GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!! ✽ And a Little Gift for Everybody!

Drum roll please....

...and the winner, randomly generated through Rafflecopter's pick a winner button is....
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

MADDY! Congratulations, Maddy! I'll mail your canvas out soon!!!

For those of you who didn't win, I have a little gift as well :). I know it might not be as good as a free item... but it's just a little something for you to choose an item out of my shop with, either for you or for a Christmas gift for someone you know, because do you realize we have less then two monnths until that day is upon us? Where did this year go?!

So, with that being said, you can use this coupon ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/UnderTheTapestry?coupon=GIVEAWAY35 ) to take 35% off of any orders now through the 1st. And if you order today or tomorrow; the free standard shipping deal is still going in my shop! And I just might slip little surprises into the packages that go out this week :)!... Feel free to share this coupon with those you know, as well. It's not an Etsy wide deal, but it IS too good to keep to yourself, isn't it ;)?

By the way... who caught the little bit about chicken wings in last night's post? Ahem, yeah. I posted it really late, so I didn't actually read back through it after I was done. Note to self: having your own computer does not mean that you don't still have to double check e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. for what certain members of your family may have added while you were downstairs checking the banana bread...

Thanks, Tori ;).

Have a wonderful day!

Congratulations again Maddy! For the rest of you, what would you order from my shop with this coupon code? Do you know anybody else who might be happy to take advantage of the discount? Has anyone ever added something really weird to your blog posts? Can you believe how soon Christmas time is coming up?!

Giveaway Reminder ✽ And Lets Work on Our Photographs Together, Shall We?

You didn't REALLY need to be reminded about this giveaway, did you? Well, I thought I'd just make sure, because you only have SIX HOURS to get in on the goodness or add an extra entry to those you have, so... what are waiting for??? Go do that!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Did you enter? I'll pick the winner tomorrow morning... I can't wait to see which of you wins!!!

Now, on to our scheduled blog post for the day :). I thought I'd share a few ideas on photography with you. Just some words of wisdom that I am currently trying to implement in my shop passed on, not really anything you couldn't gather by scouring a few posts elsewhere... because, lets face it, one look at my shop and you know that this is the area I struggle in, especially when I am eating chicken wings, and there's no way to hide it and I wouldn't try if I could. It's a huge learning curve! But photos "make or break" your listing, and it's considered the most important thing to get sales... so we really couldn't do a whole series without touching on it, could we? Even if I feel so unqualified to write it that I have saved it for the very end ;). So, just some little ideas I've heard, read, or picked up somewhere abouts...

-Photos over 10MB cannot be uploaded to Etsy. I learned this the hard way. It's really annoying to have to resize 30+ pictures... haha.
-Your first picture, which will be your thumbnail, should be the best. It should show off exactly what your product is, look inviting and worth taking another look at, and generally make the buyer have an instant interest in your item. It should also have a little bit of room around your product if it's a larger file/area of "interest", so that you can fit the whole picture in the thumbnail, because you only have that little square to work with for the thumbnail, though all the pictures as shown when they are clicked on can be any size you like (under the 10MB).
-But while your first picture should be your best picture, it should also match the following ones. I was going through my own shop just a couple days ago, wondering why people are viewing items that hadn't been very popular before, but still aren't buying the product, and I realized my "secondary" photos often look quite different than the first picture. I'm sure this is turning off buyers who don't know what the actually coloring must be. ::sigh:: Back to work we go! Remember... always work on something to improve your shop ;).
-Use as many photos as you can. Etsy has given you spots for ten photos, and they seem to be pleased when you do so, because if you don't, they let you know you didn't, haha. Sometimes there are only so many ways to take a picture or one of the ten you thought you had isn't as good as you thought. It won't hurt you to leave one or two off, but do try to use as many as you can. This will be the only real "feel" your customers get for what they are paying for until the purchase is made and it gets to them, so you want it to be helpful and useful to them.
-Let your photos answer all the questions. What color is it? About how big is it? What is the listing for? What other colors or sizes could they get? What does it look like in use? How do you hang it, use it, etc? Answer all of these questions in the description, too. But it's often said by successful Etsy sellers that you should take your pictures geared towards those two or three people who don't read anything about the item before they order.
-Let your item be the best subject. Sometimes photos can get busy, and while I like photos with flowers in the background or staged as the nursery or table the item could be used for, you do want your item to be the most important, noticeable, clear, eye catching thing in the frame!
-You can crop on Etsy's site, but no other fixes. So you'll really want a photo editing site for straightening, lightening, etc.
-The hardest part about having to post ten pictures? Deciding how to take ten interesting pictures of the same thing, haha. Etsy suggests:

• Primary (thumbnail) photo, preferably of the whole thing
• Front
• Back
• Sides
• A photo of the product in use; being worn, cooked with, crafted with, hung on a wall.
• A photo that gives an idea of size/scale (include a ruler, yard stick, or an object with a commonly known size. People who sell small trinkets usually use a quarter. People who sell clothing articles will usually use whoever would wear it.)
• A "styled" photo. This would be a "pretty" photo of your listing, preferably with it in use in an environment it would be made for. 
• The details of the product; close ups of the fabrics, ribbons, lettering, engraving, etc.
• Variations. Do you sell multiple colors? Sizes? Fonts? A bundle listing? Find a way to show that in a photo!
• You could also show it with the tools you used to make it, or add more photos of it's details or it's being used, or have a styled photo that you than crop so that it's still "prettied" but it shows more focus on your item. 

-And are you still scratching your head wondering what you could show in a picture or how to accomplish what you think needs shown? Look up similar items on Etsy and Pinterest to get ideas :)!

One more time... you did enter the giveaway, right ;)? What views do you like to see of product you buy online? Any photography tips to share with those of us still struggling ;)?

Q & A ✽ Selling on Etsy

I made some easy little fall crafts with some of my favorite little people today <3. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision after Joey started crying that he couldn't go with Mama and Daddy and Andrew on a fun "extra birthday outing", but sometimes those are the best, aren't they :)? Now I'm here to answer some questions and add a couple little things I didn't mention in some blog posts this week, so here we go!

What are some more ways to keep your shop active?
We discussed keeping your shop active this month, and I gave you some ideas on how to do that. Want another idea on how to update your shop without having to actually add a new product? Rearrange your listings! Go to the "edit your shop" page and scroll down to your listings. There is a button to rearrange, and you can pull all your best looking listings to the front/top of the page! This is a small way to make adjustments that will make your shop appear active, but it also helps you create a better view of your shop when someone lands on your store front :).

But don't forget...
Adding new product really is your best growth strategy. It doesn't have to be a completely new idea,  a variation of what you already sell works great, too. And it doesn't have to be every day... just consistent enough to keep things fresh!

Does refreshing a listing before it manually relists work the same as creating a  new listing?
This works nicely, giving Etsy search engines that "oooo, recent listing!" bump, if the item is a good preformer. But if it's a under preforming listing, don't waste the time and money, small as it may be. Instead, work in the listing. How is it under preforming? No views? Work on your keywords. Plenty of views but no sales? Work on your pictures and descriptions!

What is the difference between shop stats views and visits?
When someone visits your shop, it means they stepped in the door, so to speak. You attracted their attention! The number of views is how many items were looked at within a visit session (about 30 minutes of searching per Etsy's time frames) after your visitors stepped into your store. When your views are higher than your visits, that is a good thing - you caught their eye with other product and kept them browsing through more than what they stepped in to see close up! Remember how the more time they spend in your shop, the more they get to know you and are interested in any items they see :)?

I sell crocheted hats. What is the best way to package them? And how do you take nice pictures of the hat "shaped" without a child's head form?
Sending crocheted hats in the mail is really quite easy. They aren't breakable, and they are flat, so you can just send them in a bubble mailer. If you are worried about water damage, you can seal it is a ziplock bag; if you want presentation to be nicer, you can wrap the bag in tissue paper. But it's really all up to you. A bubble mailer will be enough if you want it to be :).
As to taking pictures without a head form, I've seen people use wine glasses and a round ball of contrasting neutral yarn. Or you could find a real baby who would give you pictures for a free hat ;)...

Can you use coupons during a shop sale? 
Coupons can be used while a shop is on sale, but two coupons can not be used together. So when I send a coupon code to my customers, I always make sure to tell them to check my shop announcements for any flash codes before they use it, just in case it would be better to use. This won't be as much of a problem now, though, thanks to Etsy's new sale feature! You can put your whole shop, just one section, or a single item on sale now :)!

Another site I use to learn all the ins-and-outs of selling on Etsy that I forgot to mention in my earlier post:
Etsy's Seller Handbook. I can't believe I forgot to mention this one, because it's all I used at first. Oops! But you'll definitely want to keep your eye on it... because all of the new changes will be explained and ways to use it for your advantage given on the Seller Handbook, so you always know just what to focus on :)!

One more necessity you need to sell on Etsy:
A bank account. This is another "duh, how could I have forgotten" piece of information, but it's worth noting, because due to this fact, those under eighteen are not allowed to open a shop without parental consent :). (And I believe you have to be thirteen to sell at all on Etsy, but don't put to much stock in that, because I can't remember where I heard it.)

Which of these questions interested you most? Have you done any fall crafts yet? Any wisdom you want to give the rest of us about selling on Etsy :)?!

Pricing on Etsy ✽ How do You Decide What Your Product is Worth?

Pricing. It's the probably the one thing that most sellers get wrong, and are afraid to change. SEO is wrong? We work on it. Photos need work? We'll take them again and again and again. Shop needs a better cohesive branding? We'll do that too. Price needs changed? We're leery of that.

Honestly, finding the right price is not that hard. Asking people to pay that price? That's when we cringe.

Some of us charge too much for our work, and just don't want to go lower, even if doing so would create more buyers. But more of us don't charge enough, or just don't know if what we are charging is enough or not.

There are quite a few formulas different sellers have suggested using; One of the common ones is Time + Cost x 2 = Retail.
Another very common one is Time + Cost x 2 = Wholesale and then Wholesale x 2 = Retail.
Some people charge Cost x 2 + Flat Rate =  Retail
There are sellers who charge minimum wage for their time; there are others who just charge what they feel like for their time.
Then there is shipping. Unless you use calculated shipping (I'm so glad that that is a thing now!!!), you have to decide what to charge. We usually feel worse about charging for shipping then the price of our item, because it feels like an additional fee, not a necessary part of your purchase. It's nice to have a tool that lets people know the exact price, to their exact location, without you having to be the one to tell them what it costs, haha... especially if you ship internationally ;). 

It makes it intimidating to decide your own price, especially as a beginner, when you aren't even confident that people will want what you create. So, what price should you set your items for?

General Costs: Take your supplies into account, and double that. Cost is everything that you use -supplies, shipping boxes, packing materials, shipping labels, Etsy listing fees - divided between how many items you can make out of the amount each item comes in. Do your materials altogether cost 5 dollars? Then charge $10 for supplies. That way your sale will pay for itself, and the replacement (or new product) you make after it's sale.

Shipping: I suggest using calculated shipping; you won't have to worry about that price at all, haha. Yay! ;)

Profit: This is where you have some wiggle room, and often not a clue where to start working from.
Question: What do you want your time to be worth? Do you want to make $8 an hour? Would you like to make $15 an item? Would you like to use a formula such as 2.5 times the general cost? There are so many questions!
Answer: There is no steadfast right or wrong answer! So don't worry so much about it; just find that price that will compete well while making it worth it to you! Consider what you would like to sell it for (NOT what you would like to buy it for!), and then go research what your competitors sell their product for. Take the items that are just like yours: not more basic, and not any more detailed. Look at those similar items, add 10 or more of them up and find the average cost.
Is the average price significantly higher than yours? You'll definitely want to up your price. You can sell for lower than those around you do; it will give you the advantage of being the most "frugal" seller. Don't go too low though, because you can both cause people to distrust your item (what are they hiding to make it so cheap?) and you can undersell yourself!
Is your pricing far higher? You'll probably want to lower the price. You don't want to go so low that you aren't making profit, but you don't want to scare people off by being priced too far above the surrounding items. Can you cut costs or time to make it more worth while for you?
Is your price within a couple dollars of that average price? Then you are probably just about where you should be to start fine tuning your cost, and from here you have the ability to adjust as you see fit, while knowing exactly where to work from!

And one more thing to consider... what will you charge for Wholesale pricing? This needs to be significantly lower than your retail price, but above your price of general costs. Right at halfway between your costs and your retail should be right, but just take it into account when you set your retail. And yes, you want to consider it now. I didn't think I had to when I first started, but I do see the wisdom in it now!

Pricing is hard because we know that with a little time, we can make a gift for $5. But remember, your customers either don't know how or do not want to take the time to do what you do... they are happy to pay that price for the extra time or abilities it offers to them. So the best advice I have? Don't overprice... but DON'T view your product's worth through your eyes as the crafter who knows "how easy" it is, either!

Have you researched your prices? Do you aim for higher or lower than the average competing listing? Do you charge an hour rate, or a set fee? Is it hard for you to charge for something you know can be done with just a little bit of craft learning ;)?

Selling on Etsy ✽ Supplies to Keep on Hand

 

No matter what your craft of trade on Etsy, there are certain things that you are going to want to keep on hand at all times. Here's a beginner's list over what I think are indispensable items to help you get that streamlined "shop workspace" all ready for those orders that tend to really pick up come December :)!

-A computer. As an online store, you are going to need a computer (with internet access). And a charging cord that works. Mine was out of commission the other day and I almost panicked, haha. But Daddy is awesome, he just bent the wire back into place, and it's good as new :)!
-A good camera. When pictures are so hard to take for some of us anyway, you really want a good camera! A lot of people find that their Iphone works just great... but if it takes nothing better than fuzzy pictures, you'll want something else. Remember, photos can make it or break it!
-A photo editing site. I have photoshop, but you can use something like PicMonkey, as well. Just something to crop and lighten up your photos when needed :).
-A letter scale. Because it's sooooo much nicer to ship from Etsy's site!
-A USPS online account. If you want to mail from home (which is so convenient!), you'll want to sign up right away!
-A printer. To print your packing slip and/or your shipping labels.
-All the boxes or bubble mailers you will need for your various items you sell. Keep a supply on hand, and think through what would be the best way to send your product cheaply and safely. I use boxes for my canvases, bubble mailers for my scarves, and smaller envelopes for my bookmarks.
-Packing material. Bubble wrap, paper, bubble "pillows", whatever you need to keep your product safe! If you have breakable items, it is suggested that you actually pay for the fragile sticker the post office gives you.
-Shipping labels, if you plan on using those rather than printer paper :).
-Do you plan on sending thank you cards in your orders? Make sure you have a pack on hand!
 -Are you going to include a gift, or a coupon or reward card? Keep several with your packaging items, so you don't have to hunt them up all the time!
-Scissors, packing tape, pens, paper, business cards, etc. If you want to decorate your packaged items, keep the ribbon, string, tissue paper, or whatever it is on hand too. And can I suggest you keep as much of the stuff together as you can? You can literally spend half of your packaging time finding things if you don't have them together!
-All the product or supplies you need to have a thriving, filled up shop :)! While that will look different for every one, don't forget that it's important. It's really stressful to have a order due to go out quickly, that you have to run to the store before you can make or package it!

What do you find you use the most for your shop? What would you add to the list above :)?

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!!