AAA Cafe' Daily Chat 09/21/2014

[NaturalClocks]

Welcome to new members, welcome back to returning teammates! If this is your first time here - this is a place to ask questions, share your most embarrassing secrets, or just chat about the slow and boring bits of your day…we want to hear from you!!

Be sure to check out the discussion board. There are games to be played and threads to explore. The more you promote your fellow team mates, the more you get promoted, so be sure to participate on a daily basis. Check out our blog and our Facebook page, as well as the other links provided below.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
* Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/301427606658253/
* Etsy Calculator: salecalc.com/etsy
* Etsyology: www.etsyology.net/
♥ Online Photo Programs: fotoflexer.com/ or www.picmonkey.com/
treasurypin.com./ and editor.pho.to/
arwmedia.net/tools/pixlr_express.php
* Etsy Craft Tools: www.mycrafttools.com/
* Etsy Gadget: www.estygadget.com
* Craftopolis -Edit multiple listings: www.craftopolis.com/#com=ee
* Etsy Banner Maker: bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php?bnew=1&pses=1a256d05
* Craftcount - craftcount.com/teritory.php
* Google+ tutorials blog.kissmetrics.com/personal-google-plus-account/ and moz.com/blog/tips-to-use-google-for-s
* Chrome Treasury Box: brittanysbest.com/treasurybox-chrome-extension/

Good morning team!

Please don't forget to post in the AAA Support Team thread in the promo forum :)) www.etsy.com/uk/teams/21915/promos/discuss/15267796/

Marion, so sorry for your loss, my condolences to you and your family.

Good luck with your show Sara!! I hope it will be a great success!

Well, today should be the official start to Autumn/Fall. I still can't get my head around to how fast time goes!! I mean, 3 months left to Christmas?? They'll fly! Still, I love Autumn, my favourite season, lets hope it'll keep being fairly dry.

I've had a good start to September, 2 Fridays ago was my best day ever on Etsy, but it's now been one whole week without a sale, it's a mystery how this works. I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to lots of faves from buyers-only accounts this morning, hopefully some of them will turn into sales in the next couple of months, who knows. I can only keep adding and promoting. I must have had 3 or 4 convos recently of people wanting to buy one of my clocks but asking how long it would take for the parcel to arrive to the US as it is for a present. I always have to be honest and give the worst case scenario too, not just the average times, can't promise anything unfortunately, I just wish that the postal services were more reliable lol!

Isobel, the new front page is not a test, but it's the new front page that everybody is getting now. I'm not bothered either, as I rarely look at my FP, I just hope that our shops will be randomly displayed to potential buyers! I still think that this new layout, as messy as it looks (and as silly as it is to have two exact pages duplicated, FP and Activity), may give us better chances of visibility than the old page with treasuries. Lets face it, it's no secret that it was always the usual suspects appearing on it!

The most worrying thing is this search business, as I keep reading on the forum (and from some of you too) of low views, so there is definitively something wrong here. I can't remember what thread it was, but one of the Admins chipped in with a link to this Announcement (from March!) https://www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/14207725/page/1 , so yeah, they may have left shops layouts alone for the time being, but there are still tests being run. Christmas is approaching and they still play around with navigation and searches?? And Dona, don't even start me on the hidden shipping costs on multiple items LOL!!

Right, I got carried away there LOL! Chat about anything you want :)

Have a great Sunday!

[Former_Member]

Morning All,
Back after a couple of most enjoyable days in Lancashire, watching the antics of the red squirrels at Formby and taking a look at Gormley's amazing art work 'Another Place' on the foreshore at Crosby. I thought about you at Crosby Val, as well as the statues the beach there has lots of red bricks lying about that have been weathered into beautiful shapes by the tides, they would make terrific clocks.

Lucy, sounds as if you need to remind your step Mum that you are running a business and tell her to stop giving your work away. Doesn't she realise what a lot of time and hard work goes into hand knitted things?

I'm still up for the Etsy Crewe meet up in October, at present I can make any dates except the 1st, 3rd, 12th and 14th. If we set a date train fares are cheaper and you are guaranteed a seat if you book ahead. As long as there is a bus service and you tell me where I'm heading for in Crewe, getting into town from the station shouldn't be a problem Lucy. Isobel where will you be catching the train from, Nottingham?

Have a good day all

[ItsSewYouDear]

Good morning!

We got lots of rain yesterday, but it didn't bother me a bit as we were inside the whole time visiting with friends and stitching up a storm lol. I do love the rain actually.

Well, I personally had a wonderful September sales wise, although for a while my search views were way down, they seem to be back up again now, but I gotta say; I was playing with the app yesterday and searching for some of my top keywords and I was getting different results there than I get searching for the same keywords at the same time on my laptop. There is definitely some tinkering happening there. I know that Etsy is changing categories and browse and what not, but there seems to be some algorithm testing happening. Also there is still the disappearance of the app views from my stats. I am afraid we'll never know what's happening lol, but I am pretty sure that it's not affecting Etsy's bottom line or else it won't be happening.

Val, I am also noticing many more gray heads favoriting items in my shop, I am thinking people are making lists and doing comparison shopping. I am actually so looking forward to Christmas :)

Welcome back, Lagney.
Happy Sunday to all!

[Former_Member]

Marion, so sorry for your loss. Love and condolences to you and your family. It sounds as if you have lost quite a lady, someone well loved who will stay alive in your memory.

Thank you Candi, happy sunday to you too :)

[homecraftframing]

Val, Have you ever looked at those Admin's shops who are giving us advice on how to run a business? Some of them only have one item up for sale no sales. So they do not know how to sell or even want to sell but they feel it is our best interest we should believe they are experts on business. Bowen is an IT guy and has absolutely no idea what he is doing when, it comes to Retail. As I said before, no real company would ever make these kind of changes like Etsy has, before these changes have been beta tested on a separate server by professional business analysis.

Lagney, I am glad you enjoyed your visit to Lancashire. I also hope for all of you ladies to get to meet one another next month. I wish I was able to visit with you as well.

Candi, My views are down and so are my sales. If I did not have Tweet Eye, I probably have very little views. I still think the Einsteins are monkeying around with the algorithms like you said. Oh Well, all of this did make me realize I need to work on my website and not close it down at the end of the year.

Well, I have to finish a couple of frames today. Plus I need to finish a sign for a friend of mine. I hope to get some new frames listed today as well. Have a great day everyone!

[Former_Member]

Good morning, everyone!

Marion, I'm so sorry to hear of your brother's mother-in-law's passing. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Lagney, glad you had fun. I don't think I've ever seen red squirrels. Brown, grey, black, yes, but not red. How cool!

Val, don't hold back, tell us how you really felt, lol.

Pam and I didn't go out tl the barn yesterday, because she had a sudden attack of diarrhea. But we did watch The Winter Soldier. I found it a bit confusing at first, and definitely darker than the first movie. It seems that this is deliberate on Marvel's part. Thor 2 was darker, as was Iron Man 2.

Football's on in about an hour from now; that'll chew up the rest of my day. It's the only time I allow myself to be a real couch potato.

Have a great day, everybody!

[CherryPicks]

Autumn begins on Tuesday the 23rd. I love it! When I lived on the East Coast of the US it was so beautiful to watch the leaves change. Now that I am on the West Coast living in a rainforest the Redwood trees do not change. It is green year round. I can't complain as they are as beautiful as they are tall!

I finished up editing and listing yesterday all the items I had stacked on my work station. (FYI - my work station is my kitchen counter :/ ) Today I have 10 projects in the half-way done stage so I think I will work on them.

It's so dark outside with a cool breeze that I feel like I want to make pumpkin pies while sipping hot apple cider or maybe a bonfire and roasting some marshmallows.

Whatever you do today, don't forget to tell those closest to your heart that you love them.

Charity

[ZingRetroFinds]

Hi All,

Glad to hear some of you had great sales and visits this month.

Marion, sorry to hear about your loss. I believe that we keep our loved ones, who have passed, in our hearts and that's how they live on.

I do love Autumn but I love Spring better because it does not lead into Winter.

Working on new stuff. Photos soon. Have a good rest of your day.

[910woolgathering]

Hello all.

Sorry about your loss Marion.

Working on changing tags today, may list some items later. Trying out some new labels and switching out spring summer for winter fall.

My sales are up, views are down, but views are way better than last year's. Who knows.

[homecraftframing]

Marion, I am sorry for your loss. Sending prayers your way that God will guide you through this loss.

I am sorry I have been so self absorbed of late but I forgot to Welcome all the New Team Members for the past few days. Make yourself at home and if I can help you, just let me know.

I am asking your opinion about this change I am thinking of making to my listings. Well I am considering doing it to my listings, since have 313 listings and want to make sure it would not be a waste of my time. I value your opinion. This way the customer will be able to see the shipping cost before they would have to put it in the shopping cart to find out. I have also put it in my shop announcements. Let me know what you think and Thank You in advance.

Here are my prices with shipping. The + is the including Another Item price for the USA.

4X4= $13.00 Shipping $6.95 + $3.00
4X6= $13.00 Shipping $6.95 + $3.00
5X5= $13.00 Shipping $6.95 + $3.00
5X7= $14.00 Shipping $7.95 + $3.00
5X10= $21.00 Shipping $10.95 + $5.00
6X6= $14.00 Shipping $7.95 + $3.00
6X12= $27.00 Shipping $11.95 + $6.00
7X7= $23.00 Shipping $10.95 + $6.00
8X8= $25.00 Shipping $10.95 + $6.00
8X10= $27.00 Shipping $11.95 + $6.00
10X10= $30.00 Shipping $11.95 + $6.00
11X14= $40.00 Shipping $16.95 + $8.00
12X12= $40.00 Shipping $16.95 + $8.00

[craftsbysarahd]

Hi everyone I am new to the group thanks for letting me join. I am learning how to make my etsy better. I know I need to work on my tags so that is a goal this week. I hope everyone has a Blessed Sunday.

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Finally back in my own home - without any long-term outside commitments, so will hopefully be able to get my Shop and everything back on track again. It was going so well before the move overtook me.

Lagney, will be coming most of the way by train, probably beginning at Nottingham. Still have to research the difference (time and cost) between the journey from Kirkby to Nottingham and taking either the 'bus or train, and the time they take. There's something to be said for doing it all by train, because the train station is walkable to begin with, and coming home in the dark - as it will be by that time - I can get a 'bus from near the station. Looking forward to it immensely.

Away to do some more catching up with my other Teams. Meanwhile got some sewing to do as well. Have made up two Fox head and two Coyote heads, and am going to make some more Hand Puppets. Think they could be good movers for the upcoming MacMillan Cancer Coffee Morning Stall at the end of next week, so have got to get a move on. Now that I've got my materials sorted into some sort of order, it should be easier.

My condolences Marion: thinking of the whole family, and be sure, you're all in my prayers.

[beckyspillowshop]

So this has been an extremely slow month for me, (not that I have that many etsy sales anyway) but I have had NO Etsy sales this month. I can't figure out why. I have been having a coupon code sale for almost two weeks now and it doesn't end until Sept 30. Some days I have had many more clicks than ever before but now sales. Not sure what is going on!! :( :( Is anyone else having a slow month as well??

[NaturalClocks]

Welcome CraftsbySarah! I hope you'll join us often for a chat :)

Yeah Dona, I've seen them, those Admin shops look like dummy ones to me, just something they've created to play around with when they run all these tests so that they can relate better to what we all talk about.

I think that the list of prices is fine but I wouldn't put the price of the item, as that would be visible at a glance, just that of shipping. And I would add something like "for each extra item" after the +$3.00 and so on, just to make it super clear. So

4X4= Shipping $6.95 + $3.00 for each extra item
4X6= Shipping $6.95 + $3.00 for each extra item
5X5= Shipping $6.95 + $3.00 for each extra item
etc etc...

Oh, and as you ship internationally, make sure that you indicate that those are the prices for the US (I guess they are, right?)

Glad you had a great time in Lancashire Lagney! Oh yes, I can imagine the lovely stuff laying around on the beach! I'll need to get my backside in gear this Winter and go exploring the Cumbrian West Coast a bit, it's not like it's that far... It'll make a change from Morecambe Bay lol!

We'll set up a date soon for our meet up! I'll need to sort Blake out as well for the day, as between train and lunch it won't be just a 3 or 4 hours. This is when one of those "handbag" dogs would come in handy haha!

[DoorCountyVintage]

Welcome Sarah!

Becky I have only had 2 sales all month which is insane for me so you are not alone.

[KrochetKingdom]

Hi Team,

Thank you all for the condolences and prayers. We must get back on our feet and take it one day at a time.

Welcome Sarah, you will be happy here.

Lagney - glad you enjoyed your trip and now that you are back home, looking forward to the meetup in October. Wish I could join you ladies.

Isobel - glad you are back in your own home. I know that feeling.

Dona - I agree with Val that you should add $3.00 for each item extra so that it will be quite clear to the buyer. Good idea you have.

I had a couple of sales in September and am not complaining. Last year September had no sales for me. Hopefully sales will be picking up although my views are down as well. Who knows what Etsy is doing and why? They sure don't know.

Enjoy your Sunday evening team.

[CherryPicks]

Hi Sarah! Welcome to the group!!

[naturepoet]

Marion,

My deepest condolences. Thinking of you and your family

[ItsSewYouDear]

Sarah, welcome to my favorite team. You'll love it here.

Dona, I agree with Val as in only listing shipping prices and clarifying that the + is for additional item. Good idea!

Marion, I am sorry for your loss. May memories of here provide you all with comfort as you mourn the loss.

Alanna, who did you watch? The Jags were loosing at our house lol.

[naturepoet]

I had a small sale overnight. Views are very low for me and I think this is my worst September ever.

Sorry I've been absent. My keyboard passed into oblivion last night and it was less than 6 months old. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the receipt. It was a very cheap keyboard, but still. Hubby went and bought me a new one this morning. I love it. It is the curved one.

[Former_Member]

Candi, I think I was warching the Ravens at the Browns, but I kept falling asleep since I had a lot of back pain and was on my extra-strong pain meds. I think they won at the last moment.

Sarah, welcome to the best team on Etsy!

I conked out at the end of the Ravens/Browns game and have just woken up, so I'm still a lttle discombobulated. Will be going back to sleep shortly. Now, in fact. See you all tomorrow!

[beckyspillowshop]

Thanks Mary & Chris. Looks like I am not alone this month. My views were way up a week or so ago,after I did Handmadeusa on Twitter, but now they are way down. Maybe October will be better, I can only hope, or better yet I will get a couple of sales before the end of the month when my coupon code sale ends. Thanks!