Overseas Shop Perceptions

[Former_Member]

Hello, I joined Etsy about five weeks back and am encouraged by the amount of views, comments etc. I have received but as of yet I have not recorded any sales although I am realist and know this takes time and a lot of work. However, there is one question that is in the back of mind that I feel only US/Canada based members can answer as Etsy members are primarily from North America.

When you see a piece you may like but is being sold by an overseas shop do you as a potential purchaser shy away from making a purchase from these shops because of perceived issues of distance, trust, delivery time, potential fraud etc. either consciously or subconciously?

Thank you for your honesty and time.

Peisy

[RainnRoseArt]

I tend to try and make sure that the person as at least 4 feed back statements on their shop, I have yet to make a purchase from someone out of the country, however the first ever sale I got was from someone in Australia and the translation went very smoothy. Every one will have different opinions and stories. It's not just out of country shop owners that should be singled out. Before I was on etsy I used E bay to sell and I had more problems with people in the states than i did from over seas. I think the best course of action is to go with what, you as a potential buyer feels most comfortable with, If you find yourself where you are looking into buying something from someone who lets say, lives in the uk. Go and look at their feed back. If they have 200+ feed back with 100% than it is safe to say that they are safe to buy from. However, things do happen and such. But don't let that fear of it ever happening keep you from shopping with certain people.

Hope this helps and I wish you the best luck here on etsy.

- Devon

[Former_Member]

Hi Devon,

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

As a new overseas shop owner I am trying to gather as much information as I can in a few areas where I probably have my own perhaps skewed perceptions of things so I am trying to eliminate them one by one as a potential place for what may be are misplaced concerns.

If I get people who do express issues about purchasing from overseas then I will need to address that somehow, if on the other hand that does not seem to be the case then it is one less thing for me to worry about and as such I can continue to forge ahead by doing all the things other successful shop owners are doing. I do understand, however, the importance of positive feedback and once I build up sales will strive very hard to make sure the buyer has nothing less than a great experience with my shop.

Many thanks again.

Peisy

[Former_Member]

I think it depends on the customer. Last Christmas, I wanted a bag to use for school. I found the perfect bag that so happened to be from a seller in France, but I wanted the bag enough that I would have bought it from the shop regardless of where it was made.
I think some people may have issues with the quality of the item that is being made and how the object is being made. I think if you ensure that your customers that you make your items yourself/by members in your shop with quality materials that you picked out yourself you can avoid any stigma that may be associated with being an oversea seller, People are leery of items overseas because they may think that the item was not handmade or the quality was poor.
This is just my opinion, hope it helps.

[Former_Member]

I think it depends on the customer. Last Christmas, I wanted a bag to use for school. I found the perfect bag that so happened to be from a seller in France, but I wanted the bag enough that I would have bought it from the shop regardless of where it was made.
I think some people may have issues with the quality of the item that is being made and how the object is being made. I think if you ensure that your customers that you make your items yourself/by members in your shop with quality materials that you picked out yourself you can avoid any stigma that may be associated with being an oversea seller, People are leery of items overseas because they may think that the item was not handmade or the quality was poor.
This is just my opinion, hope it helps.