Business Chat

[#1]

If you have any questions or pointers to give relating to the business of running your Etsy shops, please post those here.

[ForFran]

Hi I am sorry I was using socks as an example.. I have renewed and added many things to my store but when you type in upcycled purses in search my Walter bag keeps showing up first even though I have renewed and added others since then? Thanks so much!

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@ForFran, I'm not sure so please don't quote me on this, but I think that Etsy does not show the same/similar items consequetively by one seller. If you do a relative search on Etsy, you'll never see several items in a row from one seller.

However, if you click on 'most recent' and search that way, you'll often find several items by the same seller consequetively. If you search 'most recent' 2 of your other bags appear consequetively on page 6.

[Former_Member]

I was wondering if any Etsy shop owners would be interested in starting a pen pal craft box?

Groups of etsy shop owners form a team, and one person starts a priority mail box of all their crafty items they dont really use much anymore and are willing to give away, they ship it to the next store owner and that store owner takes out what they like and adds into the box (and so on).

The only rules are to always keep the box full of items (dont take everything out and only place one item in) - and ship it back out within 6-7 days. We like to be fair and courteous to the next receiver!

The box constantly travels among shop owners and it gives everyone a chance to receive fun gifts in the mail and get rid of tidbits they dont use anymore!

Message me for details if you are interested in starting this up! it'd be a fun way to meet shop owners and get a pen pal again like when we were kids :)

Have a great new year everyone!

[raggedrustyvintage]

Has anyone else noticed a slowing down of business on Etsy? Even around Christmas time (2014) I barely made any sales compared to Christmas 2013 when I had a difficult time keeping up with sales.

It is getting very frustrating and I am not sure how to move forward to make more sales.

I had another Etsy shop for handcrafted items that I finally shut down because I hadn't made a sale in months.

[FeltersCottage]

My christmas sales were better than expected, but I don't have other years to compare it with. January slowed down but still getting sales here and there.

I hear it gets harder every year. Are you doing much promoting and/or renewing on a regular basis?

[thebijoubarn]

I have been on etsy for a few years now. I am not getting any traffic on my site. Would anyone like to critique my shop or give me pointers for getting more sales. I am also on FB

[SantaFeKiss]

thebijpubam here is a link to Eureka's shop which contains lots of helpful items to improve ones shop.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EurekaGuides?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

[thebijoubarn]

thanks Katherine. Ill take a look

[FeltersCottage]

@thebijoubarn
had a quick look at your shop. You have a lot of one word tags on the listings I looked at. They need to be more specific using 2 to 3 words.(eg. instead of brown, say brown feathers, feather earrings etc).

Looked at your policies and didn't really understand this sentence:
"Shipping outside of the US will be determined at time of shipment."

Either you ship outside the US or you don't. You can mention countries you don't ship to.
Your returns policy needs filling out a lot more in detail. You only mention a restocking fee, which I would personally scrap.
Let customers know under what circumstances you accept returns and who pays for return postage etc

You need a lot more listings as the jewellery category is very competitive.
List new items or renew daily on Etsy. I try to renew at least 2 daily whether they have expired or not. Work on your photos during quiet times, the black background doesn't help to see your items clearly. Make a light box (google it).

Perhaps consider a second product line to go with the jewellery that's compatible, and that would make your shop different and stand out.
Just throwing out some ideas. You have lovely stock, and the more you have the more chance of getting found.

[TwistedKnickersInc]

i think if you fix your tags you will notice a big difference. type a word in the search bar to describe your item, as you are typing Etsy will suggest search options, add a few of those suggested 2 or 3 word descriptions to your tags and titles.
i love your little beadie bugs ♥

[CSavelsCollectibles]

Not sure what happend to thebijoubarn but it appears their shop has disappeared. :-(

[PillowsRollanda]

Dear Cathy @EurekaGuides ,
What do you think, I can write this phrase in the "Policy of delivery" or better not to write?
"...... If the parcel will be not delivered to your country within 4 months after purchase, I'll give you your money back."

I still think it could be like this:
"...... Sometimes, very rarely parcels sent to the ship instead of the aircraft if the aircraft flying very overwhelmed"


Full Policy Delivery
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Attention! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Delivery times from Russia to the UK, Europe, United States - 2-4 weeks
Do not worry before the deadlines, I watch movement of a parcel and I report when it came to you .
Before holidays there are delays, therefore order in advance, for example, if you want a gift by Christmas, order in October
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I asked on the forum Etsy, but so far there has not been understandable advice.
https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/16035574/page/1

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@PillowsRollanda It will be very difficult for you to have a policy like this since it is possible for anyone to cancel a transaction within 45 days through Paypal. If they have not received the item within 45 days, Paypal will issue a refund and you will most likely receive a negative review.

Of course you can give time delays and hopefully your customers will not mind waiting for this amount of time.

[PillowsRollanda]

PayPal has made two policy changes:

• We're increasing the time for buyers to file merchandise disputes (Item Not Received and Significantly Not as Described) from 45 days to 180 days.
• We're extending buyer protection to include item not received claims for custom made products.

https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/upcoming-policies-full

Etsy Discussions
https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/15336353/page/1

[PillowsRollanda]

Perhaps, it is best to specify the modified policy Paypal, to let people know, they are protected for 180 days. =)

Thank you so much, Cathy @EurekaGuides !!! =)

[PillowsRollanda]

I did so. Sounds reliably for customers?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Delivery times from Russia to the United States, Europe - 2-4 weeks ......
................
After November 18, 2014 PayPal made policy changes.
Quote: "We’re increasing the time for buyers to file a merchandise dispute (Item Not Received and Significantly Not as Described) from 45 days to 180 days." And according to the Paypal policy, I as a seller have 60 days to return money.

[ArtisanRoseCreations]

I have so many unanswered questions, it's hard to know where to start. But, I keep wrestling with this decision that maybe someone has a suggestion on.

I have about 40-50 pieces of Vintage jewelry which I bought over the years and I am wondering should I list them on my current shop or start a 2nd shop just for Vintage. After these are listed, I don't intend to run around and find vintage items to keep re-stocking my shop. I just don't have the time or health. But the drawback is, that I was sick all of 2014 and got behind in promoting my current shop so I am afraid another shop would just add on more stress and take away the time needed for my current shop. Sales have dropped off so low in my current shop that I start thinking crazy thoughts like "maybe my items are inferior to other similar sellers", or maybe I should just give up because the public doesn't like my painting and on and on with the negatives. Sometimes, I just feel like giving up but I have so many items, beautiful bisque pieces, glasses, clothes, jewelry......all just waiting to become part of a creation. Sorry, for being such a downer.....I just feel lost in the sea of Etsy selling!

Any suggestions out there?

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@PillowsRollanda I wasn't aware of Paypal's policy change, thank you for sharing this.

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@PaintedDesignsByLona I see that you have already added your vintage jewelry. In an ideal world, it would of course be best to keep your product line defined and focussed but we can only do what is possible given our circumstances. Provided you make it clear that these items are vintage, you should sell them from your store if you feel that's what you can manage.

Selling art online has always been very difficult. I have had a lot of success as an artist selling at exhibitions and at Christies in London. I have won competitions and had other achievements YET I find it very difficult to sell my art online despite all of my knowledge of internet marketing and the fact that I promote around the clock.

I have always found that people prefer to meet the artist and buy face-to-face, particularly if the price point is over a certain amount. There is quite a big risk for someone to pay money to someone they don't know for a purely decorative piece.

If you want to make sales online, you have to do small pieces and do artwork that is current. You need to put your business head on and do some research and see what type of art is actually selling. It's all about providing people with something they either need or want.

[Former_Member]

hello @EurekaGuides, I agree with you, it's very difficult to sell art online. But I see that etsy is changed and 2 years ago I have sold some pieces withour difficults, now it's a dram to sell small illustrations!

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@ArtisitcEnigmas, If you keep up with the changes that Etsy makes and then adjust your listings, you can still make sales. Many of your listings are just not set up correctly and this is why you're not getting the same resuls. Your keywords are not appearing in the right places in your listings. You need to tweek all of your listings.

[Former_Member]

@EurekaGuides, interesting...What does 'many listing are not set up correctly? and about tags, where are the right places? titles?

[CSavelsCollectibles]

@ArtisticEnigmas I can't explain it all here since this is what I do for a living. Please check my store for copywriting services or Guides that may help you to set your listings up correctly.

[Former_Member]

ok Eureka!

[busylittlebird]

I renewed my subscription on the Craftori site today, but am not able to upload anything. I keep getting a message stating that I do not currently have any subscriptions in place, but I have the printed receipt from PayPal.

The site seems slow - can you tell me if there are any known issues?