Packaging and effort is important.....

[#1]

I recently made a purchase for a popular Etsy shop and so was looking forward to receiving my package so I could 'see how the big boys do it'.

I was very disappointed when it arrived in a very cheap and damaged envelope, with a scrappily folded bit of paper quickly printed out and for some reason stapled together to within an inch of it's life. The best part was a little box but inside the item was in a polythene bag. However the item was lovely!

Slightly and further disappointed, as I was prompted to buy the item when the seller posted in a team offering a free gift so they could make a landmark sale. I had wanted to buy from the seller for a while so I thought why not now. I've got the item I wanted which is the most important thing but feel a little disappointed when not even a little thank you note appeared.

I'm very young in terms of the Etsy life cycle but I take such care to wrap my items prettily, write a little note, give a free small token of my appreciation and put it in some nice outer packaging. I want my customers to feel like their purchase matters to me and that I'm thankful for their custom. After all, it takes hardly any time or money for me to do this.

Just wanted to point out to new Etsians that simple but thoughtful packaging is definitely something to think about!

You want to leave your customers 'on a high' at the end of their experience with you. That's what will make them come back!

[JeannieGrayKnits]

I use plastic/water proof padded envelopes to ship my knitted items. Boxes would cost a fortune & might not protect the item from dampness Damp wool is not pleasant! I guess I'm paranoid about dampness because it ALWAYS rains heavily on the days I receive packages. I don't think I've ever opened a dry box. LOL

I do wrap the purchased item(s) in tissue paper & include a hand written thank you note, a coupon for future purchases & a blank gift tag that color coordinates with the item in case they are planning to give it away.

[TreasuresOfGrace]

If what you sell is always around the same size and you can use the same size box to put the item in and the same size envelopes to ship each item, that's great. If you have different size items it makes it harder. I do ship my items in a gift box (or decorative bag for supplies). I sometimes reuse boxes to ship and print a PayPal packing slip and write a thank you. Probably not as elaborate as some people.

Here's my point. I too ordered something from a shop here, not long after I opened my shop. The shop was lovely, the item was great and the packaging was exceptional. However, the seller never once notified me (or marked it on Etsy) that the package was even shipped. The whole time I waited I was left guessing so when it did arrive, I wasn't as happy as I could have been. So to me more important than the packaging is customer service and if the item is what you hoped it would be.

Forgot to mention that I add tape to my bubble mailers (ok a lot of tape as it's too fun to tape it up :-)

[ForgedMettleJewelry]

Packaging an item for shipment is my FAVORITE part of selling my jewelry, (probably because I'm still on a natural high from the sale) so I always put great care into my packaging & packing and always hand write a quick thank you on the invoice...

[Porzana]

I love doing the packaging :) It's probably one of the best parts.
I try to make my packages as nice as possible. I tend to use boxes as original paintings CAN'T be shipping in jiffy bags. I do use all recycled materials though. They are not pretty, so I do my best to make them so. I started out just wrapping the paintings in cloth, but now I make little cloth bags to put them in with my shop name on them and tie them off with ribbon. More recently I covered the Styrofoam used to hold the painting in place with decorative tissue paper to make it look nicer. Then I cover the whole thing in brown paper and put little paw prints all over the outside. I also include some business cards and a hand drawn, hand written thank you card.
I was sending hand-painted ornaments to customers at Christmas, but now that it's over I'm not sure what to send as a token gift! :(

[LittleShopofElleSee]

I sell art and stationery, so I use the exact same size of envelope and bag for every order that I ship out. I put all of my items in a cellophane bag with a business card tucked inside, tape it up, and wrap it with a ribbon that has a hand-written note attached to it. It's simple, but I really like it. Maybe I'm naive, but I'd like to think that the people that I'm shipping to recycle the stuff I package my items in, just like I recycle the stuff that I receive items in.