Chat Thread

[#1]

Here you go. Private and all.

[craftykittycrochet]

Hi everyone! Happy Saturday/April Fools Day! Thank you for the warm welcome back when I posted a few weeks ago....I've missed you all so much! Deb, Melissa, Lisa, Sue Ellen, and Mary Alice - it sounds like you all have so much going on with your shops, families, and friends right now!! Good luck and hope all is well, I'm thinking of you all!

Things are good with the house, I have so many plans for what I want to do with it haha. All in good time. My job situation has gotten pretty hectic and I want to start looking for part time so I have more time to focus on our house, my business, etc. I miss crocheting so much!!! I never did hit my "stride" where I was able to make a lot of money from it, but I want to keep trying lol.

What's new for everyone? Again, miss you all!!!

[BabyFantasyCrochet]

Can I just say Tobias is already a month old today! How did that happen?! He's such a big boy! 0-3 are barely fitting so we're going to move up to 3-6. I'm back to work tomorrow and completely dreading it.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Evening Ladies.

I hope everyone had a restful weekend. We didn't do much this weekend. Went out for pizza at our favorite place, nothing else.

Melissa ~ I hope your first day back at work went well. I am sure it was so hard leaving the baby. He's a big boy in his 3-6 month size already.

Kitty~ Good to hear from you. I checked out your store and you have so many cute items and your are over 1,000 sales! Congrats!!

Are you loving your new house and the area? Must be lovely in upstate NY this time of year.

It would be nice for you to work part time and spend more time crocheting. Hope that works out for you.

I am not working too hard these next few weeks. Have some personal things to take care of and Easter is coming up. I have been keeping my shop at around 30 items and that's about as busy as I want to be for now. I try and make a new pair or two every day but I am getting very lazy!!

Hope everyone has a good start to their week!

[BabyFantasyCrochet]

I'm so tired! Don't get me started on Easter. My hubby is the children's director at our church and we're trying to get Things in order and if it's not one thing it's another.

[mzbellz]

Hey everyone. Happy Friday
Had a dr. Appt. on Wednesday and had a routine physical. EKG. Well they found an abnormal heartbeat. And they said I might of had a heart attack. So, on Tuesday I have to go for a stress test echocardiogram. I also have to have a bone density test and mammo. Plus blood work. I scheduled to have it all done on the same day. It's at the hospital so it should be ok. Then in July I need a colonoscopy.
Being I now have Medicare and I haven't been to the dr in about 5 years. I guess it was good I went.
On a lighter note I've been crocheting. I've made s cute baby dress size 0-6 months. It's done in tea green and baby pink. I listed it on another site I belong too as they don't charge for the listing. If anyone is interested the site is called AFTCRA. and my shop is Marys crochet.
Hope all is ok with everyone and will keep you posted on the results of my tests.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Hello Ladies ~

Melissa ~ It will get better!! Sending you hugs and best wishes for a very stressless weekend and coming week.

Mary Alice ~ That's a bit unnerving that they think you might of had a heart attack. But, take it with a grain of salt and wait for the tests to come back. Sometimes doctors are just talking off the top of their heads and shouldn't always say what they are thinking.

Neal had a dr. who told him the same thing and it turned out to be nothing. This was years ago. Unfortunately, he told his sister what the dr. said before it was confirmed that he didn't have a heart attack. She still believes he had a heart attack and always brings it up to him and how he should take better care of himself because of his heart attack. She heard the bad news but apparently didn't hear the facts!!

I hope everything and all the tests go well. Please let us know the results. Sending you good thoughts.

I have heard of the site you mentioned but will check it out. Good luck selling there.

No plans for the weekend. I would just like to lay on the couch with my dog, drink some whiskey and watch old movies!! That's my mood tonight.

Have a good weekend ladies.

[hooknsaw]

It has been a long week with family stuff. Nothing medical just mentally tiring.

Melissa, I hope you get some sleep soon! And, I hope your transition back to work is as smooth as possible.

Mary Alice, wishing you the very best for all of your upcoming tests! My cardiologist ran a full series of stress tests on me last fall and then when she saw me in January she ran the same tests again (because I was sick and my system was stressed). The stress echo isn't fun, but only lasts 20 - 30 minutes and is more informative than an echo alone. I have refused doing a colonoscopy because of the anesthetic. Please keep us updated.

Debra, How is your shop doing with less items? We have more items and less views but sales are steady.

Sue Ellen, I hope you are feeling better!!! Crochetgal and I used to chat all the time and I always reminded her of the "every-other-day" routine. I have health limits (and so does Don) and i would try to set up our everyday activities to every other day giving us a day to rest in between.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We had snow last Saturday and temps in the 90's today!

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Morning.

Lisa ~ I hope this coming week will be less stressful for you.

My shop is not as busy as it had been in the past few weeks. Sales are slow the last couple of days. Easter is normally crazy busy. I actually had 2 days last week with no sales, one of the days I had a sale that later cancelled. I've had days where I had no sales but two days in a row was getting me scared.

I will slowly add in more items but I am over some of the booties I use to make so trying to just add in colors that I know are popular with the styles I like to make.

Lots of competition and I have also raised my pricing because a lot of my booties are made with a more expensive wool/alpaca yarn. I can't do the quantity I use to so I'll just have to see how it goes. I am definitely marketing to a higher disposable income group than I had been but that's ok, I am working smarter not harder.

Glad you are still doing well. Lots of people complaining of low views but I don't think low views equals low sales. Your shop is case in point. Mine also had good sales up till the last view days with way lower views. I think Etsy is filtering searches so people are seeing things they might actually buy and not seeing a ton of stuff that will just confuse them.

No plans here. I'm not sure if I mentioned that I finally had my MRI. It was not horrible nor was it the best experience. I was at a 45 degree angle for 25 minutes with my shoulder and arm hanging down and my head at a weird and uncomfortable position. Left me with a nasty headache from the pressure on my neck. If it's not one thing it's another!! But it's over and hopefully I'll get the results early this week.

Have a good Sunday ladies and a nice start to your week!

[KnitAndCrochetPalace]

Hello Team!

On top of everything else, Etsy is causing more stress. I have stand alone Paypal and don't want to change to anything else. Am I understanding correctly......after May 17, Etsy will close down my shop? I don't like reading Etsy announcements, all they do is upset me. I'd rather hear it from my team members. I know, I know....what difference does it make where you hear discouraging news from.

[BabyFantasyCrochet]

Yeah I just saw that email about having to attach my bank account. I never wanted to do that! I like just PayPal on its own.

[hooknsaw]

We have both dc and stand alone paypal and have never had a problem with dc. I did notice an increase in sales when I enabled dc when it became available. Our sales are about 50/50 with both payment options.

I do have a separate bank account for our business that is not linked in any way to our home account.

Personally for years I did not understand paypal and would only purchase with a credit (not debit) card on-line. So, I can see where having both options could be relevant. I don't like the fact that etsy is forcing the issue for so many shops.

Debra, I am now seeing a lot of search views but outside sources have dropped way off! I am enjoying the slow down, for now, while etsy does it "spring - summer" tweaking! I start panicking if we go more than 7 days without a sale ... then we have a cluster of sales, usually. Our longest dry spell was when we hit the number of 666 sales and then it was almost 2 weeks to break that one!

Mary Alice, please let us know how your tests go and my thoughts are with you!

Sue Ellen, the bunny dolls are beyond adorable ... completely exceeded my expectations!!! I can't wait to get the yarn dolls! I hope you are feeling better, hugs!

Don made the cutest wood doll cradle and I am making matching bedding for it. It will be Izzy's birthday present in July. It has been fun to work on something different.

Have a great evening everyone! Any Easter plans? My daughter-in-laws mother is hosting brunch at their farm and I am looking forward to visiting and seeing all of the new animals!

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Morning!
I love having my morning coffee and a chat!

The new Etsy policy is that if you have stand alone PayPal you can keep it, but you must also have direct checkout. I have stand alone PayPal and direct checkout and I have never had a problem. I like that it gives people without PayPal the opportunity to purchase. Yes, Etsy will suspend your shop if you don't have direct checkout.

Like Lisa, I have a separate business account that is not attached to any of my other bank accounts. I think it will be fine.

Lisa ~Etsy is definitely doing some tweaking and changing of things. They now offer scheduled daily payouts from your payment account. I went to check it out and thought it was just a test and it sent me my money. So many changes and in such rapid succession. The attributes might work out good since it will narrow down the search. Who knows!
I just try and keep up!!

Enjoy you Easter at the farm. I love baby animals!! I don't think there is anything cute than a lamb.

The cradle sounds like such a wonderful gift and will most likely be a family heirloom. So sweet.

No Easter plans here. I hope to just have a nice relaxing weekend. A ham sandwich will do me just fine.

Have a great day ladies and I hope everyone is doing well.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Lisa ~ I just checked and all of my views today are from Etsy. You are correct, not a lot of outside views. I usually get some from Pinterest and google.

[KnitAndCrochetPalace]

Does Etsy make YOU feel stupid or is it just me? When I see there is a new announcement I physically get sick to my stomach and can't bear to look at it. I know it is going to be something that causes me extreme stress. I am over a barrel. I am home bound, physically unable to do much so Etsy provides me something to do, so I just don't watch tv or sleep my life away. And though I'm not a big seller, the extra I do make is nice and gives me something to look forward to. As long as Etsy is making money on what I do sell, why do they see the need to FORCE people to take a payment choice that some don't want to have when they don't HAVE to provide a contact phone number?

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Morning.

Sue Ellen~ You are not alone, the forums are full of shop owners who are freaking out over the new payment changes. Basically, you must now accept direct checkout though you can still keep your stand alone PayPal account or choose to use PayPal through Etsy which then deposits directly to your bank account.

I am choosing to leave my PayPal stand alone since I like having that little extra cash in there for my supplies.

I've always had direct checkout and most of my orders are not with PayPal. I think it allows buyers, without a PayPal account, the opportunity to purchase with a credit card. I have had no issues with any credit cards or bank accounts on file with Etsy.


As far as the phone number, I have had my contact phone number on file since it was required to sell overseas. The contact phone number must be on the international shipping labels. That one really freaked me out. But I did it and no problems.

If you are concerned about giving Etsy your banking account info maybe you can open up a small account at your bank that is separate from your personal accounts. Many banks will offer no fees on small accounts or waive them if you have other accounts.

I know changes are scary, I freak out too every time there is an announcement. I've been selling on Etsy for almost 7 years and I can honestly say I think the changes have all helped my shop grow. Listings are 100% easier than they use to be. When I started it was five pages of things to fill out and if you didn't save a page the whole thing was gone....poof!

After reading the forums, I noticed a lot of sellers are nervous that a separate account will now bring notice to their finances with IRS and their disability payments. I believe there is a certain amount you can receive from crafts before the IRS comes into play. Not sure about that though.

If anyone else has some answers regarding the new payment system please weigh in. I am pretty much just going with the flow and hopefully all will work out. I can't even imagine selling on another site since Etsy really works to bring in the buyers.

[KnitAndCrochetPalace]

Thank you Debra. Yours and Lisa's encouragement always helps. I do have a separate business account. I will probably deal with it on the last day. Maybe I'll feel better by then and it won't seem so overwhelming as it does now.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Sue Ellen~ As long as you already have the separate business account it should be a simple process to switch over on Etsy. I think you just need to enter your account info and accept direct deposit. Not sure what else might be required.

Have a Happy Easter ladies to you and your families.

[hooknsaw]

I hope everyone had a happy Easter, with whatever they were doing this weekend!

Sue Ellen, etsy doesn't make me feel stupid but anything internet or computer related DOES! I had to link a bank account to my paypal when I joined etsy (as I did not have a paypal account) so linking the same account to etsy didn't freak me out ... as much.
We had a lot of sales our first holiday season and I had to provide etsy with my tax id number (which to me made sense from a business standpoint).

When dc first rolled out in 2012 I saw it as a way to attract the buyer that did not want to use (or had) a paypal account. I have never have a problem with dc.

I quit freaking out over the etsy-test-and-changes mode they do each year. Etsy is a business that I "rent" from ... their house their rules (I have no control over it). Like Debra, I agree with the changes they have made over the years have not negatively affected our business.

Your bunny dolls were a huge hit at the Easter gathering and the larger dolls are amazing!

Debra, please let us know when you get your mri results. Sending positive thoughts your way for a good (non-surgical) treatment!!! I have done a lot of crocheting for granddaughter gifts this past week using chunkier yarns and larger hooks and I had some pain in my fore-arms, so time to take a break and return to my scarves for a while.

Mary Alice, I hope you are well and that you had a fun Easter with Olivia!

Melissa, I hope you are getting some sleep!!!

Easter brunch was great. The granddaughters are always the funniest in the mornings (before naps are needed). There were baby goats and a baby alpaca to pet. Horses and dogs. The chickens and barn cats aren't the petting type! The company was wonderful and the food delicious, a nice break from the past 2 weeks for Don and I.

Have a great week everyone and will chat more soon!

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Morning!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

Lisa ~ Your Easter sounds perfect, baby humans and baby animals, is there anything better? Glad you and Don got to relax.

We just stayed home, no company. I didn't even cook, just scrounged around for food that we had in the house. Lots of chocolate was eaten.

Lisa~ I agree with everything you said regarding Etsy. I can't remember the roll out of DC since it seems like it's always been there. Like you, I have never had any issues. I prefer it to PayPal since I don't have to do anything, the money is automatically deposited into my account, unlike PayPal where I have to request a withdrawal and it can take a bit longer to process.

There is a lot of upset people on the forums over the new rollout. Seems there is always a lot of misinformation floating around. But, usually any change that Etsy implements makes selling easier.


I am a little gun shy also since our bank accounts were hacked but my business one was safe! I think I mentioned it before, our main account was hacked along with our personal account with a debit card. They transferred money from our main account to the account with the debit card and then proceeded to spend everything in a matter of hours. We think it was in an inside job at the bank because they had all of our info, enough to change our address and our phone number. We were out $5,000 but we were protected and got it all back. But...what a mess we had to straighten out with all new accounts.

Lisa ~ I will have my test results on Thursday. I am hoping another shot will finally take away some of the inflammation and no surgery. I had to quit using the chunky yarn and larger hooks, it was killing my hands, especially my index finger on my left hand. It's all weird looking now because I actually pulled then tendon off the bone so the tip of my finger hangs down. What we do for the craft we love.

I am working really hard to have 50 ready to ship items in my shop. I think 50 is the sweet spot. Almost there with 45. When I sell something I crochet it again and relist. I am also making things I want to make since I am no longer a slave to custom orders.

Has anyone tried Drops Nepal Yarn in wool and alpaca? It's the most wonderful yarn I have ever worked with. Deramores is having an unadvertised sale, buy two get one free and free shipping. The skiens are 50 grams and are $2.50. I also get the yarn from Wool Warehouse in England and even with shipping they are less than most stores in the USA. I am trying to switch most of my booties to this yarn since it's super soft and squishy and a pleasure to use. The colors are muted, which I like. My favorite combination is the pistachio and ivory.



Have a good day ladies!

[KnitAndCrochetPalace]

Lisa, sounds like you had a great Easter. We don't have family gatherings anymore and I'm not able to get out. I'm glad you liked all the dolls. Thank you!

Debra, The Drops Nepal Yarn sounds really pretty. I'll have to check it out.

I'll probably wait until the last minute to decide if I am going to use Etsy's Easy payments. I have to many other things to deal with right now.

Glad everyone had a good Easter.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Sue Ellen ~ Here's a link to the Drops Nepal so you can see the colors.

https://us.deramores.com/products/drops-nepal?variant=34544082247

I hope you continue to sell on Etsy and that you decide to accept direct checkout. You might even see that it brings you more customers since many people don't have PayPal. If you need any help making a decision just ask us. I find the forums is just full of so much wrong info.

Hope your Easter was relaxing and that you are feeling well.

[mzbellz]

Hey everyone. Glad to see everyone had a nice Easter
We all had fun. Olivia went on an egg hunt and did quiet well.
Then we went for a long walk over the Hudson bridge. It's in Poughkeepsie. Beautiful scenery It took about an hour both ways.
Then we went to eat. Came home and collapsed.

Well on the health front. The echo cardiographs came back positive. So I have an appointment with a cardiologist on the 26. I'm praying it's nothing too serious. I don't really think it is. But really anything with your heart I supose you have to be careful.

I'm a bit surprised that I do have some sort of problem because I don't know of anyone in my family that had a problem. We usually have cancer problems. But then again I was quiet young when both sides of my family passed away. So I couldn't ask anyone about what problems they did have. And back then no one really discussed it. Well I'll keep you all posted just the same.

I also have a bit of pre osteoporosis going on in my hips. They said I should take 1000 mg of calcium daily. But not until I see my cardioligst
It really sucks getting old.

The kids went back to school so I have a day to myself. It feels great. It's very nice out today but it's suppose to rain the rest of the week starting tomorrow. I'm making another bag. I love the stitch. It's in a creme color. I might list this one I'll have to see.

Well hope everyone is doing well. Take care and talk again soon.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good Morning!

Mary Alice ~ Sounds like you had a wonderful Easter. I love the area near Poughkeepsie, just beautiful. Cross the bridge over the Hudson must have been gorgeous.

When you say the test results came back positive does that mean for a heart attack? I suppose and hope it must have been mild if you had or don't remember symptoms. Wishing you all the best with the dr.

I also have some osteoporosis is my hip and back. I take calcium, vitamin D3 and B-12. It runs in my family but with exercise and vitamins you can stay strong.

I hope you enjoyed your quiet time. More quiet time to rest and relax might be just what the dr. ordered.

Sending you good thoughts that everything turns out fine.

[HowCuteAreYou]

Good morning.

I got my MRI results and thank goodness it's not torn, just frayed. Another shot of cortisone, stronger meds and therapy and I should be good. Fingers crossed.

I met my goal of 50 ready to ship items and I am not stepping away from the hook for a few days. Give my arm a chance to rest.

Hope everyone is well!

[mzbellz]

Debra
Happy to hear it's not too serious with your shoulder. Glad you met your goal. I'm sure they will. Sell out fast.
Yes Easter was very nice,and everyone had fun. I'm going to post one of my items. I know i have to promote my stuff that's why I'm not getting anywhere. But time is the problem. Oh well