Hi gang! We are growing by leaps and bounds! From this I realize alot of you will ask for critiques. I have found after doing 100 or so of them the same common things keep coming up making me look like a broken record. So I'm going to post a "Shop Guideline" below for you to go point by point and see if your shop measures up. If after reading you still have questions or need an example of how to write titles or keyword suggestions feel free to ask.
TOY BOX SHOP GUIDELINE TO A HEALTHY SHOP
PHOTOS: You want to have clear, crisp, well lit photographs. Find yourself a white
piece of construction paper as a backdrop, and use daylight bulbs (in gooseneck lamps if possible), and place the lamps on each side and above your item. Many people use a light box. Here is a simple tutorial to make one yourself very inexpensively. digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent
If your items are too large to shoot indoors and you must photograph outside, always take your photos on an overcast day or in indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight washes out colors and creates heavy shadows. Keep your background as plain as possible. An ironed sheet is a good backdrop.
Shoot your items as close to surface level as you can! Take your photos as though you are buying your item - what would you want to see? Use different angles; capture all flaws and makers marks (for vintage). Use all 5 slots available in your listings. People want to see the top, sides, back as well as a nice close up.
After your photos are taken open Windows Live Photo Gallery. Select all and press the auto adjust button. If you are satisfied with how the photos came out go ahead and post them. If you need to crop them or make them brighter, you can also do this manually through Windows Live Photo Gallery. Many people also use Picassa or Gimp to edit their photos. They are free programs as well.
SHOP BANNER and AVATAR: These are not typically seen until a customer enters your shop. They are fantastic tools, however, that say “This is who I am and what I do!”. Make sure the avatar and banner are both clear and designed to catch the customer’s eye. It should convey the “feel” or “mood” of your shop. Both the avatar and banner are also great tools to announce sales, new listings, vacation mode, etc. Use them to your advantage.
SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: For those of you who don't already know, this is under your shop at the top right of the Etsy browser. Click on that, and then click “Iinfo and Appearance”. In the “Shop Announcement” space put info about you, your shop, and/or why you started here. But most importantly, because Google crawls this section specifically searching for keywords as to where to place you in search, you need to put as many keywords relating to what you sell in the first paragraph as you can. For example: “Specializing in vintage home décor, games, jewelry and dolls, XYZ store has been selling online for 10 years” Do not just toss them out there however if they are not within a body of text Google just scores them as spam keywords which adversely affects your placement in search results.
SHOP POLICIES: Make sure your policies are clear, precise and easy to follow. If you have not bothered to fill them out listen close – that sound you hear is potential customers running for the door! Also if you have a “no return” or state in your policies that you are not responsible for shipping damage or loss, or require your customer to purchase insurance - please reconsider! You cannot enforce those types of policies. You are responsible for getting the item to the customer – by law! PayPal and Etsy will side with the customer in any such dispute. Most shops “self insure”; that is, they add 50¢ or so to each item in the event that they will, at some time, have to replace a lost package. That extra 50¢ goes into a kitty to fund any replacement order you would have to honor. It’s also important to have a clear date for returns, such as: “returns must be made within 7 days of receipt of item, and must be in original condition”. Also be clear as to who is responsible for return postage (a good policy is you if the item is damaged, the customer if it’s just buyer’s remorse). Also every shop should state that the customer is responsible for Customs/Vat fees. And with any policy, you need to be flexible.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule: Some items are protected under a “no return” policy – such as custom made items for a specific customer, vintage gowns, etc. Remember the customer is always right. ALWAYS. With policies like “no return” you just open your shop up to all kinds of trouble. First you could get negative feedback, and that just causes customers to plummet. Second they could open a case, which the seller RARELY wins. This could result in losing your shop all together, so to me no return policies are quite costlier then the item in question.
TITLES AND TAGS: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial since Etsy made the default search by “Relevancy” in 2011. Make your titles relevant, precise and informative. The beginning of your title should clearly state what your item is – and the descriptive part should come next. For example: “Tonka Truck” will not get you high in relevancy. “Vintage Tonka Truck , Yellow Dump Construction Kids Toy” would be a better start. You also want to repeat your title words in your tags. So - Vintage Toys,Toy Trucks, Tonka, Construction Toys, Yellow, dump truck, vintage truck, etc.would be good tags. Use all 13 tags, and remember that tags can only be what the item actually is, so using tags like “birthday present” “stocking stuffer” are not allowed. Google loves your titles, and Etsy loves your tags for search.
Shipping: If you don’t already, consider selling internationally. Etsy is an international site, and it doesn’t make good business sense to limit your potential customers. It's not as scary as some people make it out to be! You can do it manually, or through Etsy if you accept Direct Checkoutt through Etsy (which fills the form out automatically for you – all you have to do is sign and date it). For under 4 lbs. you use the simple green form. Over 4 lbs. you use the larger white form. Both can be picked up at the PO. Both are easy to fill out.
Invest in a good scale and use the USPS website to research any surcharges for oversized packages and shipping cost. It’s pretty easy to weigh your item and then list the costs for U.S. shipping, for Canada, and for Everywhere else (use Australia for this) in your listing. Also consider putting in your policies if you refund for shipping overages. But please…remember to pay yourself to package it, for the supplies to package it, and the cost to take it to the PO. If you do not add these handling charges, you are losing money!
You can also insure much cheaper through third parties such as Shipinsurance and U-Pic if you are concerned about loss
It’s also a good idea to check out any restrictions that any country may have for your items. Some countries will not allow certain items through their customs.
This thread from the Business Topic forum is FULL of helpful information: www.etsy.com/teams/7722/business-topics/discuss/10577585/page/1/
ITEM DESCRIPTION: A good rule of thumb when writing your descriptions is to write them as if there were no photos (and your photos should appear as if there was no description).
Think of Who, What, Why, and Where
Who is your target audience? Speak to them as you describe your item. What is your item? Did you make it? Was it made in china? Do you know the year or era it was made?
What is it? What makes it special? Did you use the finest quality fabrics, or yarn, paints, or semi-precious stones? Is the technique your own or is it an original design? And I can’t stress this enough…. what are the dimensions, measurements, materials?
Why should anyone buy it? Would it go good with a certain decor? Would it add to a collection? Is it rare? Is it perfect for a special occasion? Would it bring out the red in the buyers cheeks/
Where did you make it? Is it handmade in your studio or your workshop? Do you go offsite to create? Do you scour estate sales for the best of the best for your customers? If it’s vintage, where was it made?
Another HUGE thing is to list EVERY flaw. You will regret not doing so or trying to be slick when the buyer gets the item, demands a refund, opens a case n boom there goes your business!
INVENTORY: Try hard to have 100 items! Everything good on Etsy starts at 100 you can makes sales before you get there but you can make a LIVING once you do!
Dont let your shop run itself. Constantly upload items. Participate in team events.Mingle and Network with your team mates. Share the love, press as many hearts as you can. Like karma it comes back around.Be an individual that makes your customer feel special...something the big boxes can't give their customers.
We HIGHLY recommend that you take the time to read here:
www.etsy.com/help/article/479?ref=ft_terms
And here:
www.etsy.com/help/article/483
