♦♦♦♦ Alberta Street Team CHAT THREAD for JANUARY 1-31, 2018 ♦♦♦♦

[MagpieQuilts]

Happy New Year! and welcome to the Alberta Team Chat Thread for January 1-31, 2018. This month we want to encourage you to look back over 2017 and identify 1-3 areas where you felt you could have done better. And looking ahead to 2018, please share at least one goal you have for the New Year!

Posting here counts towards your team participation and is the main place to get up to date on what we are doing as a team!

Post your New Listings in our promo thread:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/teams/5084/alberta-street-team/discuss/18573832/

WHERE TO FIND OUR TEAM & PARTICIPATE:
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/AlbertaStreetTeam
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/ABStreetTeam/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/etsyalbertateam/ #etsyalbertateam

If you have any questions about the team or how to get more involved please contact Kalen, the Team Captain, at www.etsy.com/shop/minibytes

Previous chat thread here:
https://www.etsy.com/teams/5084/alberta-street-team/discuss/18546372/

[MagpieQuilts]

One area I felt I didn't do very well in this year was to freshen up my products with something new. I've just been doing different versions of the same old thing.

My goal for 2018 is to add at least 5 PDF downloadable quilt patterns to my Etsy shop.

[MagpieQuilts]

Feel free to post links to blogs, business sites, etc. that inspire you in your business.

Here's a blog post that I like about setting goals. I like that she has a good definition of what a goal should look like and then shares what her goals are for her business. https://whileshenaps.com/2014/12/set-business-goals.html

[WireExpressions]

Happy New Year Teamies! no goal setting yet. I've been sick all holiday. Once my head is clear, I will be able to think about goals.

For now...I need advice... (Way to start off the new year) I have a customer, who I needed some info from to complete her personalized order. After a few days and a couple attempts, she didn't reply through Etsy, or through my business email, so I emailed her through a gmail account that I have. All my communication I have asked her to reply through Etsy. It wasn't a big deal, because I got the information I needed and shipped her order still on time, however now she has emailed this gmail twice asking where her package is. (It's only been 6 business days. with the holidays and weekends) I understand her impatience, but I'm sensing trouble, and want to make sure I'm covered through Etsy, if she does raise concern. But the lady either doesn't want to communicate through Etsy or doesn't know how to. If it escalates, I'm not sure how to communicate with her through Etsy, if she has not done so to date. Thoughts?

[lampworkbyjulie]

Thank you Cindy! I'll see if I can figure out how to edit the listing to show these changes.
Kristi, I've had this happen more than once too. I've actually got a 'standard' reply ready to send to these customer. I may be wrong, but if you keep the emails regarding your communications with her, I would hope that Etsy would take that into consideration if she raises a stink.
My reply is something like this -

Thank you for your order and thank you for contacting me!
I'm so sorry you're disappointed that you've not received your item yet. This item ships from Canada and I see you did not opt for the quicker shipping. It normally takes 10 to 12 business days. Upon checking, I feel you should receive your order around *date*.
Please let me know when it arrives,

[WireExpressions]

Thanks for your response Julie, I hope I'm just reading more into her impatience than I should be. I do have a copy and paste response. But I say 7-10 business days. I should add a receive by *Date*....because I see how saying 'business days' is confusing. Saturday, Sunday and Stat holidays are not included, neither is the shipping day. (according to CP). Which is why she seems impatient. 6 business days has actually been 13 days since the day it was mailed on Dec 20.

[lampworkbyjulie]

Some customers need to be handled with kit gloves. One came at with me with both barrels loaded because her item didn't get there in like 4 days!!! I explained that as soon I mail it, it's actually out of my control. It can be held up at customs for ages among a number of other delays that we have no control over.
By the time we exchanged many emails, she left me the most glowing review!

[myCorabella]

Happy New Year everyone!

Part of my copy/paste response in that type of scenario:
...The "estimated time" shipping time to the USA is 5-14 business days. However, sometimes packages experience delays at US Customs during processing (which is out of our control unfortunately). On occasion, it can take 4 weeks to ship from here (Calgary, Canada) to US destinations. Today is the Nth business day since shipping your package, so it should arrive in the next X week(s)...

[cindylouwho2]

Happy new year! Some people got this free listing code to work:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/18573892/page/1?post_id=375086570

sadly, I think I had already used that one in the past, in both shops, but others are able to get 20 free listings from it. Good luck!

[WireExpressions]

Thanks for the copy & paste responses. It's nice to hear how other people words things for a fresh perspective. I am more looking for advice at how to get this lady to communicate through Etsy and not through email - just in case. That wording now eludes me since I have tried and not succeeded.

[cindylouwho2]

Some people just won't communicate through Etsy, & there isn't much you can do about that. What I do is ask if they received my messages, then send a link to convos directly, so they can find them. That often works.

Once a case is open, they are required to communicate through that.

[WireExpressions]

I will send the link for the convo. Just tested that out...It will prompt her to log in, but hopefully it will help her communicate through Etsy.

[lampworkbyjulie]

I hope that gets her communicating via convos Kristi. It probably will!
That free listing thing worked for me. So yay! I must've missed it earlier. Only thing is that I don't see if it expires. My draft listings just says 20 free listings so I'm guessing t doesn't expire.

[cindylouwho2]

Julie, usually those ones don't expire, so you should be good!

Kristi, you can also just send a link to the convo page,not the actual convo from you. That way she will always know how to get to it in general.
https://www.etsy.com/conversations
(or maybe that is what you meant - sorry if I misunderstood. I am cross eyed from doing inventory so I probably am missing a lot LOL)

[WireExpressions]

The free listings worked for me! I didn't think it did at first, but now that I hunted around for a bit I see it! Thanks for that link Cindy!

[nanabrowns]

Happy New Year!

No free listings for me with either shop - I must have used it as well. Thanks Cindy!

[lampworkbyjulie]

Thanks Cindy. Glad they don’t expire.

[Former_Member]

Happy New Year everyone!
Attempting to list new items but I am really struggling with the new way ( to me)

[lampworkbyjulie]

Candy you can copy a listing to take advantage of a few time saving features such as size, section, price, etc. Just change up the pics, title, description and tags if need be.

[hopnflop]

Happy New Year everyone!
I stayed a bit longer with family over the holidays and only just got back into the swing of things this weekend.

My goals this year is definitely have more new products made and listed. I have to retire some products that have been around for a long time too. I'm also working hard on actually getting a separate site made so there's another way for people to search and find me. Hopefully that will help. I did notice in November I had more sales compared to previous years. A lot were from Canadian addresses, so that was a pleasant surprise.

What will be a huge change this year is that I may not be signing up to as many craft markets as I'm on the hunt for a full-time job tho it has been nice to work on my shop while being unemployed (and to pjs all day long...haha).

Free listing promo didn't work for me, but I'm so glad some of you are able to get it!

[junquete]

Happy New Year albeit a little late.

I've had only a couple of where is my package over the years that I explain Where Canada is first off. It seems some American's don't even know where it is or that there is a border between us. Their responses were 'oh is that a different country'? (twice).

I made a resolution to not make a resolution because I have never gotten past the end of January when I've already broken them. So this year I am sure it's one I won't break. lol

I am going stay more connected to the team this year though. Too much information to miss out on here. Have a good day

[hopnflop]

Question, anyone know where to get a smaller quantity of bubble mailer envelopes 4" x 8"? I keep finding 500 envelope quantities and I really don't need that much. I also have less space to store it all.

Maybe we should start a thread to include any helpful places to find supplies like this. What do you all think?

[MagpieQuilts]

That would be great and maybe you can find someone to split an order with.

[Former_Member]

Happy New Year!
I am really hoping to work on my monsters on etsy this year... and some new stuff for my button shop. If I could just figure out how to get my husband to vacuum, do laundry, and cook the meals as well, I will be set :)

I usually but my envelopes in larger quantities, but you might be able to search for the number your looking for on ebay ect? Such as 100.. ect. I'm not sure if that is any help!

Have a good week!

[cindylouwho2]

Jenny, I get mine here:
http://stores.ebay.ca/polycyberusa/000-/_i.html?_fsub=2550524012

but I do buy 500 or 1000 at a time, so I am not sure if the shipping works out to be as good for smaller quantities. Splitting an order is a good idea!

A shipping supply thread sounds like a good idea. I was going to start a new jewellery supply thread once I finish my January shopping.