Search results (title) for: "community chatt"

Community Topics: Resellers on Etsy

2008-09-11T12:00:00Z

Dear Etsians,

With the exception of properly tagged commercial supplies and vintage, Etsy does not permit the reselling of items not made by the seller (see the DO's and DON'Ts on Selling). We take this rule very seriously, and we share your frustrations when we see resellers intent on listing here. We know that this has been a growing concern of late, and we are addressing it as such.

So, what are we doing?

Creating Measures at the Time of Shop Creation and Product Listing
To a large extent, we created this issue for ourselves by defining in great detail what is and is not permitted for sale on the site, but at the same time establishing few, if any, barriers to entry to setting up a shop on Etsy (simply put a credit card on file). There is no doubt that more emphasis needs to be placed at the first point of contact with new sellers. Our focus must be on keeping these products from ever reaching the site. To this end, we have created an internal team that is focusing on developing and building these safeguards, as well as clarifying and highlighting our policies to new sellers who very well may just be confused. We have been following the many good ideas that have been raised in the forums and sent to community@etsy.com, and we are including them in our planning. We appreciate your input, and ask that you continue to share with us.

This will take some time. So...

In The Meantime
We have also more than doubled the number of our employees who are trained to properly investigate and remove those in violation. The expanded team is already at work. Furthermore, we have taken steps to make sure that banned resellers are blocked from creating new accounts.

Flagging:
A far more robust flagging system is also already underway and will be implemented in the weeks to come. We are confident that it will allow us to handle flagged items and moderation more quickly and succinctly.

We do ask that you do not use the forums as a place to call out members as resellers (see the Community DO's and DON'Ts). Oftentimes, these individuals are simply confused. Etsy admin need to treat each and every case (which often involve both buyers and sellers) as a private matter. Furthermore, many cases are not nearly as cut and dry as they may seem at first glance. This sometimes means that shops will not always be removed as quickly as we all would like.

Please continue to flag items that you feel do not belong on Etsy. We do fully investigate every flag, and this takes some time. I know this can be frustrating when it seems that there is inaction on the part of our Content Team, but we assure you that flagging does work. Can it be improved? Yes. Are we improving? Yes.

All of these steps are just the beginning. We will continue to work tirelessly to maintain the integrity of our marketplace.

Tomorrow September 12, the Chatt with Matt will be on this subject. Please join us in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs at 1pm Eastern time. In anticipation of this discussion, we have closed commenting on this article so we can follow all your comments and suggestions in this forum thread.

Community Chat - Holiday Session #3: Time Management, Friday, August 22, 2008 at 12:00PM EDT

2008-08-20T11:53:00Z

Dear Sellers,

Please join special guest admin Beth Ferreira, aka bethela (of the famous Mega-Beth Tour), in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs this Friday, August 22, at 12:00pm EDT for our bi-weekly community chat.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: Scheduling and Time Saving
This week we will be having our third of four holiday 2008 discussions. Holidays in August? Yes, that's right, the holidays will be here before you know it and now's a great time to prepare.

Agenda:
In this session we will discuss creation, inventory, promotion and shipping planning and more. We will cover some time saving ideas and some time-management pitfalls to avoid.

Download materials for this class here.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join him 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 With Matt: Holiday 2008: Ready, Set, Promote!

2008-08-07T13:03:00Z

Please join me in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs this Friday, August 8, at 12:00p.m EDT for our weekly community chat.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: Tips to Promote Your Shop for the Holidays

This week we will be having our second of four holiday 2008 discussions. Holidays in August? Yes, that's right, the holidays will be here before you know it and now's a great time to prepare and promote! We'll be talking about the basics of getting the word out about your shop with special tips for this holiday season, including how to successfully pitch the press and use the web to your best advantage.

Stay tuned for upcoming chats focused on merchandising, shipping, customer service, and production.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join him 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.

Next Community Chatt August 8th-12:00 pm EDT

2008-07-30T18:18:00Z

Mon amis,

Thanks to all who came out to last week's initial holiday planning session. For those who could not make it, we discussed some of the business topics that will be important to the selling community as we approach the holiday season. I am working through my notes now and creating an outline for our subsequent sessions, the next of which will take place on Friday, August 8th at 12:00PM EDT.

I will be posting the agenda next week.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that Community Chatts will now be held every other week.

My office hours will continue to occur weekly at 11:00 EDT.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Every other 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.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Community Chatt With Matt: Holiday 2008, A First Look

2008-07-23T11:11:00Z

Hello Friends,

Please join me in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs this Friday, July 25th, at 12:00p.m EDT for our weekly community chat.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: Getting Ready for the Holidays

This week we will be having our first of four holiday 2008 discussions. I know it seems far off, but the holidays will be upon us before you know it. This first session will be focused on hearing from you about the tools and information you would find useful as we prepare for the holiday shopping season. We will also work to establish an overview and agenda for the subsequent meetings.

Topics will include getting your shop prepped, merchandising, promotion, shipping, customer service, and production.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

No Office Hours Or Community Chatt With Matt on July 4th

2008-07-03T12:16:00Z

Hello Friends,

America is turning 232 this Friday, and I will be with my family in our Nation's Capitol. Sadly I will not be able to hold my regular office hours or community chatt this week. However, before you start missing me too much, I invite you all to join me on three different occasions in the Virtual Labs next week.

1. Screenprinting workshop on Thursday, July 10th at 5:00p.m EDT (see the month long schedule)
2. Office hours on Friday, July 11th at 11:00 AM EDT
3. Weekly Community Chatt Friday, July 11th at 12:00 PM EDT

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

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 with Matt 6/27/08

2008-06-25T10:41:00Z

Hello friends,

Please join me in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs this Friday, June 27th, at 12:00p.m EDT for our weekly community chat.

Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: The Virtual Labs

This week we will be discussing the Virtual Labs and how we can all utilize them to their fullest.

Agenda:

1. What kind of programming would you like to see there?
2. How can we make the Virtual Labs a tool where you all can hold your own workshops?
3. Outside guests. Are there certain types of guest speakers you would like to see?
4. What tools and features could improve the user experience in the Virtual Labs?
5. How-tos: Friend or foe?

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.

Service Tips for Sellers: Community Chatt Roundup, June 13, 2008

2008-06-17T14:32:00Z

Hi there sellers!

This past Friday I (marymary) led a brainstorming session in which sellers gave me some great input for an ongoing series in the Storque called Service Tips for Sellers. We divided the session into two parts: we first talked about what sellers can do to promote repeat business in their shop. We then talked about the many types of conversations sellers might run into and the necessary responses. I took note of all the ideas and tips that came from the chat and you can look for them in the coming articles from the Service Tips for Sellers series!

This Week's Chatt with Michelle (Matt is on vacation)

Time and Place: Friday June 20th, 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: Promotions in the Forums
We'll be talking about ideas for the Promotions section of the Forums, as well as tips and ideas about using the Forums for promoting.

Agenda:
1. What are the most effective ways to use the Forums to promote? We'll share our tips, and we want to hear yours!

2. Your ideas about the Promotions section of the Forums.

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.

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

2008-06-06T18:33:00Z

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.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

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

2008-06-04T14:53:00Z

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.

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

2008-05-27T17:57:00Z

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.

Vintage and Supplies: Community Chatt, May 16, 2008

2008-05-19T10:26:00Z

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt with Matt was about the new default search and its effect on Vintage and Supplies.

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

This Week's Chatt with Matt

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:
Commercial Supplies and Vintage: Your Ideas about These Marketplaces

We would like to get input from the community on how the Supplies and Vintage marketplaces should be organized. In this workshop, we will be brainstorming with you on your ideas for these marketplaces. We will also be taking subcategory and sub-subcategory suggestions that we may be able to implement immediately!

Agenda:
We'll ask questions about how to organize the Vintage marketplace.

We'll ask questions about how to organize the Supplies marketplace.

For both of these, we are looking for info on who you think your customers are and your opinions on the most important ways to break your category down into "sections."

Vintage Supplies: do you think they belong in Supplies or Vintage?

We will take suggestions for subcategories and sub-subcategories that can be added under Supplies or Vintage immediately.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Etsy Sellers & Employees: Community Chatt, May 9, 2008

2008-05-12T15:04:00Z

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt with Rob aka Rokali (Etsy's founder) was about employees for your Etsy businesses.

Please see the minutes of the Employees Chatt to see what we talked about!

This Week's Chatt with Matt
Topic:
Commercial Supplies and Vintage after the Search changes.

After the separation of handmade items, supplies and vintage in the search bar, commercial supply and vintage sellers are worried about exposure for their items. We'll share stats on the effects of the separation, as well as brainstorm ideas for promoting commercial supplies and vintage on Etsy.

Agenda:
Matt shares some Statts (er, stats, sorry) on commercial supplies and vintage pre- and post-separation.

Polls about your sales, views, and hearts. Up, down, or about the same?

Share your ideas about the supplies marketplace on Etsy.

Share your ideas about the vintage marketplace on Etsy.

Do you have any ideas about how Etsy could promote commercial supplies and vintage?

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Etsy-wide Communications: Summary of April 25, 2008 Community Chatt

2008-05-06T11:32:00Z

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt with Matt, (and marymary, Vanessa, TeenAngster and HeyMichelle) was about ways to get important information out to our sellers. This was a great brainstorming session, and we gathered some ideas that we're very excited about!

Please see the minutes of the Communications Chatt to see what we talked about!

This Week's Chatt (with Rob)
Topic:
Sellers expanding their shops: employees, outsourcing, and how this impacts *handmade*

Some successful sellers are telling us that they need employees to keep expanding their handmade Etsy businesses. Please come to discuss this important topic! Chatt special guest Rob aka Rokali, founder and CEO of Etsy, will be leading this one. Not to be missed!

Agenda:
For those selling handmade goods: Are employees necessary for a seller to "make a living making things"? Are the items still "handmade"?

What sort of hired help is needed for handmade sellers? Is *what* potential employees do for the shop relevant?

Does the number of employees that a business has impact whether the shop belongs on Etsy? If so, how many is too many?

Are different rules necessary for sellers of commercial supplies and vintage goods? Are employees acceptable for these types of shops?

What sort of information do you need (for example, links to information about employment law) to grow a business that includes employees?

Should sellers who are outsourcing, involved in collectives, and employing people be approved by Etsy? What sort of approval process would you be interested in?

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Discuss the Chatt with Rob in this forum thread.

Employees and Your Handmade Business: Virtual Labs Discussion

2008-05-05T17:12:00Z

Dear Etsians,

Join us for a discussion and feedback session about employees and your Etsy shop. Rob, aka Rokali, co-founder and CEO of Etsy, will be leading the workshop.

When: Friday, May 9, 12 noon (Eastern US time) times on the Virtual Labs schedule are displayed in your local time

Where: Treehouse Room, Virtual Labs

Etsy's mission is to help people make a living making things, so it's imperative that our policies are clear, understandable, and reflect the needs of Etsy businesses. It is very encouraging that this issue is coming up, as it means that businesses that started on Etsy are now becoming profitable and successful enough to be able to employ others. We welcome your input on how we can support your businesses, while keeping Etsy "handmade".

Please check the agenda for the topics we'll be covering. We look forward to this discussion, and we hope you'll be able to join us! If not, please check the minutes that will be posted after the meeting. As well, you are welcome to discuss this in the forums, or email community@etsy.com with things that you would rather discuss privately.

Agenda:
For those selling handmade goods: Are employees necessary for a seller to "make a living making things"? Are the items still "handmade"?

What sort of hired help is needed for handmade sellers? Is *what* potential employees do for the shop relevant?

Does the number of employees that a business has impact whether the shop belongs on Etsy? If so, how many is too many?

Are different rules necessary for sellers of commercial supplies and vintage goods? Are employees acceptable for these types of shops?

What sort of information do you need (for example, links to information about employment law) to grow a business that includes employees?

Should sellers who are outsourcing, involved in collectives, and employing people be approved by Etsy? What sort of approval process would you be interested in?

We are looking forward to discussing these issues!

Summary of April 25, 2008 Community Chatt: IHPS, part deux

2008-04-28T15:21:00Z

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Virtual Labs' Community Chatt (this time with Bethela, marymary, and HeyMichelle) was about gathering specific feedback from sellers for Etsy's research into an in-house payment system (IHPS). This is a project that we have recently started to look in to, and we want to get feedback from the Community (aka sellers and buyers) as we begin our research.

Please see last week's Community Chatt summary for a bit more info on this project.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! The info that we have gathered in these chats, and in forum threads started by our Community have been integral to the research of this project.

This was the agenda:

1. International Sellers: please let us know what issues surrounding an in-house payment system would affect you. For example, credit cards are uncommon in many countries, so discussing other payment options that would make sense for you would be pertinent.

2. Features that you would like to see in an in-house payment system. Think about other sites that you visit or sell on: what checkout options do they offer that you would like to see?

3. Etsy Policies: what policies for an IHPS do you think are fair and helpful for buyers and sellers on Etsy?

4. Discuss alternatives to an Etsy in-house payment system.

5. Discuss PayPal's services and Amazon's in-house payment system. What do you like and dislike about these services? What could Etsy incorporate and learn from?

Here is what we discussed:

Please read the minutes of this week's Community Chatt to see what was discussed. This meeting was very productive, with lots of great info from sellers in attendance. If you have other thoughts on these topics regarding an in-house payment system, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

This Week's Chatt with Matt:

Topic: Notification from Etsy — Ideas For Better Communication

We will be talking about the kind of information you as a seller need from Etsy, and brainstorming ideas about how you'd like to receive it.

Agenda:

- The Forums: Admin announcements.

- Etsy Opt-in Emails (Etsy News, Etsy Success, EtsyTeams), how to get the word out. What constitutes news?

- The Storque: How can we improve news delivery?

- The Virtual Labs: What sessions you would like to see? Ways to improve flow of meetings. What features are needed?

- Sitewide Emails: Spam or not? Alternatives, like in-shop announcements or news tickers.

Where: Treehouse Room in the Virtual Labs

When: Friday, May 2 at 12pm Eastern US (NYC time). Through the magic of the internet, the workshop times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time. Here's a world time clock just in case.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in 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.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt from April 18, 2008

2008-04-23T14:20:00Z

Hi there Sellers!

Last Friday's Community Chatt was about the idea of Etsy developing an in-house payment system (IHPS). This is a project that we have recently started to research, and we want to get feedback from the Community (aka sellers and buyers) early on in these preliminary phases.

Here is a rough sketch of the benefits that an in-house payment system would offer:

1. The ability to accept credit cards on site, which is especially important as Etsy expands its reach to buyers who are not particularly internet savvy and don't use PayPal.

2. Reduce non-paying and slow-paying buyers.

3. The ability to offer site-wide gift certificates.

4. Unified cart/single check out for multiple items

Sellers had a lot of questions and concerns about the in-house payment system, which we are taking into consideration as we research this idea. These were the top things that we heard from sellers during the Chatt:

1. Sellers would like participation in IHPS to be optional, and they would like to have the option to accept all forms of payment that are currently available.

2. Etsy must provide excellent customer service and have sound policies regarding the payment system.

3. Lots of issues regarding international sellers.

4. Sellers would like many of the same services as PayPal offers, such as the option to print a shipping label.

The above are a quick summary. For the full discussion, please read the minutes. There is also a forum thread discussing this, which we have read. Major shout-out to Etsy user abitabite, who emailed us a summary of the questions, concerns, and ideas reported in the thread. Thank you, dahling!

Thanks again to everyone who participated! This info is very helpful for our research, and we look forward to seeing you on Friday!

This Week's Chat:

Topic: In-house payment system, part deux

Where: Treehouse Room in the Virtual Labs

When: Friday, April 25 at 12pm Eastern US (NYC time). Through the magic of the internet, the workshop times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time. Here's a world time clock just in case.

Since this is such a big topic, and we have some specific questions for you, we decided to discuss an in-house payment system again at next week's Chatt.

Here's the agenda:

2. Features that you would like to see in an in-house payment system. Think about other sites that you visit or sell on: what checkout options do they offer that you would like to see?

3. Etsy Policies: what policies do you think are fair and helpful for buyers and sellers on Etsy?

4. Discuss alternatives to an Etsy in-house payment system.

5. Discuss PayPal's services and Amazon's in-house payment system. What do you like and dislike about these services? What could Etsy incorporate and learn from?

If you have other thoughts about an in-house payment system, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt from April 11, 2008

2008-04-16T16:58:00Z

Hello sellers!

Last Friday's Community Chatt was about commercial supples: specifically, what types of commercial supplies should be allowed to be sold on Etsy. As we are currently defining our guidelines on what types of commercially made crafting supplies and tools should be permitted, getting feedback from the community is very important!

We conducted polls during the workshop on specific supply types. The general consensus seemed to be that supplies (materials) should be allowed, and tools should get more scrutiny, or not be allowed at all. Electronic equipment seemed to be a no-go (for example: inkjet printers, digital cameras, sewing machines). As well, general household items (such as pots and pans) that are not crafting items are out, too. Please flag these types of things if you see them, and we will take a look!

Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting and shared your opinions! We very much appreciate it, and this information will help us keep Etsy a haven for artists' and crafters' as we grow!

Next Week's Chat:
This week, we will be talking about the idea of an Etsy-wide payment system. Please join us Friday, 4/18 at noon (Eastern Time) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs to chime in!

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt (er, Michelle) from April 4, 2008

2008-04-09T17:07:00Z

Hello sellers! Last Friday's Community Chatt was about tagging of items, and indirectly, Categories. Matt was in a board meeting, so I (HeyMichelle) took the wheel and we (cool buncha Etsians and I) chatted on! We talked about ideas for tagging (the keywords for items that are added on the second page of listing), and Categories. Here's the best of what we came up with:

- Tagging profiles.
- Add all rules to tagging page, or have pop-up with rules and definitions on the tagging page.
- Shop by Style, a flash shopping tool.
- Definitions of Categories for buyers to entice them in.
- Have a discussion with artists about the art category, and what their ideas are for it.

Overall, this was a good discussion and brainstorming session! We look forward to what's ahead for the tagging process and Categories, and will be implementing some of these ideas.

To see our shorter term plan for Tagging and Categories, please read this article by Rokali. The next step, which is the creation of specific searches for handmade, vintage, and supplies will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Next Week's Chat:
Next week, we will be discussing which commercial supplies the community thinks should be allowed on Etsy. Please join us Friday, 4/11 at noon (EST) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs to chime in!

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week we invite you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in 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.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt from March 21, 2008

2008-03-24T18:15:00Z

Each Friday, we invite you to join us in the Virtual Labs to discuss specific community issues. We call these sessions Community Chatt with Matt.

This past week (Friday, March 21, 2008) we took a look at feedback.

Meeting Summary:

A perennial hot topic in the Etsy Forums is the feedback system. Primarily, sellers are concerned about receiving negative and neutral feedback that they feel is undeserved. Last week, we took the issue to the Virtual Labs, and found that the following were the big ideas that came up.

Required text with negative feedback
Drop down menu for negative feedback with “other” as an option
A "pop up" window that explains feedback policies before a negative feedback is left
“Pending” negative feedback grace period to try to work it out
Blocking buyers with a certain amount of negative feedback
Rating scale in feedback

We will be discussing these with the Community Team, and will implement any that we feel will improve the feedback system.

The overall conclusion of the workshop was that communication between the buyer and seller is the most important thing, and improving that should be the primary goal. We (Admins and the community) will continue to brainstorm ways to facilitate that.

Click here to view the complete minutes from the meeting.

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com

Next Week's Chat:

Please join us for next weeks' discussion on Forum Policy, which will be Friday at 12PM (EST) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Each week we invite you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in 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 value your feedback greatly and always take your suggestions seriously when we plan site policies, practices, and features.