♦♦♦♦ Alberta Street Team CHAT THREAD for MARCH, 2019 ♦♦♦♦

[#1]

Welcome to the Alberta Team Chat Thread for March 1-31, 2019. Our team pages have a whole new look and different set up. Please treat this discussion thread as public as I can't find any option to keep it limited to just team members as it has been in the past. Feel free to use the formatting options available for you as you post!

Posting in this thread 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 (public & sharable):
https://community.etsy.com/t5/Alberta-Street-Team/March-2019-New-Listings/gpm-p/125431951#M48468

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://community.etsy.com/t5/Alberta-Street-Team/Alberta-Street-Team-CHAT-THREAD-for-FEBRUARY-2019/gpm-p/125409154#

[WireExpressions]

Cry Cry Cry! I just came accross a forum thread that was in the old format. (accessed it from a google search). I soooo miss the smaller font, and the color coded replies!!!! 

[myCorabella]

Found a great video explaining how to handle Etsy in Quickbooks.

https://youtu.be/_YvDtZeLbIA

[myCorabella]

(...using the term "great" loosely...)

It's the idea of adding Etsy as a "bank" in Quickbooks for accounting purposes (since they hold on to our money), and how to record sales, fees, and deposits. 2:00 to 4:00, and 11:48 to the end.

[WireExpressions]

"Great" is a loose term. There really is no 'great' method for figuring out Etsy's fees! The 'Etsy Bank Method' is a good concept. We can always wish and hope... for this to get easier :P

[lampworkbyjulie]

Etsy fees are mind boggling to me and I'm embarrassed to admit that I do not pay much attention to them. In my naive way of thinking, I chalk it up to the price of selling online. I do get annoyed to read fb threads on the outrageous fees they charge and yet I still defend Etsy. I'm loyal if nothing else. I guess it's just hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I'm comfortable here. I know what I'm doing. Half assed anyway. (Oops! Let's see if that gets bleeped) I still love Etsy.

I've only had one pkg not arrive in the over 550 I've sent, touch wood. I actually have my doubts on that one too only because, it's against my odds. Lol Mind you it was to Ireland. I'd say 95% of my work goes to the US, while 3% stay in Canada and the remaining is worldwide. The only ones that get tracking are within our country as it's not an option. 

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I've been told numerous times by my postal workers, that paying for tracking out of the country is useless. Packages only get tracked to the border and then Canada post has no way of following them. Is this what you all believe to be true? I've asked different Canada post employees at different outlets and they all have the same story.  Note, all my orders go as small parcels, none fit through the slot of doom. 

[SnowmanCollector]

I am in the same boat as you. I don't really understand the way they figure out the fees. I am not a huge seller so I just go on blind faith that Etsy knows what they are doing, although this has been shown to not be true! Most of my items ship to the US as well and I don't usually get tracking unless it is a large package. I haven't had anything not show up - knock on wood. When I follow the tracking it looks like it is being checked in at different cities and shows when it has arrived in the destination city - but who knows if it would actually be helpful if something went missing. 

[WireExpressions]

@lampworkbyjulie  

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@lampworkbyjulie wrote:

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I've been told numerous times by my postal workers, that paying for tracking out of the country is useless. Packages only get tracked to the border and then Canada post has no way of following them. Is this what you all believe to be true? I've asked different Canada post employees at different outlets and they all have the same story.  Note, all my orders go as small parcels, none fit through the slot of doom. 

---

Canada Post employees may tell you that, but they are either lazy or poorly trained or both. I had to call in to Canada Post last fall about a tracked package going to the USA. I knew exacty where it was stuck when I tracked it via USPS. But the guy on the other end of the phone was INSISTENT that as soon as they reach the US border they are no longer tracked. I told him to go to USPS.com and enter the tracking number... He had no more words for me about that topic as soon as he saw it was last scanned in Texas. As soon as it enters the US, it is tracked by USPS.  This is probably the way it is in all other countries too. Canada Post would not be able to offer guaranteed delivery or insurance on stuff that they themselves would have no way of tracking. The people you talk to on the first level at CP either don't want to or don't have the means to more thoroughly track the package from their system. If you ever have to put in a scan progression ticket, you will learn that the information Canada Post has on your package is a lot more detailed than what is available to you or the first person you talk to on the phone at CP.

[lampworkbyjulie]

That blows me away. I’m go back to the post offices here and raise hell! 😆 I wonder why they all told me that. You were using Canada Post, right? Unless it’s different for small packets as opposed to larger parcels. I’m going to find out though because it irks me that I was told that if it isn’t true. Insert bleep bleep bleep. Hahaha! 

[cindylouwho2]

There are some countries that don't track to the door, but most places you will get an Etsy sales do, especially the US. I send several orders a month to the US tracked, & they all work. I've recently changed my German orders to tracking only, which I had never used before, & the last one was tracked to the buyer in just 7 days.

Several years ago I had a Mexican customer who insisted on tracking, & even through Canada Post & other sellers told me the tracking would stop outside of Canada, it did track all the way, with a few pauses. I received a notification upon delivery. Of course, that one was a few years back, so don't take my word on that today. 

Small packet does not have tracking, but any package with tracking to countries that track all the way should work, regardless of size. Note that sometimes you have to check the website of the recipient's post office, not Canada Post, to get the most detailed & up to date tracking once it leaves Canada. and clicking the tracking through Etsy has had some bugs lately. 

[lampworkbyjulie]

WOW! That is great information. Thank you so much! 

[SnowmanCollector]

So it says I have a message, but when I click on it it says 'Access Denied'. I don't have the correct priveleges to see it. Whaaat?? I REALLY don't like this new system.  :)

[lampworkbyjulie]

I think I had to sign in again when I clicked on a message. I've only received one message that wasn't in a convo and it was spam, which I reported upon Cindy's advice. 

[JenGregoirePhoto]

Hey thanks for the information on the fee overages! Now to figure out if it's happen to me. My shop in CAD funds. Now to wrap me head around it.

[JenGregoirePhoto]

Oh one question is there a way to bulk edit listings? I want add new sizing varations and price to my print listing. I have over 100 listing and it taking forever! There is got to be a better way?  I know there aquick edit! But that's only for title and tag and shipping it seems. 

[WireExpressions]

@JenGregoirePhoto @lampworkbyjulie @cindylouwho2 Have any of you used Vela? it’s a bulk editing API. I haven’t used it tonnes, but for what I have used it for... it’s been quite easy to use!

[lampworkbyjulie]

I’ll be watching for answers on bulk editing too. Sorry I can’t help you Jen!

off topic - 

I’m excited! And nervous. 

TOMORROW, I’m doing my first giveaway on IG. It’s in the kiln as we speak! 

Find me here and read the rules for the giveaway tomorrow morning. 

https://www.instagram.com/lampworkbyjulie/ 

Don’t worry, it’ll be super easy. 

[cindylouwho2]

Use bulk edit, under the editing options drop down, instead of quick edit. But download the csv of your listings first, because it can be glitchy once in a while. 

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015692667-Editing-Listings

[MagpieQuilts]

Just an FYI, you can click on any members name and see everything they've posted in this team and any other forums. So if you remember that someone like Cindy gave some great advice and you can't find it back, you can just click on their name and look through their posts. That's the postitive side! On the other hand, it's a lot of your info all in one place and I'm not a big fan of making it that easy for a stalker or disgruntled customer to find you. 

[myCorabella]

...interesting. Plus it shows "Online Status" and "Date Last Visited".

[cindylouwho2]

A lot of those things are hidden, including posts on private teams the viewer isn't on. So no one except teammates can see your posts on the Alberta Team. 

Here's how to hide your online status: https://community.etsy.com/t5/user/myprofilepage/tab/user-preferences:privacy

[JenGregoirePhoto]

Thanks Cindy I give that a try.

[lampworkbyjulie]

I have not tried Vela. Thanks for the suggestion! 

[cindylouwho2]

@WireExpressions  no I haven't used Vela. I don't have much need for bulk editing, but last time I did, I used http://www.shopshaper.net/. Vela has had restricted access at various points, including when I last needed bulk editing (prior to Etsy introducing description editing). If I ever get some free time (ha!) I do intend to add more hook variations with photos, but I will admit I am leery of doing that through an outside app using variation profiles, because as soon as Etsy changes coding, those may not work any more. There are plenty of past examples that always make me a bit hesitant to do complicated outside editing. 

I keep hoping Etsy will introduce variation profiles on their own. 

[JenGregoirePhoto]

So I tried Vela! what propably would have taken hours, days ,weeks took 5 mins. It was so easy. I would recomend downloading CSV first. but it's pretty easy to use.

[MagpieQuilts]

So today I had coffee with another Etsy-prenuer and we talked about wholesale, consignment and adding those shopable links to our Instagram accounts. Always more to learn and so good to connect with someone face to face! 

It always makes me happy to see this team help each other out and share their knowledge (and there's a lot of experience here!)

What areas of the creative business do you want to learn more about? Do you need more networking oppotunities? Would you like to work with a mentor? As leaders, we love the connections we've made with this team, but want to make sure we're listening to you and what you need.

And speaking of face to face, is there anyone interested in pulling together a meet up in our major centres sometime in April? Edmonton, Calgary? If you think that might be you, pleace contact me magpiequilts@gmail.com