How do you handle selling things that are in your Etsy Shop at a Craft Show?

[Former_Member]

I am about to do my first Craft Show and I am worried about selling the same thing twice. What happens if I sell something at the Craft Show at the same time as someone buys that Item on Etsy? I will be keeping a look out for sales in my Online Shop but if that were to happen I guess i would just have to cancel an order! :( And I definitley do not want to put my shop on Vacation... Ideas?
-Lorin

[Former_Member]

My show stuff is separate from my etsy stuff.

[LizArti]

If you have a smart phone (which I don't) or other device with internet connection, I think that you can take your items off of Etsy as they sell.

There are other threads about this topic if you search.

[HipViolet]

Unless you are having dozens of sales a day, you probably don't have a ton to worry about - I make multiples of my products so I don't have to worry about it, but if there is something on your Etsy site that you absolutely can't make again then deactivate it for the day and reactivate when you get home.

Or like Liz said, if you have a smartphone you can deactivate anything that sells as you go.

Good luck!
jesi

[ElisaAlvarado]

I usually just deactivate as I go. Or I might deactivate things before hand that I am pretty sure will go at the show and then when I come home I activate the stuff that didn't sell. I don't have tons of Etsy sales, so it's never been a problem for me.

[PrairiePrimitives]

Lorin, you've done VERY well for having your shop open on Etsy for just one month ... today! Happy one-month-Etsyversary!

You said you will be keeping a lookout for sales in your shop, so I'm assuming you have a smartphone or iPad or something similar so you can check your shop throughout the day. The reverse is important too ... if you sell something at the show, be sure to remove it from your shop ASAP! I generally deactivate the item at the show (just in case the shopper might want to return it, which hardly ever happens), and then actually delete it when I get home after the show.

[Former_Member]

I take it all. Shut down just the one shop and leave messages in the other two.

[olgaayala]

Since I bring all my inventory to my shows I just put my shop on vacation mode. I usually have a shop message saying that I'm at an event with my inventory and give a re-opening date for my shop.

I update my listings by deactivating anything I sold at my event, and add any newly created items that weren't previously in my shop.

[Former_Member]

i put it in my announcements that I'll be closed for a certain amount of days and when and when I'll reopen.

when the time comes, I put my shop on vacation mode, and in the messages saying that i'm still around, but at a craft show.

I have had one person message me asking if I still had something, which i did. I opened the shop long enough for her to purchase... then I put my shop by on vacation mode again.

[BlackCatStitches]

I do the same as Jesi for the smallish markets that I do right now. BUT, if I ever make it into the giant Christmas craft fair here (thousands of shoppers over 4 days) I will probably put my shop on vacation mode. I know I wouldn't have time to get online to deactivate listings at a show that size.

[ByFreddismom]

I try to keep my shop stuff seperate from my show stuff. If there is something that I take from Etsy for a show, I will deactivate the item(s).

[CCreativeVisions]

I believe you have two options, put your shop on vaction for the day or if you have enough supplies to remake something just inform the Esty buyer that there will be a shipping delay. Have a great time.

[Former_Member]

I have enough inventory that even though I will take the pieces that I have listed in my shop, I will keep them 'under the table' and only put them out if I need something to fill a space or if someone is looking for that particular colour or size.

[brendascrochetnsuch]

I've deactivated items and then had to pay to reactivate. Maybe, I waited to long to reactivate.

You can put your shop on vacation-no worries of selling a one of a kind twice. That's my plan.

[rocksandsalt]

If there's something in our Etsy shop that we know we can't make another of, we deactivate before the show. One time we missed something and it did sell and we contacted the customer explaining what happened, offering a substantial discount to opt for another color or offering to refund if they preferred. They took the other color.

[brendascrochetnsuch]

I just checked on Etsy help for deacting an item. If you reactivate before the item has expired, you won't be charged the .20 fee. My sales are few and far between; but you never know, with my luck this would be the time something would sell.

Looks like I'll be deactivating one of a kind, not putting my shop on vacation. That way people can still look at my shop. I've been letting everything expire for now.

[rocksandsalt]

We've found that on weekends that we have shows we get a lot of hits to our Etsy shop; a combo of people clicking through from the website of the show and people that took biz cards from us at the show and are back home and poking around the internet. Because of that I'd be hesitant to go in vacation mode.

[LaGlasSea]

I put items out that are not on Etsy first. I use my etsy items as a backup just in case I sell a lot of items. I did sell an item that was listed and I removed it as soon as I had time at the show. I have had the same concern about selling an item both at craft show and on etsy.

[Former_Member]

i just had my first show last weekend - and when i had down time, i just went into my etsy app on my iphone and deactivated all of the things that sold. I read that putting your shop into vacation mode - kind of makes you start all over. Now granted I wasn't selling things on a daily basis on etsy, so if your sales are crazy here, you might want to put your shop into vacation mode, OR put it in your shop annoucement that you will be at a show all weekend. If you have items you can easily recreate, than i would also mention that in your shop announcement

[babydelights1]

I'd vote against going into vacation mode if at all possible, as I have been that customer that went home, tried to look up an etsy store, saw it in vacation mode and by the time I thought to look it up again, I had already opted to buy similar items elsewhere.
I keep my etsy items separate from my show items. My items are fragile and I don't like to risk damage by taking them with me. The only reason I would take an etsy item to a show is if it is the second day and I have run low on a particular item.

[Former_Member]

You guys have been so helpful. I will just have to monitor my shop to make sure I do not sell things at the same time both places! I am super excited for my first show with my jewelry!
My One Month Etsyversary! Yay! I have been working my butt off with he social media aspect so I am glad it has been working out!
Thanks for all your comments! I will have to post how I did after the show Saturday!

[TheEnchantedWren]

My inventory is always kept separate. I don't need the headache of trying to keep track.

[KarenHeenan]

I try to keep some things separate for shows, but the last time I just put the shop on vacation right before I left home, kept a strict inventory of what Etsy pieces sold and when I got home, I immediately deactivated the sold pieces and reopened the shop. I was down for less than 8 hours and hopefully the sales at the show made up for any missed ones here.