Search results (tags) for: "category"

Tech Update: Filter Search Results by Category

2009-09-28T18:00:00-05:00

Today we're excited to announce a useful new addition to the Etsy Search experience — you can now filter your search results by category.

When searching on Etsy, you often get a lot of results back. We think it's important to provide shoppers ways to narrow down their search results, while highlighting the wide variety of amazing items on Etsy, from Handmade, Vintage and Supplies.

Let's look at the search results in Handmade for "Halloween," for example. Under the Handmade heading on the left side of the page, you will now see links to the top seven categories ordered by the number of results for that search term in each. You can click the "see more categories" link to view all the categories with results. You can also jump to the results for your search term in Vintage, Supplies or All Items.

In this example, we see there are 1,919 results for "Halloween" within the Handmade: Art Category. Clicking the link for the Art Category will take you to those results with the option to drill down further into the applicable subcategories.

Now we see there are 238 results for "Halloween" within Handmade: Art: Photography. Let's drill down further to the 60 surreal Halloween photographs.

At any time, you can jump back up to any of your previously chosen filters. In this version, starting a new search will clear your filter choices. You can also clear your search term and simply browse all the items available on Etsy by category.

We hope you enjoy this new way to make discoveries on Etsy! Tell us what you think in this Forum thread. (We'll close comments on this blog post so that we can consolidate your feedback on the thread.)

P.S. If you would like to receive breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox — then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Tech Update: Sorting Your Item

2009-09-09T10:30:00-05:00

Tags are keywords sellers attach to their items during the item listing process. After selecting a category for your item, sellers can attach up to 13 keywords or tags. These tags are used to help surface items in Etsy's Search, and they currently determine which subcategories your item falls under.

For example, an item in the Bags and Purses Category with the tags "Clutch" and "Applique" will appear in the Clutch subcategory and Applique subsubcategory of Bags and Purses:

Etsy suggests subcategories for your item on Step 2 of the item listing process, where sellers are asked to "sort your item." These suggestions come in the form of links based on the tags you enter or suggested subcategories you choose.

In the past, these suggested subcategories appeared as "Related Tags" and the suggested subcategories could come from anywhere in Etsy's category tree. Beginning today, we'll only suggest subcategories relevant to your chosen top-level category. We're also making it clearer that these suggestions are not only tags, but also directly relate to the Etsy Categories.

Why are we doing this? We believe this update will help reduce mistagging and confusion during the listing process, and help make the Etsy Categories more relevant. This update should make the item listing experience feel a little more logical.

There is no need to edit or re-tag your listings. You can still enter tags not suggested by Etsy during the item listing process, and the order of your chosen subcategories does not have an impact on your placement in Etsy's Categories. For tagging tips, see this article on current best practices for tagging items on Etsy.

We're taking a thorough look at categorization and tagging on Etsy, and this small adjustment is part of that process.

Check the Virtual Labs Schedule for Shop Critiques | View the Etsy Seller Handbook

About Us: Amy aka amydec

2009-05-15T13:40:00-05:00

Amy DeCicco, a.k.a. amydec, joined the Etsy Admin in April of 2009. She comes to us via National Public Radio and brings her expertise as a librarian. Amy will be working on Etsy's taxonomy, specifically the organization of the Etsy Categories and how they relate to tagging.

Fun Facts:

In college, Amy wanted to be a sociologist or anthropologist, but decided academia wasn't for her.
According to her former boss at NPR, "When Amy is upset and disagrees with something, she sends her boss memos so well written, so clear, specific and precise outlining her disagreements that her boss has no choice but agree with her!"
Her first gig at NPR was interning for the music librarian, which has to be one of the best jobs ever. That's where she fell in love with opera. Which brings us to our next Fun Facts...
Her favorite opera singers are Enrico Caruso and Juan Diego Flores.
Her former NPR boss weighed in on the opera theme too, "She has been known to travel to the suburbs to catch the Met Opera simulcast in HD. (On public transportation, of course!)"
She's a good cook and likes to host dinner parties.
Her celebrity look-alike is Brittany Murphy.
She grew up in the Blueberry Capital of the World in South Jersey (Exit 28, Expressway).
Amy dreams of joining a marching band.
From looking at her flickr stream, I got the feeling she's into shoes. This Fun Fact has been verified by her NPR blog post about librarian fashion. She also told me her taxonomy inspiration is Endless.com.
She has worked as a barista, florist, cheese monger, research coordinator, and news librarian. No, she is not a taxidermist.
Her To Do List for the year includes organizing a double-dutch jump rope team and learning to play the xylophone.
She can drink wine seven nights a week with little or no after-effect.
Amy can write backwards in cursive.
She's an example of the reason why you shouldn't get a tattoo in high school. She wouldn't spill the beans until I guessed what it was on the first try! Now I'm sworn to secrecy.
Don't challenge her to a game of dice.
According to other folks on the Product Team, Amy is preparing to blow everyone else in the "messy desk contest" out of the water.
Her first concert was Faith No More and Helmet.

Amy (on the right) gives Tara a run for her big-haired money. I love how the bouffants seem to be casting shadows along the far wall.

Amy got into karaoke before everyone else, way back when blue shag carpet, Mr. Potato Head, and — as Eric put it — "Burt and Ernie shirts" were de rigeur. Amy, "You should be dancin', yeah!"

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

Some of Amy's favorites below...

Tech Update: Announcing New Art Subcategory Showcases

2009-05-12T15:45:00-05:00

Attention Artists,

Following up on the launch of Jewelry Subcategory Showcases, today we begin selling a new set of Subcategory Showcases in the Art Category. Art Subcategory Showcase spots are on sale now and available for purchase on the Showcase Gateway. These spots will begin appearing on the site starting tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 12am EDT.

The new Art Subcategory Showcases increase the availability of spots for this popular category, and will also allow you to reach an even more targeted group of shoppers interested in your specific medium, be it printmaking, painting, sculpture, etc. These spots will be priced at $7 per 24-hour cycle. There will be 25 spots in each Subcategory Showcase. The subcategories in Art include:

Aceo
Collage
Drawing
Fiber art
Illustration
Mixed media
Painting
Photography
Print
Printmaking
Reproduction
Sculpture

The Art Subcategory Showcase spots will display the same way as the Jewelry Subcategory Showcase modules (as shown below), and they will be shown on all pages within the subcategory.

These new Subcategory Showcases can be purchased in the same manner as the other Showcases — through the Showcase Gateway.

Remember, in order to be placed in a Subcategory Showcase, your item must be tagged accurately. For instance, an item going into the Collage Subcategory must be tagged with "art" (as the first tag) and also with "collage" as the second tag. (The second tag determines which subcategory your item will fall under.)

Artists and art-lovers, we hope you like this new promotion!

What is this Showcase thing? For a general introduction to Showcase, read Matt's Storque article 13.5 Questions about the Showcase, and for deeper thoughts on figuring out if Showcase is right for you, see Beth's Showcase Deconstructed article.

P.S. If you want to get the breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox, then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Ceramics and Pottery: Facts and Fancies (Part 1)

2009-04-30T17:00:00-05:00

A search through the Ceramics and Pottery Category here on Etsy can at first seem intimidating. The enormous variety of work seems to be just barely held together by a common thread. This category encompasses many items that could rightfully be placed in other categories such as Art, Housewares, Jewelry, Geekery, Holidays, Dolls and Miniatures, Accessories and Everything Else. That tiny thread, the one thing pulling these items into this category as opposed to those others, is the material that all of these items are made out of — ceramics! The term ceramics refers to any clay that has been fired and transformed from fragile dirt-like material to a hard and permanent stone. Once the transformation occurs, ceramic objects can survive tens of thousands of years (provided nobody drops them).

I’m Jeff Campana, aka CampanaCeramics of jeffcampana.com, and I'm full-time artist and instructor of ceramics at the University of Louisville. In this article I will guide you through the Ceramics and Pottery Category. I hope to instill the knowledge you’ll need in your search for that perfect Etsy find. While exposing various aspects of the ceramic process, I will introduce you to a few fine Etsy shops along the way.

Material
Clay is a naturally occurring material, a mass of chemically weathered rocks. Geologic in origin, clay as we use it can be dug up from deposits or mixed from clays found in a number of regions, or even countries, for optimal appearance and working qualities. At webbpottery, Alabama potter Anne Webb digs up and processes her own clay from local deposits. Below, you can see her clay mixer, which is actually a 1915 dough mixer.

Inexpensive but labor intensive, this native clay stoneware has a unique color and texture that would be hard to artificially create by blending materials.

Conversely, the stark purity of imported and highly refined porcelain is the opposite in several ways. It comes mixed, de-aired, ready to use, and is very expensive, often shipped internationally. Once the symbol of technology, early porcelain ware from China was highly valued as a precious commodity, likened to gold. The material beauty of porcelain is utilized nicely in Yashabutler’s simple and elegant porcelain bowls and jewelry.

Temperature
Ceramics can be divided into three categories based on firing temperature: low fire, midrange and high fire. Each of these categories offer something unique.

Low fire, also known as earthenware, is typified by red terra cotta clay, but comes in a white version as well. It offers the brightest color palette and the lowest environmental impact: energy used to fire the ware and highly processed materials are minimized. Potter Martyfielding takes his environmental concerns a step further. “My studio is powered by green electricity generated from methane collected from Vermont dairy farms.” Artists also choose this material for visceral appeal they have for it. Dawn Ferguson of fergusonpottery leaves parts of her pots unglazed to show off her favorite aspect of the material. “I want you to feel this beautiful red earthenware I work with because it is so rich and gorgeous.”

High Fire ceramics, consisting of both porcelain and stoneware, is known for its durability and strength, but limited color palette. Having been fired to nearly a glass, this vitrified substance is as hard as stone, hence the name, stoneware. Stoneware is usually rough in texture and grey to brown in color. It is a forgiving material to work with, allowing for large scale work and complicated fabrication. The large 4 gallon stoneware jars by Baumanstoneware exemplify what is possible with the earthy and workable properties of this material.

Porcelain is known for its white color, and in some cases translucency, as seen below in stepanka's cups. It is the most challenging type of clay to work with, having tendencies to sag, crack, and crumble in the hands of the artist.
Working with porcelain takes patience and finesse, but to its devotees, it is the most seductive and sensual material.

Between high fire and low fire lies the aptly-named Midrange ceramics, a middle ground possessing some of the wide color spectrum associated with low fire and some of the durability associated with high fire. Jenni Brant of Burrobranch dresses her feminine porcelain forms in pastel pinks and yellows, made possible by lower firing temperatures.

See some of Burrobranch's process below.

Forming Methods
The most popular and familiar method for making pottery is called throwing. A mass of clay is centered on a spinning wheel. The clay is methodically manipulated into a hollow pottery form using just hands and minimal tools. Whitneysmith and her friend Frank made an amazing video, demonstrating her throwing skills, and posted it on her blog. Potters develop a personal approach to throwing as they learn, and often have a distinctive sensibility to form.

Dry throw demonstration from frank-e-t on Vimeo.

Watch an Etsy Process video with KimWestad to see this artist in her studio.

Slab building is a common method used in both sculpture and pottery applications. Clay is rolled out into sheets and formed using molds or free hand. Patterns can be cut and assembled in a fashion similar to sewing or woodworking, depending upon the dryness. The effects of this forming method can vary from the fluid drapery of carolbarclay’s folded porcelain vase to the crisp angular wall pillows of Stepanka.

Slip casting, a popular method of producing multiples, starts with liquefied clay. It is poured into a plaster mold. As the moisture is drawn into the plaster, a wall of hardened clay forms in the shape of the mold. When the wall reaches the desired thickness, the excess liquid is removed and the piece is allowed to dry. The slick pottery from jillrosenwald and CircaCeramics are created this way, as well as the cerebral industrial sculptures of ricochetstudio.

Circaceramics, for instance, design and make their own shapes and molds on their own machinery. See their flickr set for more about this process.

Glaze
Glaze is the glass coating found on many ceramic objects. It seals and protects the clay while adding color and depth to the surface. Some artists use premixed commercial glazes while others see glaze as yet another realm of experiments and possibilities. Working in a pseudo-scientific manner, variations upon a recipe are carefully tested and recorded. Basically a combination of various crushed minerals and metallic oxides, glaze recipes are carefully weighed out and mixed into a slurry to be applied to the ceramics and fired for highly personalized effects.

Artist Melissa Schooley of RagingBowl, maker of the gorgeous fruit bowl below, puts in the time to get it just right. “The recipe that's on my work took me about three years to get it just where I wanted it — colour, surface, texture and drippiness.”

Firing
Some artists are drawn to the firing process, often done with a kiln. With ample fodder for even the most extreme pyromaniac, ceramics for some is about playing with fire. With temperatures reaching 2350 degrees fahrenheit, high fire wood kilns draw crowds, and concerned firefighters, to sublime displays of pyrotechnics. I had the opportunity to visit accomplished potter Mark Skudlarek of cambridgepottery’s wood kiln some years ago. Built like an upside-down boat hull, his giant noborigama kiln, which he built with Allamakee Wood-fired Pottery, fires nearly 2000 pots at a time using only wood as fuel.

The effect of this process is evident in this unglazed plate. Ash and salts from the burning wood accumulate and form a natural glaze on the surface.

Many artists choose the convenience and economic benefits of electric kilns. Relatively small and widely available, electric kilns can be placed in almost any studio, and require only an oven or refrigerator electrical hookup to install. The popularity of electric kilns spans all temperature ranges. A glaze unique to electric kilns, crystalline glaze, is made using a computer controlled firing cycle, Jon Price of CrystallineGlaze finds the scientific rigor of this type of glaze to be a match for his personality. “I have an immense amount of energy, technical curiosity, great patience, enjoy constantly pushing the limits of what one can do — and I don't mind getting up in the middle of the night to tend the kiln!” He discusses the demands of his glaze in his shop announcement. “The number of crystals and their sizes, shapes, and colors are determined not only by the chemicals in the glaze, but also depend heavily upon the exact heating schedule that the piece underwent while firing.”

Gas kilns, fueled by either propane or natural gas, are widely used as well. These types of kilns are very dependable and easily go to high temperatures, but require a lot of knowledge and experience to properly fire. In reduction firing, a popular type of gas firing method, the fire in the kiln is purposely given too much fuel, causing the combustion reaction to pull oxygen molecules from the clay and glazes, yielding unique results. Creativewithclay's Sassy Teapot dipped in just one glaze, is a prime example of the sort of effects that draw people to gas firing.

Raku, a popular firing method for decorative ceramics, is a process in which objects are taken from the kiln while still red hot, and placed within a pile of combustible material such as hay, sawdust or paper to cool and smolder. Stunning effects — such as the Horse hair urn by rmello (below left), Crackle on the bottles by wildcardpottery (below right), and Oil Slick on Raku4u's copper contrast pot (at the bottom) — are all achieved through this type of firing.

Below, Raku4u during a raku firing.

Shoppers should be aware that objects fired in this way are not intended for functional purposes. Ron Mello aka rmello of www.ronmellostudio.com offers this warning to his customers: "Like all raku-fired work, this piece is a fragile, non-functional piece and should be handled carefully and not exposed to water or strong light. It is suitable for dry flowers and other materials. You may insert a plastic or glass liner for cut flowers."

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Ceramics and Pottery, in which Jeff gives insights into the exquisite detail found in this category. Etsy has so much to offer shoppers — it's like a whole universe! In this Facts and Fancies series, we'll take you on a tour through Etsy's Categories. As we visit these "planets" one by one, we'll talk to sellers and experts and find some of extraordinary items on Etsy. (We'll also get some great insider tips along the way.)

Give a shout out in the comments if you've ever tried to work with clay — one of the most difficult artistic mediums. Don't these artists make it look easy?

Further Resources:

Clayart Archives: http://potters.org - Useful process information and a helpful community

Ceramic Arts Daily : http://www.ceramicartsdaily.org/ - A blog by the makers of Ceramics Monthly Magazine

Learn about more of Etsy's Categories with our Facts and Fancies Reviews.

Visit the MUD Team's Shop.

Mother-Daughter-Grandmother Shops: Crocheting the Generation Gap (en Español)

2009-04-17T10:30:00-05:00

“To be, or not to be,” Shakespeare's Hamlet asked. How about “Two Knit or Knot to Knit?” This is the question for granddaughter Eve Neuhart and her grandmother Martha Villa, who started a shop called TwoKnit. They were introduced to Etsy by Roxana Villa (IlluminatedPerfume and RoxanaVilla), Martha’s daughter and Eve’s mother.

TwoKnit is a new member of the Etsy in Spanish Team and invited lolos and family member Estudio Mullen to translate this post into Spanish.

El nombre TwoKnit representa a las dos tejedoras dueñas de la tienda. El nombre está inspirado en la cita de Shakespeare “Ser o No Ser”, que fue transformada en “Tejer o No Tejer”. Martha Villa y su nieta Eve Neuhart conocieron Etsy gracias a Roxana Villa (IlluminatedPerfume.etsy.com & RoxanaVilla.etsy.com). Roxana es la hija de Martha y la madre de Eve.

Martha began knitting at an early age in Argentina, as seen in the above photo with her cousins on the beach. In 1962 she began knitting professionally in an attempt to bring income to the household. This soon resulted in a TV appearance and a fashion show with her designs in 1964. At the time she had a shop with twelve knitters creating her designs and two sales reps. After moving to the states, Martha took a position at a small boutique in Beverly Hills called "Andrea’s" on little Santa Monica and Camden. This is where she created the crochet hats for Ali MacGraw (Love Story) and taught Natalie Wood to crochet when she was expecting her first baby. Martha’s other celebrity clients have included Lois Clark (James Garner's wife), Shirley Fonda and Charo.

Martha comenzó a tejer con sus primos en las playas de Argentina cuando era una niña. En 1962, tratando de aumentar los ingresos para su hogar, empezó a tejer profesionalmente, y en 1964 presentó sus diseños en un espectáculo de moda en televisión. En esa época, era dueña de una tienda que tenía dos vendedoras y doce tejedoras creando sus diseños. Después de mudarse a los Estados Unidos, Martha trabajó en una pequeña boutique de Beverly Hills llamada Andrea, ubicada en Little Santa Monica y Camden. Allí creó los sombreros de ganchillo para Ali MacGraw (Love Story) y le enseñó a tejer con ganchillo a Natalie Wood cuando ésta esperaba su primer bebé. Otros clientes célebres incluyeron a Lois Clark (la esposa de James Garner), Shirley Fonda y Charo.

Eve, sixteen years of age, has been blessed by a bounty of creativity in her family. Some of Eve’s favorite activities include acting, filmmaking, writing, drawing, painting, photography, quantum physics, Shakespeare Summer camp, and of course knitting. The first knitted item that Eve created was a pocket gnome. From there she moved onto to animals (lamb, lion and a bear) and socks. While Eve was in eighth and ninth grade, she and her best friend had a booth at their school's winter fair where they sold their knitted hats and scarves. Shortly after Roxana opened her Illuminated Perfume shop here on Etsy, Martha and Eve decided to open TwoKnit, featuring both their wares. Martha specializes in both knitting and crochet. Eve currently focuses on knitted hats and scarves and models many of the items for their shop.

Eve, de dieciséis años, ha sido bendecida con toda la creatividad de su familia. Algunas de las actividades favoritas de Eve incluyen la actuación, filmación, escritura, dibujo, pintura, fotografía, física cuántica, Campamento de Verano de Shakespeare y por supuesto el tejido. Lo primero que tejió Eve fue un duende de bolsillo. Luego tejió animales (corderos, leones y osos) y calcetines. Cuando Eve estaba en octavo y noveno grado, en la feria de invierno de su escuela, ella y su mejor amiga tuvieron un puesto donde vendieron sus sombreros tejidos y sus bufandas. El año pasado Eve y Martha crearon su primer proyecto colaborativo; un abrigo tejido, inspirado por un objeto que descubrieron en Fred Segals de Santa Mónica, una tienda muy de moda. Martha y Eve diseñaron juntas el abrigo y tejieron diferentes piezas. Al final Martha armó el conjunto.

Al poco tiempo que Roxana abrió su tienda Illuminated Perfume (www.illuminatedperfume.etsy.com) en Etsy, Martha y Eve decidieron abrir TwoKnit para mostrar sus creaciones. Martha se especializa en tejido y ganchillo. Eve se dedica actualmente a los sombreros y bufandas tejidas y es la encargada de modelar muchos de los productos de su tienda.

Little Roxana!

Martha’s passion for crochet and knitting was rekindled when Roxana asked her to make some pouches for her natural/botanical perfumes. In the realm of niche perfumery, many of the artists utilize similar bottles. As a way to differentiate her products from other niche perfumers Roxana decided to recruit her mother’s extraordinary talent for the task. The heirloom pouches are in keeping with the spirit of the exquisite handmade artifact. Roxana and Martha spent much time together researching yarns and other embellishments for the pouches.

La pasión de Martha por el ganchillo y el tejido se reavivó cuando Roxana le pidió hacer algunas bolsitas para colocar sus perfumes botánicos/naturales. En el campo de la perfumería exclusiva muchos de los artistas utilizan este tipo de presentaciones. Para diferenciar sus productos de los otros perfumes, Roxana decidió utilizar el extraordinario talento de su madre. Estas bolsitas exclusivas mantienen el espíritu de los exquisitos objetos hechos a mano. Roxana y Martha pasan mucho tiempo juntas investigando estambres y otros adornos para los envases.

Since Roxana had color coded each perfume, this system was applied to the pouches and soon all the packaging pieces came together. Lyra, the very feminine floral perfume, has a dusty rose colored pouch for both manifestations as a liquid and solid perfume. Martha also painstakingly embellishes the boxes which house the perfumes by creating silk pillows and lining the interiors with ribbon. Working on this project together strengthened the bond between Roxana and Martha. Thus, when Roxana opened her Etsy shop, Martha and Eve soon followed suit. Greg Spalenka (spalenka and spalenkaart), Roxana’s husband, contributes the illustrations that illuminate each of her perfumes.

Roxana codificó cada perfume en base a colores y éste sistema fue el que aplicaron a las bolsitas, consolidando así todo el sistema de empaque. Lyra, perfume floral muy femenino, tiene una bolsita en tono rosado opaco para el perfume líquido así como para el sólido. Martha también embellece minuciosamente las cajas que contienen los perfumes, creando almohadillas de seda y forrando el interior con cintos. Trabajando juntas en este proyecto, Roxana y Martha fortalecieron la relación entre ambas. Así, cuando Roxana abrió su tienda en Etsy, Martha y Eve decidieron hacer lo mismo. El esposo de Roxana, Greg Spalenka (spalenka.etsy.com y spalenkaart.etsy.com) colabora con las ilustraciones que iluminan cada uno de sus perfumes.

Martha tends to knit and crochet outside in a chair next to her swimming pool in the California sunshine. Roxana and Eve work on their projects in their Santa Monica Mountain home, which serves as a large studio space. Eve also knits in the car to and from school, at school and while watching her favorite films.

Martha teje y hace ganchillo sentada en una silla junto a su piscina, bajo el sol de California. Roxana y Eve trabajan en sus proyectos en su casa en la montaña en Santa Mónica, que les sirve como un amplio estudio. Eve también teje en el auto yendo y viniendo de la escuela, en la escuela y mientras mira sus películas favoritas.

SALE-Blessings Grande Art Pendant Necklace-was 135

Roxana was introduced to Etsy by an article that appeared in the LA Times. Shortly thereafter, Lori Patton opened her shop featuring art jewelry including imagery by Roxana and Greg.

Roxana conoció Etsy gracias a un artículo que apareció en el LA Times. Después de eso, Lori Patton de HeartworksbyLori.etsy.com abrió su tienda exhibiendo joyería de arte que incluía imágenes realizadas por Roxana y Greg. By heartworksbylori, $75.

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Darling Clementine Capelet

When Martha first saw the work of Dennice of fringe, she remarked “Finally, someone who is pricing handmade knitwear appropriately!” Eve and Roxana are extremely found of all Dennice’s creations. This one has a beautiful, vintage quality. Besides LOST, Eve and Roxana’s other favorite TV show is called Fringe.

Cuando Martha vió el trabajo realizado por Dennice de Fringe, dijo: “¡Por fin alguien está cobrando de manera adecuada las prendas de punto!” Eve y Roxana son admiradoras de las creaciones de Dennice. Ésta tiene una bella calidad vintage. Aparte de LOST, el otro program favorito de Eve y Roxana es Fringe. By fringe, $112.

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Deer Portrait Letterpress Flat Card

In the eighties when Roxana lived in Brooklyn and worked as a freelance illustrator, she had a studio space on Perry Street in Greenwich Village for her Vandercook flatbed letterpress. We chose this letterpress image because Eve adores foxes.

En los ochentas, cuando Roxana vivía en Brooklyn y trabajaba como ilustradora independiente, tenía espacio en un estudio en Perry Street en Greenwich Village para su impresora de mesa Vandercook. Elegimos esta impresión de letterpress porque Eve adora los zorros. By letterpress, $3.25.

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Squirrel Chubbikin

Eve and Roxana live up in the Santa Monica Mountains where they are often visited by a variety of creatures, including coyotes, raccoons, tree and ground squirrels, lizards, skunks, families of quail, songbirds, bees, hawks, owls and unfortunately gophers. These squirrel Chubbikins are so sweet, aren’t they?! Our local tree squirrels live up in our native oaks, where they act like Oak Tree fairies planting acorns.

Eve y Roxana viven en las montañas de Santa Mónica donde suelen recibir visitas de muchas criaturas como por ejemplo coyotes, mapaches, ardillas, lagartijas, zorrinos, familias de codornices, pájaros, abejas, halcones, búhos y, desgraciadamente, topos. Estas ardillas Chubbikins son preciosas, ¡¿no?! Nuestras ardillas arbóreas locales viven en nuestros robles nativos, donde actúan como duendes plantando bellotas. By erinaellis, $18.

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Q Botanical Perfume

The first pouch Martha created for Roxana was for the natural/botanical perfume called Q, for Quercus agrifolia, California's native Oak Trees. Roxana gives a percentage of the proceeds from each bottle of Q sold to the California Oak Foundation.

La primera bolsa que Martha creo para Roxana fue para un perfume botánico natural llamado Q, por Quercus agrifolia, nuestro roble nativo. Roxana dona a la Fundación California Oak un porcentaje de los ingresos provenientes de cada botella de Q. By IlluminatedPerfume, $150.

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Paris Rooftop 2- Original Signed Fine Art Photograph

While Martha worked at Andrea’s in Beverly Hills she would occasionally travel to Paris to look at the latest fashion designs. Sometimes Roxana would tag along with Martha on these trips. This photograph of Paris is reminiscent of those fun mother-daughter excursions and also looks a bit like Buenos Aires.

Mientras Martha trabajaba en Andrea, en Beverly Hills, ella solía viajar a París para mirar los últimos diseños de la moda. Esta foto de París rememora esas divertidas excursiones de madre e hija y además tiene un parecido con la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. By AliciaBock, $35.

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VINTAGE BRASS LARGE ART DECO ANGEL PENDANT

These pendants by myshangrila make Eve and Roxana swoon. We are looking forward having some custom necklaces created by an Etsy artisan utilizing these gorgeous, brass pendants. They look a bit like some of the muses in Greg’s paintings.

Estos pendientes de MyShangriLa hacen delirar a Eve y Roxana. Esperamos poder contar con que algunos artesanos de Etsy nos hagan unos collares a pedido, utilizando estos maravillosos pendientes de bronce. Se parecen un poco a las musas que aparecen en las pinturas de Greg. By myshangrila, $10.

View Item | View Shop

TwoKnit is a new member of the Etsy in Spanish and Illuminated Perfume is a very proud member of the Green & Clean Guild - EGCG!

Links of Interest:
Highland Hall Waldorf School
Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview with Roxana

California Oak Foundation

Let us know in the comments about other mother-daughter (or son) shops!

More Mother-Daughter (and Granddaughter!) Stories | Mother's Day Showcase

Check Out Our Gift Guides for Mother's Day Presents

Tech Update: Announcing New Jewelry Sub-Category Showcases

2009-04-08T12:34:00-05:00

Hello Sellers,

On Thursday, April 9, 2009 at 12am EDT we will begin selling Jewelry Subcategory Showcase spots. (Translate this time on a world clock.) They will be available for purchase at the Showcase Gateway. These spots will begin appearing on the site starting Friday April 10, 2009 at 12am EDT.

If you have tried to buy a Showcase spot in the past, particularly in some of our more popular categories such as Jewelry, you might be interested in this upcoming trial offer. Not only will the new Subcategory Showcases increase availability of spots, but they will also allow you to reach an even more targeted group of shoppers interested in your specific type of item.

These spots will be priced at $7 per 24-hour cycle. There will be 25 spots in each Subcategory Showcase. The sub-categories in Jewelry include:

Subcategory Showcase spots will display just as the Showcase modules on the recently updated category pages, and they will be shown on all pages within the subcategory. These new Subcategory Showcases can be purchased in the same manner as the other Showcases — through the Showcase Gateway.

Remember, in order to be placed in a Subcategory Showcase, your item must be tagged accurately. For instance, an item going into the Necklace Subcategory must be tagged with "jewelry" (as the first tag) and "necklace" (as the second tag). (The second tag determines which subcategory your item will fall under.)

This is the first trial offer for Subcategory Showcases and we welcome your feedback in this forum thread. (We will close commenting on this post in order to consolidate feedback.) After we evaluate feedback on these Jewelry Subcategory Showcases, we will consider launching Subcategory Showcases in other Categories.

What is this Showcase thing? For a general introduction to Showcase, read Matt's Storque article 13.5 Questions about the Showcase, and for deeper thoughts on figuring out if Showcase is right for you, see Beth's Showcase Deconstructed article.

P.S.
If you want to get the breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox, then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Bath and Beauty: Facts and Fancies (Part 1)

2009-04-01T17:05:00-05:00

Etsy has so much to offer shoppers — it's like a whole universe! In this Facts and Fancies series, I'll take you on a tour through Etsy's Categories. As we visit these "planets" one by one, we'll talk to sellers and experts and find some of extraordinary items on Etsy. (We'll also get some great insider tips along the way.) In this edition, we'll be cruising through the Bath and Beauty Category's Soaps, Salts, Scrubs and Bath Bombs, Lip Balm, Lotions, Deodorant, Fragrances, and last but not least, Men's products (and if that's not enough, look for Part 2 next week where we'll cover more types of items).

I hadn't thought of Bath and Beauty products as an art form before I found Etsy. These artisans and experts have convinced me that Bath and Beauty items have a unique role to play in the handmade universe: "Bath and Beauty products are so personal. You're exposed — often when you're naked — when you use them on your skin," says Donna Maria Coles Johnson, a small beauty business expert and the founder and CEO of IndieBeauty.com. "It's a sensory experience. Your personality connects with these scented products, and when they are handmade, the emotional experience is heightened. Memories are triggered by scents and the interaction between buyer and maker makes the entire process, from shopping to buying to using, that much more enjoyable."

You can think of these sellers as artists and their medium not as paint but, for instance, oils and bases, scents, salts and liquids. As soaper swanmountainsoaps put it, "The great – or terrible – thing about being a soaper is that EVERYTHING inspires you to make soap! I was looking at an amazing sunrise yesterday, with incredibly sharp hues of purple, hot pink and orange, and I thought, 'What a great bar of soap that would make!' Even your breakfast inspires you."

Soap by sunbasilgarden.

One of the best things about Etsy's Bath and Beauty Category is that you can contact a seller and ask for a custom order or ask about particular ingredients. Donna Maria points out that, while natural and organic items are currently very sought-after, it's important for shoppers to know what they are looking for. "For example, 'natural' is defined by the person using the term," she says. "It can mean 'vegan' — no animal products — to one person and 'organic' to another. Donna Maria urges shoppers to look for ingredient listings at seller websites so you know exactly what's in a product before you buy it, and also, to ask sellers questions before you buy. "Transparency and clarity is important when you're buying personal care products for your family," she says.

Speaking of transparency...Do you know how Bath and Beauty products are made? There's a lot of chemistry involved (and you can find out more from the links below under Further Resources). But here's a core factoid to get you started:

Fragrance oils vs. Essential oils — According to Donna Maria, fragrance oils are either 100% synthetic or partially synthetic. Essential oils, on the other hand, if they are not adulterated, are the 100% natural, steam-distilled essence from plant materials such as tree bark, herbs or flowers. Contrary to the what you
might assume, essential oils are not "oily" in texture, but have a watery liquid feel. If a product is unscented, it usually means there are no essential oils or fragrance oils in the product, and to the extent you can smell anything, it's a result of scents contributed by something else, such as a base ingredient like olive oil for example. If smell of any kind is important to you, it's best to ask the seller if the product has a scent of any kind, regardless of where it comes from.

Soaps

Classic, pure handmade soap is one of the most popular items to purchase on Etsy. Once you start trying some different soaps, you might get hooked! It's easy because "many soapers offer sample packs in their shops so customers can get a feel for their products," says swanmountainsoaps. "These are a great way to acquaint a skeptical friend with the beauty of handmade soap!"
A sample pack from BLSoaps.

Because soap is such a personal item, you should talk to a seller about any skin sensitivities you might have. As swanmountainsoaps put it, "Any reputable soaper will tell you all of the ingredients in their products, whether they make soap from a base or from scratch, because so many people these days have allergies or sensitive skin. Just saying a soap is made from 'olive oil' or 'glycerin' or 'soap base' doesn’t tell you if the product might contain a possible allergen like a nut oil, or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) or sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) – detergents that can cause skin irritation in some people."

When you're browsing Soap in Bath and Beauty, you may encounter a bit of soapy jargon. swanmountainsoaps explains:

Cold Process (CP) and Hot Process (HP) — These are soaps made from scratch. It's an art and a science, and many soapers tweak their formulas for years, adding a percent of this or that oil here and there to find the perfect "recipe" for a soap that cleanses and yet conditions.

Melt and Pour (M&P) — Melt and pour soap, on the other hand, is already soap when you buy it. M&P soapers buy their base, melt it and add color and fragrance, plus sometimes other ingredients (ground oatmeal, for example) to "tweak" the base and make it their own. Usually the amazing shapes you see (like
LaveMeSoapCo's awesome camera soap or LoveLeeSoaps's hotdog soap) and most clear soaps are made from a base. “Re-batched” soap has been made using the CP or HP method, melted down again, played with, and re-poured into a mold (this is also sometimes referred to as “hand-milled” soap).

LaveMeSoapCo's Cucumber and Cilantro soap with embedded loofah.

For cold or hot process soap, a soaper adds lye to liquid (usually water), and then adds that mixture to their oils. But why stick with water? swanmountainsoaps points out that soapers "can add beer (such as the one on the right from thebeersoapcompany), goat’s milk, coconut milk, wine, coffee…each of these lends a different quality to the soap. For example, beer soap is known for its amazing lather. Strong coffee added to soap can help remove kitchen odors from your hands. Goat's milk is chock full of emollients, vitamins and triglycerides that have long been known to work wonders on the skin."

"There are soap spa bars made with almost 50 percent salt like this one from magichands, scrubby soaps that help exfoliate away dead skin, soap bars made to shampoo your hair with," continues swanmountainsoaps. "Soaps can be left in their naturally beautiful state or colored. They can be scented with EOs (essential oils) or FOs (fragrance oils). And, they don’t always come in solid form! There is whipped soap, liquid soap, gel soap," even special soap just for shaving.

urbaneden confessed to me, "I don't shave my legs in the winter. I wear jeans or opaque tights. And my husband's an old hippie, heh. He doesn't care. But come spring, I want to bare my legs and I want them to be hair-free. Before I started making my Smooth Legs Shaving Bars, the annual spring shearing was no fun." When I asked what makes a great shaving bar, she replied, "Lots of clay to help the razor glide. Lots of castor and coconut oils to produce a great lather. Lots of skin-softening ingredients like olive oil and shea butter."

I was curious about the crazy diversity of soaps on Etsy, so I did a random search and found everything from honeydew to dentures. Go ahead and try a random word!

Salts, Scrubs & Bath Bombs
And you thought baths were just about getting clean! Donna Maria loves bath bombs that are just plain fun. She's personally drawn to "anything citrus...lemon, lime, orange" and recalled GrumpyGirl as a shop that "jumped off the page." (Check out GrumpyGirl's hilarious descriptions!)

swanmountainsoaps gives us the inside scoop on how to make bath-time the best:

Bath Bombs — A great way to add a little fun to the bath! And, for women or kids who can't use bubble baths (for some people, they can lead to urinary tract infections, which are no fun at all), these are a great alternative. Bath bombs are made from a combination of an acid (such as citric acid) and a base (such as baking soda) plus color, fragrance, and sometimes other ingredients like glitter or confetti. For a more luxurious bath bomb, a seller will add an oil such as shea butter or cocoa butter that melts into your bath water and helps moisturize your skin.

Bath salts by PacificParadiseSoap.

Bath Salts — These can turn an ordinary bath into an amazingly soothing experience. Often, a combination of salts is used, such as Epsom salts, mineral salts, Dead Sea salts — even Bolivian Pink Salt. As you soak in the salts, your body can actually absorb minerals like magnesium and sulfates. BellaLunaCrafts's Sweet Bay Rose bath salts, for example, are made with Epsom salts. For more information about the health benefits of Epsom salts, for example, go here. Add a soothing essential oil, and your troubles will go down the drain!

Scrubs — An invigorating way way to pamper dry or tired skin. It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the best thing to do for dry skin is to exfoliate those dry skin cells away! Sugar and salt scrubs are very popular, but exotic scrubs made with crushed walnut shells, cranberry seeds, ground apricot kernels, ground orange peel, or ground loofah work quite well also.
This scrub (at right) by jklean has pieces of toasted coconut.

Once that layer of dead skin is gone, that new skin underneath is ready to soak up the moisture!

Lip Balm

Aside from being an absolutely omnipresent must-have in my purse, good lip balm makes a great little extra element to any gift. Turns out these little sticks have stories to tell. Seller morganstreet, who is originally from England, told me she looks "back to my childhood there when thinking up new scents. For example: My Turkish Delight Lip balm is named after a British sweet that I used to LOVE as a child. It’s a rose flavored jelly-like block that’s covered in yummy chocolate."

Always check for ingredients you might be allergic to. You may want to acquaint yourself with common properties of lip balm. morganstreet gives us the rundown:

Beeswax – A natural solid wax produced by honey bees. Beeswax has great conditioning and moisturizing properties.

Carnauba Wax – A solid natural vegetable wax derived from the Brazilian Carnauba Palm tree.

Candelilla Wax – A solid natural plant derived wax.

Shea Butter – A solid fat derived from the fruit of the African Karite tree. Shea butter has many great benefits, including being moisturizing and an ability to penetrate the skin easily.

Jojoba Oil – Although liquid in appearance, jojoba is actually a wax. It is very similar to the skin’s natural sebum and has the ability to penetrate the skin easily.

Sweet Almond Oil – A nut oil derived from almond nuts. Rich in vitamins, it penetrates the skin easily and has great softening and conditioning properties.

Lanolin – A thick waxy substance derived from the wool of sheep. Lanolin is an excellent emollient and humectant. Humectants attract moisture from the air bringing it to the skin where it’s much needed.

Vitamin E – Acts as an antioxidant. It also helps to keep your lip balm fresher for longer, though it's not a preservative.

Color – Colorants used in lip balms should be FDA approved for use on the lips. This means that a colorant could be safe for use in a wash-off product like soap, but may not be safe for use in leave-on products like lotions or for use on the lips or eyes. If in doubt, ask your seller.

Coconut Lemongrass lip balm by YouStinkSoap.

Although some of the most common ingredients used in lip balm making are animal products (beeswax, honey, milk or lanolin), it doesn’t mean that vegans are out of luck. There are plenty of Bath and Body sellers here on Etsy who make lip balm with no animal products.

A close-up of morganstreet pouring her mixture into the lip balm mold.

morganstreet also shared this fun fact: "Did you know that flavored lip balms don’t actually have a taste? (Except for lip balms flavored with essential oils.) They are actually scented with lip-safe fragrances! When we apply lip balm to the lips, we’re actually smelling their scent. Since the nose is so close to the mouth, the brain is tricked into thinking that we’re tasting it. This experience is further enhanced with the use of sweeteners added to the lip balm to give it a sweet taste."

Deodorant

When I asked urbaneden what she wanted to tell shoppers about deodorant, she said, "I can’t remember. No, actually, that’s a little joke because I stopped using aluminum out of fear of Alzheimer’s disease, which runs in my family. The evidence linking aluminum — the active ingredient in commercial antiperspirants — with Alzheimer’s isn’t conclusive. But it’s a risk I don’t want to take. Besides, sweating is good! Sweating keeps us cool. Sweating allows our skin to breathe. Sweating sends chemical pheromones out to potential mates, maybe even leading to love at first sight. However, when the bacteria in sweat multiplies and stinks…well, I can live without that."

So she, along with many Etsy sellers, prefers to make deodorants which work not by blocking sweat, but by blocking odor. While she's seen many types of deodorants on Etsy that neutralize odors with baking soda or vegetable protein, or with bacteria-inhibiting essential oils, she uses lavender, tea tree, rosemary and myrrh. "This combination works for me," says urbaneden. "But there are other anti-bacterial essential oils whose scents you might prefer, including patchouli, lemongrass, geranium, and the citrus essential oils."

There are also different methods and ingredients which give deodorants their glide-on-but-not-too-mushy texture. urbaneden uses beeswax in her deodorant which helps "keep it solid in hot weather," but there are vegan products too. Searching for "vegan deodorant" turned up this item from SpaTherapy, for example.

If you are concerned about damp pits, check out items like BehaveLittles's deodorant, pictured below. She uses it herself and says, "My own underarms are soft, dry, and comfortable for the first time since junior high!"

Lotions

This customer's boyfriend got hooked on lotion, so much so that they special ordered custom extra-large size — The Tub o' Zen!

The not-so-scientifically named bunnybuttapothecary came to her Bath and Beauty business to fill "the big void that pursuing a PhD in the humanities left in the scientific half of my brain. For me, formulating and concocting my products is kind of like a cross between baking and high school chemistry — it smells good enough to eat and sometimes things explode (well, rarely, but one can dream)." The intellectually minded bunnybutt suggests that shoppers do some research on which oils work for you. "For instance, something like cocoa butter, or even shea and mango butters, will result in a thicker cream with more body (especially if they're high up on the list of ingredient). Lots of liquid oils, on the other hand, will generally produce a looser lotion that goes on a bit lighter."

bunnybuttapothecary filled me in on the difference between lotions, creams, and butters, and some of their common ingredients:

Butters — You will find that some butters to be pure butters and oils blended together (for instance, our Death by Chocolate butter will indeed be just that) and usually whipped to a creamy consistency. Products such as this contain no water and therefore do not require the ingredients which are crucial to their water-based cousins; namely, emulsifiers and preservatives. Many of the mass produced "butters" on the market today are technically thick creams.

Lotions and Creams — These can be grouped together on the grounds that they are both aqueous — meaning, water containing water — in the sense that they are an emulsion of water and oils. Creams will generally have a higher proportion of oils, but the general idea is the same.

Emulsifier — Every lotion needs an emulsifier. That's the stuff that keeps your oils and water blended together (think mayo as opposed to straight oil and vinegar dressing). Some common examples are the polysorbates (20, 60, or 80) or soy lecithin. These are derived from various sources, generally plant-based, but strict vegans may want to inquire as many common ingredients (like stearic acid, which is often used as a thickener to support an emulsion) do have variants that are derived from animal materials.

Preservatives — Another key ingredient in any water-containing moisturizer, and one that has undeservedly gotten a bad rap in recent times. There are conflicting studies on both sides of the great preservative issue, but the crux of the matter is that you simply cannot have a regular lotion or cream without some sort of preservative. Simply put, a preservative is a chemical agent that works to prevent the growth of undesirable critters in your creams (like bacteria and mold and the like). These nasties thrive in water, so any water-based product has little chance of surviving unpreserved for longer than a week or two. A preservative will generally be one of the last things on the list (most require a usage rate of less than 1% to be effective) and can be a single compound or, as is more likely, a combination of several.

Butt Naked Body Butter from TenDigitCreations.

So remember, as urbaneden puts it, "Unfortunately, as soon as you combine water and oil, bacteria starts to grow. So this is an area where natural is not necessarily better." ...Unless you want to treat your B&B like food that will spoil after a relatively short period of time.

Fragrance

So how do you find a fragrance just right for you over the internet? While you might want to test your nose against some common fragrances (Go ahead and sniff the roses! Sniff some scented candles at the mall!) and see what you like, you can then go to Etsy sellers who will often give you a custom experience that you can't get anywhere else.

Anhoki, a perfume seller, recommends searching for "a specific ingredient. Sandalwood, for instance." One of her best selling items is a "blend that came from an Alchemy request. It is a blend of Amber Sandalwood and Vanilla. Thanks Ami!" With fragrances, part of the fun is feeling an emotional pull to the item. Some of the perfumes and colognes on Etsy have a personal story behind them. Anhoki is inspired by "everything. My latest perfume creation is actually based on a weekend getaway I recently had with my hubby of 13 years!"

While exploring the Fragance subcategory of Bath and Beauty, keep in mind some basics. Anhoki shares some information:

Perfume —Made with a base of 90 to 95% alcohol.
Eau De Toilette — A base of 80 to 90% alcohol.
Cologne Splash — 80% or less alcohol.
Body Sprays — Usually NOT made with alcohol at all.

KreatedbyKarina filled me in on solid perfume:

Solid perfume — A unique and discreet way to make yourself smell amazing! Because they are solid they don't leak, you can carry them on a plane, and you can scent your body without spraying it everywhere else. Solid perfumes tend to come in smaller sizes, but I've used a larger tin because this way you can really access the surface better. Don't worry — it's still fashionably flat, and perfectly purse and pocket-sized so you can take it with you where ever you go. Simply rub your fingers over its silky smooth sheen to liquefy slightly and then rub your pulse points, behind your ears, over your neck — anywhere you want."

lsmith31's solid perfume is "very deep, rich and warming fragrance that is softened with a whisper of sweet vanilla." Mmmm, makes you feel like you're wearing a "comfy sweater"!

If you're intrigued and want to try your hand (or nose?) at making perfumes or sprays, check out cowboycrow's e-book, The Alchemy of Fragrance Blending.

Men

Don't worry, exploring the Bath and (ahem) Beauty products for men isn't a strange Mars-like planet. You'll find a lot of the same types of items, but with a masculine look and different scents. Many of the products have a humorous twist on "macho" manly man products. I know quite a few ladies who just plain prefer these scents and quite a few dudes who "like to smell like flowers."

SeattleSundries "started making soap many years ago because I enjoy knowing how the things I use each day are made. I have continued making it because there’s always something new and interesting to try, which is amazing since the craft of soapmaking has been around for thousands of years."

If you look at her items, you see that many of them are unisex, but for some reason her "shop seems to draw a large number of men, and women buying for their men. If you’re a woman who has a husband/brother/father who is difficult to buy for (as many men seem to be), a bar of soap is great because you know they’ll use it, it’s not a big-ticket item, and (in the case of my soap) they can get a nice chuckle from the label." For some men, knowing they're already going to spend "$2.00 because the soap dish is empty, it's not too big a splurge to treat yourself to a lovely handcrafted bar…especially when they last so long compared to a bar of Ivory or Irish Spring." It's a practical luxury.

The Smooth Shave Soap was originally made for SeattleSundries' dad "because he has used a shaving mug and brush his entire life and I wanted to come up with a scented soap that he would enjoy using every day. A traditional 'wet shave' style is coming back into vogue, for whatever reason, and this bar has become very popular."

urbaneden adds, "My husband has coarse, rough facial hair. When we first met, my face would get red and raw from rubbing against him when we nuzzled. Now that he uses Smooth Face Shaving Soap, the nuzzling is better." So ladies, there's something in it for you too!

Soap from Positano by saponissimo.

Our trek is not over, my friends! Join us next week for more treats from the Bath and Beauty Category.

In Part 2, we'll get the inside scoop on makeup, hair, skin care, and more.

And as Donna Maria suggested, don't hesitate to contact Etsy sellers with your questions. These folks, after all, are people like urbaneden, who can't remember the last time she took a shower...in a good way — she loves taking baths too much! "I often work 70 or more hours a week, but my tub time is my daydream time and I never go a day without. That’s where I think of scent combinations, color combinations, and how to meet my customers’ special requests."

Bath and Beauty Showcase | Bath and Beauty Category

More Bath and Beauty Posts | Facts and Fancies Series

Further Resources:

Etsy Teams —

The Soap Artisan Friends of Etsy (SAFEteam) is a group of soapers and Bath & Body sellers who are committed to quality and safe products. They're also friends who like to laugh a lot!
The Soaper Stars is another team full of wonderful and incredibly talented soapers, and they are affiliated with the Dish forum – one of the best resources on the web for soapmaking and B&B information.
The Green & Clean Guild - EGCG is a group of Etsy sellers who specialize in all things Bath & Body. Together we try to help educate the public about the merits of well crafted products from small businesses who care about their customers, as well as promoting Etsy in general. We also serve as advocates for Truth in Advertising and full ingredient disclosure for bath & beauty makers. Our blog can be found here: http://egcgswag.blogspot.com/

Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild

Men's Shaving Resources

Fragrance —
naturalperfumers.com and their Facebook group

BlackPhoenixAlchemyLab.com
sniffapaloozamagazine.com/

Special thanks go out to Donna Maria and swanmountainsoaps for sharing their expertise with me.

More about Donna Maria:
Donna Maria Coles Johnson is the founder and CEO of the Indie Beauty Network, a trade organization providing business services to independent manufacturers of soaps, cosmetics, jewelry, candles and aromatherapy products. She the host of the weekly #indiechat on Twitter and is an award winning small business advocate. Her legislative outreach was instrumental in removing language that was detrimental to small businesses from the draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. Her efforts continue with the FDA
Globalization Act of 2009. You can find out more at http://www.IndieBeauty.com and join Donna Maria on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/IndieBusiness.

More about swanmountainsoaps:
Christina Seine, aka swanmountainsoaps, is a homeschooling mother of 5 who lives on a little lake off the beaten path near Wasilla, Alaska. Her business is named for the family of trumpeter swans that nests near the lake their house sits on. She began making cold process soaps about 5 years ago, and that hobby-turned-addiction got her through many a sleepless night when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. She’s a member of the Homefront: Military Spouses team and Soap Artisan Friends of Etsy (SAFEteam). She makes her Bath and Beauty products with as many natural ingredients as possible and grows many of the herbs she uses right in her own gardens.

swanmountainsoaps and the SAFE team have been instrumental in organizing Etsy's Bath and Beauty sellers around safety issues and best business practices in a series of Virtual Labs chats: The Virtual Soap Symposium, held each Monday through the end of April 2009, with workshops on melt-and-pour soaps, cold process soaping, marketing your shop and pending FDA legislation and current Good Manufacturing Practices. Contact her for more info.

Guidelines & Tips: Tagging on Etsy

2009-03-25T14:20:00-05:00

Tags are keywords sellers attach to their items in the item listing process. When searching for the perfect handmade or vintage item or supply on Etsy, a shopper will browse Categories, or more often, use Search to find their items. Since tags are keywords for Search, and they are also used to organize items in Categories and Subcategories, it's important to understand how to tag your items correctly and effectively so that buyers can find them!

The step-by-step guide below will give you 13 ideas for good tags to help buyers find your item and help it get featured. If you are having a hard time thinking of tags, look in your title and description for keywords.

Please see special rules and help for Art, Bags and Purses, Bath and Beauty, and Clothing at the bottom.

TAGGING SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS

For your first tag, choose a main Category from the drop-down.

If the item is handmade or hand-altered by you, your first tag can by any category but vintage.
- Don't use the tag commercial.
- Handmade crafting supplies? Your first tag can be supplies or another appropriate handmade category.

If you're not sure, go to the Categories page, and see if your item is a Subcategory of any Category. Or, do a search for like items and see what Category most of the items are listed in. Eg. Does an apron go in Accessories or Clothing? Doing a quick check will help you find apron listed under the Accessories Category here.

If your item fits in two categories (eg. Children and Clothing), you may pick which one you use for your top category tag. Try to decide where might a shopper look first.

Only select vintage if the item is 20 years or older. See more on vintage items here.

Now you will choose your remaining 13 tags.

The order of them does not matter. Related tags will pop up as you add tags, remember these are only suggestions that *might* apply to your item. You may choose any that accurately describe your item.
You may also create your own tags based on what will be most accurate for your item. Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself:

1. What is it?

Tip: Don't pick any words that are related, but not what it is. Eg. Don't tag bracelets with "earrings".

Tip: If the word describes what something is, don't use that unless your item *is* that. Eg. Don't tag a tote bag with "clutch", even though you can clutch it in your hand. Don't tag anything but a dress with dress. Eg. Don't tag cookies with "tea" or "coffee", even though you can eat them with these drinks.

2. What is it specifically? What type?

Eg. Hoop (for earrings), v-neck (for sweaters), long sleeve (shirt).

3. Who is it for?

Tip: You may pick as many correct ones as you want. Eg. women, men, baby, children, boy, girl, adult, pets, dog, cat.

4. What is the main material?

Tip: Add the major material to your tags, if it is something you think a buyer might search for to find your item. Add minor materials or component materials to the "materials" box on page 1. Eg. leather, cotton, canvas, felt, metal, 14K gold, sterling silver, glass. If there are two words to describe a material, use them both, as separate tags. Eg. cotton, canvas. metal, 14K gold. mahogany, wood. merino, wool.

5. What is the main color?

Tip: Buyers are not likely to look for minor colors in your piece, so stick to the main color(s) or important color combos! Eg. white, black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

6. What method or technique did you use to make it? Only relevant for some items.

Eg. hammered (for metal jewelry), burned (for woodworking), appliqued, embroidered.

7. Where will the item be used? Only relevant for some items.

Eg. kitchen, hair, office, beach, garden, car, nursery.

8. What size is it?

Eg. small, extra large, 7mm, 18in, 8x10.

9. What style is it?

Eg. goth, victorian, hippie, punk, impressionist, post-modern, feminine, sophisticated, southwestern.

Eg. sweet, spicy, salty (for bath and beauty and food items).

10. Imagery or motifs that are on the item.

Eg. owl, landscape, nature, Marilyn Monroe.

11. Are there synonyms?

Tip: Use these if the word means exactly the same thing as the tag you already used, it is accurate for your item, and you think it will be an important search term that buyers will look for. Eg. Infant for young babies, handbag for purses and clutches, toddler for children 18 months - 3 years, drink for coffee, trousers for pants.

12. Mature content items must have the tag "mature".

Mature content is defined as: sexual activity or content, profane language or graphic violence. Artful representations of the nude human figure do not need the tag "mature".

13. Don't tag with potential uses for the item.

Eg. Don't use "stocking stuffer" or "gift" as tags. Do not tag a messenger bag with "backpack", even though you can wear it on your back. Don't tag a blank book with "poetry".

14. Don't put multiple words in one tag box, unless they are a phrase.

Eg. Do tag with "sterling silver". Don't tag with "silver earrings", these should be two different tags.

Helpful Tips

Feeling stuck? Look to your item description for keywords to use as tags.

Check out this list of colors to inspire using more than just a simple "blue" tag. What about "Cornflower Blue", instead?

Use a second browser window to navigate through the Categories and Subcategories that pertain to your item. This way you can be sure to include tags for all the Subcategories that relate to your item.

If you sell similar items in your shop, it is helpful to create a listing template on your desktop with your most commonly used tags. This way you can quickly pick and choose which ones are appropriate and just copy and paste them into place.

Using Google's Keyword Tool or Yahoo's Keyword Selector Tool will help you generate a list of the most popular related search words and phrases. This involves a good amount of time and research, but can be a valuable tool to help create a list of the most commonly searched for words to use as tags.

You do not have to duplicate words found in a compound tag. Eg. "sterling silver" does not also have to appear as "sterling, silver".

Common Definitions of Tags by Category

Art: All 2D artwork is either an original or reproduction, but not both.

Original: for original 2D artwork only.

Reproduction: for copies or reproductions of your original 2D artwork.

Bags and Purses:

Only tag your bag or purse with the correct terms (as defined below) so buyers can find what they are looking for. Almost all items should only be tagged with one of these.

Backpack: primarily meant to be worn on the back. With rare exception, has two straps that are worn over both shoulders at the same time. Messenger bags and tote bags are not backpacks.

Clutch: small (sometimes medium sized), usually flat bag primarily meant to be carried in the hand. Usually does not have straps. Wallets and simple zip-top cotton pouches are not clutches.

Diaper Bag: a large bag with multiple interior and/or exterior pockets. Main purpose is to be used to carry diapers and baby items. A messenger bag or backpack is not a diaper bag. A tote with no pockets is not a diaper bag.

Laptop Bag or Sleeve: A padded bag designed to snugly fit and protect a laptop.

Messenger Bag: A medium to large sized bag with one wide, long strap that is long enough to wear crossing the chest, over one shoulder, to waist.

Pouch: a small to medium sized bag, usually with a zipper. Not worn as a woman's handbag or "carrying bag"- usually holds items within a larger bag.

Purse: a women's bag with 1 or 2 straps or handles, worn over one shoulder, or carried in the hand.

Tote: Bag with two long straps, that is meant to be worn over the shoulder.

Wallet: Primary function is to hold money and credit cards. Not worn as a handbag or carrying bag — it goes inside another bag. A simple pouch with no inner dividers is not a wallet.

Wristlet: A bag with a looped strap that is wide enough to wear on the wrist.

Bath and Beauty:

Body Wash: liquid, gel, or other non-solid body wash. Solid soap is not body wash.

Fragrance: perfume, cologne, eau de toilette. Not scented lotions or soaps. Use the tag scented instead.

Oil: for products in oil form. For products containing oil, list the name of the oil as a tag, but do not use the tag oil by itself. Eg. jojoba oil.

Vegan: contains no animal products, or products directly produced by animals, even if the animals are not harmed. No honey, no milk, etc. See this how-to on tagging vegan items.

Clothing:

Dress: means an actual dress, not formal wear.

Plus Size: size 16 (USA) or larger.

Sweater: an actual sweater, not scarves or other things made of sweater material. The name for sweater material is knit, or knitted or sweater knit or "crocheted." Not a sweatshirt.

If you notice a seller misusing tags, you may report it to flagged@etsy.com.

If you would like to share any of your own tagging tips, or have questions about how to tag your items, please ask in the forums. Check out our other tagging how-tos for more help.

Seller Handbook | Shop Makeover Series

Tech Update: Freshening Up the Category Pages

2009-03-12T19:15:00-05:00

Etsy's Category pages have a fresh new look—check them out. This is the first set of enhancements we have in mind for the Category pages. Our goal in implementing these changes is to enhance the shopping experience on the site, making it easier to navigate and to find items to purchase. We also hope that the improved design will encourage shoppers to spend more time on these pages.

So what’s changed?

More prominent Category Showcases. The Category Showcases have been given greater prominence at the top of Category pages and are more clearly distinguished from the rest of the page with a slightly shaded background and the title “Sponsored Items from Etsy Sellers.” The images are larger than in the previous version, and we have also added the item title and price to make browsing more efficient. We will be carefully following the performance of these pages and listening to feedback from shoppers and sellers. We may make design adjustments based on that information.

To accommodate these changes, three items from the Category Showcase will randomly display each time the page is loaded or refreshed (versus the five smaller item images in the previous version). To browse through the entire Showcase, there are navigation arrows on each side as well a link to a page showing all items in a particular Category Showcase. Items will continue to be randomly displayed in this section from the full pool of relevant Showcased items.

New area for Category title, subtitle and illustrations. We have also added an area for each Category's title and subtitle, making the purpose of the page more clear, particularly for those who land on the page from searching on Etsy or via a link outside Etsy. As an additional benefit, this will help improve Etsy’s visibility to search engines since they principally read text. The new illustrations on each of Category page are meant to add a cohesive visual element from Etsy’s front page.

Nested subcategory list. Now when you browse to a subcategory, you will see a nested list of the other subcategories on the left side menu. This allows a shopper to quickly navigate from one subcategory to another.

Here's the big picture:

As noted above, we will have a few other changes to Category pages coming in the near future. One of these future enhancements will be highlighting related content from Etsy's blog on Category pages. Content that is relevant to each top-level Category will be featured in the left side menu. We have seen that engaging content draws shoppers into the site and can inspire people to discover new treasures. We’ll keep you posted on other improvements to the Category pages as we get closer to releasing them.

We welcome your feedback on these design changes to the Category pages in this discussion thread in our Forums. (We’ve closed commenting on this article to consolidate the conversation.)

Here's to a better shopping experience on Etsy!

ps
If you want to get the breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox, then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Tech Updates: Freshening Up the Front Page

2008-11-19T11:00:00-05:00

We're excited to announce that enhancements to the front page are now live! We've freshened things up a bit and rearranged some things but no major functionality has changed. The enhancements were mentioned recently in CEO Maria Thomas's article.

What's new?

Categories are now higher up on the left side of the page to help buyers find what they're looking for. You asked for this and we listened.
Items from Gift Guides are now highlighted on the upper left, and you can scroll through listings by clicking the arrows to the left and right. We expect over time to use this space as a promotional area for a variety of things, not just Gift Guides—so stay tuned.
Colors, Treasury, Pounce, Time Machine 2 and Editors' Picks from our blog are now listed under 'Explore' on the left side of the page. You can click 'Explore' for more ways to shop. Geolocator and Time Machine haven't gone away—all the ways to shop Etsy can be found fully functioning through our Buy page.
And our front-page promotional banners, including those for the Main Showcase and this week's Gift Ideas Showcase, have a fresh new look.

We're constantly working to improve based on your feedback, so let us know what you think in this forum thread! We'll close commenting on this post so we can keep feedback in one place.

Dolls and Miniatures Category Showcase!

2008-10-15T15:00:00-05:00

We are happy to announce we are starting to roll out the Dolls and Miniatures Category Showcase today! If you missed it, we announced the launch of the new Dolls and Miniatures Category earlier this month. Shoppers on the prowl for items with artistic inventiveness should definitely check out the new category, and starting tomorrow, shoppers will be able to see the corresponding Showcase too, for sellers' top picks from their own shops.

If you're a seller and want to purchase a spot in the Dolls and Miniatures Category Showcase, slots go on sale today and will go live October 16, 2008 at 12:00am Eastern Time. Click here.

Tech Update: Dolls and Miniatures Category Coming Soon!

2008-10-06T18:41:00-05:00

UPDATE: Sellers, please start adding your items to the new category at 6pm ET! For your reference, we have made a PDF with all the sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. You can download the PDF file here.

[the following was originally posted on 9/30/08]
We're happy to announce that on Monday, October 6, 2008, at 6:00 PM (Eastern U.S. time), we'll be adding a new top-level category called Dolls and Miniatures. Etsy sellers who create these items have long wanted a top-level category for their goods. In general, determining when a new top-level category is needed requires research and thought. We considered whether the items can/cannot fit well into an existing category, whether there will be overlap with another category, how broad (or narrow) the market may be for the items, among other issues. This all took time, and we appreciate your patience while we examined all the angles.

The insightful feedback provided by the Etsy community also helped inform our decisions. An Etsy seller suggested the name "Dolls and Miniatures", and many Etsy sellers helped to develop the subcategories for this new category. Types of items in the category will include: art dolls, plush, amigurumi, doll clothing and accessories, dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures.

For Sellers: Adding Your Items to the Dolls and Miniatures Category

If you've been listing your dolls, miniatures or similar items in the Toys category, you may choose to list in Dolls and Miniatures or Toys, depending on which category best suits your target market. Many items may be appropriate for both adults and children. If this is the case for your items, please pick the category in which you feel your items fit best, or you may opt to list some items in each of these categories.

After 6:00 PM EST on Monday, October 6, you will be able to add your items to the new category, subcategories, and sub-subcategories. To switch an existing listing to the new Dolls and Miniatures category, follow these steps:

When logged in to your account, go to Your Etsy, and click "edit" next to an item.
Click "edit" next to the tags at the bottom of the preview page. You'll go to Page 2 of the listing/editing process.
Choose Dolls and Miniatures from the drop-down menu.
Take a look at the related tags that appear. Click any tags that accurately describe your item; this adds your item to those subcategories. If you already have the maximum 14 tags (including the category) in this listing, you may want to delete some of your tags so that you can add the appropriate related tags to place your item correctly in the subcategories and sub-subcategories for Dolls and Miniatures. TIP: You can browse in the Dolls and Miniatures category to check out the subcategories and sub-subcategories that are best for your item.
When you're done editing your tags, click "Last" at the bottom of the page, and you'll go to Page 5 of the listing/editing process. Click "Finish" and the item will appear in the category shortly.*

As the new category will be empty when it is first created, we hope that everyone who is able will begin adding items the evening of Monday, October 6, so that we can fill up the Dolls and Miniatures category as quickly as possible!

As with all the other top-level categories on Etsy, we will be creating a Category Showcase for Dolls and Miniatures. The Dolls and Miniatures Category Showcase will launch at a later date (not on October 6). Keep an eye on The Storque for more information about how and when you can purchase a spot.

Thank you so much to the many sellers who helped develop the ideas for this category. We appreciate your interest and patience. If you would like to learn more about how to suggest a new category or subcategory, please read Seller How-to: Making Category Suggestions.

We've closed commenting on this post so that we can follow your discussion on the forums. Please visit us in the forums to help us flesh out the ideas for subcategories and sub-subcategories for the Dolls and Miniatures category!

* As noted at the top of the page in the final step of listing/editing an item, it can take up to 24 hours for an item to appear in categories and subcategories.

ps
If you want to get the breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox, then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Tech Update: More Info on Search & Categories

2008-09-24T13:12:00-05:00

Last week Etsy's new CTO, Chad Dickerson wrote an honest account of some of the technical challenges Etsy.com is currently facing, specifically in reference to the search function. In that article, Chad mentioned some new hardware and "other tweaks" to improve things. Many of you may be curious about what we're working on, how it's helping and how it will impact your ability to shop and sell on Etsy. So let's get right into the nitty gritty ...

New Hardware

Without getting into too many technical details, last week we added some new hardware with the goal of improving speed. We're happy to say so far it's helped, and some of our slowest queries more than doubled in speed. This is a great improvement, but still below our internal goals — which means there is more work ahead. The Engineers are continuing to monitor search speeds and page load times.

Simple Searches Redirect to Categories

Many shoppers use simple one-word searches, such as earrings or purse. Since there are several thousands of items that will match such a simple query, the current system gets bogged-down in an attempt to return all the possible results. To help alleviate that demand, we've begun automatically redirecting several one-word searches to the corresponding category or subcategory pages.

[ ABOVE: Screen shot of the Art category page. ]

As you may have noticed, we've already done this for terms like jewelry and art, and we will be adding more redirects as necessary. From a category page, shoppers can easily narrow the results by clicking subcategory links or searching within the category.

Limited Number of Search Terms (or "My nots are not working!")

Just as one-word searches can cause problems, too many terms in a search can be taxing on our current search structure. Therefore, we've limited the maximum number of terms available in a single search to seven. The current search system will return results based only on the first seven terms in an inquiry and simply ignore the rest.

[ ABOVE: Screen shot of the search results page for women dress -green -doll. ]

Unfortunately, "not" is counted as a term, so if you try to exclude several terms from a search, you are likely going to find that some of your "nots" weren't effective. The good news is that we've enabled the use of the minus sign (-) to work exactly like "not" in a search. The minus sign (-) does not count against the seven-word limit. For example, these searches should now produce identical results: women dress not green not doll and women dress -green -doll. We'll be updating our Search Tips sidebar and Search Help Guide with this info.

Batch Loading in Search and Categories

When you list an item on Etsy, there's a note that says it may take up to 24 hours for your item to appear in category and search pages. New, renewed and relisted items are posted in your shop immediately, but they are not added to search results and categories in real-time. Instead, Etsy adds items at regular intervals in batches to the category and search pages. This is a function of the mechanics of the master-slave database system Chad explained last week. Once loaded into the master database, items are replicated to "slave" databases. It takes some time for the data to be replicated; the technical term for this is "slave lag." This system is generally good for overall site performance (i.e., speed) and stability, but not so great for the instant gratification of sellers who want to see their items immediately appear at the top of their chosen categories.

Category pages and search results pages currently default to display the most recently listed items first. When there are many items being simultaneously listed, relisted and renewed it creates a traffic jam in some of Etsy's more populated categories. There could be dozens of items in a batch, however, each category and search result page on Etsy shows 21 items. This means some items could make their first appearance in a category on page two, or even farther back. Listing, relisting and renewing will place your item toward the front of a category, but not necessarily on page one and not instantaneously.

What Does This Mean For Sellers? (or "How will shoppers find my items?")

It's critical that sellers tag their items correctly. This will ensure that your items appear in the correct categories and subcategories. It will also make it easier for shoppers to find your items when they use specific multi-word searches. If you have items that fit equally well in more than one category, try placing some items in each category. For example, a potter could list one handmade ceramic bowl in the ceramics and pottery category and another one in housewares to have greater cross-category visibility. The articles on tagging in the Seller Handbook will help you determine the best way to tag your items so shoppers can find them.

So, is renewing for exposure worth the $0.20 if you don't land on page one each time? Ultimately, that's up to each seller to decide. While your item may not appear on page one for jewelry, it may be on page one of specific search for blue flower earrings or steampunk cufflinks or a specific subcategory page (like necklace within the jewelry category). Also, items still appear in other browsing features that function independently of the batch loading system, such as Time Machine 2, Recently Listed on the home page and Shop Local.

There are many ways to promote your Etsy shop on the site (Promotions Forum, Virtual Labs, Showcase) and through off-Etsy methods (blogs, advertising, etc). The best way to get customers into your shop is to target your own marketing. There's a wealth of information on advertising and marketing linked in the Seller Handbook. As an alternative to renewing to hit the top of a category, sellers may want to consider purchasing a Category Showcase spot. This is a one-day paid advertising spot displayed on the top of each page of a main category. To learn more about Showcase, check out 13.5 Questions about the Showcase and Showcase Deconstructed.

Looking Ahead

Chad and the Engineering Team are working on longer-term solutions to our current search issues. We don't want to disrupt site performance during the holiday shopping season, so in the meantime, the above measures are aimed at the goal of ensuring people can find and purchase the many incredible items available on Etsy.

We've closed commenting on this article. If you would like to comment, please join the discussion in this Forum thread.

The Art Category: Community Chatt Roundup, June 6, 2008

2008-06-06T18:33:00-05:00

Hi there artists!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt was about the Art Category. We had a wonderful discussion — here's what we talked about (and you can read the minutes here):

- Dividing the Art Category: I (Michelle) like the idea of keeping the Art Category whole. Of the three ideas mentioned in the agenda (Photography to a separate category, original art to a separate category, and separate categories for 2D and 3D art), the last one is the only one that may be a possibility. We can keep discussing this, but for now we will go forward with the idea that the Art Category will stay whole.

- Future direction: the future direction for categories will be breaking categories down into lots of different ways to shop.

Some examples are:

* original vs. print/reproduction vs. original print
* by technique (ex. printmaking, painting, with subs under that, such as woodcut)
* by subject (ex. landscape, nude)
* by color scheme/color
* by size
* what it's on (canvas, paper, wood, etc)
* by motif (ex. birds)
* by medium/material (ex. watercolor)

If you have more suggestions about ways that you think would be interesting ways to shop in the Art Category, please comment here or send me (HeyMichelle) a convo.

- We created a printmaking subcategory during the workshop! If there are more subcategories that you feel belong, please comment in this thread, or convo me.

- We're currently brainstorming about a digital art subcategory for art in this thread.

- We're trying to think up a new, temporary word for original art to help with the mistagging problems in this thread.

- We're thinking about how to work Fiber Arts in there.

- If there are other suggestions, comments, or ideas, please start a thread in the forums!

Thanks so much to everyone who has given their input! We appreciate it so much, and we are looking forward to the future of the Art Category!

This Week's Chatt with Mary

Time and Place: Friday June 13th, at 12 noon, Eastern US in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs. Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic:
Service Tips for Sellers

We've started a Service Tips for Sellers series in the Storque. Please join Mary (marymary) for a discussion on Seller's customer service best practices — share your tips, and learn from others!

Back by Popular Demand...Matt
Matt will be hosting some extra chatts about getting press on Tuesday and Wednesday.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join us for a live, online discussion of topics of interest to the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak. We can always be reached at community@etsy.com with more ideas and suggestions.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Community Chatt, May 30, 2008 Recap/ What's in Store This Week

2008-06-04T14:53:00-05:00

In last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt I shared some of my best tips and strategies for reaching the press. Judging by the responses of those Etsy sellers who were able to be there, this is a topic of great interest.

With that in mind, I will be holding the talk again twice next week, in addition to our usual Friday Chatt.

1. Tuesday, June 10th at 10:00 AM EST in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs

2. (PLEASE NOTE NEW DAY) Wednesday, June 11th at 2:00 PM EST in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs (PLEASE NOTE NEW DAY)

Following next week’s sessions, I will provide all my tips and tricks in one useful pdf in the Resources area of Etsy.

This Week's Chatt with Matt & Michelle

Time and Place: Friday, June 6, 12 noon, Eastern US in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs. Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: The Art Category

Join the ever-ebullient Michelle in a discussion about ways we can improve and expand the Art Category.

Agenda:

1. Possible separation of Art Category: let's discuss the ideas I've heard, and the pros & cons to each:

* Photography to a separate category
* Original art to a separate category
* Separate category for 2D vs 3D art. Brainstorm possible names for this
* Cons of separating the Art Category

2. Other things about the Art Category:
* What belongs & does not belong in the Art Category?
* Possible renaming of the Art Category

3. Brainstorm ways of how you think people like to shop for art. Examples are:
* original vs. print/reproduction vs. original print
* by subject (ex. landscape, nude)
* by color scheme/color
* by size
* what it's on (canvas, paper, wood, etc)

4. Questions, comments, observations, ideas

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Collectibles category: We've Reconsidered

2008-05-28T20:10:00-05:00

Hi there everyone, here's an update:

We have decided to put the creation of a Collectibles category on hold. We want to make sure that we find the best long-term solution for the items that would belong in such a category, as well as all of the items on Etsy. We are so sorry for the inconvenience, as we know some of you were looking forward to a Collectibles category. We thank everyone who has given their input on this via the forums, convo, and email.

Let's have a discussion in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs tomorrow, Thursday at 7PM Eastern U.S. time to brainstorm possible ideas. Again, thank you to everyone, and I will hopefully see you tomorrow!

----------

Here's the original text of the article:

Hello Etsians!

On Thursday, May 29 at 4PMish Eastern U.S. time, we will be adding Collectibles as a top-level category. We hope that makers of handmade collectibles will begin adding them to this new category as soon as it's live. We will also have a Showcase available for this category.

The Collectibles category is for handmade items, and is intended to include dolls and doll accoutrements, figurines, miniatures, plush animals, and other "toys" for adult collectors. As well, some items of non-functional home decoration, such as ornaments, or a tole-painted teakettle that is for decoration only, will fit into this category.

If there is currently another category that your item belongs in that you would prefer to keep listing in, you are welcome to do that! For example, some makers of art dolls may choose to remain in Art and some makers of amigurumi may choose to continue to list in Toys. Remember that at this time, a single listing may only be in one category.

Tips:

Start by adding your most recent listings to the Collectibles category, and then work backward in time.
Accurate tags help buyers find your items. While you are adding your items to the Collectibles category, take it as an opportunity to see if there is room for improvement of your tag choices. Check out our tagging tips for help.
If your items fit into multiple categories, consider adding some to one category, and some to another. This will give more exposure to your items. Over time, observe the number of views, hearts, and sales that your items get in one category vs. the other, and then make listing decisions accordingly.

Please join us in this forum thread as we flesh out the subcategories and sub-subcategories of Collectibles. Also, a big thank you to those who joined in this thread to help us develop the idea for a Collectibles category! We love you guys!

Vintage and Supplies, deux: Community Chatt, May 23, 2008

2008-05-27T17:57:00-05:00

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt with Matt was about Vintage and Supplies. The first half was answering questions left over from last week's Chatt, and the second half was getting your suggestions about the future direction for these marketplaces.

Please see the minutes of the Vintage and Supplies Chatt to see what we talked about!

This Week's Chatt with Matt & Michelle

Time and Place: 12 noon, Eastern US in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs. Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic:
Reaching The Press

Join Matt for a discussion about getting media coverage for your small business. Let's learn from each other. What has worked, what has not?

Agenda:

- Tips for creating a press kit

- Press Release, friend or foe?

- Pitching to the media: getting attention without being annoying

- Telling the bigger story

- What can be done online?

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Tech Update: Changes to Search and Categories are Live!

2008-05-05T14:01:00-05:00

Today, we launched some exciting changes to Etsy's search engine. These changes were requested by the community and we think they help improve the shopping experience on Etsy.

We've separated item search into three new searches: Handmade, Vintage, and Supplies. The default is Handmade, with Vintage and Supplies available in the drop-down. You can also select "All items" to search Handmade, Supplies, and Vintage all at once.

Consequently, it is critical that sellers categorize and tag their items correctly in order to place them within the proper search. Last week, we posted some information that will help you with that process. You can read the initial heads up here — Tech Updates: Upcoming Changes to Search and Categories — and its companion, follow-up article here — Upcoming Changes to Search: Your Questions Answered.

Thank you for helping us with these site improvements! You can also sign up for Etsy News Email Alerts to have breaking news delivered to your inbox.

Upcoming Changes to Search: Your Questions Answered

2008-04-29T18:00:00-05:00

In our recent announcement about the exciting upcoming changes happening to the way searching works on Etsy, we found you had some burning questions that weren't covered as clearly as you would have liked. Below you will find the most frequently asked questions from the community concerning the upcoming search changes and the answers you've been looking for.

If you've still got questions about how your items will appear in searches, join us Wednesday at 3:00PM EST in the Virtual Labs for a workshop on tagging. If you'd like to share your feedback about the changes, we're holding two chat sessions on Thursday. One at 2:00PM EST and one at 7:00PM EST.

Will you be sending a mass email all users with this change?
We consider mass emailing Etsy users a very serious and sensitive matter and reserve taking such a measure for updates such as changes to our Privacy Policy or our TOU. A mass email also must be carefully timed to prevent having our emails marked as spam, blacklisting us from sending email to any users. We have taken your concerns under consideration and will be sending out a mass email to all registered Etsy users in the coming week that will in part discuss this upcoming Search change.

If you're interested in getting more frequent emails about Etsy news, you can sign up for our opt in mailing list. The Etsy News mailing list delivers critical updates from The Storque straight to your inbox.

Since there will be no more category bleed, will people still be able to find my item in multiple categories?
Using the Categories browser is different from searching directly in the Search bar. So, no, when shoppers are browsing Etsy by Categories, they will not be able to find you item in multiple Categories. You will need to decide which top level Category best fits your item. Consider which Category shoppers are likely to look for your item when using the Categories function. It will only show up under the Category you select during the listing process. However, this does not affect Search: your item will still show up in direct searches that include your tags.

Do I need to tag all my items "handmade" even if they are already handmade?
No, handmade items do not need to be tagged with the word "handmade." If your items are handmade and listed under their appropriate categories, they will automatically show up in the handmade search. If you are selling handmade crafting supplies, it is optional but recommended to tag these items with the word handmade since there is a subcategory for handmade in the top level Supplies Category.

What other Category changes will be made? Will all the other Categories we've been asking for be added?
These particular Search and Category Browser changes are separate from the categories themselves. For any category, if you have suggestions for subcategories, or subsubcategories, please read this article on how to help us with your input. This is an on-going project; subcategories and subsubcategories can be added all the time! We are currently considering the best way to handle miniatures, collectibles, dolls, etc.

Will this change the order in which items are displayed? Will we be able to search by relevance now?
Search results will continue to be sorted by date listed, with the newest first. You may also sort the items by price, or reverse the order to see the oldest first. The search will work essentially the same as it does currently, just with separate searches for Handmade, Supplies, and Vintage. You will still be able to search all Etsy as well.

Why are my shop and my items being segregated out of the default search?
This round of Search changes is meant to make it easier for buyers to find the items they are looking for on Etsy. The changes come in response to several community requests and our evolving vision for Etsy.

By giving Vintage items and Supplies their own place on Etsy, we hope to ease buyer confusion when shopping for handmade on Etsy and at the same time make searching and shopping easier for those looking specifically for Supplies and Vintage.

Will this change work when people mistag their items? Is Etsy doing anything about mistagged items?
Users tagging their items correctly is vital to the success of these changes. It is our hope that by announcing the changes in advance, our users will have enough time to take a second look at their items and determine if any of them need changes. This change will make it easier for our Content Team to find and correct mistagged items. We still appreciate all of your work with flagging items.

You can help us by flagging any of the following:

1. Commercial Supplies that do not have the tag "commercial."
2. Commercial Supplies listed anywhere but the Supplies Category.
3. Vintage items listed anywhere except the Vintage Category.
4. Vintage Supplies listed anywhere except the Vintage or Supplies Categories.
5. Vintage Supplies that do not have the tag "commercial."
6. Random stuff that isn't Handmade, Vintage or a Commercial Supply and doesn't belong on the site.

In your message to Flagged@etsy.com, please briefly state why you are flagging the item (miscategorized, doesn't have the tag "commercial", etc.). This will help our Content Team in making sure each set of search results returns the right types of items. Our Content team has recently grown, check out their Storque article.

Will mature items be next to be filtered out?
We have no plans to filter any additional items from the default search. Mature items are welcome on Etsy provided they follow our guidelines in the selling Do's and Don'ts:

Mature Content:

Mature content is: sexual activity or content, profane language, or graphic violence as shown in an item.
These items must be tagged "mature."
The first thumbnail image should be kept appropriate for general audiences; additional images in the listing may show the item in its entirety.
Mature content listings will remain in all public searches by default; users can restrict results by using the exclusionary search term "NOT mature" ("opt-out" search status).
Artful representation of the nude human figure is allowed. The context of the nudity determines if it is a mature content item (see above).
Items are subject to staff review on a case-by-case basis. If the staff evaluates the content to be mature, you will be asked to add the tag "mature" or remove the listing entirely.

You can also read this Storque How-to on photoshopping the first image in your listing.

Thank you all for your questions. If you have a question you do not see addressed in this article, please ask it in this related forum thread or attend one of our sessions in the Virtual Labs.

Tech Updates: Upcoming Changes to Search and Categories

2008-04-28T10:52:00-05:00

Hello Etsians!

UPDATE:
There's even more info in this post, Upcoming Changes to Search: Your Questions Answered. Ok, here's the original post...

On Monday, May 5, 2008, some important and exciting changes are happening with searching and categories. These changes are in response to feedback from all around the Etsy community, and were first introduced back in February with Rob’s Focus on Handmade Storque article. Here's a rundown of what is to come:

We’ll be separating item search into three new searches: Handmade, Vintage, and Supplies.

Handmade Items – This is the default search. This searches all items on Etsy that are not tagged with “commercial” and do not have “vintage” as the first tag. Handmade supplies will still appear in this search. You can search tags and titles or tags, titles, and descriptions.

Supplies – This will search all of the supplies on Etsy, both handmade and commercial. Any item tagged “supplies” will show up in the results. Only crafting supplies should be tagged supplies.

Vintage – This special vintage search returns only items within the Vintage category. This means items with vintage as their first tag (selected from the dropdown menu in the listing process). Only items 20 years or older can go in Vintage.

The existing search will also remain available. Just select “All items” from the search bar to search handmade, supplies, and vintage all at once.

We’ll also be making changes to the category browser. Currently a top-level category such as Jewelry shows only items within the Jewelry category. The subcategories and sub-subcategories contain any items that have the tag “jewelry,” but are not necessarily in the Jewelry category. We call this “category bleed.”

The changes on May 5 will eliminate category bleed. All subcategories will only show items from within that category. Meaning the subcategories of “jewelry” will no longer pull up jewelry supplies.

The Patterns category is also gearing up for change, although this will not be part of the May 5 update. In order to help keep things organized, Patterns will be moving into the supplies category. A new drop-down will appear in the listing process for Patterns, prompting you to select handmade (if it’s your own pattern) or commercial (if it’s someone else’s pattern)

What you need to know as a seller:

To make sure your items are coming up in the right search, you may need to adjust your tags.

Make sure your listings comply with Etsy’s policies. In short, any item not handmade by you (or a member of your collective if you qualify as one) must be tagged with the word commercial. Commercial Supplies may only be listed in the Supplies category, and must have commercial as one of the tags. Unaltered vintage items must be at least 20 years old, may only be listed in the Vintage category, and must have the tag commercial. Sellers who refuse to follow these rules may be penalized.
Properly tag handmade items (including supplies). Make sure these do not have the tag commercial, or your item will not appear in handmade search.
Tag handmade supplies with the word handmade. This will allow them to show up in the handmade subcategory under Supplies.
What about vintage supplies? Vintage supplies are art/craft supplies that are 20 years or older. They may be listed in either Vintage or Supplies, at the discretion of the seller. As with all unaltered vintage items, they must have the tag commercial. Non-vintage supplies listed in the Vintage category will be removed.
Tag patterns with handmade/commercial. This category will be moved into Supplies very soon, and your items will be moved for you. Handmade/original patterns: please add the tag handmade so your items will appear in the handmade subcategory. Commercial patterns: you must add the tag commercial, and may not use the tag handmade.

How to edit your already listed item's category and tags:

On the second page of the Item Listing process, you chose a Category and tags for your items. If you need to edit these, go to Your Etsy, and click edit next to the listing. Click on the pencil icon near the tags to go straight to the item’s tags. Click the x next to any tag to delete it, and choose a new category from the drop-down menu if necessary. When you are done making changes, click Last at the bottom of the page, review your changes, then click Finish. Done!

We hope these important changes will benefit the entire Etsy Community. We want to improve the shopping experience for buyers, and thus, help our sellers reach their customers in a more targeted way. We realize it takes effort and time to retag, and that many of you will have questions. Please see the forum thread.

Seller How-to: Making Category Suggestions

2008-03-25T22:30:00-05:00

Dear Sellers:

As many of you are aware, we are in the process of improving the Category system. This is a long-term project that we are very excited about!

We get many suggestions for subcategories and sub-subcategories. Almost all of these will be in the new system. Keep making these suggestions, as we are saving them to be implemented later!

As our engineers work on the new systems, we are currently and constantly adding new subcategories and sub-subcategories to the site. In my estimation, we immediately add over 50% of the unique ideas proposed into the current category system! Last week, for example, we added about 29 new sub and sub-subcategories. So keep 'em coming!

So, what determines whether we will add a new subcategory or sub-subcategory — now, versus later? And, if you have an idea for a new subcategory or sub-subcategory, what is the best way to suggest it to us? Here are some pointers and tips:

How to suggest a new sub or sub-subcategory on Etsy:

1. Start using the name of your proposed subcategory or sub-subcategory as a tag, and encourage others to do the same.

When we are deciding whether to add to the current category system, we will search for the word under the proposed Category. If there are items "tagged" with this word, it greatly increases the chances that it will be added. If the sub or sub-subcategory is added, these items will automatically be in it!

2. Got an idea for a subcategory or sub-subcategory? Let us know!

Etsians make category suggestions in various ways — all of them are great! Some like to post in the ideas section of the Forums. Make the title something like "Category suggestion: how about "XYZ"?". If an admin doesn't reply, please convo HeyMichelle (that's me!), and I'll take a look. Feel free to convo me directly as well.

Other ways that people suggest categories are by e-mailing Community or Support. These are just fine, although it may take a bit longer for me to see the suggestion, since they are just going to forward the email to me!

Many suggestions we get are good, but for various reasons, we are unable to add them at this time.

Reasons we might not add a suggested category, subcategory or sub-subcategory:

1. There's a better chance of us adding to a short list than a really long list.

Does the place where you would like us to add a sub or sub-subcategory have a long list underneath it? This makes it more difficult to add subs underneath it. If there is nothing, or a really short list, it's almost a shoo-in. Don't let a long list intimidate you, though! If your idea is a good candidate for the current system, we will try to find a way to accommodate it!

2. We are not currently adding "styles" to the category system.

Examples of styles are "Primitive," "Kawaii" and "Cottage." These are currently very useful for shopping, and will be included in the new category system. However, adding them now will lead to mistagging, and will make it more difficult to find items in these styles. A suggestion for those who are making items in a style: create or join an Etsy Team with others who are working in that style. At the bottom of your item descriptions, describe the style in one sentence, and encorage shoppers to search for the style to find similar items. This will spread the word about the style and help with cross-promotion!

3. We are not going to add new top-level categories that are not *types* of items.

New top-level categories in the current system are very rare indeed! We're not currently considering new top-level categories for methods, art forms, materials, styles, or any other type of category other than "What is it?" types. Please continue to suggest these, though, as they may be excellent candidates for sub and sub-subcategories, and are useful for designing the new category system.

4. Technical difficulties

Certain things that would make a fabulous subcategory for the current system can't be added now for technical reasons. An example of this is Art Dolls. We are working on implementing fixes for these types of problems, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Well, that's all for now! Thank you so much for your category suggestions — we very much appreciate it, and we look forward to hearing more!

Tech Update: More for your Money with Category Showcases

2008-02-22T11:17:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

The Category Showcases now appear on each page when you're browsing the Top Categories. That means you get more coverage with your Showcase ads than before, since the Category Showcases previously only appeared on the first page. So enjoy and know that buyers will have their eyeballs on your items even more!

For more info on Showcases, Etsy's internal Cooperative Advertising program, see Showcase Deconstructed: Why We've Augmented Etsy's Cooperative Advertising Program and 13.5 Questions About The Showcase.

Seller Tagging Tips: "A Semi-Epiphany on Tags"

2008-02-18T15:28:00-05:00

Sellers! Here's a great tip from a forum thread, which was started many moons ago, to help you with tagging your items: Dyno recommends this model of starting with the general and going to the more specific. She uses a sweater as an example:

sweater (item)
wool (material)
cardigan (type)
fine or thin (type of knit)
blue (color)
tan (color)
stripe (design)
medium (size)
fitted (style/fit)
classic (style)
feminine (style)
casual (occasion)

If you're in need of more help with tagging, check out this post Guidelines & Tips: Tagging on Etsy, Tag Workshop Recap, and Shop Makeover series: Tagging for Success.

Followup to Focusing on Handmade

2008-02-02T20:40:00-05:00

As a follow-up to my previous article and the great forum post discussing it, here's a distillation of topics for further clarification and exploration. I tried to sort the questions into three baskets.

Correct Tagging & Categorization

castleman says:
Commercial supplies often lack commercial and supply tags. I think some question like 'did YOU make this item?' before someone starts listing and then being required to either list commercial supplies or vintage if you answer 'no' would be a possible fix.

This is an excellent idea. It's part of a larger project that would involve redoing Step 2 of the item listing process, and how it correlates to the top-level categories on the site. These changes are in our minds but not currently on our plates. We'll get there, though!

roccadesigns says:
I would like to know how kits, tutorials, and patterns would be affected by the changes.

If the kits are hand-made (meaning you assembled them), if the patterns are handmade (meaning they are your patterns), then they belong in the handmade supplies category.

creationsbychar says:
I see a lot of commercial supplies mistagged as paper goods (scrapbooking embellishments, paper, etc.). Yes, they are paper but they are not handmade. Will these things also be 'automagically' moved, or will we still need to flag so sellers will have to change their tags?

All such commercial supplies should have supplies as their first tag, and commercial as the second tag. As such, they will be excluded from the default search results, and will be further healed when category bleed is sutured. I hope that this basic level of retagging can be done by the system, but we still need to work out the specifics.

Finding Vintage Items & Commercial Supplies

abelemporium says:
I'm worried that this will only punish informed commercial/vintage sellers that play by the rules and tag correctly, and will be great for the sellers who tag incorrectly. I understand what you are trying to do, but I'm not sure about this solution. I think it will create more confusion, and it still makes vintage/supply sellers feel a bit second-class.

In the long run, we're creating a specialized marketplace for handmade items, as well as vintage items & commercial supplies. Can these three peacefully co-exist on one site? I think so. It will require a bunch of changes, improvements, more changes based on feedback. The more buyers we have coming to the site, the more items that will sell. A larger body of items on the site garners a larger audience. But we need to keep our focus, while allowing for serendipitous discovery.

The fees on Etsy are very low, and we think it's a great deal for anyone listing on the site. I think that we can create a shopping experience that gives all types of items their due.

SweeterThanMeBridal says:
Do you think there is a possibility of vintage shops feeling second rate? And therefore a higher rate of these shops potentially abusing the tags so that they can get more people to their shop?

We're going to keep a close eye on tagging and make sure it's done correctly. We hope to make a good home for vintage items on Etsy, but we will keep the focus on what we started Etsy to support: handmade items.

I think with the changes we'll make in the upcoming months & years, vintage items will have a firmer place inside Etsy. We need to separate them because there's no definition of what vintage is (nor is it possible to create such a definition). And with their own space in Etsy, we can make specialized shopping tools, provide a better shopping experience, and remove any doubt about their place in the site.

It will take some getting used to. I see it a bit like getting braces. When I was in 4th grade my friend got braces. I thought they were a marvelous novelty, and wanted some of my own. A couple years later, I got them. The pain! But it's a tightening and an adjusting for long-term health. And that's what we're doing here. We'll do our best to be an excellent orthodontist.

Category Bleed

andymathis says:
If art-painting only pulls the category together based on tags under Art, the reproductions of paintings will still wind up in the original paintings category.

The ideal solution here is a filter. Assuming all reproductions were tagged accordingly, there'd be an option to filter them out. This is, in my mind, the correct solution. I do a lot of shopping in the Art category and this would make it much easier to find original works.

We're going to have a round of discussions here inside Etsy before we start another forum thread about this. Please stay tuned!

Tech Update: Search within Categories and Subcategories!

2008-01-18T16:43:00-05:00

Have you every gone into a Category or subcategory on Etsy, and wanted to search within your results? Now you can!

When you are in a Category — such as Jewelry — you will see the subcategories listed in blue.

You can now search within Categories and Subcategories by simply typing more tags in the search bar. It's a great way to narrow down your results.

You can also use NOT to eliminate words with this feature.

Here's an example where we searched for silver within the Subcategory pendant, in the jewelry Category.

Have fun shopping!

Some categories appearing blank RECTIFIED

2008-01-09T08:58:00-05:00

*UPDATE*

We've since fixed this issue up, and an issue that was causing the categories and search to update sporadically.

Everything should be working properly now, and you should notice a significant speed boost in category browsing.

Let us know here if you have any further issues with the categories!

----------------------

*UPDATE*

We've since fixed this issue up, and we're continuing to get everything on track. Two pieces of the system failed simultaneously, and to fix them we've had to turn off updating of the categories temporarily. Hopefully we'll be able to turn the updating back on very soon.

----------------------

Early this morning, some of the categories on the site began to appear blank, as if there were no listings in them at all.

Stranger still, the subcategories in these categories appear to be populated with listings.

We're investigating the cause of this big problem, and we're doing our best to get everything working properly again.

Due to the nature of this work, there is a possiblity it make take anywhere from an hour to a few hours to get everything back on track. There are hundreds of thousands of actives listings on the site, and we'll have to verify all of them on the search databases.

We'll post another update when we have more info to share...

Please address all questions and comments to the associated forums thread.

Tech Updates: New Sub-subcategories in Jewelry

2007-11-27T14:25:00-05:00

We have added the following sub-subcategories in Jewelry:

BRACELET
- felt
-polymer clay
-wire wrapped

BROOCH
- metal
- felt
- polymer clay

EARRINGS
- wire wrapped
- felt
- polymer clay

NECKLACE
- wire wrapped
- felt
- polymer clay

PENDANT
- resin
- wire wrapped
- polymer clay

RING
- felt
- polymer clay

NOTE:
Metal is in most jewelry subcategories, and has been added to brooch.
Beadwork is under bracelet for beadweaving.
Wrapped is under ring for wire wrapped.

These have been added because we feel that these terms will help shoppers narrow their browsing to certain types/looks of jewelry, which is useful. Also, these should not have a negative effect on searching/tagging. Thanks to BethMillner who had some great suggestions! Check out the forum thread for more discussion.

More Category Showcases Unleashed!

2007-11-12T14:03:00-05:00

For those of you who have lamented that no category Showcase is available for the items you make, the wait is over! Following the success of the category Showcases in Art, Bags and Purses, and Jewelry, we are extending the category Showcases to all of the main categories.

Tomorrow, November 13, at 12pm EST we will be selling spots in the new showcases for November 14 - December 2. After that, we'll release new spots each day, just like we have been doing for the existing Category showcases.

To purchase a spot in a category Showcase, go to the Showcase gateway. For information on what the Showcase is and how it works, read our handy help guide.

Go here to talk about it!

Accessories Category Update

2007-09-28T13:00:00-05:00

I have been working really hard on the new category structure, and I would like to get some feedback from both sellers and buyers. In the new structure, every item will ideally fit into one Top-Level Category and will be organized by What, Who, Where, When and How. I will be asking for suggestions from sellers who specialize in each individual Category over the course of the next few weeks to help build a list of everything that is sold within each category.

You can view the rough draft of the new Accessories category on the wiki at:
http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Categories_%26_Subcategories

If you notice that an item is missing from this Category, please add it under the header that says 'Suggestions' on the Wiki page, or you can add it here on the forums and I will make a note of it for you.

Thank you so much for all your help! Please comment on the forum thread (commenting on this post has been disabled so that we don't splinter information).

Search results (tags) for: "category"

Tech Update: Filter Search Results by Category

Tech Update: Sorting Your Item

About Us: Amy aka amydec

Tech Update: Announcing New Art Subcategory Showcases

Ceramics and Pottery: Facts and Fancies (Part 1)

Mother-Daughter-Grandmother Shops: Crocheting the Generation Gap (en Español)

Tech Update: Announcing New Jewelry Sub-Category Showcases

Bath and Beauty: Facts and Fancies (Part 1)

Guidelines & Tips: Tagging on Etsy

Tech Update: Freshening Up the Category Pages

Tech Updates: Freshening Up the Front Page

Dolls and Miniatures Category Showcase!

Tech Update: Dolls and Miniatures Category Coming Soon!

Tech Update: More Info on Search & Categories

The Art Category: Community Chatt Roundup, June 6, 2008

Community Chatt, May 30, 2008 Recap/ What's in Store This Week

Collectibles category: We've Reconsidered

Vintage and Supplies, deux: Community Chatt, May 23, 2008

Tech Update: Changes to Search and Categories are Live!

Upcoming Changes to Search: Your Questions Answered

Tech Updates: Upcoming Changes to Search and Categories

Seller How-to: Making Category Suggestions

Tech Update: More for your Money with Category Showcases

Seller Tagging Tips: "A Semi-Epiphany on Tags"

Followup to Focusing on Handmade

Tech Update: Search within Categories and Subcategories!

Some categories appearing blank *RECTIFIED*

Tech Updates: New Sub-subcategories in Jewelry

More Category Showcases Unleashed!

Accessories Category Update

Some categories appearing blank RECTIFIED