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Story by
beeczarcardsandgifts,
Vanessa
Published on July 28, 2008 in Spotlight |
Photo by beeczarcardsandgifts, with items from FortCloudy and meringueshop |
As a shopper on Etsy, Mari-Claire aka beeczarcardsandgifts has become well known for her dedication to the "Customer Appreciation" photo — that photo a buyer can upload to accompany feedback on a purchase. In honor of an enhancement we're making to the feature, we invited her to share her thoughts on some of her Customer Appreciation photos. We know she had a tough time picking which of her favorite shops to highlight — she is a loyal return customer to many!
I truly feel that Customer Appreciation is the best way to support and encourage fellow artists. It physically shows just how valuable and important the work is to the customer who now owns it. It's more than just a positive feedback or a thank you, but a visual acknowledgment to the seller of just how much the work means to the buyers themselves. It's a morale booster for everyone involved. Also, showing that work in the feedback column may encourage future buyers to look further at a shop they have recently come across. They will be impressed that someone took the time to take a picture of the item as an extra thank you.
More than anyone else from whom I have been fortunate enough to buy, none compares to DownToTheWireDesigns and the number of purchases I've made from his shop. There is an excellent reason for this, too. His work is exceptional. Each piece is a real treasure: well crafted and well designed. So right from my earliest purchases, I was compelled to post Customer Appreciation pictures to display the beauty of that work. I try to capture the essence of each piece and its intricacies.
I sometimes use natural lighting in my pictures to best highlight the items I'm wearing. Perhaps the most dramatic of these is this photo, which also suits the grand nature of the necklace itself.
Another seller I've shopped with several times is SarahsSky. Her shop has a unique style of stained glass jewelry that I'm personally drawn to and truly admire for its exciting designs and colors as well as its craftsmanship. 
This particular piece grabbed my eye and I was thrilled to get it along with a lovely special heart pendant during one of her sales — an extra bonus I was only too happy to also display in my photo for her feedback.
As for the photo itself, I decided to have a bit of fun and be more playful, using bright colors and designs to collage the images together and match the joy of the pieces themselves.
Extra tip: beeczarcardsandgifts suggests that customers experiment with Photoshop (or Gimp — a free online photo application) to get creative with their Customer Appreciation photos.
Another seller from whom I've bought several items is Experimetal. In this case, it was for an excellent cause — protesting the harp seal cull (read more about Experimetal's work for this cause here). This is a cause that many people, including myself, feel strongly about. This photo was an opportunity to shine a light on a serious cause as well as the piece itself, both of which I was thrilled to take part in displaying and sharing.
I was initially motivated to take Customer Appreciation pictures because I wanted to thank sellers I had come to know on a more personal and friendly level through the Etsy Forums, chat rooms and convos; people that had taken the time to be helpful, thoughtful and genuinely kind to me. The Etsy community has always been very special in that way. It's a community that supports its fellow artisans and their work.
As soon as I began to take photos for those items, I felt I wanted to honor each and every seller I shopped with. Thus began a long tradition of Customer Appreciation pictures dating back to January of 2007. Another really big motivating factor was my involvement with the online photo sharing site Flickr. In fact, my very first Customer Appreciation picture was also part one of my self portraits for an ongoing Etsy Forum weekly tradition called Self Portrait Thursday (read more about this Community Project here). This tradition now dates back to November of 2007, and I've been with this Flickr group since its inception. Also, I started a project on Flickr with a few other Etsy sellers called 365 Days. The idea behind it being to post a self-portrait each day of the year. This gave me an excellent opportunity to show off all the items I've bought on Etsy and use those photos for my Customer Appreciation pictures. That way, they served a dual purpose and gave extra exposure to the items, sellers and to Etsy as well.
Many of the the sellers have asked me if they could use the photos in their own promotions in their shops and on their personal blogs and websites. That has made it even more personally rewarding. I feel I've helped fellow artists get their work seen by a larger audience that might not have seen it before. That alone is worth it to me.
Want to learn more about photography? Check out our how-tos, as well as this profile on Self Portrait Thursday!
| Tags | buyers, communication, Customer Appreciation, customers, photos, site features, thank yous |
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54 comments Login to add your own!
lpdesigns
stilettoheights
Oh My Gosh.......those are the best, seriously I think getting an appreciation photo from you would even be better than the money from the sale.
seriously it makes me so happy that you care that much.
also have to second the Kudos to Chuck from DTWD, his shop is fantastic and he even made my wedding bands!
forqueenvictoria
MetalheartDesign
what a cool idea! now i want to run home and take appreciation photos for all the great sellers on etsy. they might not be as cute as beeczar's tho!
beeczarcardsandgifts
Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my feelings about the importance of customer appreciation pictures.
I hope this will encourage other people to do something similar for their own customer appreciation photos.
aorta
loadedhipspress
beeczarcardsandgifts - I love your prints!
I've never really played around with the appreciation photo. I am so encouraged now!
CombustionGlassworks
and MC is one of the most gifted, fun photographers ever, I adore her work!
I was so happy to see your face here!
RADCOW
eclipse
Woohoo M-C!
Your pictures with the items you buy are so cool, your excitement about the items shows in the photos and it's infectious- it makes me want one, too.
jessicajane
wildflowerdesigns
Experimetal
Mari-Claire,
you have shown me the ropes in customer appreciation photos!
When I recieved the one from you with the cute seal stuffy on Flickr it made my week!
I realized how good that made me feel that I needed to do the same :)
Sometimes I am a bit slow(tee hee) but I try my best to get them done!
ANd now Etsy has a feedback feature I see that allows us to leave an etsy cust app photo at a later date!
Besides being drop dead gorgeous and a super talented artist and photographer, she is a kind kind person.
thanks for being you MC-1!
xoxo
victoria
KisforCalligraphy
I appreciate your appreciation Mari-Claire! I love customer appreciation photos and I love leaving them...but I have not left nearly as many as you! Thanks for sharing! xo, Katy
littlepurls
so great. i've been wanting to do customer appreciation photos for a long time, but couldn't decide what i wanted them to look like. thanks for the inspiration!
xoxo Tally
FortCloudy
You're one of my hottest customers! Thanks so much, Beecz! You're the best. Great article :D
fernfiddlehead
sandcookies
kittycrossbones
Wow! Stellar photos!! I might have to start doing that too when I get something in the mail!
HeyMichelle
How awesome! I'm so excited to flesh out my customer appreciation photos now that I can leave them at any time. Your Customer Appreciation photos are so inspiring- thanks for sharing, Beeczar!
Xenotees
Boxie
tanisalexis
roundrabbit
meringueshop
Beecz is a total doll! I adore the pics she took of my work. She is the most thoughtful customer EVAH!
moonstr
DownToTheWireDesigns
As the recipient of many of Mari-Claire's customer appreciation photos I am always flattered by them. She makes my work look better than I myself can and it is great for me to be able to have her photos to refer potential customers to when they want to see something being worn. I do not use models for my photos, and although M-C's shots tempt me to do so, I know for a fact that I could never match her cleverness and style on my own. She has an endless imagination and generosity.
Thanks so much for all the photos and the mention of my shop in this article.
JJMFinance
Very cool. . . I enjoy getting a customer appreciation photo!
alankarshilpa
This is a great idea and it is so thoughtful of you. I am new to Etsy .You really inspired me. Dita.
valeriellen
It's so wonderful of buyers to post photos! I sell vintage dresses and I always wonder what they look like on the customers. I will definitely try to take some appreciation photos the next time I buy!
Odannysgirl
walkonthemoon
Wow! That is amazing! Having a customer put so much thought into showcasing your product really shows a huge appreciation for your work. Kudos Bee!
smashing
mc is a constant inspiration to me! i'm so happy to see this article featuring her amazing photos and supermega awesome community building spirit! she is a truly, truly gifted artist, photographer and writer herself who generously gives her time and attention to encouraging others. i gotta stop before i get teary, but mc rocks and she really is one of the best things about the etsy community! :) thanks mc and thanks storque for honoring her :)
BabbidgePatch
Hatdiva
All my customers rock, this takes it to the next level. I've never been a recipient of a CAP. I admit, I've done a few as time allows. A plushie for my daughter resulted in a precious photo I used as a thank you.
homeECOnomics
Great photos MC! I've been requesting that my customers send me a photo of their purchase in it's new home and have gotten a few. Then, I add them to my "Happy Customers" set on Flickr. Hope your article motivates everyone to do this!
KalliopeJewelry
Gorgeous cap photos of a gorgeous gal wearing gorgeous handcrafted items! You must have so much fun at this, and what a great way to say an extra thanks to the artists! Very inspiring, MC, thanks for the article, loved it!
pgandwooster
Gosh! What an amazing gift to give people! I will really try now to do the same (although my photography and model may not be quite as gifted as yours!)
katrinbird
Yay, for beecz! I look forward to checking out her photos on flickr every day!
kibbles
bencandance
Beecz is so awesome! I was fortunate enough to receive one of her appreciation photos and I treasure it. Not only is she beautiful on the outside but she is really a beautiful person on the inside too!
Trollflings
Hooray for beecz! Not only is she the sweetest person in the whole wide world, she is also the most photogenic :) Its amazing!
I am happy to be her friend.
This is one of my Beecz CA photos (hooray!)
YarnGirlStuff
tiffanyrenfrow
Seeing this article makes me so happy! M-C is not only beautiful and truly talented but her efforts succeed all....and she does this lovingly! She is a true and rare gem.
What a wonderful article on such an amazing and fantastic woman!
♥
p.s. M-C is also an amazing cook!
Peldyn
beecz is fantastic when it comes to showing appreciation and loyalty as a buyer. She takes a damn good picture too! *smooches*
FunkyQuailToo
Great article, Beeczar! It's wonderful for you to showcase the artists.
beeczarcardsandgifts
Thank you everyone! You are all so very kind.
I do hope, however, that this article will inspire each of you to consider adding Customer Appreciation photos to your feedback. I think so many sellers would appreciate it. :)
purlhandknits
kzoriginals
Okay, I really want to start taking pics. i wish i could go back and add pics of my purchases!
ebbandflo
gorgeous article from one of the sweetest, most supportive etsians in the community. she is, as said above, an inspiration
realisationcreations
Aw ms MC, I've missed seeing your lovely pics on flickr - they are always gorgeous and envy-making. I need to get my act together with this CA stuff!
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Wow---that's a fabulous customer!
I think it's so cool that a buyer would put so much effort and thought into thanking the seller. very neat.