born secretary and have always kept great notes and books on everything.
Does it surprise you to know I've been keeping a daily journal since I was 11 years old?
Another Organization Tip
Here's something I've been doing since the first time I ever sat in front of a computer, which was over 12 years ago.
I have a little notebook, you know, one of those lined 'anything' books. I keep all my passwords and important information in there.
This way I never have to worry about losing or forgetting my passwords and ID's that I have all over the internet.
I even have them organized into sections. (of course I do).
Passwords for bills I pay online.
Passwords for memberships to websites.
Passwords for ID's.
Passwords for places where I like to shop online.
And there's a page directing people who to contact and inform in case something ever happens to me.
But it's in my nature to want to stay on top of things that I do. I'm very organized and self-disciplined. I don't like losing things.
And if you have a notebook that you keep for passwords and memberships, you'll never forget them. Never take that book away from near your computer. I understand if you need to keep things from prying eyes, like kids, but at least keep that notebook somewhere safe.
Another Organization Tip
I have a larger 'anything' book that I keep for my supplies. If I buy something from somewhere I like to tape the invoice into that huge book, along with other information.
For example, if I needed to buy more ballerina shoes for my dolls, or little wooden pill boxes that I give to some customers, all I have to do is take that big book down and there is it, the places where I bought those things.
Most invoices include the website address and item numbers, etc. So I know exactly where to go and how to find those items again.
Otherwise, I'd never remember all the places I buy from. I shop from a LOT of websites online for doll supplies.
Having this book is a godsend to me.
In the front of the big book I taped a few business card holder sheets (each sheet holds 12 business cards in little clear sleeves) in place so I have a place to put various business cards, too. It's easy to find what I'm looking for.
If I buy it for my doll business, it's in that big book. It's all in one place.
Should I lower my prices?
On eBay the best thing was to list
On Etsy it's a whole different animal. If you list lower than those who are selling similar, YOU look like the one with the substandard products. It makes it appear that you don't have good quality items and that you don't have a lot of faith and pride in what you sell.
You really need to take into consideration your materials to make your items, your time spent MAKING the items, and the fair amount you can take for it, while being fair to yourself.
Then factor in your listing fees, Final Value Fees when it sells (Etsy's profit), and PayPal fees...as well as shipping supplies, etc. (but don't gouge your customers...some costs are simply the cost of doing business)
You have to take
Let's say you make hair bows, as an example. Go on Etsy and look at OTHER sellers of hair bows. See what their prices are, and find a happy medium. ....but DO take all the things into consideration as listed above.
That's the price range. And you really need to stick by your guns on it. If you lower your prices in hopes of getting sales, it won't give you the results you desire. It'll have the opposite result. It cheapens your shop and product.
Which brings me to the next topic:
Should I Have Sales And Discounts?
This is a personal decision for you, but I won't do it.
Why?
Because I have done my homework, taken all things into consideration when setting my prices, and I don't and won't take less for my hard work. I'm not Walmart.
The only 'rollback' in MY house is the desk chair!
I have paid for my listing fees, spent untold hours upon hours tweaking and improving my shop. I have taken and re-taken tons of pictures in my efforts to improve.
I spent hours of my life designing and creating my items and writing their stories and descriptions. I have to consider my materials and labor and all the time I take reading and learning all I can so I can hopefully be successful.
These are all hours of my life I'll never get back. This is one of the most time-consuming things I've ever done.
And I'm going to reduce my prices by having sales and having discount codes and free shipping?
Not on your life!
No way!
No way!
Again, sales can cheapen your shop, and especially if you are having them too often. It makes a person seem desperate. And it doesn't always work.
If you sell supplies, great. By all means, if sales get people thru that door, go for it. Selling supplies isn't the same thing as handmaking an item.
But handmade items? Why would you do that to yourself?
Seriously, I buy on Etsy. I'm a buyer as well as a seller. And unless it's supplies that I use for my creations, I'm not attracted to buy from shops with sales, sales, sales.
You know how else it can appear to people? That if you can afford to sell your items cheap THIS week, then your items may have been overpriced to begin with.
I'm just telling you what I've read from people who talk about sales on the forums.
And, discount sales have a way of 'dehumanizing' a transaction. It's almost like the public is being treated like a herd of sheep, or groups of wallets and credit cards.
Sales and discount codes, free shipping...it's not for me. I work too hard and already don't get enough money for my work. I'm not going to cheapen my items OR my shop by having discount sales. I'm not desperate and I don't want to APPEAR to be desperate.
I'm just telling you to be careful and think about it.
I was new not too long ago, too. I had two sales last fall and they did nothing for my sales. I read on the forums about what others thought of sales and I decided right then and there to never have another one. It's not worth it to ME.
Sales and discount codes, free shipping...it's not for me. I work too hard and already don't get enough money for my work. I'm not going to cheapen my items OR my shop by having discount sales. I'm not desperate and I don't want to APPEAR to be desperate.
I'm just telling you to be careful and think about it.
I was new not too long ago, too. I had two sales last fall and they did nothing for my sales. I read on the forums about what others thought of sales and I decided right then and there to never have another one. It's not worth it to ME.
It hasn't hurt my business one bit to not have discount sales and free shipping.
I had never thought about it this way before...and now I view sales totally different. I see that they are not for me or my shop or how I want others to view my items.
Should I Have A Mailing List To Send To People?
This is also a personal decision you have to make. Personally, I don't have one. I tried having one many years ago and it didn't take long to realize that people stopped reading my notifications. No one wants to receive notice every time we list a new item.
And even if they sign up for your newsletter or email notifications for new listings and 'shop news', eventually it will annoy them, or they stop reading. They delete it unread.
And this is especially if they are already receiving several mailings from other sellers.
Interest in our shops will not last an eternity with a lot of people. We'll always have new folks to come along.
But make sure that if you DO decide to have a mailing list, please don't just add people without their permission.
- Don't assume that just because someone bought something from you that they will want to be on your mailing list.
- Don't assume that just because someone hearted your shop or an item that they want to be on your mailing list.
- Don't assume that friends and family want to automatically be on your mailing list.
- Don't assume that because someone emailed you on Etsy that they want to be on your mailing list.
And you feel it every time you go. You're just one of the sheep, in the eyes of 'the powers that be'.
But on the internet, especially in places like Etsy and ArtFire, to name two, it IS a more personal experience. It's one-on-one. There's a face, emotions, a personal transaction that goes on between two people. There's an exchange of money and an item and it involves shipping and a LOT of TRUST.
So, don't treat people like blind sheep and advertise like you're a huge corporation or a chain of stores. It puts off a bad vibe.
People like personal attention, to feel special, to feel that their business is valuable to you. More than likely if you make them feel that way, they'll come back.
As you can already guess, I hate being Spammed with discount codes, free shipping offers, etc. And it really goes ten feet up my ass when I heart a shop and the owner shoots me an email barking out their discount code and sales offers.....no 'hello', no thank you, just blind advertising like I'm not even a human being.
Not to mention, they didn't even heart my shop back. They just see me as a wallet and money and a possible buyer. They've baited their hook, cast their line, and they are trying to reel me in.
They will NEVER get my business. Ever.
It's something to think about.
After all, doing business online with a personal seller is very different than shopping in the stores, or even the major stores online.
People like the personal touch, the 'human' touch.
More Tips and Hints to Come as I Think of Them!
Copyright © March 21, 2011 Catt Alexander
No portion of my Etsy Helpful Hints and Tips are to be copied in part or in it's entirety without my permission. These installments are the result of my own hard work, research, opinion, and experience.
