Looking for advice and constructive critism please

[oneofakindgurl]

I'm new to this team and though I've been on Etsy awhile, other things have kept me busy so I'm just getting into seriously making an effort to improve my shop the best I can. That however is something I could really use some help on.

I am very open to any and all advice, constructive criticism, and honest opinions!

_________________

Some more specific questions I can think of are...

What can I do to get my shop noticed more outside of the Etsy teams with promotional games (which I've been doing this week)? Or are promotional games the way to go? How much help are they really?
... Though I can see it helps my stats and visibility within the team I honestly want genuine likes/favorites, not just because someone is doing it as a rule for them to post.

What can I do to improve my own shop?
... Though I can be creative with some craft supplies I always struggle to figure out descriptions and tags. My bead rollers seem to be the only item that I ever get stats from people finding my items through search.

What do I need to do to get my jewelry noticed or is it just too much competition that I'm buried behind? or is it something else I'm doing wrong, like pricing or my style or something else?

Are my pictures acceptable? I notice most people do white backgrounds. Would I be better off doing that?

[HollyODesigns]

Hi Heather! I think the biggest thing you need to work on is your SEO. Your titles need to be 2-3 word phrases and your tags need to match exactly. I notice in some of your listings you have good tags, but those need to be in your titles as well. https://www.etsy.com/listing/177960676/elegant-blue-topaz-wire-wrapped-necklace?ref=shop_home_active...
For this one you have metaphysical jewelry. This is a great tag, but it needs to be in your title as well.

[HollyODesigns]

Uggh, I ran out of time on edit..... I'm running on fumes at the present. Lol! So for this listing maybe use:
Blue topaz necklace
Wire wrapped necklace
Metaphysical jewelry
Victorian necklace
Copper bib necklace
Filigree necklace
Etc... Match those phrases exactly as your tags. This helps being found in search.
Selling jewelry is tough!! I think the majority of my sales come from search. I promote on and off etsy like crazy, but search is key. Good luck to ya!!

Editing to add, I am by no means an expert. I'm just passing on some advice I was given that has helped me. 😊

[StuckOnSilver]

Hi, Heather--welcome to the team!

I looked at this listing:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/181074578/festive-purple-glass-hoop-dangle?ref=shop_home_active_24

Perhaps putting more dimensions in the description. Maybe you could put a ruler in one of the photographs--I notice part of a penny in one photo but I think a ruler is more informative, especially if you ever begin shipping worldwide.

In your policies under payment you could indicate if you take PayPal or direct checkout or both.

Work on more inventory.

Good luck--love your items!

[MariasWorkshop]

I agree with what Holly and Bev said.

In addition, some of your photos need work. For example, these earrings. The third and fourth photos are not very clear and, in my opinion, the background is very distracting:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179666622/purple-fossil-beaded-dangle-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_14

Using the same example, you are not taking advantage of all the characters available for your title and you are not using all your tags.

Like Bev, I noticed you used a coin to provide an idea of the size of the earrings, but it would be great if you specify the size in your description. I was using a coin as well, but was told by team members that it was not a good idea. I agree with Beve that a ruler would be better.

Things constantly change so I do not know if this still holds true, but I was advised that it is a good idea to repeat your title in your description.

Your items are very nice, but, in most cases, your photos do not do them justice. Some are a little blurry, some are too dark and some of the backgrounds are distracting.

For example, the fifth photo for these earrings shows spots on the item that is holding the earrings.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/95063063/pink-wire-wrapped-earrings?ref=shop_home_active_16

Lastly, you need to add more items. Jewelry is over saturated field and the more items you add, the more visible you will become.

I hope the above helps.

Good luck to you.

[LeedsRadio]

Whenever someone asks for shop criticism, I've learned to look at their shop policies section first. If that is clear and well written, there is a very good chance that the item descriptions are well crafted as well.

"I believe that we are all unique and it is my goal to express that in my crafts. I believe we all deserve that special item that makes us feel just as special."

Read those two sentences and read them again. You're going express that all people are unique through YOUR crafts? Does that make sense? And you believe that we deserve to feel as special as an item?

I know you are trying to generate a feeling of warmth and humanity, but you are trying way too hard.

"I tend to use the flat rate shipping from USPS. So I offer a flat shipping rate of $5 per order and as a kindness I will pay the extra difference."

The least expensive flat rate option costs more than $5, so you're going to subsidize your customers' shipping cost when your items are $7-$15? If you already have all the money you need and your Etsy shop is only for your enjoyment and not to make money that's great. If your desire is to grow your shop into a viable business you have to watch every nickel and dime. If you don't your shop will leak money like a sieve.

"...there is no reason to charge shipping on something I can get to you personally without the need of a shipping service."

Is your time worth $0 per hour? Suppose you have an item that takes 20 minutes to make, costs $2 in materials, $1 other costs (fees, power, etc) and sells for $8. In that 20 minutes you would make $5, or $15 an hour. Not getting rich but not so bad. Now suppose it takes you 30 minutes to deliver that same item for FREE. The 5 bucks is now spread of 50 minutes and you're making $6 an hour. You'd be better off working at Mc Donalds. Plus dropping things off is risky.

Again, are you running a business or is it a hobby?

"It is my hope that everyone is absolutely pleased with their purchase(s)"

Strangely, you missed the opportunity to connect with a prospective customer on this one. Why wouldn't you have said something like "I want YOU to be completely pleased with your purchase."?

"...refund -OR- if possible I can attempt to replace or repair the item for you if desired."

Read this to yourself. It is a mess. Should be "Return defective items within 7 day for refund, repair or replacement."

Under "Additional policies and FAQs" you are beating the horse and practically apologizing for your product.

[oneofakindgurl]

Thank you everyone for all the constructive feedback so far. :) Especially thank you to those that also took the time to point out positive things I've done as well, not just what needs fixed. It really does help to hear the good things too when trying to figure out what to keep or change. Plus it helps keep things from taking too negative a tone.

Looks like tags and photos are going to be on the top of the list of things to work on.

As for the shop policies, it is my first attempt with zero experience or background in trying to write policies. Thanks for pointing out how others read them. I wrote them a couple years ago and definitely agree they could use some updating. Thanks for advice on it.

I do want to say you seem to of misunderstood what I was trying to convey in some parts. In no way does it say someone is as special as an item. I have reread it but I do not translate what I wrote the same as you did. I'm trying to say that everyone deserves to feel special. I'm making unique items (as is the nature of everyone's handmade items) with the goal of helping others feel special by offering something unique because they are unique themselves and they deserve to feel special. Have you never had anything that made you feel good when you put it on? A special shirt or something that you could put on that accentuated something in a positive way or simply just made you feel happy for any reason at all, especially if it was something nobody else had and it expressed an aspect of who you are? What is great about Etsy is that most of the handmade items cannot be found anywhere else or in duplicate. That is what I'm trying to grasp with that.
It's not about trying too hard with that, it's what I believe. It's a concept I want to grasp with my shop.
If anyone else has read it the same way as Richard has, please let me know because I don't want my intent coming across different than I mean or negative in any way.

For my items, last I checked, I can ship everything flat rate for anywhere from $5.05 to $5.25 depending on the size or quantity I am shipping. I find it easier to not worry about the nickle or quarter and keep it simple verse shipping varying from item to item and then changing based on quantity. Especially since I know most customers can be weird about shipping costs. I have actually been considering editing this though so I am glad you mentioned it. I would love to hear some more input from others too on that.

You also mentioned dropping things off is risky? What kind of risks do I need to be concerned about for local deliveries? Is there a way around whatever those risks are?

[StuckOnSilver]

Meet at a public place (coffee shop, etc.) I would eliminate the offer of a local drop off altogether.

Hang in there Heather!!

[oneofakindgurl]

Thank you Bev :)

[HildaLea]

Hi Heather,

I don't think Richard was trying to be mean when pointing out some of your sentences don't make as much sense as they could. It isn't that the sentiment of wanting to create something special for each individual person is bad -- it's great!! But the word order/sentence construction in these sentences below isn't the best:

"I believe that we are all unique and it is my goal to express that in my crafts. I believe we all deserve that special item that makes us feel just as special."

I think that you state what your intention is much better when you say it below (in a comment back to Richard):

"[I create items] with the goal of helping others feel special by offering something unique, because they are unique themselves and they deserve to feel special."

Grammatically I think that sounds much better! I know it can seem tedious and sometimes silly to read things with a "correct English" mentality, but I do know people (and, truth be told, am sometimes one of those people myself), who is turned off from buying from someone who I feel has grammatical or spelling errors.

Also, there is ALWAYS a risk when you're meeting someone from the Internet -- whether it is craigslist or match.com or even Etsy. If you want to still offer delivery in-person, please always meet someplace public and do not go unaccompanied to someone else's house and certainly don't let them come to yours to pick something up!

[MariasWorkshop]

Richard,

I have read several of your reviews and I think they are always helpful and right on target.

I apologize for using this post for my request (I thought about starting a new thread, but that would not quite work). I also thought about contacting you by convo, but I do not want to "spam" you. I hope nobody considers this inappropriate.

Would you be so kind as to check my policies and give me your opinion? My shop is "on vacation" at this time as I am trying to organize, overhaul, etc. I know my photos are terrible and I am currently working on that (if curious, photos can be accessed through "sold items").

I am in no hurry and I would really appreciate your input, but if you would rather not, I will understand.

[oneofakindgurl]

I understood what he was saying. I actually agreed in my reply that my policies, like he said, could use some updating. I said they were written two years ago and thanked him for his advice on it. I admitted they were written with no experience in writing policies.

I will admit grammar has never been my strong suit but in that particular quote, I was simply expressing my confusion over his translation of it and trying to explain what I meant so we could move forward from there and so I could figure out how to fix it with the correct intent, as just done by Bee. Thank you Bee. It was not meant as an argument. I opened the door farther in asking if everyone read it that way only as part of a process so I could figure out how to fix it. It is from the welcome message section under the policy page and only a snippet of a larger paragraph that I've already been working on rewording since it was mentioned. I want to keep my philosophy the same, I just needed to figure out how to word it so everyone understood it correctly.

I'm sorry for all the confusion. I just want to make sure it is clear I was not trying to argue or start drama. I feel like everything was taken wrong, which was not my intent at all.