Etsy for Everyone

Merry Christmas

I am off to see my parents now - but I will be back with a GIMP tutorial on Dec. 26th. Enjoy your holidays!

Getting rich on Etsy

Update: Weeks of flagging, and providing every single supplier have paid off - at least for now, the Korean clothing importer has been closed down. :)

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There is an easy way to get rich on Etsy - just stop by Yahoo Auctions Singapore, start buying up some Korean clothing, and sell it as your own on Etsy.

Feel free to just use the catalog images, and don't even bother labeling it as vintage or supplies. Sure you'll get flagged, possibly even with the links to those exact same catalog images... but don't worry, nothing will happen. Ever.

Or how about stopping by some Andean, Peruvian, or Bolivian wholesale sites? I am sure you will find gorgeous earrings, or Jamaican-inspired bags, or Peruvian hats... And let's be honest here - those things are mostly handmade, right?

Just make sure that you sell loads, and Etsy will never close you down... they must be scared of losing that revenue.

Personally, I would be more concerned with losing the community's respect, but hey, that's me.

Christmas in Germany - the video

Great advertising opportunity

Okay, this will probably not be for everyone. But, if you are already far enough in your business development to have a marketing/ advertising budget set aside, then I invite you to read further.

My favorite metalsmith, Artisan Impact, is preparing a real-life catalog. What's more, they have already sorted out the distribution, which is the biggest hurdle in these kinds of projects.

80,000 copies will be distributed between February and March 2008, which is of course amazing - and looking at the catalog, I am 100% certain that people will be thrilled to receive it.

A quarter page costs $108 - you can find all the details by clicking on the image.

New banner templates (Powerpoint)

I have added some more Powerpoint banner templates, all prepared for Etsy... All you need to do is change the name and tag line, some templates can even take a product image.

1) Right-click on the one you like and select "Save target as..." (or just open it)
2) Save the Powerpoint file to your computer
3) Open with Powerpoint - add your company name & change the font
4) If you want to add a product, go to Insert-> Picture from file
5) When adding a picture, be sure to choose a design that allows for that
6) When you are done, go to "Save as...", then select JPG or GIF from the dropdown menu
7) Go to Your Etsy, Shop Appearance, and upload the new banner from your computer

You can find all templates here, these are the new ones:

 

 

 

 

How to flag efficiently

Let's be honest here - not everything on Etsy is handmade, qualifies as a supply, or as vintage (older than 20 years.) If you are unsure on what's allowed, please see Etsy's Do's and Dont's.

For Etsy Admins, policing all listings is an impossible task, so they are relying on us to help them. Which is why Etsy has introduced the flagging system.

How to flag
In each listing, you can click on the link "Flag this item", and it is meant to open a new e-mail to flagged@etsy.com. This doesn't work properly in each e-mail program, so I have just started sending a regular mail with all the details.

What not to flag
Don't flag copyright infringements. It is useless, as Etsy cannot do anything about these listings - unless the copyright holder approaches them. If you see copyright infringement, contact the company or artist directly.

What to flag - without much success
I have found that while these things should be flagged, no action has been taken by Etsy, ever:

• PIF with purchase
• Sold items listed
• Sale announcements (no item for sale)
• Mis-tagging

Clarification:
With "Sold items listed" I mean listings that were sold off Etsy, and remain as a regular listing, saying "Sold at xxx market". There are a number of those, functioning solely as advertisement without offering anything for sale.
"PIF with Purchase" refers to so-called "pay it forward" listings, valued at 20c each, that are only valid if you purchase something else. Those are against Etsy rules as well, yet have never been addressed when I did flag them.

Successful flagging of resellers
I have had great results when flagging resellers - as long as I provided the suppliers in the e-mail. You need to prove that the item is not handmade - and most of the time, you just need to know where to look.

How to spot mass-produced items
Some sellers will only scan catalog pictures (with logos) or copy the images from the internet. That makes things easier - but there are also cases when they re-photograph the items.

I can't tell you what I look for... usually it is a very low price for a too-well-made item. If the store has loads of the same type of item, yet no personal style, that is also a give-away. And yes, I look for location at times. If you are unsure, feel free to e-mail me?

How to find the suppliers
Here are my main links, depending on what I am looking for:

• Google (searching for pictures sometimes helps)
• Ebay
• Alibaba
• Yahoo Auctions Singapore
• Yahoo Auctions Taiwan
• Made in China

If you need help, feel free to email or convo me...

Frohe Weihnachten

The article has been published in The Storque after all. :)
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This is a first – it is the beginning of December, every shop is blinking and literally throwing ornaments and chocolate Santa’s at me… and I am actually done with my shopping, thanks to Etsy.

This means I have time to tell you more about how we celebrate Christmas and the month of December in Germany – and teach you some German along the way.

And you can still take a stroll through Hamburg with me, by visiting my Christmas gallery.

Adventskalender
For me, Weihnachtszeit (Christmas time) really starts with December 1st, when I get to open the first door of my chocolate Adventskalender (advent calendar). It counts down the days until Christmas Eve, and is meant to shorten the wait for kids.

Adventskranz
Sometimes, Weihnachtszeit might also start with the first Advent, which is officially the start of the liturgical year, and falls on the Sunday between November 27 and December 3.

On that Sunday, we light the first of four candles on our advent wreath, with an additional candle being lightened on each Sunday leading up to Christmas. This candle does not just burn on Sunday, but throughout the week as well, and there is an ongoing discussion on whether or not you are allowed to light different candles so that they burn down more evenly, or really stick to one candle.

Nikolaus
On December 6th, Germans celebrate Nikolaus. Remember that Storque article on the Dutch Sinterklaas? Germans also appreciate his special meaning to children, though it doesn’t replace Christmas.

On December 5th, all children will get out their cleaning equipment and start polishing those shoes. Hopefully, they will polish both from one pair, though many kids have been caught with one polished and one dirty shoe on December 6th – probably because you only put one single shoe in front of your door.

If you were good, you will find candy, chocolate and small presents in those shoes the next morning; if not, a birch rod will be all you will get. May I just brag that I (of course) never found a birch rod in my shoes? 

Christmas is in the air
What I love most about Germany is our Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets.) Every town has at least one market place with booths selling Glühwein (mulled wine), gebrannte Mandeln (tanned almonds), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Mutzen (fritters), and anything concerning ornaments, decorations and even gift ideas.

Hamburg’s downtown area actually has four different ones, and I will usually meet up with friends there throughout December.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
You thought “Christmas” actually meant December 25th? Not in Germany! Our main celebration actually takes place on Heiligabend (Christmas Eve.)

On that evening, I go to church with my mother – hopefully plowing through some snow on the way. Afterwards, my family sits down to our traditional, quick-and-easy Christmas dinner: Würstchen mit Kartoffelsalat (sausages with potato salad.) We will then open our presents underneath the tree – in my case, everyone will be getting handmade goodies this year, true to my Buy Handmade pledge.

The first and second days of Christmas are the days when we have opulent meals; goose with red cabbage, turkey, or trout are traditional Christmas dishes.

Do you want to know more? Then check out some of these links:

German Christmas recipes
Hamburg sightseeing movie
Hamburg webcam, Rathausmarkt

Finding yourself in the Gift Guides

Google has indexed the gift guides by now, so you can easily check if you are in there. There might be a slight time lag, but it's still helpful.

Just go to Google, then search for: 
yourshopname "gift guides" site:www.etsy.com/gift-guides/

You'll see if you are in there, and don't have to check each and every page to do so.

Just one major request - don't start searching for everyone else, just to prove your point how "unfair" the gift guides are. I just broke my promise never to utter that word again, and am just tired of the whole discussion.

Writing a business plan

You might not think you need one - but writing a business plan is actually helpful. It will let you clarify what your priorities and goals are, and how to achieve those. A business plan is clearly structured, so it will probably cover areas that you haven't yet considered.

Are you serious about making this your day job? Then you will really need a business plan - for example when approaching banks or even your family to get some money to start.

Let's start with the basics - how to structure a business plan:

• Executive summary
• Table of contents
• Company profile
• Product
• Market analysis
• Marketing
• Operations
• Finances

The first two points are actually written last, once everything is done. The executive summary needs to be no longer than 1 page and summarize the whole business plan. The table of contents is kind of logical, I think.

This is only meant as a rough draft - there are numerous resources that will help you with the details.

Company
This where you start explaining where your business is at right now, who runs it, and what you have done so far. What qualifies you to do this, what is your education? Include your past sales, your sales channels, some numbers concerning revenue.

Define what your mid-term goals are. Generally speaking, it is sensible to not go beyond the next 12 months.

Product
What are you selling? Why is it special? What are your unique selling points? Can you patent, trademark, or copyright your product? Why is it priced the way it is, why is it worth that price?

Market analysis
This will probably the most difficult part for you. You need to know what's out there. Talk about competitors, and how they have become successful. Collect some numbers for your market. Know which sales channels lend themselves for your product - and that means more than just Etsy. And most importantly - who is your target market, and how can you reach them?

Marketing
How will you let the world know about your great product? You need to have a marketing plan in place, that includes marketing as well as promotions. Start with the Four P's, if you are unsure.

Operations
So, how is your business run? Who is helping you, do you have a fail-safe process in line to divide your time between producing, designing, promoting, shipping, and selling? Where will you do this? Do you need licenses to do it?

Finances
Ouch. Make a financial plan. What supplies do you need to get started? Promotional materials? License fees? What revenue do you expect, what is your break-even point? Make different scenarios - you usually work with three different ones, and yes, this also includes a worst case scenario. Loads to think about...

Some helpful tips:

• Be realistic. Don't expect sales to skyrocket just because you say so. Do not gloss over weaknesses - spell them out and find a solution.
• KISS. Keep it short and simple.
• Input from the outside. Ask someone to read it through, to highlight areas that might not make sense to outsiders.

Additional reading:
Know your market, not your style
Marketing 101 - the Four P's

External links
How-To guide, Australian government
My Own Business

Monkey Business newsletter

Every two months or so, I send an e-mail newsletter to customers and friends. I usually don't talk about my shop, but send a German recipe and some added value-

Are you curious what my latest one looks like?