Etsy's Handmade Blog
Introducing a New Etsy Project: Handmade Kids
Story by Vanessa
Published on July 9, 2008 in Etsy News 		Photo by loopdiloops
Dear Sellers,

This past Spring, we brought you the Handmade Wedding series, so ... bet you guessed what's up next! Handmade Kids.* We here at Etsy have noticed through our research that this special project has the potential to reach a lot of new customers and generate growth for children's sellers as well as Etsy in general.

Simply put, Etsy sellers have a ton to offer new families and we want to help spread the word! We'll be reaching out to the media in order to bring in new folks and wanted to give you the heads up to make sure your shops are ready for business. This special project will launch on July 14 and continue through to August 4, 2008.

Here's what we'll be doing:
  • Contest with prizes for sellers and buyers, open to US residents. **
  • Outside ads on targeted blogs and websites.
  • Original Storque content from Etsians as well as popular bloggers and websites with cross-pollinating posts.
  • Themed frontpage Showcase, going on sale on Thursday July 10 at 3pm EDT (see details about this here).
  • Periodic frontpages with kids themed content from the Storque and the Treasury.
  • Links to corresponding Gift Guides and curated content.
  • How-tos for the family (How-tos have proven to generate a lot of buzz and bring new visitors to Etsy).
  • Special landing page where kids' content is grouped.  This will welcome first time visitors who click through from related outside ads and blog posts.

How can sellers get involved? 
  • We want you to list your finest items for children, babies, new moms and dads, and make sure those are tagged properly of course! Michelle has written up this informative tagging how-to for you.
  • Many different types of items could fit in the Children's Category (for example, furniture for kids may be categorized in the Children's Category or in the Furniture Category). Now would be a good time to test out which category works better for your items and track your views and sales.
  • Clearly indicate if your items (such as toys) are intended for adults or children.
  • If you do custom work for new families, make sure your Alchemy announcement is set up.
  • The Children's Category Showcase will be getting increase traffic, so heads up on that.
  • The more buzz we get going about this series, the more links we get into Etsy, the better our Google search results. This is great for the whole marketplace. So let's all get together and blog (see these posts for help)!
  • Give us suggestions for sub-categories of the Children's Category.

Thanks so much and let me know if you have ideas or questions in the comments below!


*[No, the Etsy admin are not pregnant. But presumably a lot of our shoppers are! Etsy is 96% female and the average buyer's age is 32. Check out our survey results.]

**[This contest will only be open to US residents. Believe me, we are as frustrated by this as you are! As a US-based company, when offering prizes of any kind, we are bound by US contest law. We can't wait for the day when Etsy opens international sites and we can exclude US residents from contests. I joke... but seriously, we are looking into ways to legally include international Etsians in future contests. Please be patient with us, we love you!]

Tags blogging, children, families, family, Handmade Kids, kids, marketing, maternity, new series, parenting, selling, Storque
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90 comments     Login to add your own!

July 9, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. kunklebaby

Sounds wonderful-as a mother and a childrens shop owner!

July 9, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. Lizzypops

I'm excited! I'm all about babies and toddlers, as a mom to a growing family, and as a shop-owner :)

July 9, 2008 at 12:12 p.m. bubbletime

Awesome!

July 9, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. Marmalady

will the contest be open to international members or is it yet another USA only one?

July 9, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. NiftyKidstuff

I can't wait!

July 9, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. Laniec1

This is great, Now I have even more motivation to list more, more, more.

July 9, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. sandcookies

This is soooo exciting:) I can't wait as a shop owner and *especially* as an addicted Etsy buyer:)!!!
It sounds like you guys have really invested a lot of time and thought into this and it is going to be great!!!

July 9, 2008 at 12:39 p.m. LoveLeeSoaps

Sounds exciting!

July 9, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. vusova

sounds great! I'm in!

July 9, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. cloud9designstudio

This is wonderful news! I can't wait to see all the great articles and shops in this series! As a mommy of a toddler myself, I am looking forward to perusing all the kewl etsy finds!!! ;)

July 9, 2008 at 12:42 p.m. littleflowerchilde

Sounds fun- I love stuff for kids.

July 9, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. missbatch

Marmalady, unfortunately we are only able to offer this contest to US residents.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We will add a clarification to the article.

July 9, 2008 at 1:01 p.m. yellowbusybeaver

I have SOOO many thoughts and ideas tucked away for the wee folks (children). I am happy there is a special place for them!!!!

July 9, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. addicted2cute

Woo hoo!

July 9, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. millalove

Nooooooo! You can't be serious! I try my best to avoid looking at the childrens listings because I cannot buy them all! So many things I want for my bigboi and little doll! This is going to be hard! ;)

July 9, 2008 at 1:28 p.m. MayaBella

Yay! My shop is all for kids. And of course kids at heart. And this whole thing launches on my birthday!

July 9, 2008 at 1:48 p.m. mamaziel

fun!

July 9, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. abitofthisnthatshop

This is the nicest Treasure I have seen in a while!! Love it all!!!!

July 9, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. SuperflyLullabies

Woot Woot.

July 9, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. shopgoodgrace

Wonderful!! I thoroughly enjoyed the little "suri" picks from about a week or two ago... :)

July 9, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. PrettyinPosies

How wonderful to see the children's categories being marketed like this. Sounds like a wonderful project!

July 9, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. cuddlebaby

This sounds great! Etsy is a wonderful place to shop for unique baby items. This should be a fun way to share them with the world!

July 9, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. hullabalooboutique

Yay! Us sellers of children's things need more views! THis is exciting!

July 9, 2008 at 4:08 p.m. 4pippi

Yeah!! Great News!!

July 9, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. Junienone

Yeah, this is so exciting! Not only do I have a children's shop, I'm expecting and really looking forward to buying some cute baby stuff!!!

July 9, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. hugsandkisses

This sounds like so much fun:)

July 9, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. oritdotandolls

What about me?
Israeli dools artist-can I be a part of this?
It sounds wonderful!

July 9, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. oritdotandolls

sorry-dolls
Ho-now I do not have a chance?

July 9, 2008 at 4:59 p.m. littleyou

I'm a new Owner and customer to Etsy and I must say it's very exciting to see such a family focused program come along.

July 9, 2008 at 5:32 p.m. TwinMommy

I'd like to blog about the start of this fabulous project! Am I allowed to pick up this article header to use on my blog? Has loopdiloops ok'd other people using the picture?
Thanks for any help!

July 9, 2008 at 5:45 p.m. trendytot

Yay! Thanks for the attention to children's items! I hope it will bring more traffic to all of our shops!

July 9, 2008 at 7:54 p.m. Vanessa

loopdiloops said she'd be happy for you to repost on your blogs! I suggest giving her a photo credit and linking to her shop ;)

July 9, 2008 at 9:24 p.m. FaerieRebecca

Fantastic news! It's great to see Etsy focusing on the craft community that supports families and children. We're here, and we can be kitschy, funky, irreverent, and cool, too ;-)

July 9, 2008 at 9:29 p.m. loopdiloops

This is great news! Thanks so much for including us in the article, that was very unexpected but awesome! I am sad though that the contest is USA only, I'm in Canada but maybe one day we'll be included too. Great article!
Cheers

July 9, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. NinisHandmades

This is great!

July 9, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. SnappyBibs

Thanks!!

July 9, 2008 at 10:33 p.m. auntboosbabies

sounds great:o)

July 9, 2008 at 10:41 p.m. bfbeads

I am THRILLED about this! So very exciting! Thanks for all the work that's going into bringing more attention to the *many* wonderful items here for kids, moms, dads, and families.

July 9, 2008 at 10:53 p.m. annemadeart

sounds great! My new shop is primarily artwork for kids - so this should be good :)

July 9, 2008 at 10:59 p.m. yayaMarsy

This is way too exciting!! My knitting needles are going a mile a minute. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

July 9, 2008 at 11:16 p.m. oursideofthemountain

Great! Motivation for me to fill my shop up!

July 9, 2008 at 11:27 p.m. TwinMommy

Thank you Vanessa and thank you very much loopdiloops for letting us use your picture! I can't wait to get my post together :)

July 10, 2008 at 12:38 a.m. littlebirdcreations

Can't wait! Definitely a motivator to get going faster on new items I will be adding to the shop. Yay!

July 10, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. simpledream2

This sounds like a fun idea. Can't wait to be a part of this project.

July 10, 2008 at 1:03 a.m. AureliaandAnnalise

Oh my!!! I cant wait for this! Thanks for supporting family shopping on Etsy,
this SAHM really appreciates it:)

July 10, 2008 at 6:59 a.m. circlesareforever

this sounds fun, i am going to definitely try entering :)

July 10, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. stjudescreations

sounds great, sure to put in a flowers for kids!

July 10, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. sweetestpea

Thanks! This should be great! (coming from a seller with a shop filled with items for kids)

:)

July 10, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. bamdesigns

This is awesome and on the same day that i am launching some new children lines in my store.

July 10, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. tinycupcakes

Vanessa, Thanks for the tips on tagging our items. We're getting our shop ready with fun new product lines - All things CUPCAKES and Shop for Boys! Please count us in!

July 10, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. stitchgirl52

I am really happy to see this. This is the first comment I have made on etsy and I can't say how excited I am to see this happening. I guess I better get busy!!!

July 10, 2008 at 12:21 p.m. HarmonyWear

Yay, I'm glad to see that handmade kids items are going to be in the spotlight!

July 10, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. audelaine

this is great. etsy sellers have so many wonderful things for kids, it's great to see them get some attention. :)

July 10, 2008 at 2:01 p.m. VintageMafia

this is great! I have a 7 mo. old and LOVE shopping for him here.

July 10, 2008 at 9:50 p.m. oneredpanda

just started on etsy as a with a kiddies clothing line so I am excited to see this showcase!

July 10, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. boygirlboygirldesign

Great news..we are so excited and can't wait.

July 10, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. MaddieEna

I'm totally excited about this!!!

July 10, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. tscrapper

As a Mom who creates baby shower invites, personalized stationary for kids, onesies, etc.--I can't wait!

July 10, 2008 at 11:25 p.m. oliverlane

Yay! I can't wait to be involved in this!

July 11, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. panyizsuzsi

I am so sorry that EU's can not take a part!

July 12, 2008 at 2:32 a.m. raggidyragdolls

Etsy is such a wonderful way to be apart of the world of hand made - viewed by those who love and appreciate all things beautiful.....

July 12, 2008 at 4:31 a.m. LittleAdorables

This sounds like such FUN!
Is this only for handmade items, or can any of my current listings be included somehow? I love all things for babies, and children!!!
I know I only have a few handmade items right now, guess I'd better get a move on - making more things for the little ones! :D

July 12, 2008 at 4:32 a.m. LittleAdorables

Huh? Double Post? How'd it do that?
Sorry about that! :/

July 12, 2008 at 4:47 a.m. siiri

Wonderful news!

July 12, 2008 at 5:24 a.m. kinchi

Ooh, exciting!! I'll be checking in often from my vacation adress. Sad about the contest still being US only, but can't you guys make a renegade version again, like with the costumes? That was fun!

July 12, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. FRANCISBEL

This is great!!!!!

July 13, 2008 at 6:38 p.m. MyKangaroo

Fantastic! I am really looking forward to this week.

July 13, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. sticknymph

Yay! Can't wait.

July 13, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. PinkMarshmallow

How FUN!! Can't wait.

July 13, 2008 at 10:11 p.m. kayaskloset

I'm looking forward to seeing how this all goes, and seeing if I see an increase in sales for my soft soled baby shoes!

July 14, 2008 at 1:32 a.m. oliveandollie

Woohoo! This is great!

July 14, 2008 at 1:55 a.m. bambolettadolls

So great! I'm so excited, I'll make sure the shop is full of new dolls this week. Christmas stock shmistmas stock, I'm loading them up on the shop!

July 14, 2008 at 3:08 p.m. LeahSutton

Fantastic news...more baby & kids patterns & ready made goodies coming very soon!

July 14, 2008 at 3:22 p.m. cottontail

Hoorah for small humans!

July 14, 2008 at 7:28 p.m. SisterToSister

Love it! This is a great time for us to be starting out! So excited!

July 14, 2008 at 8:39 p.m. warmnfuzzies

What do you do for baby and childrens quilts? There are separate tags for those. I hope they will not be overlooked.

July 14, 2008 at 8:54 p.m. mclean2612

Yay! This sounds just like my thing! Very exciting...

July 14, 2008 at 10:13 p.m. scarlettswardrobe

This is wonderful news! I'm just starting out on Etsy and I want to get the word out that I have organic cotton tshirts, onesies and tshirt/pant sets for infants and toddlers. I already love being a part of Etsy!

July 16, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. Mattson

Cool! And,um, Rad! Darn it, what are kids saying these days?

Anyway, awesome!

July 16, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. SkyBox

Thank you, Etsy!!! I'll make some more stuffed animals.

July 16, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. GoldtoneDesigns

Lovin' this Series!

July 16, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. pishcota

bring it on!

July 16, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. pishcota

it is game time!...have a wonderful creative day!

July 16, 2008 at 3:10 p.m. sghulett

Oh I love this. I have kids items

July 17, 2008 at 12:42 a.m. DaisyChains

Whooo hoo for Handmade for Kids!! I'm a fan and a seller of so I can't wait to see all of the cool features and articles. ;O)

July 19, 2008 at 1:58 a.m. sweetbeets

I just stumbled upon this Handmade Kids series and I'm so happy to see it!

July 19, 2008 at 4:40 a.m. Timeless

"**[This contest will only be open to US residents. Believe me, we are as frustrated by this as you are! As a US-based company, when offering prizes of any kind, we are bound by US contest law. We can't wait for the day when Etsy opens international sites and we can exclude US residents from contests. I joke... but seriously, we are looking into ways to legally include international Etsians in future contests. Please be patient with us, we love you!]"

If you are really that frustrated about it, why do you continue to have contests that alienate so many of your users? Why don't you just wait until you can include international Etsians?

July 19, 2008 at 2:17 p.m. Spiderbite

I have a whole shop full of kids items. hooray!

July 22, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. wowcanvas

What a great idea! After all, there are a lot of kids out there. I have 6, that's why I decided to do custom canvases, many with kids in mind.

July 25, 2008 at 6:51 p.m. mmmfiber

Just saw a nice big banner ad on dooce.com. Looked great!

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