marymary's Profile

Bio

My name is Mary and you will find me providing direction for Etsy's merchandising, writing articles for the Storque (Etsy's Blog), and occasionally in the forums.

Got a question? I'm happy to help and would love for you to read the most frequently asked questions I get below to see if I can tackle it there!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q. What are admin's criteria in choosing sellers to feature in various places on Etsy and can you give me and advice to help me get featured?

A. First off, take a peek at our Selling FAQ's in Etsy's Help section all about how admins choose sellers to feature:

* http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#homepage_handpicked

* http://www.etsy.com/faq.php#gift_guides

Please also take a moment to read our merchandising series where we let sellers know ahead of time the types of items and themes we'll be looking to highlight: http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/tags/from-etsys-merchandising-desk/

After reading the criteria we look for in featuring sellers, try to take another look at your shop with an objective eye and ask yourself if you think you might need to re shoot your photos, update your descriptions, take another look at your item tags, or promote your shop on Etsy more to get seen!

Q. I just found out my item is in a Gift Guide, what do I do now?
A. Congrats on your feature, here are some tips for making the most of your time in the Gift Guides:

* If you are able to make multiples of the item featured, edit the item quantity to the amount you have in stock. This will keep your item in the guides until you sell out of stock, the item is removed by Etsy staff, or the guide is removed from the site.
* Add any additional details, features, or attributes to the item description you think shoppers might find helpful.
* Keep in mind we only suggest editing the item quantity and providing top notch details for the item, as the original nature of the listing is what Etsy staff selected for the feature.
* It may take up to ten minutes for your item to reappear in the Gift Guide after editing due to site caching. If ten minutes have passed and you still do not see your item back in the guide, make sure to check your inactive item listings to make sure you finalized the editing process.

Q. I had an item in the Gift Guides but it sold for one reason or another and now it's gone. How can I get my item back in the guides?
A. Once an item sells out from a guide, there is no guarantee the item will be placed back in the guide, even if the transaction is later canceled. Etsy staff regularly update the guides with a mix of new items and sold items to the guides, so there may be a chance your sold item is replaced in the future.

Q. How can I suggest my own item or another item for the Gift Guides?
A. The Gift Guides are curated by Etsy's staff. We select items that are interesting, have great photos and descriptions and fit in one of the Guides' themes. The following are ways you can get involved in suggesting items for consideration:

1. Nominate and item for Etsy's Gift Guides in this forum thread: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6343647
2. Nominate an item to be voted on by the Etsy community. Weekly winners are added to the Members Choice Gift Guide. Learn how to get involved here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/all-about-etsy-faq-series-get-involved-in-the-voter-4112/
3. Find out the types of themes Etsy is looking to highlight and specific guides Etsy wants nominations for in the monthly Merchandising series: http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/title/merchandising-desk/

Q. How can I find out if my items have been featured in the Gift Guides, on the Front Page, in the Storque, in Etsy Finds emails, and other curated areas of the site?
A. Try one of the three notification options below to find out where you may have been recently featured in Etsy's curated areas of the site:

1. Use the featured tab on http://craftcult.com/, an application created using Etsy's API, to discover your shop's recent features on the Etsy homepage, Gift Guides, and blog articles. Keep in mind CraftCult.com is a 3rd party site using Etsy's API; use their contact page for specific questions about the site and its offerings.
2. The Etsy Facebook Application notifies you when your items have been featured on Etsy's homepage and Etsy's Gift Guides. Learn how it works here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/seller-how-to-plug-in-the-my-etsy-facebook-application-5655/
3. Etsy provides sellers with Google Analytics for their shop. Find out if traffic is coming to your items and shop through curated areas of the site using these analytics. Learn more about analytics for your shop and how to access them here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/tech-update-etsy-web-analytics-now-available-3141/

Q. How can I get my promotion featured in the Weekend Deals Storque article?
A. Check out this helpful how-to I wrote with my own personal insider tips for getting selected: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/seller-how-to-participate-in-weekend-deals-4557/ Sending me a convo with your deal is not the best way to get featured in the article as I might not see the convo before I scour the thread.

Q. I quit my day job too! Will you feature my story in the Storque?
A. We select features for this series from a list of sellers who have let us know they have quit their day jobs and are successfully supporting themselves through Etsy sales. If you too had a day job your quit due to your Etsy success, send me a convo with a little overview of the job you had previously and how you were able to quit. We are always looking for new stories and I will be happy to add your name to our list for future consideration!

Q. There's something going on in the forums, a chat room, or the Virtual Labs right now and we need admin's help! Can you help?
A. The best way to get immediate admin attention is by sending an email to community [!at] etsy.com. There is always an admin on staff regularly checking that email inbox who will be able to address the question or issue in the most timely manor! I might not always be at my computer, so alerting community [!at] etsy.com is the best way to go for quick results.

Q. I've tried everything and am still having trouble making sales on Etsy, can you take a look at my shop and tell me what I could be doing better?
A. I'd be happy to, but first I want you to take the time to read through our series of articles in the Storque called our "Seller Handbook." It is full of great tips and advice for successful selling on Etsy and will tell you everything and more than I would. After reading the articles if you have questions or still need help, I'll be happy to take a peek! Seller Handbook: http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/tags/seller-handbook/

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You can see me in action when I first started working for Etsy in the Labs:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M1PdV9Q1aoE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bBf957XC-4k

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ww2tvzmVXgY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZrySyoNhaj8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yTW9AByZp0M&feature=related

I'm also an Etsy shopoholic, so don't be surprised if you see me sniffing round your shop!

You can also find me here after hours:
contrary.etsy.com
unelephantrose.etsy.com
contrary-garden.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/contrary
http://twitter.com/marymarytweets
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Contrary/20225786685

Feel free to send me a convo if you have any questions or would just like to say hello!

xoxo