Search results (tags) for: "holiday how tos"

Wednesday Workshop Wrap-Up: Gift Certificates in Your Shop

2009-12-16T14:00:00-05:00

This article was originally published on December 17, 2007 and updated on September 8, 2008. We've updated the content to be current as of December 16, 2009 for the current holiday shopping season. Etsy does not offer site-wide gift cards, but individual sellers may provide gift certificate listings that shoppers can use in that store only. Check out Holiday How-To: Offering Services for more great tips on providing those special extra touches for your holiday shoppers.

As we quickly approach shipping cut-offs to deliver gift purchases in time for the holidays, some last-minute shoppers may appreciate the convenience of a gift certificate from your Etsy shop. We have some guidelines and tips for sellers who wish to offer gift certificates.

First and foremost, you must research and abide by any applicable local laws governing gift certificates.* This is clearly stated in the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy, as detailed below:

Gift certificates are governed by local laws; it is the seller's responsibility to determine if they are in compliance. If you list a gift certificate on Etsy, you are responsible for this compliance.
You must include this sentence in the item listing: "This Gift Certificate is valid only in my Etsy shop, and it is only redeemable here."

If you are a seller in the USA, you may be interested in The Consumer's Union for a brief overview gift certificate laws. (This website and this article are for informative purposes only, and should not be considered legal advice.) Please refer to the laws of your state and/or country for more accurate, detailed and up-to-date information. You may wish to consult an attorney for specific questions.

When you list your gift certificate on Etsy, be sure you follow all of Etsy's rules for item listings. Here are some specific things to keep in mind:

Your listing must be for a set price; this should be the full value of the gift certificate.
Your listing must be an actual, tangible item for purchase. This could be a traditional, formal paper certificate, notecard, Moo card or something the recipient might want to hang onto a little longer, like a sticker, coaster, patch or badge. A digital file, like a .pdf, may also be acceptable.
Your listing description should be accurate and detailed. Provide all the details and terms for using the gift certificate so shoppers know exactly what they are purchasing (see below).
Be clear in your description that this gift certificate is only redeemable in the Etsy shop from which is it purchased.

Be sure to include pertinent information on your physical gift certificate and in your item listing, even if it seems obvious to you:

the name of your shop
your shop's unique web address on Etsy (for example: username.etsy.com)
the words "gift certificate"
the value of the gift certificate
a unique secret code, which the redeemer of the gift certificate will be instructed to type into the Message to Seller section when checking out (do not include this in your item listing!)
clear instructions on how to redeem the gift certificate (for example: "Go to my Etsy shop, and select the items you would like to buy with this fine gift certificate. Click the green Checkout button. In the Message to Seller section, please type in the code. I will send you a Convo to confirm your order. Thanks!")

Be organized and keep track of the code of every gift certificate that is purchased and redeemed in your shop. When the gift certificate is redeemed, you may need to send a revised PayPal invoice to the buyer if there is a remaining balance that needs to be paid on the sale.

A final point of consideration for Etsy sellers who offer gift certificates is the associated Etsy fees. Two separate transactions occur with Etsy shop gift certificates: one when the gift certificate is purchased by the gift-giver, and one when the gift certificate is redeemed by the recipient. Applicable listing and transaction fees will be reflected on your Etsy bill for both of these transactions.

Find more how-to's about selling in our Seller Handbook.

*The fine print from SarahSays, our lawyer: This information is for educational and informational purposes only. The content should not be construed as legal advice. The author and Etsy, Inc. disclaim all responsibility for any and all losses, damages, or causes of action that may arise or be connected with the use of these materials. Please consult a licensed attorney in your area with specific legal questions or concerns.

P.S. A great big thank you goes out to thankyouenjoy for taking such detailed notes when we had a Virtual Labs workshop on this topic.

Etsy Holiday How-To #5: Shipping

2008-11-11T15:51:00-05:00

After giving you pointers on how to package, photograph and wrap items from your shop, we've finally reached our last Holiday How-To. In our last video, the Etsy Labs staff shows you how to get organized for the upcoming shipping frenzy. So sit back, chisel off another piece of Grandma's fruitcake and soak up our last tip for the holidays!

See more helpful how-tos about your indie biz in the Seller Handbook!

Envelopes in the Supplies Category | Packaging in the Supplies Category

Here are the previous articles in this series:

Etsy Holiday How-To #1: Packaging

Etsy Holiday How-To #2: Branding your Shipping Materials

Etsy Holiday How-To #3: Creating Labels and Hang-Tags

Etsy Holiday How-To #4: Photographing Your Items

[This video was originally published October 15, 2007. We're bringing it back for the '08 season!]

Etsy Holiday How-To #4: Photographing Your Items

2008-10-14T14:24:00-05:00

For our fourth how-to in this series, the Etsy Labs crew escapes the glare of the paparrazi just long enough to show you how to make your item photos look sharp and professional. From backdrops to cropping, learn how to make those JPEGS sparkle and shine!

And remember to stay tuned for our how-to next week!

Here are the previous ones in this series:

Etsy Holiday How-To #1: Packaging

Etsy Holiday How-To #2: Branding your Shipping Materials

Etsy Holiday How-To #3: Creating Labels and Hang-Tags

See more in the Seller Handbook!

[This video was originally published October 12, 2007. We're bringing it back for the '08 season!]

Etsy Holiday How-To #3: Creating Labels and Hang-Tags

2008-10-07T11:21:00-05:00

So, dear seller, you've just figured out how to wrap that 300 lb, giraffe-shaped menorah it took you 4 days to carve. Why not let your buyer know where it came from? Michelle from Etsy Labs gives you some creative techniques for labeling your loot in our third edition of the Holiday How-To series. Check out everyday materials you can use to make hang-tags and easy ways to put a little bling on your labels.

See more helpful how-tos about your indie biz in the Seller Handbook. Don't feel like making your own tags? Support your fellow crafters and get some from them! We'd also love to hear your crafty ideas for making hang-tags and labels in the comments below.

Handmade Hang Tags | Hang Tags in the Supplies Category

[This video was originally published October 12, 2007. We're bringing it back for the '08 season!]

Holiday How-To: Organizing for the Holidays (and Beyond)

2008-10-03T12:43:00-05:00

Managing time can feel like a nearly impossible hurdle. There are lots of books and resources on this topic — most sitting on well-intentioned and very busy readers' bookshelves waiting to be read. We recently had a few Virtual Labs sessions on the topic and we have summarized the highlights below.

Before you start, take some time to think about why time management is so challenging. You may think that it should be an easy concept to master, but it's important to understand why you're having difficulty managing your time in order to address those challenges. Most of us like to focus on the easy tasks so we can feel like we are crossing things off our to-do lists. You may find yourself doing the things that have been requested by others, time sensitive tasks and scheduled or planned activities. Phew! When that is all done, there is not much time for things like attending to your shop, fulfilling orders and all of the creating you want to do for the holidays.

So what to do? There are three key components to time management:

Plan – What do I need to do? When do I need to do it?
Manage – How do I set up a personal system to be most effective and efficient?
Organize – What do I need to do to focus my work and decrease time wasters?

Planning. Start the planning process by setting goals. Make a detailed list of actionable tasks necessary to accomplish that goal. Rank what you will do in the order you plan to achieve it. Below is an example of a goal to reach out to blogs, and the steps necessary to achieve it.

Estimate the time it will take to do each task, remembering to keep in mind all of the other commitments you have. I like to take a calendar and map out the time so I can visually see how long everything will take. Remember to be realistic!

In the planning stages, some other ideas that will help save you time in the long run include:

Pre-ordering Packaging Supplies – Including boxes, international custom forms, bubble wrap and gift wrapping. (Offering gift wrapping is a great service to offer to your buyers.)
Create a Mailing List of Your Customers – For all of those updates you plan to send during the holidays. (Only for those people who have opted in, of course.)
Plan Your Promotional Activities – Order your business cards, stickers, etc. ahead of time and outline other activities such as pitching to blogs or local press.

Manage. It is easy to get distracted during the day, particularly with phone calls, drop in visitors, emails and instant messaging potentially filling up a big portion of the day. Take some time to measure how much of your day you spend doing these activities and you may find there are some hours to take back.

Overall Tips:

Prioritize Your To-do Lists - Accomplish all of the high priority items on your list and fill in with the other tasks as you have time.
Focus on a Few Key Priorities – Decide up front what those are.
Attack the Important and Unpleasant Tasks Early – This will not only give you a big sense of accomplishment for the day, it will also be a huge relief!
Batch Processes – Think about answering emails every two hours, instead of every two minutes. This will save time and will keep you focused on the tasks at hand. You can also do this with instant messaging, making yourself available only at certain times of the day.
Block Time to Do Your Work, Ideally Without Interruptions - This is easier said than done, but if you can do more continuous work, you will get more done in less time.

Organize. There are 3 key areas where you might want to start organizing.

1. Record Keeping: Detailed and accurate record keeping is critical to track your costs, inventory, orders, supply purchase, tracking numbers and payments. You don’t need anything fancy for record keeping. Some options:

Pen & Paper: You can use a notebook, journal or bound general ledger.

Spreadsheets: We have an inventory spreadsheet you can download for free. There are also Etsy sellers that have a wide variety of spreadsheets to fit different needs, including JMMFinance, serena, simple solutions, Lldesign and lots of others.

Accounting Software: For large volumes or more detailed inventory tracking, you might want to consider accounting software packages like Quickbooks or Peachtree.

2. Organizing your computer and email: The ideas below work well for both your desktop and your email inbox.

Organized Desktop. A well organized desktop can help to alleviate many headaches during the holidays. Think about a filing system and what each file will be called. For instance, you might have a file for shipped orders, item descriptions and other components of your Etsy business.
Keep all Etsy-related files together.
Back up your work.
Create templates. Save time when it comes to frequently sent emails and answers to questions.

3. Organize your Space. Some people are fortunate to have a dedicated place in their home for their craft-related work and fulfillment supplies. If you don’t have a dedicated place, you still need to create a system using baskets, closets or whatever space you have. Regardless of your space, thinking about where you will keep your supplies, finished items and shipping supplies, as well as creating a system to utilize those supplies will help keep stress at bay. Mary Ink's work space is a great example of well-functioning, organized place to work. Rachelaustin and many of the other sellers in the Quit Your Day Job series also have great pictures of their organized work spaces that you can peruse for inspiration.

Tips You Can Try Today

1. Identify non-productive habits that absorb your time (and creates ways to limit them).

2. Create a plan and use it. Set goals and plan ahead by breaking down goals into smaller projects with deadlines.

3. Prioritize "to-do" lists every night for the next day.

4. Do the #1 priority task first and stick with it until it is done.

5. Use a calendar to help stay organized.

6. Block time on your calendar to create, or specific goals you are having difficulty accomplishing.

7. Keep specific lists.

8. Manage distractions and control interruptions (e.g. batch email).

9. Learn how to say no politely. (Don't take on more than you can do!)

10. Just do it!!! Even when you are feeling overwhelmed, starting on one piece of work is a great start.

If you have any ideas or input on how you stay organized, leave it in the comments below!

For more how-tos about selling, see the Seller Handbook.

Etsy Holiday How-To #2: Branding your Shipping Materials

2008-09-30T11:36:00-05:00

You know Dasher and Dancer... but do you know from which Etsy seller that fetching present came? In our second segment, Julie shows you how to brand your items by making clever and attractive shipping mailers and envelopes from recycled materials. Here is a PDF file with an envelope pattern.

Keep that coal out of your stocking and tune in to the rest of the series for more Etsy Labs Holiday How-tos on sprucing up your shop, shipping, photography and more!

See more helpful how-tos about your indie biz in the Seller Handbook.

[This video was originally published October 22, 2007. We're bringing it back for the '08 season!]

Etsy Holiday How-To #1: Packaging

2008-09-23T12:13:00-05:00

What? Too soon to start thinking about the holidays, you say?

Not at all. It takes some time to get your Etsy shop ready for the holiday shopping season, so it's best to start now. We know this can be a daunting task.

So we'll be presenting a series of video how-tos to help you get your Etsy shop ready for the holiday season. In our first segment, Mary shows you how to recycle items from around your home to make original, appealing, and eco-friendly packaging. Tune in to the rest of the series for more how-tos on sprucing up your shop, shipping, photography and more!

Click here for a How-To on making your own boxes out of recycled paper.

See the The Etsy Seller Handbook: All Our How-Tos about Selling.

[This video was originally published October 9, 2007. We're bringing it back for the '08 season!]

Holiday How-To in the Virtual Labs: Getting Organized for the Holidays with Beth & Julie

2008-09-22T17:09:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

If you missed her past talk, Etsy admin Beth aka bethela will be presenting again in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs on Thursday September 25, 2008 at 4pm (Eastern Daylight Time).

And she means business:

"I will give an overview on how to plan, manage and organize for the holidays. We'll work on goal setting, prioritizing and managing your time and organizing not only your work space, but your records and your computer and email."

Please come prepared to follow along! You can download materials for this class here. Julie will be co-hosting and giving some tips too.

Want more how-tos for sellers? Check out the Seller Handbook! If you want the latest events in the Virtual Labs, see the Virtual Labs Schedule.

Holiday How-To: Sagittariusgallery's Top 10 Tips for Newbie Sellers

2008-09-18T11:25:00-05:00

Attention Newbie Sellers!

If you don't know Sagittariusgallery, you should. Not only a painter and an experienced seller, she takes it upon herself to share informative Newbie Guides on the forums (and on the Storque too — see here for her past posts). We invited her to list her Top 10 Crucial Holiday Rush Tips for Newbie Sellers.

The holiday season can be a maddening, glorious time for veteran sellers and newbies alike. For sellers who call the 2008 Holiday Season their first, it can be especially confusing, exciting, and stressful, not knowing what to expect and how to prepare. As a natural "fact finder" (not to mention online sales veteran of six years and Etsy seller since January 2007), I'm constantly looking for ways to make things more manageable, and of course, obsessively categorizing my findings and presenting them in countless forum threads ;)

So, without further ado, I present to you a list of 10 ways to make your life a little bit sweeter as a seller this Holiday season.

P.S. If you have your own helpful holiday tips, please feel free to share them in the comments! We're all in this together :)

1. Just because you post it, doesn't necessarily mean they will come. It is true that there is a "holiday rush" — but even the most successful Etsy businesses had to start somewhere. They needed to learn the ins and outs. They needed to advertise. They needed to learn their demographic, know their target audience...they had to teach themselves the marketing savvy they needed for their businesses to flourish. You need to figure out who you are selling to, find them, and bring them to you. Which brings me to....

2. Utilize targeted outside advertisement. It is up to us to bring potential customers to our storefronts. For example, several artists came together under AndyMathis' The Artist Collective and split the cost of a co-op ad in American Art Collector Magazine – our demographic. Know who your audience is and devise a marketing plan. You are directly responsible for your own success: Don't leave it to chance by dropping links everywhere without a plan. (See here for more advertising how-tos.)

3. Diversify your price points. Etsy has new buyers and sellers signing up every single minute of every single day, so there is no shortage of patrons for what it is you are offering. However, if you only offer products at one price point, you could be cutting out a big chunk of a viable customer base. As an artist, my originals are at a higher price point. I began offering prints of my work to be able to offer my artwork to a wider range of patrons who might not be in the market for a pricey original. My sister, a jewelry artist, offers lower priced earrings and zipper pulls as an alternative to her more expensive pieces utilizing higher end gemstones and metals. (See here for more pricing how-tos.)

4. Set certain times of the day or days of the week aside for certain tasks. Organization is key! For example, I ship on Tuesdays and Fridays. You might want to set aside certain days to ship, certain times of the day to check your email and respond to convos, etc. If it becomes a part of your routine, it becomes easier to keep it all under control. Budget your time accordingly and you'll be less pressed for time and end up less stressed at the end of the day. We all know stress kills productivity! (This post from a WAHM deals with organizing your work day.)

5. Have your shop policies clearly outlined and in order. During a busy retail season, it is wise to keep all pertinent information about your shop at your customer's fingertips. You need to account for the all important impulse purchases. It's not going to be an impulse purchase if a buyer needs to convo you and ask a question. Think of all of the questions you might ask a seller, and answer them within your shop, be it in the shop policies, profile, or the descriptions themselves. What courier do you use to ship your packages? What is your return policy? Do you offer expedited shipping? Do you offer multiple item discounts? Will you offer gift wrapping services? Would you consider sending the package straight to the gift recipient? Do you insure your items during transit? What about tracking? (See here for more policy how-tos.) Ahh...that brings me to another important tip....

6. Try to utilize courier pick up. USPS, FedEX, UPS and DHL all offer online shipping services. Don't want to stand in long post office lines this holiday season? Got a working printer with ink just begging to be used? This is the way to go. All you need is a postal scale (I got mine for 15 bucks on discount – just search online and you'll find them!). You can even order shipping supplies for free for Priority shipments through the Postal Service. (Remember, these free supplies are for Priority shipments only!) It's also important to remember that international shipments will still need to go to the post office directly, but having currier pick up for domestic packages is truly a time saver. (See here for more shipping how-tos.) Speaking of international shipments....

7. Offer international shipping! Etsy is an international site. If you are from the United States and only offer domestic shipping you are cutting out a huge customer base. Shipping internationally is not as scary as you might think. I know that is a big reason people end up holding back. Forms, rules, regulations: it seems daunting, I know. However, it's nothing to shy away from. If you have a question about a country's rules, USPS has a nifty area of their site where you can read up on what is and isn't acceptable as well as how much it will cost you to ship to any destination you choose. Bookmark it and pull it up anytime you have a question.

You can also go to your local post office and ask for a big stack of customs forms so you can fill them out at home instead of in one of the long lines at the post office. It saves time. I will say that the postal service is least expensive shipping option by far for international shipments. The rule of thumb: If it is under 78 inches when you add length and girth (you get the girth by wrapping the measuring tape around the package width wise), then you can send it through the post office to any international destination. Of course, it's important to consult your local post office if you have any questions. They are usually more than willing to help you out!

8. Expect the unexpected. You never know what could happen. Say you advertise in the right spot, a blog picks you up, you get featured, or you end up creating the "it item" for the Holiday season. Are you ready? Start preparation as early as you can to ensure you have enough stock, just in case. This is not to say everyone's shops are going to blow up with orders, but yours could. Plan accordingly.

9. Have a "stop date" in mind for shipping *and* custom orders. Keep in mind many people will be ordering closer and closer to Christmas for a special someone and will expect their gifts in time for the holiday. It might be best to put in your shop announcement the cut off date. With international purchases, it's important to remember that unless you send it guaranteed for a certain date delivery or express, there is no way you can guarantee that a purchase will be there on time. Be up front with your customers about what you can and cannot guarantee to them. They will appreciate it.

10. Last but not least, enjoy the time of year! Don't allow yourself to get overstressed and overworked. Only you know what you can handle. If you have too many custom orders and you've got a convo from someone about one more? Politely let them know you're booked, but appreciate their interest, and ask if you can put them on a waiting list. It's not rude to be upfront (but polite, of course!) that you already have enough on your plate. When you're stressed, it shows in your work — and you want to be able to give each piece (and customer!) the attention they deserve! We do this, after all, because it's what we love to do — and stress can make you want to tear your hair out and make you start to forget why you love what you're doing. Nobody wants that. So sit down, have a cup of cocoa in some cozy pj's, create something awesome and remember how cool it is to be doing what you do!

Read more how-tos for sellers. And post YOUR suggestions for newbie sellers in the comments below!

Rocking Holiday Craft Shows

2008-09-11T11:00:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

Julieincharge and I are off to spread the word about Etsy at Renegade Chicago this weekend, so we have craft shows on the brain. Before we depart for Chicago, we want to help you, dear sellers, get ready for your Fall and Winter craft shows too! Read on and join us September 11th, 2008 at 4pm Eastern in the Virtual Labs for a live discussion on this topic.

First of all, if you haven't done a craft show before, talk to someone who has. The Forums are a great place to start. This 19 page forum post was chock full of great tips that I'm going to reference in this article!

Your Booth

There are many things to consider when planning out your booth set up. First let's touch on display.

littleputbooks says: Use height to fill your booth and attract attention.

I could not agree more! Use risers (how about the boxes you've packed your merchandise in, covered with the same cloth you use for your table?) to create different heights. If you have all your work lying on the table, only a few people can hover over your items at a time. Having different levels allows you to be seen from further away and by more people at once. One little trick? Use magnetic clips or hooks to attach to your tent's legs and hang packaged merchandise from them. I've also spruced up these metal legs with flat magnets with my business logo printed on them. Then people can easily grab your info on the way out — and a magnet is something they are less likely to just toss in the trash.

Now what about you? Does it matter how you put yourself on display? YES! Here are some tips from the Etsy Forums:

molecularmuse says: Oh, and... have an opening line/greeting. (I usually ask if the person wants a free molecule temporary tattoo...)

LittleBirdhouseStore says: Be happy regardless if you are selling or not. I just did a show this weekend and the lady across from me was not doing so well and you could tell it on her face. NO ONE went in her booth because she looked grumpy. So smile, smile, smile. Also know what you are selling, be able to answer questions. "I don't know" doesn't cut it when someone is asking about something you made.

ktracton says: When someone compliments your work, do NOT say "Thank you"! That is a conversation stopper right there. Say, "yes, these are great because...(insert reason here)". This keeps the conversation going and you may make the sale on issues they were initially unaware of.

countrywindows says: I use a director's chair if I do sit down. People can come up to you and talk to you eye to eye, because the chair sits up so high. A lot of people slump down in a lawn chair, and to me, a customer may think that you don't want to get up and [therefore] don't [want to] bother you; I can almost be standing up in a director's chair.

One last tip for your booth: hide your junk!

hairflair says: Have your table covers go all the way to the floor, so you can use underneath for storage.

Want to see what other people are doing with their craft show booths? Check out this Flickr group, Show Me Your Booths. You can also look up the photos from previous year's shows to get some inspiration.

What to Pack

If you are doing an indoor craft show, first of all, thank your lucky stars! You're only going to need to pack a small percentage of the following:

Pens, markers
Paper (scrap and nice paper for signs)
Invoice book
Scissors
Labels and price tags
Tape (EVERY KIND YOU CAN THINK OF: double sided, duct, scotch, packaging. If they make it, bring it.)
Mini-first aid kit (band aids, pain relievers, eye drops, antacids, etc)
Tools (screwdriver, hammer, pliers, wire, zip ties, aka The Crafters Need to Have Supply!)
Weights and tarps for your tent (Tip: bring milk jugs and fill them with water to use as weights)
Apron or waist pouch for change
Plenty of change to put in your apron or waist pouch
Wet naps and hand sanitizer
Water and snacks

Here's my personal tip: Leave your dog at home. I brought mine once to an outdoor show and shoppers would come to my booth and start looking at my work until...they realized I had the cutest dog on earth sitting at the booth. And then they would forget about how much they wanted that bunny necklace and pet my dog instead! Rover can be a serious hindrance to your sales. (I would think a really cute baby would be the same way.) So if you have to bring your baby, child or pet, try to make them look less cute! Unless you sell clothing or accessories for these little creatures, in which case:

littlehanddesign says: I design children's clothes so I TAKE ORDERS! I bring a fabric sample book for ideas & a BIG photo album of past sets & I take orders, hand out tons of cards AND parade cute girls around with cards in my sets to mingle :)

Cash or Credit?

You are going to want to have lots of change on you, especially if you only take cash. Also, decide before you go if you are going to accept checks. It can be awkward to think about this while you have the customer and their checkbook right in front of you.

What about credit cards? Is this your first craft show? You might not want to invest in a credit card service this early. If you've done a few shows and know this is the right route for you, think about using a service through Paypal or Propay to accept credit cards.

AliciaBock says: At my last show 80% of my orders were paid for by credit card. I never had to make change.

Have another service you use to collect credit cards? Let us know in the comments below! This is a hot topic in the among craft show discussions.

Your Inventory

I found some really great tips in the previously mentioned Forum post about inventory. I'm telling you, your fellow crafters are the best resource there is!

madebycarashop says: Don't put WAY too many things on your table—it overwhelms. (I did that my first craft fair—people don't know where to look.)

yippihippi says: madebycara, this is also something I'm learning (don't put too many things on your table at once). I had some bottle cap magnets at a show in July, and people were crazy over them. So what did I do? Run home and make tons more, and filled up my magnet board for my August show. Not a single one sold. I think it was too crowded and there were too many choices. I also wonder if your items look a little more "exclusive" if you find the right balance of amount of product to display.

gentryart says: I sell my gourd art at a reenactment festival. Last year I had 3 or 4 gourds that I was working on, coiling on a pine needle rim. It takes about 30 un-interrupted minutes for a small one. Thank goodness I had helpers. Three different people stopped to watch and asked if they could buy the one I was working on—and later came back after visiting the rest of the show. It took me by surprise, I wasn't expecting to sell these. From now on I ALWAYS demonstrate.

bexcaliber says: Price everything and have lots of signs or information out and visible; people are shy [about] asking sometimes.

DawnLewisImagery says: The best tip I ever read was to have a draw card ... like a giant crocheted squid!!! Something that's not necessarily for sale, but is big and interesting to draw people to your booth. It's a great conversation starter! You know people will ask if it's for sale (even if they don't intend to buy it), which gives a great opportunity to say "No, but his baby brother is." :D

Drop The Hint

If you're doing a show after October 1st, I'd say it's safe to start dropping the Winter Holiday hints. For one show I bought a mini-Christmas tree and tied my earring cards with ribbon and hung them all over the tree like ornaments. Little wintery touches can remind your shoppers that even if this might not be the perfect item for them to purchase for themselves, that it might be just right for their friends or family! I would also think about some great packaging and display one of your wrapped up items. That way it's easy as pie to give an item from your booth as a gift!

If you want more tips and tricks for doing those Holiday Craft shows remember to come out to the Virtual Labs September 11th at 4pm Eastern! See you there!

Find More Craft Show Tips Here:

Penny-wise Product Pushing: Do a Craft Show without Breaking the Bank | How-to Get Ready for a Big Show with the New New Team | Find Your Local Holiday Craft Fair

Holiday How-To: Offering Services

2008-09-08T17:00:00-05:00

Sellers: it's never too early to start thinking about the holiday shopping rush! During the holiday season last year, the Etsy Support Team learned a lot about the issues that sellers face when offering services to Etsy buyers. This season, you may want to offer some promotions and additional services to your customers, and we want to help you be prepared. This article will describe how to provide some of these extras and stay within the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy. Please follow the links for further information on each of these topics.

Gift Certificates

When selling gift certificates, be sure to create a tangible, physical item for the listing. This could be a traditional paper certificate, notecard or even a digital file that is delivered to the buyer.

More on selling gift certificates in your Etsy shop in this previous Storque article.

Shipping Upgrades

To let buyers know that you can upgrade shipping at their request, you can mention this in your shop announcement, profile or in item descriptions. A buyer can let you know if they need upgraded shipping, and you can then revise the listing or invoice to reflect the shipping changes.

Check out the full article about holiday shipping concerns for more info.

Selling Gift Wrap

All items must be available for purchase, but without requiring other purchases to be made. To offer gift wrapping, the paper needs to be listed as a supply that can be purchased with or without another item. You could write in the item description that if another item is purchased, it can be wrapped in the paper.

For further information on offering gift wrap to your customers, check out this article.

Sales and Other Add-ons in Your Shop

Rather than create a listing to let buyers know about a promotion or add-on, you can include this information in item descriptions, shop announcement, profile or even your banner. Additionally, you can adjust the price of your item in PayPal or make arrangements with the buyer to refund her after she purchases.

How to edit a PayPal invoice to accommodate a price change.

Do you have any questions on these topics or any other holiday rush bugbear and you're concerned about what you can and cannot offer in your shop? Please feel free to contact Etsy's Content Team at content@etsy.com. Happy holidays!

Holiday How-Tos: Online Marketing Tips

2008-09-03T11:40:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

Now is the time to organize your Holiday marketing plan! Get out your calendars and start plotting your plan of attack. There's lots you prep work you can do right now so that you'll be organized and ready to go for the holidays. The following ideas should help you start thinking about your plan, but really these tips are just the tip of the wintery iceberg. Do you have some tips for your fellow sellers? Please post them in the comments below or join us this Thursday (September 4th, 2008) at 4:00 pm EDT in the Treehouse of the Virtual Labs for a discussion on this topic!

Newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers this holiday season. The first thing you need to do is build your mailing list and choose how you are going to send your newsletters. You can create a Google Group or Yahoo Group for free and by inviting your customers to join these groups (a great place to do this is in your Message To Seller field in Your Etsy), you can build an easy mailing list that is simple to use. (Here's an article I found that can show you how to do this.) If you don't mind paying for a more versatile service try ConstantContact or VerticalResponse (or one of the many other newsletter programs). These will allow you to create HTML newsletters, get stats and creatively manage your contacts.

This does take a bit of work to set up, but once you have your mailing list established, you can easily contact your best customers and let them know of your new items for the holidays or a sale! Another great way to use this is to send out a newsletter a week before the last day they can order from your shop in order to get their package before Christmas to let them know the deadline is fast approaching!

Tip: Remember to ask your customers to opt-in to your mailing list! Emailing about a promo without permission is considered spamming.

Blogging

If you don't have a blog yet, now is the time to set one up! Like newsletters, blogging can keep you in touch with your customer base and let them know about your holiday specials, new designs, deadlines for holiday ordering and more. In addition, you can get your customers thinking about the holidays early by pointing out what you are doing to plan for winter. Blog about gifts you might be giving to friends and family, decorating how-tos, your favorite holiday recipes, etc.

Tip: Create a weekday series (for example: "Tuesday's Tips for Holiday Decorating"). This will keep you — and your readers — coming back to your blog!

Social Networking

In a previous article, Pimp My Shop, I wrote about the importance of social networking. Here are a couple of ideas for utilizing social networking sites over the holidays:

Offer an exclusive special or free gift with purchase to all your contacts on one social networking site. This will reward your contacts for following you and make them feel special!
Spend some time wishing your contacts a happy holiday season. Here's my suggestion: No flashy graphics! Just leave a personalized comment to those of your contacts who you are familiar with (ie. past customers, Etsy friends, bloggers). For example, "Dear DeeDee, Thank you for supporting me this year! I wish you all the best and hope it doesn't get too cold in Colorado this winter! Happy Holidays!"

Tip: Now is the time to add one or two more social networking or social shopping sites to your daily routine. Try Indiepublic or StyleFeeder (if you haven't already).

Advertising

Freshen up your advertising and start early! Put together a frosty photo-shoot and get some great crisp shots to use in your online advertising. Think snow, icicles and glitter! Get those holiday ads out right after Halloween, which means you should be lining up your favorite place to run online ads now. Don't know where to get started? Check out your Blog Roll. Many of your favorite blogs offer adspace, and if they don't they might start with you, just ask! Another great resources is a site called ProjectWonderful, where you can bid on adspace for as little as $0.25!

The holidays can be an exciting and fruitful time of year for sellers. Make sure you've done what you can to bring in new customers and connect with your previous customers. These tips should help you start to form your plan.

Need more inspiration for your holiday marketing plan? Remember to join us this Thursday (September 4th) at 4:00 pm EDT in the Treehouse of the Virtual Labs! This will be the first in a weekly discussion on organizing your shop for the holidays. Hope to see you there! And make sure to check back for more Holiday How-Tos!

Customer Care Tip: Sending an Invoice from PayPal

2008-02-26T15:16:00-05:00

This article was originally published on February 26, 2008. We've updated the content to be current as of September 8, 2008 for the upcoming holiday selling season. Check out Holiday How-To: Offering Services for more great tips on providing those special extra touches for your holiday shoppers.

How to send a revised invoice is a question that comes up from time to time. There are a few situations in which a seller might need to send a customer an updated invoice before she pays. For example: to offer a discount or sale price without editing the listing, an Alchemy transaction or if the buyer mistakenly chose "other payment" intending to pay by credit card through PayPal.

To get started, here is the info you'll need to gather for the PayPal invoice. This is all conveniently included on the Etsy invoice page under Your Etsy > Sold (orders).

buyer's email address
quantity of item(s)
Etsy transaction ID number (for the "Item ID" field in PayPal)
item title or short description
price of the item
cost of shipping

Here's how to create an invoice in PayPal for your transaction:

Go to PayPal.com and login to your account.*
Click the "Request Money" tab.
Click "Create an Invoice" in the header.
Select "New Invoice" from the drop-down menu and press the "Continue" button.
On this page, you will enter in all the details of the transaction, as noted above. For "Invoice Type," select "Goods." Press "Continue" when you've got all the info entered. (see the screenshot below)
Review the Invoice. Make sure everything is accurate, then press "Send Invoice."
You can save a template of the invoice you just sent if you think it will be a common transaction.

Here is how Step 5 looks:

An email will be sent to your customer with all the details and a link back to PayPal to complete the payment. If you go back to Your Account, you will see an entry in your Account Activity section for the invoice you just sent. This will have a Pending status until the buyer pays you. (Remember, never send the item until you have confirmed payment has been made.)

HOT TIP: A buyer can pay using a credit card even if they're not a registered PayPal member.

*For international sellers who use a version of PayPal localized to their country (such as PayPal.co.uk for the United Kingdom), the steps may be slightly different in the non-USA versions of PayPal. Please consult PayPal's Help Center for more information.

Your Shop 101: Getting It There In Time

2007-11-16T09:01:00-05:00

This article was originally published on November 16, 2007. We've updated the content to be current as of September 8, 2008 for the upcoming holiday selling season. Check out Holiday How-To: Offering Services for more great tips on providing those special extra touches for your holiday shoppers.

Shipping can be the least exciting part of the selling process. What service should I use? What should I charge? How do I get it there in time? I've put together some information that should help your shipping process for the holidays.

Warning: The following information is U.S. based (because I live here now and am now solely dealing with USPS, UPS and FedEx). If you are a seller that has tips about shipping from another country I encourage you to share that in the comments below!

Tips for shipping within the US:

Announce in your shop that you mail out two (or one) specific weekdays a week. The weekday before you are to mail out packages, schedule a mail pickup from USPS. This is a free service, and it saves your time and gas.
Print shipping labels online through USPS.com (only works for Priority and Express packages).
If you receive payment via Paypal, you can log into PayPal and print a shipping label for USPS directly from the PayPal payment details page.

Tips for shipping internationally:

If you are selling to a lot of international buyers you might want to check out Endicia.com. This service allows you to print shipping labels online that integrate customs forms as well. Shipping internationally is much easier when you use Endicia.com. You enter all your customs information in an online form, and this information is printed out along with proper postage!
If you ship infrequently to other countries, grab a bunch of green customs forms when you happen to be in the post office. Then you can keep the forms at your desk to fill out before you make your next shipment.
Don't fib on your customs forms! Marking your item as a "gift" or undervaluing it is a red flag to customs agents. It's possible they'll inspect your item which will delay delivery indefinitely!
Don't make any promises. Shipping internationally will go smoothly most of the time. Every so often a package can get stuck in customs. Make sure your customers are aware that you can't be responsible for these delays. It's nearly impossible to track a package once it leaves the United States; so if something goes missing, there isn't much you can do.

Tips for your Etsy shop:

Include your shipping policy on your Shop Policies page. Include what day(s) you ship, whether the buyer will receive an email confirming shipment and/or a tracking number, how international items are shipped, etc.
Think of offering a way to expedite shipping. Ask buyers to contact you via Conversation or email so you can tell them what you can offer in terms of getting an item shipped faster. Perhaps you also want to include the cost and details of expedited shipping in your shipping profile.
Refer to your shipping policy and expedited shipping options in each of your item listings and/or your shop announcement.
Now that the holidays are upon us, you may want to include the date an item must be ordered by to get it to your buyer by the holidays. First Class USPS should take less than 7 days, but I would add on a few days to that estimate just to be safe (and make sure to factor in a day or two for packaging up your sales!).

Tips for your shipping station:

Whether it's an old school desk in the corner or an entire office in your home, keep it organized. Gather as much free USPS packaging and forms as you can to avoid unnecessary trips to the post office!
Invest in some adhesive labels and a laser printer or label printer (about $100) if you are doing a lot of shipping.
Hire someone you trust to help you with shipping. This will give you more time to create! (Pay them with cookies!)

Please see more Shipping how-tos on the Storque!

Holiday How-Tos: Sellers, Wrap It Up with Gift Wrap!

2007-11-01T13:17:00-05:00

This article was originally published on November 1, 2007. We've updated the content to be current as of September 8, 2008 for the upcoming holiday selling season. Check out Holiday How-To: Offering Services for more great tips on providing those special extra touches for your holiday shoppers.

Want to offer your buyers an extra bonus this holiday season? Why not offer gift wrap? It's a great way to make a few extra dollars, while sending your items out ready for giving. The presentation looks great, and weary shoppers will love you for it. If you make your own handmade wrapping paper and tags or use recycled materials, it really completes the BuyHandmade package!

You must list gift wrap as a supply and not a service to comply with the policies in the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy. These guidelines should help:

The gift wrap should be a stand-alone listing in your shop. The buyer must not be required to make a separate purchase from your shop in order to buy the gift wrap.
List the gift wrap as a commercial supply if you're using paper and packaging you've purchased. The top-tag (Category) should be Supplies; the second tag should be Commercial. Be sure to also tag it as gift wrap.
If the gift wrap is handmade by you, you may list it as a handmade supply or paper good. In this case, the top tag (Category) could be either Supplies or Paper Goods. Be sure to also tag it as gift wrap.
Be prepared to sell only the gift wrap if someone purchases it without also buying an item from your shop. (You're selling the gift wrap as an item, not the service of wrapping. It's possible a shopper might just want the wrapping paper.)
Be sure to include the details about this gift wrap (dimensions, materials, colors, embellishments, etc).
Make a note in your shop's item descriptions that you offer gift wrap, and the buyer must purchase the gift wrap in addition to the item they would like wrapped.
Also note this gift wrap will only be available for items in your shop. (Some new shoppers may not realize Etsy is made up of many unique shops.)
You may want to make a note that your customer should purchase the item and the gift wrap at the same time. You can note this in your gift wrap listing and your item listings.

Follow those tips and you will be ready to offer a special little extra for your customers! And get creative — handmade wrapping paper, crocheted ribbon, sewn fabric bags are all great handmade alternatives to store-bought wrapping paper.

So what do you think? Will you be offering gift wrapping this holiday season? If so, let us know here!