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I sell on Etsy, more than a hobby, less than full time. I get pink mailers, have business cards that are pink with contact info and pink stickers. AND PINK TISSUE PAPER.
It takes like 3 seconds to wrap it up and it makes it like a present. I have ALL 4-5 star reviews (mostly 5 star) and great reviews which are way harder to get on Etsy than on Ebay where it is part of the culture. – except one old dear who didn’t understand the internet
I think I spent like $18 on hundreds of pieces of tissue paper. My setup is here… https://marketingartfully.com/2017/09/28/reuse-shipping-etsy-ebay-store/
No handwritten cards… I scrawl Thanks Tara on the packing slip and go.
During the season I ship 12-20 a day generally so semi-big orders but not 74 all at once!!!
Taradactyl
Ohhhh that is the perfect venn diagram of Pennsylvania slang nerdiness and scavenging!!
I am from a little town north of Pittsburgh and totally know gee-gaws! I also red up the house (clean it) and have boughten lots of things for my store (made up past tense!)
It is really cool to read about why there are such different language patterns in Pennsylvania (Germans, Amish, isolation).
Here is a pretty comprehensive list of weird words from PA!
My kids HATE that I say “seen” instead of “saw” as a past tense for see. I seen that he did that…:)
Dang OMFUG you are killing it…:) I had been listing a bunch on Ebay but at the lower prices it just wasn’t making me any money! Can do so much better on Etsy that I have stopped listing on Ebay until I get below 250 and will just list things that need special buyers (OR MEN…:)
I recommend Jay and Ryanne to my Etsy vintage peeps because most of the theory is the same (the shipping, support and other stuff is interesting too, but maybe not all that relevant).
I don’t cross list. I put my “good” stuff on Etsy where I get higher margins and my newer and “thrift store” things on Ebay.
I SOOOO don’t want to have to remember to delete things when they sell on one site or another (my goal is to make my life easier!)
What you could do is figure out which things would sell for higher on Ebay because of the search capabilities (for example, if you have a Metallica Concert Tshirt from 1999 you might have WAY more chance of selling that for a higher price on Ebay than Etsy… larger audience, they can save searches, better email system).
Hope that helps!
Tara
Hey Lesley! That is so fun… I sell about 25% of my things overseas from the US. I LOVE that we are all shipping things around the world…:) I am working on getting my listings up too… have 462 right now but a bunch that I can list!!!
Hi Nancy!
I think it is because many Etsy sellers really are little moms and pops who don’t want to have to keep chasing the dragon…:)
Etsy does change often and they have been doing a lot of testing lately which actually makes me happy!
There is some of this from the old time Ebay sellers, but I do think that there is a culture of complaining from the Etsy gals. Maybe because they get sympathy and then connections and friends?
I just keep plugging along, adding stupid attributes when they ask me to, updating my pricing when I have something that has been around too long and then listing every day!
I am a web gal from way back so I am used to Google changing all the time. This is NOTHING on the level of that so it seems like sour grapes to me!!
🙂 Tara
I did a sale on my digital items that was going to be “selectively shown” as part of a test. I got one sale…:) (revision… I just got another sale sale so two!! whoo whoo!!)
Interesting times at Etsy, but I think that they are working towards increasing sales for the entire site which may negatively impact some people who have been there for a long time.
A lot of frustration on the Facebook pages that listings that have been popular for years are not selling as well now.
It is hard when things change. I am always on the side of … “if I know the rules, I will play by them and just keep listing!!!”
For packaging I do pink tissue paper with a business card that has a discount code and my contact info put on with a sticker. It is pretty, easy and cheap.
For my descriptions I use a format… three lines of “talky talk” about the item (about it, where I got it, etc.) then a boilerplate list of things that “plump” up my listings. Please feel free to copy!
MARKINGS
—————• XXX
• XXXCONDITION
—————–XXX
DIMENSIONS
——————XXX
SHIPPING (I pick one)
————–I will be shipping this in a padded mailer with lots of packing to keep it safe during transport.
I will be shipping this in a box with lots of packing to keep it safe.
I will be shipping these in a padded mailer with lots of packing to keep them safe during transport.
I will be shipping these in a box with lots of packing to keep them safe.
NOT THE PROPS
——————This listing is for the item listed only, and does not include any photography props used in our fabulous marketing photos!
CLEANING
—————☆ Item is left in original condition without major cleaning. We feel like the buyer should have the choice of how to restore it. Some light dusting or all natural cleaning of sticky areas or dirt when appropriate.
Hi Jay! I make about $1,000 a month on my vintage stuff (almost $2,000 at Christmas time). I make around $500 a month on Ebay.
I have fewer items on Ebay because it is so much more expensive to sell there.
Some observations…
- It is MUCH easier to list on Ebay (on the computer and the phone – Etsy’s app sucks for listing)
- The fees are MUCH lower on Etsy
- I am a part-time seller (I do marketing for a living) but I ship daily and by now it is definitely a bit more than a hobby!
- Etsy is ALL about keywords and tags. It is harder to understand at first.
- If you have something that is “searchable” like Ford Oil Can or a product with serial numbers that people search for DEFINITELY go on Ebay. Ebay’s saved searches and emails are far superior to Etsy’s.
I don’t find it any harder to have two stores. I get notifications of convos or bids in my regular email address and just check each morning to see if I have sales on either store.
If I was you I would look at backwards from me. Ebay is your full time gig but your Etsy is your part time hobby! Just list high end things that people are willing to pay more and do the “list it and forget it” model you already use.
Tara
PS – I have a fun little class on how to do Etsy search if you want to try it for free (if you haven’t had skillshare before) http://marketingartfully.com/etsyseossfree … you will get to see my dog and I know you guys like dog videos!
Not only are the prices higher but the fees are lower! You just have to know that there is much more “talky talk” on the convos than there is with Ebay. Just today I had a gal ask if if I give discounts (I sent her a 10% off coupon) and then told her when I will send it. Get ready to “convo” more!!!
That is definitely the way to go! When my Etsy vintage shop is slow, I am still selling on Ebay or my Etsy digital shop…:) Diversification makes it all smooth out more!!! AND it is slowing down for everyone!! Summer is coming when we have to work harder and “stock up” for the rest of the year!!
Ohhh cute stuff! I feel like vintage sellers on Etsy have a huge advantage!!! We are not compteting against a million of the same sellers because people are looking for weird and unique things (unlike the jewelry people who are all competing with each other!!)
Hi Winged! Your stuff is super is cute! I wrote a post about how many items to have (non-scientific data!) I know that having more items helps vintage peeps like us show up in more searches which leads to more views, and then more sales! http://marketingartfully.com/2015/10/14/how-many-items-should-you-have-in-your-etsy-store/
