Selling Dog Treats on Etsy

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

What is the best approach in selling dog treats on Etsy.  I have been on Etsy for over two years and I have just a few sales.  Any suggestions anyone?

[nineteen27]

i never buy treats for my pets on etsy.

but if i did...

i would want to see pictures and a video! of the kitchen.

with you actually making the products.

i would need to see better photos.

and a list of all ingredients.

and an about page letting me know about your qualifications.

to sell food items.

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

Thank you for your reply.  I will take everything you said in consideration.

[NanaLetha]

I have no idea what AMR is or why it’s in all your titles.

[dayspringcollectible]

I have no idea if selling dog treats is regulated like human food...

@ThePurplePuppy 

At farmers' markets, vendors selling dog treats need all the same licensing as other food vendors, sometimes even more.

[ThePurplePuppy]

@dayspringcollectible 

Thanks, being a dog person I should know that--however--I have not attended a farmers market in years.

I have simply not kept up with everything. Thanks for the info.

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

Good afternoon.  AMR stands for Alex, Michael and Rose, my three grandchildren.   I do believe I have this on my profile page.  If not, I will add it.  Thank you for your feedback.  I appreciate it.

[ThePurplePuppy]

As a fellow dog  person you have a problem. You list what is NOT in your dog treats not what IS. Before I would buy any dog treat online I would want to know the ingredients. ALL of them. It is now well known that some artificial sweetners are deadly to dogs, even in very small amounts--one of the items that contains this non sugar sweetner is "no sugar peanut butter". OK--to get specific--you have peanut butter treats, says NO SUGAR. So what DOES IT HAVE?  That peanut butter is sweetened with "something".   

I have no idea if selling dog treats is regulated like human food but that is something you might want to look into. I would never buy from your shop right now ,  due to the "No sugar"(what was used in place of sugar?)  thing and the lack of ingredients shown. I mean these 2 things alone jumped right out at me!

ETA: The deadly non sugar sweetner is called xylitol or "birch sugar". It is deadly to dogs in doses as small as a stick of gum.  Most of your items say "no sugar" and yet contain things like peanut butter that ALWAYS has a sweetner and "no sugar PB" DOES contain xylitol.  Please check every single thing you use before you end up  in court with a disaster on your hands. Sorry to be harsh but you need to protect yourself as well as your buyers.

[NickiesNest]

Peanut butter does not ALWAYS have a sweetener.  Most supermarket brands do, (unfortunately) but there are brands that are just peanuts and maybe salt, like Laura Scudder and Trader Joe.

However, I agree 100% with your point that all ingredients must be disclosed.  I have noticed a lot of human food these days is marketed as "no sugar" but when you look closely it contains sucralose which I guess is technically not an artificial sweetener, but it is to me, and I avoid it.

[ThePurplePuppy]

@NickiesNest 

Regardless, the OP needs to disclose all ingredients and I don;t think just PB will do--she needs to list what is IN the PB.

And I am diabetic, so like you I read everything on every food label I buy, and since the xylitol thing , also on my dog's food. (Many dogs have died, especially from the peanut butter as people do not realize the danger.)

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

The ingredients are listed in the description.  I looked at the ingredients on the peanut butter and they do sugar.  I will change everything to "No Adde Sugar".  Also, peanut butter is ok for dogs as long as you don't use xylitol or "birch sugar. I considered buying the peanuts and making my own peanut butter but that would be too time consuming.  

[BagmakerSupply]

@AMRDOGTREATS1: In addition to the what has been mentioned before, your question is not a technical issue. You will probably get more help on one of the other forums dedicated to improving sales such as https://community.etsy.com/t5/Shop-Critiques/bd-p/shop-critiques?ref=gnav

[JMOldeVintage]

A cat person posting here, but, all I see is pumpkin or peanut butter treats. If allergies affect the human involved or the dog has already decided they don't like these flavors, that's it. The potential buyer will leave your shop.

Yes, I am as fussy about what I purchase for our fluffy friend as the human edibles I purchase for myself. As mentioned, anything you can do to bolster a buyer's confidence in your shop - show your licensed kitchen, give a detailed list of ingredients - should work in your favor.

Finally, how do you ship these? Your treats say "please refrigerate". Does shipping during the sweltering summer affect the quality of the treats? If you use 'ice packs' or something like that, mention you do so. 

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

Hello,

Thank you for your reply.  I vacuum the treats and ship them with ice packs.  Thank you so much.

[PrimFun]

Unless you can say you are following the FDA rulings on what makes pet treats, there is no way I would buy treats on any site.   Pet Food | FDA

They have to be labeled.  All ingredients listed and considering what is happening now with pet food very good insurance.  

[BrickHouseFabrics]

This... animal food products have specific rules: it is as regulated as food for humans... 

[vintageNCtreasures]

The problem with saying you're following FDA rulings is that is not allowed on Etsy.
 Etsy will remove those items.

You can't mention FDA at all on food items or on items used for food.

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

Good afternoon and thank you for responding.  I am licensed to sell treats in NC. They have been tested and approved.

[Vintorious]

@AMRDOGTREATS1 being licensed to sell them in NC does not mean you are able to market them to customers outside of your state. Anyone can obtain a license to sell. Obtaining a certification to sell food is a whole other story. "They have been tested and approved" needs to be proved.

[vintageNCtreasures]

I have Boston's and there's no way I'd ever buy dog treats online without knowing what is in them OR how they are prepared or if the person was actually licensed to make them.

The only way I'd buy online is Chewy, Jeffers Pet, etc.

This one listing is confusing:
 Peanut Butter homemade treats.
Price $18.00.
BUT in the description you have this.
"AMR Large Dog Treats Special Pricing. You get 10 Small AMR Dog Treats for $20.00 dollars."
You repeat the same sentence twice in the description.
You never mention what size these dog treats are or how many ounces you'd get. 

No drop down to choose large or small dog treats.
IMO, I'd never pay $20 for 10 small dog treats or $38 for 8 large treats of any kind and another $4+ to ship them.

Why do you have AMR in all your titles? 
Is that your brand? If so how well known is it?
If not well known (I've never heard of it and I'm in NC), then I doubt anyone would search for AMR.

[ThePurplePuppy]

@vintageNCtreasures 

HI! 

I think she is using it as her own brand name.

I wish she would come back. This has got me worried about people (their dogs) who do buy from her. 

She may even be fully licensed and just not saying so in her listings-but it could very well be that lack is what is causing her poor sales.

[AMRDOGTREATS1]

Thank you for your response.  AMR is the name of the business and it stands for Alex, Michael and Rose my three grandchildren.  I will take everything you said in consideration and I appreciate your feedback.  I do have local sells and I have monthly subscriptions as well.

[ThePurplePuppy]

I see the OP has not come back. I was going to post a link for her concerning how xylitol affects dogs (cats, not the same)

[vintageNCtreasures]

This seems to be the norm a lot on these forums. 
Seller's post and that's it, they just disappear. 

[ThePurplePuppy]

@vintageNCtreasures 

Especially if they do not agree with the comments