WLV CHAT Only Thread ~ Come Get to Know One Another!

[#1]

Welcome to our CHAT thread where you can introduce yourself, ask a question, tell a joke, say what you're up to or what you're having for dinner! A place to meet one another. A place to procrastinate and get away from it all for a few minutes. Feel free to post something you like in another team member's shop. If you want to ask a question about something in your shop you may post a link to the item.

What you can't do on this thread is self-promote : ) All random self-promotions will be deleted. Since the leaders of the team can't be present 24/7 we ask members to let us know of any self-promotions by Page # so we can delete the post and keep the chat flowing. If your post is deleted please don't take offense. There is a separate thread for self-promotions where you can show us your new listings, relists, etc. and we look forward to seeing them!

If you are new to the team, there's no need to read pages and pages of posts. Just jump in! Our posters are friendly and helpful!

Please keep your posts clean, positive and family friendly.

Please no calling out on Etsy, administration or other members.

Please keep any harsh differences of opinion in convos and not on the thread.

Let's chat!

MrFilthyRotten
AuntSue
Waalaa

[ClassicMemories]

I ship a lot to the west coast too. Like Joanne, I am in an apt and it is ready to implode.

[JunqueGypsy]

I feel like it's rubbing salt in the wounds when Etsy's annoying message "Shoppers like low shipping" pops up as I am trying to update some of my shipping prices.

The idea of checking 1000 listings for shipping changes is overwhelming.

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

@JunqueGypsy 

I use shipping profiles so any change I make to those automatically changes it on all the listings. 

And I hate that message, too. 

[ClassicMemories]

Me three.

[VintageMaineia]

Need some workarounds for the new shipping world?

Suggestions:

https://vintage.vintagemaineia.com/2019/06/etsy-quick-trick-workarounds-for-new.html

[SilverCreekFinds]

Hi!

I'm Allisyn and I'm new.

I'm a pre-med major at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. I come from a family of vintage lovers, and I HOPE that I'll be able to sell some things here on Etsy to help fund my education. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. I'm just getting started. :) 

Thanks! 

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

@SilverCreekFinds 

Hi Allisyn,

When I was new to this team the best advice I got was to fill up my shop, the more you list, the more you sell. And have realistic expectations about how soon things sell. While I have grown to believe there's a buyer for everything, sometimes I've renewed things for a couple years, yes YEARS, before they sold. But, for 60 cents a year to list, that's not too bad. Speaking of expenses, do yourself a favor and really make sure that you've got a handle on what it costs to sell here, starting with what you paid for your inventory, listing fees, the fees etsy charges us when we sell (on your finance page) to the cost of packing materials, boxes, etc. (tape is crazy expensive in my opinion!) and then shipping costs that you're charged. Don't cut yourself short and don't be bullied into discounts, this job can be very time consuming and all the buyer has to do is click click and their stuff comes to them, you've done the hard work for them, people should pay something for that. It can be tempting to start offering sales and discounts but I feel that means you get to do all the work for what profit? The amount of time I've put into this shop makes it easy for me to decline low-ball offers, some of which are beyond ridiculous. I just say, "Thank you for your interest but I'm not running any sales at this time." That's it! Short and sweet. Not that I haven't ever given a discount, but I still have to make a profit!

The other most important thing I've learned is, "Think like a buyer," meaning, what words would a buyer use to find your items? I don't suggest copying other sellers listings, that can get you in trouble, but to this day I do research on how different words and phrases work in regard to search, which they're always changing, but a good solid phrase that brings up similar items is the way to go. Of course, I can search for a vintage cake pan and I get results for car parts, so it's a crap shoot sometimes. I usually search on etsy and on google but there are a lot of search engines out there so researching there is good, too.

I'm quite long winded with my policies, but make sure to fill out all you can about your policies, a little blurb about yourself, have your tax rate set up correctly, etc. Really explore the "Settings" tab and all the things like "Info and Appearance." You may want to spend some time reading the seller handbook on getting started, also. ESPECIALLY make it very clear about your return policy, I give a short window and ask that they use my same shipping boxes and materials, and I make it very clear that I will only pay return shipping if it was due to my error. If they change their mind or whatever else, they pay return shipping. If you choose to sell internationally to the EU they have very strict policies about returns, even thay YOU can be responsible for return shipping costs. So make sure to study that portion of the seller's handbook and that you're aware of that. I quit selling to the EU due to some problems but I still sell to Canada and Australia.

I'm coming off about a year of too much to do and not enough time but I finally think I found a groove where I can list at least one new thing a day, sometimes more. I take my photos one day, edit that batch, and then dole out my listings the rest of the week. I work another job now and as long as my work is done my boss doesn't care if I'm online. That's a blessing! But if you're short on time, making some kind of schedule for etsy time, when you'll list, when you'll pack orders, etc. can be helpful. Believe me, I've done a lot of my etsy stuff by ambush and chaos and it's very stressful. I've set my order processing time to 1-3 days and that gives me a little breathing room, when I started I was so excited to get an order that I was packing them as soon as they came in! Very haphazard and stressful.

Also, make sure to watch your listing page because etsy likes to make changes. All. The. Time. Right now they've got new listings automatically set to auto-renew, so if you don't want things to auto-renew you need to change it to manual renew, things like that.

But before you really get going make sure to research research and research. We've all had to cut our teeth on making sure we know what we're talking about. Make sure to take photos of your items from all angles and disclose ALL flaws. We used to only have five photo slots, now we have 10, so put the best one first and then showcase everything. Give those details in the descriptions, also.

Make sure to add dimensions, too, that's very important. I've lost count of how many reviews I've read with, "It's a lot (insert term) that it looked in the photos," although how anyone can know what size something is by photo alone gets me.

Lastly, there are a lot of violations here on etsy that haven't been reported/caught yet, things like copyrighted items, sports teams, things made using celebrity names, songs, etc., things like Disney items, Hello Kitty, DC and Marvel comics, movies, etc. etc. these are all no-nos and people think they can get away with it by saying it's Fan Art or "Inspired by" but at the end of the day it is wrong, unless it's vintage. And vintage does not mean a used 2014 concert T-shirt.

That all said, there is a learning curve and you'll need to go through your own. Don't believe everything everyone says, sellers opinions are 360 degrees of different, same with youtube videos about how to sell. Etsy doesn't police much of this, although if you get in an argument in the forums they may remove your comment. Unless you can back up what someone else tells you with etsy's Terms of Use, it may not be true.

Good luck!

[SilverCreekFinds]

Thank you so much for all your wonderful advice! I'm just getting my feet wet, so I'm going to take your words to heart! I really appreciate your time and the details you've included for me. (I suspect it will save me a lot of future worries!)

[TheHilltopShop]

FunkyJunkyVintage

Such awesome advice!!

And so generous of your time & wisdom!

[WeFoundItVintage]

Hello everyone ! We are Jones and Laurie and founded We Found It Vintage a year ago ! We are a vintage lover and hunter couple for now 6 years and are from the south of France :)

We just join the team yesterday and find this idea amazing ! It is great to be able to share with people who just completely understand what it is to have your business, your Etsy shop and this passion ! 

So hello everyone and we look forward to know you a little more :)

[MrFilthyRotten]

Hello to everyone new!  Hello to everyone old lol!

Doing my best to get back in action in my shop and hopefully on the team.  A bit of a struggle, but I am getting there slowly, but surely.  I'm going to do my best to stop in regularly!

So many new "faces".  Nice to see you!  To my old pals, it is a breath of fresh air to see you!

Funky thank you for sharing your sage advice with those who are new.  You rock!

Cheers!!

MFR

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

Ok peeps, keep your eyes peeled for this Pyrex casserole:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-HTF-VINTAGE-PYREX-BARCODE-475-B-CASSEROLE-ORANGE-PEACH-STRIPES-2-1-2-Q...

I just found one yesterday on my Friday after work stop at St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. Paid $5, no lid. Luckily I've got tons of lids. Doing research I could only find a few photos but no other info, nothing on my myriad of Pyrex info websites. Thought I'd check out ebay solds....holy moly!

I'm going to most likely sell it on ebay, if I get half as much I'd be a happy camper! From what I can tell it was a prototype, most likely an employee giveaway, they used to do that with Tupperware at our conventions and during certain sales contest times. We'd get something specially made that was never for sale.

Here's a second one that sold recently, also:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-HTF-VINTAGE-PYREX-BARCODE-475-B-CASSEROLE-ORANGE-PEACH-STRIPES-2-1-2-Q...

[TheHilltopShop]

WOW!!

Great find!!

[ClassicMemories]

wowie Funky. That is terrific. Congrats on a great find and I hope you do even better than that sold listing.

:-)

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

Classic, original Pyrex started out in New York! You might luck out being closer to home!

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

Also, keep an eye out for the stripey Pyrex, I just found the smallest mixing bowl in the pink stripe pattern and those puppies are selling for $50! For the tiny bowl!

It's called "Rainbow Stripes" but anything pink in the Pyrex line is considered desirable.

https://www.wideopeneats.com/vintage-pyrex-patterns/

I can't vouch for that website but researching those patterns does come up with some nicely priced items.

[ClassicMemories]

Thanks Funky. much good luck with your find.

I do see some oyrex here now and then. Will keep on looking.

:-)

[WeFoundItVintage]

Hi everyone ! hope everyone is fine !! xoxo

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

TAPE IS ON SALE AT COSTCO!!!!

Sorry to yell, but that's one of the most exciting times of year, and it's $8 off the 8  pack of Scotch packing tape. I can't believe I almost missed it, I think it's on sale only through September 1st, I just bought five 8-packs and saved $40!

[WeFoundItVintage]

Hello everyone ! Could anyone help me with something please ?

I was wondering how you do to post a link with an image when you publish in the promotion discussion ? :) 

Many thanks in advance ! :)

Laurie 

[JunqueGypsy]

Haven't been on this thread in a while because it just is not as easy as it used to be to find the end of the thread or post promo pics of team mate's items. And am very discouraged by the 54% drop in total views and 67% drop in sales from my shop since the "free shipping" heist.

But I'm still plugging away at listings. Thinking I should just follow my daughter's advice and clear out the clutter into a big dumpster. The house would certainly look better! 

Hope your shops are all doing better than mine and that Etsy won't drop any new sales bombs on us as we approach the holiday season.

Funky--you deserve a team spirit award for your detailed advice on vintage listing, Costco tape sales, and rare Pyrex. Thanks for the heads ups. 

[CeeGeesAttic]

Hi Junque,

Sorry to hear about the drop in sales.  I've been MIA - mostly working on a lot of personal stuff still.  If / when I start up again, a lot of changes to learn about first.

Hubby wants me to use the dumpster option too.  I did recently try a vintage / antique consignment shop nearby and they've had good luck selling several of my items.  So far I'm taking the heavier and / or bulkier items - expensive to ship or difficult to pack.  [And frees up space quicker].  But they take 50% of the sales price and are selective about what they accept.

[UniversalHappyGift]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/723097828/wall-sconce-set-light-lighted-sconces?ref=shop_home_active_1&...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/695621871/cherry-wood-shelf-floating-shelves-shelf?ref=shop_home_feat_1...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/696474475/natural-wood-shelf-floating-shelves?ref=shop_home_active_3&fr...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/696230365/natural-wood-shelf-floating-shelves?ref=shop_home_active_4&fr...

[CeeGeesAttic]

Hi everyone!

Dropping in to say Hi.  I enjoy reading your updates.  The problems reported with all the changes since I've been just lurking scare me a bit. Although one surprise lately has been seeing ads for Etsy on TV that mention vintage (after they get thru all the hand-made promotions of course.)  But still.  Is everyone gearing up for the holidays?  

[ClassicMemories]

Hi JG

Hi CeeGee

Good to see some familiar faces here, it is a ghost town now.

Miss everyone here and the old days.