Help

[McIntoshHatDesigns]

Hey everyone,
I'm still new to Etsy and I was looking for some feedback. I have a ton of people coming to my page and favoriting every day and I have a ton of convo inquiries. But no one is really buying since the mddle of last month.

I was wondering if everyone else gets the same amount of convo's like people seem to be interested and asking about color options and such but then never come back and actually purchase. If you have had this and found a way to turn those convo's into actual purchases please give me some pointers. I have used a discount code and that wasn't too successful.

One last thing: Does anyone have pointers on "Support Blogger" inquiries, I get numorous people convoing me asking for free stuff to support a blog as a giveaway and such. I ask them if they purchase 1 item that I will add in 2 extra for them to give away and such but they never message back. I feel like "Who's gonna support me while I'm supporting you?"

[Former_Member]

I have the same problem with people who don't follow through, and I'm sure it's the same with most shops on Etsy. The best way to get the sale is to answer within minutes of the convo before they're over the "impulse buy," but of course, that's not always possible. If people are asking the same questions over and over, add that information to your description!

If these are custom requests, make sure you are getting at least 50% payment up front- it sucks to make an item for someone and have them never come back.

As for the donation requests- most are just scams. Politely decline or answer how you have been if you'd like, but don't feel obligated to answer. It's spam, and you are free to report it to etsy.

[Former_Member]

wow congrats on the sales!
for customer inquiring about color options maybe you should have a few listing with specific color combos? the ones you noticed are more popular... I offer bracelets with any color combination too and on my listings I ask buyers to write in the note to seller what colors they want.

[McIntoshHatDesigns]

Thanks ladies. Ya I have everything that the buyers need to know in the listings but I think they don't read it just look at the picture and then convo me. Thanks for the help on the blogger/spamers I thought it was spam but when I emailed Etsy they said that if I felt comfortable with the situation then to do what I wanted didn't really give me any answers. I think it's so weird that I get so many people asking for free stuff all the time.

One last question. Wholesale orders. Have you done any? Do you do them for websites that resell them? Etc..

[Former_Member]

I don't do wholesale in the resale sense, but do offer wholesale-ish discounts for large orders. If you choose to do wholesale, you by no means have to do a 50% discount- just whatever feels comfortable for you.

[Former_Member]

I've done wholesale orders but not for resell, some people have contact me asking for wholesale prices to resell on their websites but they seem to expect high discounts and I can't offer that.

[Former_Member]

Unfortunately, with a virtual shop you still get looky-loos just like a brick & mortar store would. People stop by, as a bunch of questions, ask for ideas, and then disappear just as you're trying to secure the sale. Just be polite when answering questions and provide as much detail as possible. It doesn't matter if all the answers can be found in your listings, most people just skim and don't fully read listings.

The requests for free stuff are so annoying, since I cross-advertise (Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) the requests just pour in. I ignore them all.

I haven't completed any wholesale for resale orders, the last one I attempted fell apart when a payment deadline wasn't meant. My main stipulation is that the resale can't take place over the Internet and that in good faith I expect that person to display my business cards by the display in their store.

I have done bulk orders though, any single order with 10+ bracelets and depending on the style, # of strings, etc. I apply a discount accordingly. Sometimes it's just easier to offer free shipping on those orders. It's always up to you, don't let anyone bully you into giving a discount.

Good luck!