Ya Gotta Yart

Vanessa

Story by Vanessa

Published on June 10, 2009 in Seller Handbook

Photo by MisoSoup

UPDATE: Hello sellers! We Etsy Admin are really excited about the Yart Sale, a seller organized promotion becoming a yearly tradition. We want to tell you what we will be doing on our end to feature it.

  • Free Shipping Collaboration — To take part in a free shipping promotion, tag your items with “yartfreeship” so that we can find you. Here’s how we’ll feature these items.
    •  Free Shipping universal Yart Sale tag for Etsy: yartfreeship
    •  Free Shipping Gift Guide located under the “Limited Time Promotions Guide” heading
    •  Home Page banner linking to this Free Shipping Guide
  • Home pages — Lists made from “Yart” search term once per day throughout sale
  • Etsy Emails: Integrating relevant “Yart” related content into the Weekend Deals Etsy Finds articles/emails. Please post in this forum thread.
  • Twitter Collaboration — Etsy tweets with the Yart organizers’ universal hash tag: #Yart

 

[The following was originally published by theartistscloset on June 2, 2009.]

Sellers, it has been almost a year since the first unofficial “Yart Sale” on Etsy. Yart sale? What exactly is a “Yart Sale,” you may ask? The term Yart is an artistic spin on the traditional yard sale:

Art + Yard Sale = Yart!

There are many art museums, artists, and groups that have yart sales annually to raise cash. Although not an official Etsy event, the Etsy Yart sale is a great way to bond with your fellow Etsy sellers. What began last year as a casual conversation on the Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST) thread about destashing and raising funds, blossomed into a discussion on our private boards about creating an Etsy-wide yart sale. This year’s sale will be the “2nd Annual Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST.” It will take place June 10 through June 14, 2009. Everyone with a shop on Etsy is invited to participate!

This article will address frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the Yart Sale. During the Yart Sale, feel free to refer people to this Storque article, link it on your blog, or tweet it on Twitter. As the date draws near, please refer to the Team ESST blog for updates, and as well as the Promotional section of the Etsy Forums for the Official Yart Sale sponsored by Team ESST thread that will be posted with the Team ESST Avatar. If you have further questions, please convo EtsySupplyStreetTeam.etsy.com.

FAQs
When will the Yart Sale be?
Our Second Annual Yart Sale will be from Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2009. Participate in one, two, or all five days of the sale.

Which shops on Etsy can participate?
All shops on Etsy are invited to participate. Choose to participate with your handmade, supply or vintage shop. If you have more than one shop, you can participate with each.

How does a seller participate in the Yart Sale?
To join the sale, simply post the following Yart Sale announcement in the Shop Announcement section of your Etsy shop:

“I am participating in the Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST.” 

You should also include a short description of how you will be participating in the sale.

Here are a few extra suggestions for how to effectively utilize the Yart Sale as a promotional tool:

  • Maintain a Yart Sale Section where merchandise is already marked down.
  • Tag and/or title items in your shop “Yart,” so customers can search your Etsy and your shop to find your “Yart” items.
  • Special discount pricing for length of the sale. (You would need to credit back their account for the set amount on PayPal. Example: 10% off.)
  • Free shipping. Remember to clarify terms. Example: Only on orders over $25.00, etc. State your terms clearly. (If you offer free shipping, you would need to again credit back their account for the shipping on PayPal.)
  • If you feel the price points in your shop do not allow you to have a sale, perhaps you can offer a free promotional gift or a slight discount toward future orders.

These are merely suggestions, and I am sure you can come up with many others. Remember, your Shop Announcement is an important piece in being involved in this sale, as it is where you describe the terms of your Yart sale and the dates that your shop will participate.

We invite you to post, chat, and shop in the Official Yart Sale thread in the Promotions section of the Etsy Forums. A new thread will be posted daily at 7:00 a.m. ET beginning on June 10 by the Etsy Supply Street Team with the forum title “SECOND ANNUAL YART SALE sponsored by Team ESST” with the day’s date. For example, the first day’s heading will be:

“SECOND ANNUAL YART SALE sponsored by Team ESST – June 10, 2009″

Participating in the daily forum thread is a way that shoppers can find your shop. Simply post what you are offering. You could also encourage visitors to search “Yart” in handmade, supplies, or vintage. Even if you are simply offering a discount, it would be to your advantage to place “Yart” somewhere in your titles or tags to draw shoppers searching for sale items to your shop.

Where do I find a “Yart” Avatar?
Many people used special “Yart” avatars last year. These were put together by many helpful people on Etsy. Some were selling them, others were simply sharing. This year fellow Team ESST member misosoup has created two that everyone can share, which are available for your use here on the Etsy blog and on the Team ESST blog.

We look forward to your participation in the Yart Sale. It is a fun event with much enthusiasm, energy, and creativity! So get your shops ready and we’ll see you there!

 

All the hundreds of comments on this post are so awesome, but unfortunately they’re slowing down the load time for this page. So we’re closing comments. Please check the Promotions Section of the Forums for the daily Yart Sale thread. Today, June 10, for example, is here, and tomorrow’s will be linked from the end of that one, etc.

Read More Promotional How-to’s | View the Etsy Seller Handbook

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