Storque articles: HOW-TO

Shipping How-to: the Final Frontier

Fri, 16 May 2008 22:50:00 -0000

Hey Sellers!

A big shout-out to Dancingcircle who saw a hole in our Beginner's Guide and ended up filling it in. Shipping is so important for our Etsy sellers and she's made a great contribution to making it easier. If you have ideas for useful how-tos to help your fellow sellers, post in the comments below or use our pitch form.

Most Etsy sellers know all about how to get your precious packages from here to there.

Wait. You don’t? Well, welcome to the ever changing world of shipping! It's not always glamorous, but is vital to your online reputation. Here’s a crash course for new sellers or anyone who needs a refresher.

Be Prepared – Create a mini shipping center:
•   Invest in a postal scale — You will probably need to weigh packages in order to determine and compare shipping rates.

•   Have a flexible tape measure handy — Many carriers use what’s called “dimensional weight” and charge by box size instead of weight.

•   Decide what packaging you will use and stockpile supplies —

Some examples might include: bubble wrap, tissue paper, foam or packing peanuts.
Keep in mind that thousands of pieces of mail go through a variety of delivery systems each day. Pack your parcel securely to insure safe delivery.
If you know you’ll be sending boxes regularly it might pay off to invest in a sturdy tape gun and a package of clear, postal grade packing tape.
Whether you plan to buy boxes, order free ones online from USPS.com or use a form of recycled packaging — be prepared. Don’t wait until the pickup time before you start hunting around for a box.

•   Is your item fragile? You might want to affix an alert/warning label to your box.

•   Assemble promotional items such as business cards, thank you notes or care tip sheets you intend to send with your package.

Ok – so now you’re ready to prepare a professional package destined to make it around the world safely.

But how much will it cost and what should you charge your customer?
•   Do your homework and research at least 2 or 3 carriers. Based on price and time in transit, determine which carriers might work out best for your special items. Spend some time playing with shipping calculators: enter random zip codes near and far with different sized boxes and weights.

•   It’s easy to set up your own account through USPS, UPS or FedEx by visiting their websites. Make sure you clearly understand each carrier’s shipping timeframes, if they include delivery confirmation, and where you will need to drop off packages or how to schedule a pick up. Don’t forget to check out their claims or lost package policies.

•   Many sellers save time and money by purchasing and printing shipping labels at home online via PayPal or individual carriers’ websites. You will need to buy labels to use with your printer or have packing tape on hand to securely affix labels to your packages. Do not tape over bar codes!

• If you ship very often, you maybe be eligible for discounts through UPS, FedEx, and DHL.

• Shipping companies usually increase rates about once a year. Pay close attention to service updates and announcements. Reputable carriers advise customers at least a month or so in advance of important changes and you’ll need that time to update your listings to reflect higher shipping fees.

So now you’ve got a pretty good idea of what it will cost to send your package from here to there and how long it will take.
It’s time to set up your Etsy shipping profile. Etsy now offers a specific Policy page where you can lay out all of this information (read the Hello Policy article for more suggestions).

Explain your shipping policies clearly and be sure to let potential customers know:

•   How often or quickly you ship

•   What carrier (or carriers) you use

•   Whether delivery confirmation and/or insurance is offered or included

•   About how long it will take to receive their purchases

•   Whether you offer any “rush” or “overnight” services – especially around the holidays

•   Do not select the “everywhere else” option unless you’re confident you can ship your items “anywhere” for the rate you’ve indicated. Don’t get caught in an embarrassing predicament where you end up paying more for shipping than proceeds from the total sale!

Do you plan to ship internationally?
• If so, consider offering service to just a few countries to start with until you’re comfortable with procedures.   Various countries prohibit certain items and you are responsible for researching import restrictions. The USPS website is an excellent source for detailed restrictions.

• Pay close attention to customs forms. You may need a telephone number for the recipient. Do not check the box indicating “gift” when sending purchased goods through customs. Shipping internationally gets pretty easy with a bit of experience and it’s fun.

Finally – Get to know your mail or delivery person
The old saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” can really help when you’re navigating the often bewildering world of shipping.    Most people love to talk about themselves and their work. A little friendliness can go a long way toward learning the tricks of the trade!

See more tips and tricks for shipping!

Earth Tones: Terrariums

Thu, 15 May 2008 17:16:00 -0000

Terrariums are a fun rainy day activity. Bring a little of the outdoors in! If you have little ones, think of it an at-home science project to teach kids about the environment, as well as a welcome decor change from the usual cut flowers. And if you don't have a backyard (or don't have the nerve to guerilla garden), you can still have greenery.

Etsy vintage sellers offer some nice glass jars too (you can now search just for vintage items in the drop-down search bar). See below for some options.

Etsian and blogger CityDirt wrote about how terrariums transport you to a mini world —

That's part of the terrarium's appeal. It's a mysterious little microclimate that makes you think of jungles or deserts. Another appeal is that they are very self-sustaining. The moisture creates its own "rain cycle," so they rarely need to be watered and many do well in low light.

Here's a how-to from her blog citydirt...Or rather, how not to make a terrarium. Learn from her mistakes!

First, I purchased glass containers. The small globe is from Sprout Home, the square bowl is from Jamali Garden Supplies and the darker glass is hand blown by artisans in San Miguel de Allende.

I purchased some of the smallest plants I could find, including Oxalis, Maiden Hair Fern, Evergemiensis Fern, a Red Vein Fittonia, and some moss. (At this point you might be noting that my plants are a little big for my glass containers. I wasn't yet aware of this.)

Here, I've added way too many pebbles. I then added too much charcoal, and by the time I added the soil mixed with a little sphagnum moss, it was too deep. So I had to go back and take out the soil, remove some charcoal, and some pebbles.

Almost all the plants I bought were too big to fit into the globe, so I ended up filling it with moss and a few oxalis.

The ferns, moss, Fittonia, and Oxalis are essentially crammed into these. They aren't the tropical landscapes I was hoping for. Though, I kind of like them; I felt a Victorian Era-type fetish of wanting to cram all of my plants into glass jars...

But next time I make a terrarium, it will be with little plants and big containers.

Plants Subcategory on Etsy | Outdoor Subcategory on Etsy | EtsyPHAT Team | Earth Tones Series

CraftyStylish & the Storque Give Some Etsy Tips to Jewelry Sellers

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:32:00 -0000

Susan Beal, aka susanstars, author of Bead Simple and overall crafty lady and writer-extraordinaire, has put up a helpful post on CraftyStylish. It gives jewelers some tips if they're thinking of starting an Etsy shop...tips from yours truly and my co-conspirator, Etsy admin daniellexo. The wonderful jewelry of Etsy seller Stamp gets some nice props, too.

CraftyStylish is a new website brought to you by Taunton Press, a publishing company specializing in books and magazines for crafters, as well as other makers. With tutorials, content on materials and trends, CraftyStylish aims to connect crafters around inspiring ideas and creative projects. Susan is their resident beading expert. Definitely worth checking out!

Threadbanger How-to: Screenprinting with Betterthanjam (& Matt on the Etsy Shopping Network!)

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:43:00 -0000

This week's edition of Threadbanger features a visit to betterthanjam's studio to learn some awesome screenprinting tips and tricks. Also, check out Matt as he shares some Etsy Finds on the Etsy Threadbanger Shopping Network! You don't want to miss these deals!

We're looking forward to collaborating more with Threadbanger! Give a shout in the comments if you dig their show!

Team Tip: Post Your Event!

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:28:00 -0000

Team Tips are a weekly series of tips and ideas from the Etsy Teams. You can find more Teams Guides and Resources at team.etsy.com.

We get a lot of requests to publish events in various places around Etsy. We totally understand that your Team wants to promote itself and its amazing events. Since there are an ever-growing number of Teams (275 at last count!) and so many great things happening, we publish as many events as we can in the Team Digests regularly, here in the Storque (have your Team leader email your event or promotion to Teams@etsy.com to be included in the Digest). The Digest is always an interesting article, chock full of information, but maybe your Team wants to do a little more. This isn't a problem, because the internet is huge!

So where should you promote your Team event? Sites like Going.com let people browse by interest. Or you can have a group for fans of your Team on Meetup.com, for example, and let them know when your Team has an event. If you're a Global Team, you each live somewhere specific, so think about all the resources at your Team's disposal if everyone on the Team is promoting on location-based sites all around the world, all over the web.

Consider your town or city — is there a local forum or blog that lists things happening around town? Does your town's tourism board have a blog? Then, there's always good old Craigslist, a relatively easy and completely free way to post about your event and provide links to your Team's blog or shops. Also, think about specialized shopping sites — DailyCandy.com has different sites for different cities around the country; your Team might consider sending in a press release to a site that appeals to your Team's demographic.

The best thing to do is take a moment to consider what you read and where you get your information. How do you decide what to do on a weekend? The listings in a weekly paper? A blog full of local nightlife? Word of mouth through social networking sites? A local magazine with information on art shows? Check out how much a small ad or write-up is in the places you read, and if the publication is available online or only in print. More resources than you think are probably free. If there is a small cost, you can apply as a Team for an Etsy Team Grant and check if Etsy can help your Team cover the cost of advertisements. Recipients of Team Grants are also published in the Events Calendar. Remember: be creative, think local and make it big!

For more Team Tips, please check back each week! We'll be posting tips here in the Storque, as well as on the Teams Resource page. You can also keep up with Team Tips, news and ideas by signing up for the Etsy Teams email list! Keep up the great work, Etsy Teams!

Getting Started in Video: Audio Options

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:08:00 -0000

So you've got your camera and you're shooting some special footage. How can you make it sound good?

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

If you keep your subject within arm's length, you can use the onboard (built in) mic to get passable audio. If you're recording to tape, you'll get some tape sound, but it's likely that it will be usable audio. Photograpy cameras in movie mode sometimes have decent audio. Test what you've got and see how it sounds! If your camera has audio monitoring levels, you'll want to watch those as you record, too.

Improving your audio is as easy as getting a microphone. Even a $10 computer condenser microphone will improve your audio. A small mic gets closer to the subject and that's always good.

As far as sources for audio options, I shop at B & H. If you've got another spot you like to shop, leave a note in the comments.

Here's the breakdown of some of the microphones we use for the Storque.

Lavaliers: Here on the Etsy Media Awesome Team, we use a wired Audio Technica Pro 70 and a wireless Sony mic and they both work well. They are XLR, so if your camera doesn't have an XLR input you're going to have to get a converter cord or a Beachtek adapter. XLR is a way of hooking up mics that gives better quality sound than 1/8 inch jacks.

Shotgun: We use two Sennheissers. One is tiny and one is big. They both work great. (The price I quoted for the big Sennheiser in the video is wrong. It's more like $450. If you need a cheaper shotgun, I've shot with the Azden, and it's fine, too.) To learn more about shotgun mics, check out this article.

Although it's not in this video, if you're looking for a basic old-skool handheld mic, I've had a good experience with this Shure.

If you've got a mic you're happy with, make sure to leave a note in the comments! For more videos about making videos, keep reading our Getting Started in Video series!

Earth Tones Tip: Virtual Dumpsters

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:29:00 -0000

Are you looking for a way to get rid of all those little things that accumulate around the house, but don't have time to drop them off at the local thrift store? If you're at all familiar with Freecycle or Craigslist, you might be interested in getting rid of (or possibly acquiring!) new treasures through Virtual Dumpsters, aka www.vdumpsters.com.

According to Virtual Dumpsters,

"The idea is simple - Instead of using a real dumpster you create a virtual dumpster (a "vDumpster") and upload your items for other people to search and claim. vDumpsters is completely free to use, so you can protect the environment and save money at the same time."

Virtual Dumpster makes it easy (and simple) to keep track of what's available out there by providing a convenient RSS feed of new dumpster fodder. Better yet, it's also available in the U.K. and Australia, with other internationalization plans in the works.

So the next time you're cleaning out your attic or garage and you wonder if anyone could possibly want your trash, think of the internet and Virtual Dumpster. Your trash could be someone else's treasure.

We found out about Virtual Dumpster via Treehugger, another great site for eco-friendly tips and thought-provoking content. Check it out!

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

Getting Started in Video: Pushing the Red Button

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:19:00 -0000

You've got a video camera...what next?

The basic idea is to put something in front of the camera and push the red button, but there's a lot more. This video is just a few tips and tricks to get you on your way. The main thing is to just start making videos and then each one will get better and better.

If you're going to go handheld, you can improve your stability by holding your elbows in. A tripod will keep the camera steady. If possible have the camera at eyeline or above because people just look more beautiful from above. You don't need to see up my nose.

Jump cuts are when you see lots of cuts without a change in camera position. I use these a lot. It also helps to plan some things out. I make a bullet list of things that I want to make sure I say. When working with other people, I find it's easier to ask them to talk about a list of topics rather than memorize things.

Don't be afraid to shoot it again and again and again. A few people called in today and I'm going to respond to their questions in future videos. If you've got tips for shooting video, leave a note in the comments or leave me a voicemail at 917-720-4197 and I might post your message in a future post!

I also made a video about videos with the Bill and Justin over at Blip.tv headquarters. They have a great video show about the people and shows on blip.tv called "Blip on Blip." Check it out!

Getting Started in Video: Camera Choices

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:02:00 -0000

There is something special about video that you can't get from writing or photographs. Seeing someone on video is more personal. I really want to see more links to videos on the Etsy site, so I'm starting up this tutorial series to get you started making your own videos. Making videos gives the world a chance to see the personality and process behind the things you make.

Let's start with some super cheap cameras. If you're wanting to make video on a budget, you have a few options. The simplest option is to use what you've got. You may already have a video camera. Did you know that most digital photography cameras have a movie mode that takes great video? If you've got one of these, you're done looking, start shooting! A lot of time you can even set these to 640x480 resolution which is good enough to make great web videos. If you're buying something, the cheapest option is to use a flip camera. These are pretty inexpensive and they are easy to use. The resolution isn't fantastic, but they are small and light and easy to carry around and shoot things with.

If you're looking to step it up, the next level of video camera is a DV camera. You can find these for around 200-300 dollars. When you're looking for a camera, check to make sure that it's got a microphone jack and a headphone jack so that you can hook up an external mic and listen to the level of the sound as it's recording. Make sure your computer has a firewire port before getting one of these or you won't be able to transfer the video over.

If you're feeling fancy, you can get an HD camera. You can get a camera like the Sony HC1 which records HD video to DV tape (little mini digital video cassette tapes). But my recommendation is that you skip recording to tape. I'm in favor of using cameras that record straight to an SD Card, which is similar to the little card your digital still camera uses. If you've got somewhere between $600 and $1000 to spend, I'd recommend, the Sanyo Xacti HD2 which is a great little 720P camera or the Canon Vixia HF10. I've also played around with this Panasonic HSC1UP camera which is a bit more expensive, but has 3 chips in it which means the colors are a little snazzier. All of these record to SD cards. If you are going to be using iMovie (the video editing software that comes free with Macs), you'll want to get the Sanyo Xacti which records to an easily convertable MP4 format. The Panasonic and Canon SD cams both record to AVCHD which is a wonderful format allowing a lot of hi-res info to fit on a card, but it's not compatible with iMovie 7 at this time.

If you've got a serious budget and you're thinking about shooting broadcast HD, you can get the Panasonic HVX200. We shoot our Handmade Video Portraits on this. This is a professional level camera and it's awesome. There's a bit of a learning curve to dealing with P2 cards though, so be prepared to spend a day or two reading the manual.

A great place to go and learn more about cameras is creativecow.net. The forums there are really helpful and the community is great.

No matter what camera you get, I recommend getting an extra battery and separate battery charger. There is nothing worse than running out of batteries when you are shooting something special.

If a wide-angle lens is available for your camera, get it! I love wide-angle shots to be able to show lots of a room in your frame.

Again, the best thing to get started with is what you've got.

In the forums I asked for camera recommendations and got this message.

My next video is about tips for shooting video. If you've got an idea you can leave a comment, or leave a note in the forums or leave a message at 917-720-4197 and maybe I'll post it with the next video.

Team Tips: Etsy Mini Swap!

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:16:00 -0000

Team Tips are a weekly series of tips and ideas from the Etsy Teams. You can find more Teams Guides and Resources at team.etsy.com.

This week's Team Tip is to exchange Etsy Minis with another team! Use at least one blog post this week to highlight the exceptional handmade goods of another team — a complimentary Global Team's work, or the wares of a Team from cross the country or around the world. You can contact the leader of the team you'd like to highlight (check the Teams profile page to figure out who that is) and get the Mini embed code from them, or mark their work as favorites to make a Mini yourself. This is a great way to become familiar with one of the many new Etsy Teams that are always forming, or to promote a Team you really admire. To find out how to use the Etsy Mini tool see this past Team Tip!

Check out some Teams using Etsy Minis in a fantastic way on their blogs, and leave a comment below if your Team is using some Etsy Minis in its blog!

Etsy Vintage: EtsyVintageDirectory.blogspot.com
Jewelry on Etsy Team: Jewelryonetsyteam.blogspot.com
Arts in Rhode Island: Arts-in-ri.blogspot.com
SF Etsy: SFEtsy.blogspot.com