Search results (tags) for: "items"

Seller How-To: 5 Tips for Item Descriptions

2009-11-11T16:48:00-05:00

Do you have writer's block when it comes to crafting your Etsy item listings? You're in luck! Optimize your shop with the following five tips for effective and descriptive prose in your product listings. You'll have a way with words in no time!

1. Create an inverted pyramid. The most important information about your item should be first in your description — not only because shoppers want the details on your items as soon as possible, but also because it's a smart way to optimize the way your description displays in Google search results.

Tip: Always use the Google search results preview.

2. Short paragraphs and bullet points are your friends. Visitors to your shop might be looking for a specific size or material, so make it easy for them to glean that info from your descriptions by cutting out superfluous language and making good use of bullet points. Think about your descriptions as a way to answer your buyer's questions (within reason, of course). Here's a forum thread, 20 Questions Your Buyers are Asking, to help you get an idea of what those questions could be.

3. Keep an eye on your web analytics results. (Find out how to set that up in the Seller FAQ.) Keep a list of the keywords visitors searched for when they found your shop and write with these keywords in mind. Remember that your tags are keywords used by Etsy Search, but your most important tags and materials should also be scattered throughout your descriptions so that internet searches (through Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc) can find you too! These sites are more likely to pick up keywords from your descriptions rather than your list of tags.

4. Just like a good therapist suggests, use "I" statements. Speaking in the first person will help you connect with your visitor on a personal level — and isn't that what they are looking for when they come to shop on Etsy? Show a bit of your personality! Think of your item descriptions as you would when meeting a new friend: you want to be polite, but you also want to be your natural self.

5. End with a link. Did you know you can copy and paste Etsy URLs in your descriptions and they will function as a hyperlink? Use this to your advantage. If your visitor has read your item description and is not biting, don't let them float away off the computer, to another website, Etsy shop or back to their search results. Instead, give them a link to learn more about you, see your entire shop, check out your policies or even a link to send you a conversation.

Want more tips? Check out these links:

Writing for an Online Audience | Seller Handbook

Getting Creative with Moo

2009-06-29T15:21:00-05:00

Every time I'm at a craft show, there are always a few sellers giving away Moo MiniCards (which are mini business cards that display photos of your work). There's something about the compact size and design that draws a lot of attention. What's more, you can use up to 100 full color photos on your mini calling-cards, and these photos can be pulled right from your Etsy shop. Moo is offering a special deal just for Etsians for the next two weeks: Spend $30 (£15/€22.50) on Moo.com and get free shipping on your order. Use the code: "etsyjune." This promotion ends on July 13, 2009.

All these options seem to be inspiring Etsy sellers to get crafty with their Moo minis! Check out some cool examples below...

pretty buggie sachets by jekbot

sweet jewelry packaging by wiccked

Moo Bookmarks by Emmalynne

How I use my moo cards by clevergirl

MooPocket with window by splatgirl

tagged with a matching moo card by memake

So what can you do with your Moo cards? We want to see! Upload your photos to Flickr and tag them Etsy Moo MiniCard Challenge!

The items below are some of our previous top picks!

More Moo Posts | Seller Handbook | Help on Etsy

Tech Update: Introducing a New Recently Listed Items Site Feature

2009-02-27T19:00:00-05:00

Etsy admin/guru/spiritual leader Jared Tarbell has developed a new site feature: Recently Listed Items.

With Etsy's marketplace growing along with some sellers' concerns about the traffic jam of items being uploaded to the site, we want to do our best to show you as many fresh items as we can. Recently Listed Items will be linked to from, not surprisingly, the "Recently Listed Items" ticker on Etsy's homepage.

Check it out! It's a super fun way to "speed shop."

(Please note that we can't guarantee that this new site feature will show every single listing, but we hope this will help.)

All items below were found using: Recently Listed Items. See what you can find before the page fills up!

Let us know what you think in the comments!

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.

Sellers' Top Items of 2008: Shop Makeover Community Vote!

2009-01-21T19:00:00-05:00

UPDATE: Voting ends tomorrow!!!

In an effort to better understand which of their items are workin' it, sellers shared links to their top selling items of 2008 in the comments of this post. Now we want YOU to pick your favorites from this pool. The hottest items will be featured in the Gift Guides and here on the Etsy blog!

VOTE HERE

Nothin' like a lil informal/virtual focus group for your products. Sellers should check out the Shop Makeover Series and get involved. May your shops bloom and grow!

The Voter tool only takes 60 items, so we chose the early bird participants first and included some of the overflow in the related items below.

Good luck to everyone!

Tech Updates: New Tools for Flagging

2008-11-19T15:00:00-05:00

Today we released an update which will make it easier to flag an item on Etsy. If you notice an item listing that violates Etsy's site policies, you can "flag" it to notify the Etsy Support admin who work on Content. Previously, the "Report this item to Etsy" link would lead you to contact Support by email; now the link leads to a simple form you can fill out and submit right on Etsy.

If you're new to flagging, here are some FAQs:

What is flagging? How do I flag an item?
If you find an item on Etsy which appears to violate the DOs & DON'Ts or Terms of Use, you can bring it to the attention of Etsy's staff by clicking "Report this item to Etsy" in the right sidebar on the listing page. Just complete the simple form by selecting a reason and adding any additional information in the message field.

What happens when I flag an item?
Etsy admin review every flagged item. If the item appears to violate Etsy's policies, admin will contact the seller by email. In extreme cases the item may be removed from the site immediately. Flagging is confidential; only Etsy's staff will know who flagged an item.

Oops, I flagged an item by accident! Can do I undo it?
There isn't a way to undo a flag, but don't worry, each flag is reviewed by a human being. If you flagged an item in error, it will be cleared when the Content admin reviews the shop.

Will I know right away if one of my items gets flagged?
Etsy admin review each flag before notifying the seller. You will only be contacted if there is something you need to change about the listing or if Etsy's staff have questions about the item or shop. If you do get an email from Content, it's important to respond promptly so the issue can be resolved quickly. Etsy admin will email you at the address on file in your account information (Your Etsy > Account Info), so be sure that info is up-to-date.

What else do I need to know about flagging?
You can read more about the people who work on Content here at Etsy in this previous Storque article: Meet the Content Folks on the Support Team. You may also want to familiarize yourself with Etsy's policies for flagging from the DOs & DON'Ts.

All about Etsy FAQ Series| TechUpdates | Help

Team Tip: Merchandising!

2008-11-10T13:36:00-05:00

There are many benefits of joining an Etsy Team, including cross promotion among Team members. With the holidays quickly approaching, joint merchandising and promotional efforts are a really great way members can help each other and boost overall sales — and help shoppers find those perfect holiday gifts.

For example, take Leandogpottery's Labyrinth Soap Dish. She might include a link in the product description to fellow Team member savor's Tart - Olive Oil Soap, and mention what a lovely pair the two items would make for a gift!

Savor would do the same, including a link to Leandogpottery's soap dish in her item listing. Now, with a little teamwork from sellers, shoppers can easily find a great gift set within a modest gift budget.

Savor's Tart - Olive Oil Soap, $4.50 & Leandogpottery's Labyrinth Soap Dish, $13.00

Below are some other ideas for bundling, coupling, grouping, branding and merchandising items from your Team:

You can also pair items from your shop with other items in your shop - suggest coordinating items in listings.
Or you can include a link to a search for your Team's tag in your item listings to help shoppers find items they might like from shops of other Team members.
Use the Etsy mini to highlight great items from your Team on your blogs, social networking sites and other places on the web.
If you're primarily a buyer on Etsy, you can show support for your favorite Teams by including links to their Team tags in your Etsy profile.
To mix things up a bit, try occasionally Twittering or blogging about a Teammate's shop from your account - it's more fun and you'll get more attention that just talking about your own work all the time.
Many Teams find it useful to include a Team image as the last item image in an item listing - the image might have your Team's logo and a Team search tag, so shoppers can recognize items by a particular Team more easily.
Organize a ring of links to your Teammates shops in your announcement.
Follow the steps in this previous Team tip to promote your Team everywhere.

Teams are a wonderful way to work with your fellow sellers to accomplish more marketing than you could by yourself. By getting creative and doing some smart merchandising, you and your Team can work together to drive more traffic and increase sales for each other.

For more Team Tips, please check the Teams Resource page. Also, we discuss the Team Tips, news and ideas in the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

Virtual Labs and How-To Schedule: July 28th to August 1st, 2008

2008-07-27T13:35:00-05:00

The Virtual Labs are Etsy's interactive classrooms, a place to hang out, throw paper airplanes and share skills. We've also started Show and Tell for Buyers, so if you have a bit of an Etsy shopping addiction, these are your peeps. Come on by and show us what you've bought on Etsy this week! It's also the last week of How-To Month, but don't worry we'll keep them coming in August. Hope to see ya around the Labs!

Want to host your own workshop or meeting in the Virtual Labs? Fill out an application here!

The following schedule covers Monday, July 28th to Friday, August 1st, 2008 (all Eastern Daylight Time). The schedule posted in the Virtual Labs is magically in *your* time. So if you are confused, just click here to see what's coming up in your real time.

Monday

Craft Night! — 5pm to 8pm in the Treehouse. Come by and shrink plastic with us! Click here for a list of supplies to have on hand.

Tuesday

Newbie Chat with Danielle and Julie — 4:15pm in the Treehouse. Newbies! Get your questions answered here! Julie and Danielle can help get your shop started on the right foot!

How-To: Packaging Your Items with SaraWearsSkirts — 5pm in the Treehouse.
- Supplies needed: pen and paper for your ideas!

Choosing The Right Fabric with BurdaStyle at Mood Fabrics at 6pm in the Treehouse. . Join us virtually while we shoot live at Mood Fabrics in NYC and learn how to choose the right fabrics with Mood Fabrics owner Eric Sauma and Nora and Benedikta of BurdaStyle. Exciting, no?

Shop Critiques with Michelle — 9pm in the Treehouse.

Wednesday

Show and Tell For Sellers — 4pm in the Lounge. Come share what you are working on! Everyone will get their own time to talk about a project they are working on and get feedback. Come with links to pictures of your work in progress or if you have a webcam, you can show us live!

How-To: Heat Transfer at Home with Kim — 7pm in the Treehouse.
- Supplies Needed: Iron-On transfer paper, iron, fabric, scissors
- Download this design we made for our own Iron-On patches if you like!

Thursday

Weekly Teams Meeting with Sara and Danielle — 12pm in the Teams Room.

Office Hours: Vanessa, Alison, Tara and Bre (Storque Admin) — 1pm in the Storque Room.

Show and Tell For Buyers — 4pm in the Lounge. Come share what you have purchased on Etsy! Come with links to your purchases in their new home or directly to the items you have collected this week!

Office Hours: Mary (Etsy Community Advocate) — 7pm in the Treehouse.

Friday

On-The-Fly Critiques with the Mary — 3pm in the Treehouse. Pop in for a mini-critique with some experienced sellers and Etsy admin.

How-To: Make Paper Boxes with Mary — 4pm in the Treehouse.
- Supplies needed: paper, scissors, bone folder (optional)
- Download this design and print it out if you like!

Office Hours: RobWhite (Forum Admin) — 7pm in the Lounge.

Learn more about the Virtual Labs here! Apply to hold your own meetings or online workshops in the Virtual Labs here! Or send me a convo. You can also check out the Events Calendar in the Storque!

Tech Update: Related Items on Sold Listings

2008-07-16T15:13:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

We're happy to announce a new feature on Etsy: your sold listing pages will now show available related items. This means whenever shoppers come across one of your sold items, they'll see three items currently for sale from your shop. So if a shop is featured on a blog or website and your items sells out, the buyer is immediately shown other items from that seller still available for purchase. And if there's an item that has the exact same title, that one will be shown first to make it easy for buyers to find.

Here's a peek at what it might look like from a shopper's perspective:

FAQ's

Q. Where will I see related items?
A. Related items will appear on the listing and transaction pages of sold items. So any way a buyer gets to a sold item's page, they'll see related items from that shop. The only place you won't see related items is if you are a seller looking at your own sold listing, or if there are no other items in a shop.

Q. How many items will show in the related items?
A. Up to three related items will show on your sold listings pages at one time. If there are less than three items to show, we'll show as many as are available. If there are no items to show, then the page will appear in the same way sold listings originally appeared — without this new feature.

Q. How does Etsy choose which items to show for each sold item?
A. First off, we search the shop for an item with the exact same title as the sold item. If there is an exact title match, we'll show that first. If there's more than one match, we'll just show the first one. After that, we pull from the seller's featured items; this will help give the seller a little control over what may appear on their sold listings pages. Finally, if there are no featured listings in the shop, we show the seller's most recently listed items.

Q. What if there are no active listings in a shop?
A. No related items will appear on the sold items page if there are no active listings in the shop at that time.

If you'd like to discuss this feature in detail, please see the forum thread. For more announcements about site features, please check out the TechUpdates featured column.

Tech Updates: Placing Items in Sections During the Listing Process!

2008-07-07T12:39:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

You asked for it, and now it's here! We've just integrated the step of placing an item in your shop sections into the listing process. No more annoying extra step after you are finished, and no more forgetting once an item is listed.

Here's a screen shot of what it looks like during step 3 of the listing process:

If you still have items that are not listed in sections, you can manually add and edit them the exact same way as before by clicking on the "sections" link in Your Etsy. Now would be the perfect time to list a brand spankin' new item to test out this great new feature! There have been several related requests that items be allowed in more than one shop section at a time. This is a feature we are still researching, but is not on the list of priorities at this time.

Again, thanks so much for all of your continued feedback and suggestions! We appreciate it. Here's an article with some ways to use your shop sections.

Team Tip: Creative Marketing for your Team

2008-06-16T12:07:00-05:00

In marketing, just getting your name out there is great. But what's better than simply advertising yourself? Doing so in a really creative, memorable way. The best marketing tactics are the kind that people want to tell their friends about and really stick out in people's minds.

A few weeks ago in a weekly Teams Workshop in the Virtual Labs, a member of the fairly new Etsy Team EtsyPHAT (the Etsy Plants and Horticulture Arts Team) mentioned a promotional item their Team had designed — seed packets intended to be used for "guerrilla gardening" (read more about it in this Storque article!) — a slightly anarchist approach to greening abandoned open spaces. This very idea was intriguing to me from its first mention, since I live in South Philadelphia, an urban area in need of any greening we can get. And, lo and behold, a little package full of seed packets from EtsyPHAT appeared at the Etsy Labs recently. The handmade packets clearly promote EtsyPHAT, with the address of the Team's blog and instructions to search for their team tag on Etsy on the front, with directions on how to make use of the seed packet on the back. So brilliant!

Take a little time, schedule a brainstorming session with your Team, and consider how your Team can think outside the typical marketing box to creatively market itself — who is your Team's audience, and how can you engage them?

For more Team Tips, please check the Teams Resource page. Also, we discuss the Team Tips, news and ideas in the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

EGCG | Trashion | EcoEtsy | Environmentally Friendly Gift Guides | Earth Tones Series

Etsy Statistics: May Flowers Indeed!

2008-06-02T17:49:00-05:00

Thanks to all of the terrific members of the Etsy community who made May 2008 another record month with all-time highs in both amount of goods sold, new listings and page views.

The numbers for May:
•   $6.5 million sold here on Etsy last month — 8.3% more than April.
•   449,000 items were sold to make up that sales figure.
•   A tiny bit over 730,000 new items were listed.
•   65,200 new buyers and 14,400 new sellers joined the community.

We were very close to 300,000,000 page views for the month (we came in at 298,000,000) and we had our highest traffic day ever: 10,500,000 this past Wednesday, May 28th.

Keep up the good work and I'll be back with an update next month!

See past posts on Statistics.

Handy Item Listing Checklist for Sellers

2008-05-30T10:36:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

Want to make sure your getting the most views for your items? Here's a handy checklist for you to go through before your press that big orange "finish" button on your item listing.

Step 1: Title & Description

☐ Make sure your title describes your item in both the gallery and list views! Here's an example of some Etsy felt moustaches. In the first gallery view you can see that the title clearly describes the item, in the second the title is just too long, with the important info hidden!

☐ Does your description tell the buyer the exact dimensions and/or size of your piece?

☐ Does your description tell the buyer a bit about how you made the item and the materials you've used to create this item? (Hint: write in the active voice and a bit of personality — "I made this moustache by carefully observing the cutest moustaches around town and painstakingly cutting these out of felt with the sharpest scissors I have!"... instead of "These moustaches were made by cutting out felt.")

☐ Is your listing free of spelling or grammatical errors? Spellcheck!

Step 2: Tagging Your Items

☐ Does your first tag designate which category your item belongs in? See this article for a recent update about searching the Vintage and Supply categories.

☐ Have you used all 14 tags? The more tags you use, the more likely your item will be found in a search, so use them up! Here's an article that can help you brainstorm tags if you are stuck and another article about Guidelines & Tips that gives you specific ideas for types of tags to use.

☐ Have you listed all the materials used in the Material tags area?

Step 3: Price, Quantity and Shipping

☐ Does the price you've set for your item cover your time and material cost? This Art of Pricing series can help you make sure you are making money!

☐ Make sure you have the correct quantity listed, remember you get charged $0.20 for each item!

☐ Make sure your shipping fees cover the actual shipping cost (check with your country's postal service website, they can usually help you figure out shipping rates). A shipping article that might help can be found here.

Step 4: Images

☐ Are your photos at least 430 pixels x 430 pixels? (Check out the example below. The image on the left was about 800 pixels square and the one on the right was only 200. See the difference in quality?) Uploading photos up to 1000px across is a good idea — that way, when a potential buyer clicks on your photo, she can see an enlarged version.

☐ Have you used all 5 photos?

☐ Do your photos show your item from all sides?

☐ Do you show the item in its natural environment? (i.e a painting hung on the wall, a t-shirt on a model, etc)

☐ Is your most "clickable" photo the first one listed?

Step 5: The final look-over

☐ Does this listing fit in with and/or compliment the others in your shop (think about price, color, style, branding, etc)?

☐ Is it clear and does the listing represent your item as accurately as possible?

☐ Does it follow Etsy's TOU and Do's & Don'ts?

☐ Lastly, after you list the item, if you have sections inside your shop, have your filed this item in its proper section?

Here's a printable PDF checklist that might be handy to keep open on your computer or print out. Hope this checklist helps get your items the attention they deserve!

If you're a seasoned seller and have any more tips that should be included just leave them in the comments below!

Tech Update: Alchemy Recent Custom Creations

2008-05-27T17:14:00-05:00

If you take a look at the Alchemy main page you'll notice something new: Recent Custom Creations.

Similar to the Time Machine, Recent Custom Creations shows off recently created Alchemy items, giving those items their moment in the sun.

Check it out to see some of the awesome things people are buying through Alchemy!

p.s.
Sellers, here's a how-to with suggestions for building a better Alchemy listing. The photos you upload will showcase your item and your process.

Find out the latest in Etsy News about site features in the TechUpdates featured column. See more Storque posts about Alchemy.

Tech Updates: Rearrange Your Item Photos

2008-05-22T15:38:00-05:00

Dear Sellers,

You asked for it, and now it's here! We've just released a new feature that allows you to arrange a listing's photos after uploading the images. That's right, no more hassle of having to delete and upload them all over again if you do not like the initial order. Simply upload all 5 photos, then rearrange them in the order you would like them to appear in the listing by using the blue arrows underneath the photos.

Here's a sample of what it looks like:

Now would be the perfect time to list a brand spankin' new item to test out this great new feature! You can also use it to change the order on your old listings. Also, while you're at it, why not check out some of our handy photo how-tos to spice up your listings?

Again, thanks so much for all of your continued feedback and suggestions! We appreciate it.

Don't Order Another 1,000 Business Cards!

2008-03-26T15:46:00-05:00

Dear Sellers:

I've been to about a thousand craft shows and met about a hundred thousand crafters. Cleaning out my junk drawer this weekend, I had an epiphany after tossing out a huge pile of business cards: they just aren't the most effective or fun way to promote yourself. (Though not a bad idea to have!)

Do you really want your business info floating about in a junk drawer with coupons, take-out menus and other miscellany? Here at the labs we make Etsy bandanas, mini-posters, lip balm, stickers, temporary tattoos and other inexpensive handmade items to give away. Your objective is to be remembered, so make your promotional items memorable!

Where's the best place to look for promo inspiration? TheSampler! (Check out this Storque article if you haven't heard of TheSampler.) The promotional and sample items sent in to give away in fancy promo packs are really creative and inspiring. Check out this months donations here.

Below are some cool promo ideas on Etsy. Be sure to let us know how you creatively promote your Etsy shop in the comments!

Tech Update: Apostrophes Allowed in Item Titles!

2008-03-21T11:13:00-05:00

Thanks to several community suggestions, we've updated the listing process to now allow apostrophes in item titles!

Brush up on your grammar skills and learn everything you ever wanted to know about the apostrophe on wikipedia. Now you can officially do the happy dance about grammatically correct item titles! It's a perfect time to list a new item to test it out or simply edit some of your current titles to reflect the change!

xoxo,

Etsy