How To Use Etsy: Shipping Tips

Save Money on Shipping and Packaging

The hardest part of starting an Etsy shop for me was figuring out shipping, both prices and packaging. I did a lot of research before opening my shop and still made many mistakes. I would like to pass on what I learned so you don't have to make the same mistakes and lose money!

Buy a Scale
The best thing you can do to ensure accurate shipping prices is buy a postal scale, the weight capacity depending on what you sell. Buying from Amazon.com is cheapest.

Calculate Shipping Online
With your scale, you can accurately calculate shipping costs on the USPS site, including international rates. Play around with package weight to estimate secondary shipping costs (how much it costs to ship something with another item).

Print Labels from Paypal
Print shipping labels from your paypal account and receive a significant discount on postage for packages (for any domestic service, but only Priority or Express for international). If the person paid through paypal, you can go to your account overview and click "print shipping label" next to the transaction. The address information will automatically load. Just input the package weight (rounded up to the nearest whole number) and service type (First Class, Priority, etc.). If the person didn't pay through paypal, you can still print the label by adding the address on paypal.com/shipnow. Print the label on fast draft to save ink. 

With ready-to-ship packages, no need to wait in line at the post office! Just drop off or request pick-up online if at least one of your packages is Priority Mail.

Be Creative with Packaging
Some shops only charge postage price, while others include packaging costs. Either way, be creative to save on packaging expenses and lower your shipping prices.

• Reuse boxes if you can. All previous postage must be removed or covered. You can cover non-postal boxes with brown kraft paper.
• Don't send free gifts. Most of the time, they're cheap things the buyer doesn't want or need but are still included in the shipping and packaging costs (or if not, they come out of your pocket). Most people would rather not get a random free item and pay lower shipping!
• Only use necessary, protective wrapping; no need to be super fancy unless you sell expensive jewelry or the like.
• Make your own thank-you notes or write on the back of your business card.

Remember, packaging ends up in the trash, so be wise where you spend your money and what you charge people for. I would rather get a less fancy (but still professional) package if it means I pay less shipping. However, you can include a note in your listings and policies about requesting free gift wrapping.

Add Shipping Information to Your Shop
Include shipping and packaging information in your policies, and your listings if you sell various items that require different packaging and shipping methods. Buyers like to know what they are paying for and when they can expect to get their items.

Choosing the Right Shipping Service

Knowing which shipping service to use is vital in saving money, both for you and your customers. Here are tips I've learned:

Measure your packages 

• Envelopes thicker than 1/4 inch or uneven in thickness by more than 1/4 inch are considered packages instead of letters.
• Small bubble envelopes, if flat and light, can usually be sent as letters in the U.S. (only once has one of my customers had to pay extra postage, which I reimbursed), but are always packages for international shipping (I've lost money twice because I forgot this!).
• Large envelopes that are flexible (for example, holding a paperback children's book) can be mailed at a large envelope price instead of a package.
• Boxes longer than 12 inches on any side cost more to ship regardless of low weight.

Weigh your packages 

• The biggest mistake sellers make is sending everything Priority Mail. Packages lighter than 13 ounces qualify for First Class parcel, which is just as fast as and sometimes faster than Priority Mail but considerably cheaper.
• Heavier packages are mailed Parcel Post, which takes about a week. If the price difference between Parcel Post and Priority Mail is minimal, go with Priority Mail to ensure faster delivery.
• UPS and FedEx are best reserved for extremely large, heavy, valuable, or fragile items.

Francesca
The Shop at Pooh Corner

How to Use Etsy: An Introduction

In this series, we will discuss the ins and outs of Etsy.  The dos and don'ts, as well as helpful apps that will give you options to increase your efficiency.  We all know that time at the computer is time away from our craft.  Today I am going to give you a list of sites of Etsy apps that you can explore and experiment with.

There are many Etsy apps (applications) out there to help make running a shop easier. Here are some of the more popular ones: 

• craftcult.com: for making widgets displaying your shop and treasuries on your blog or website.  This is a fantastic tool for promoting your shop or a treasury.  The more places on the internet you appear, the better the odds are for a potential customer to find your shop.

• craftopolis.com: for recording shop analytics and editing multiple listings at once.  Shop analytics are vital to tracking your Etsy shop's health.  It also shows you where you are succeeding and the areas you need to improve on.  It also gives you the ability to edit multiple listings at once.  The time saving potential there is obvious.

• etsyonsale.com: for running sales easily (not free, except for 5 credits to run 1 sale; use the referral code 3BC8YJD7U5 for 5 bonus credits).  I'm sure you have seen listings that have the regular price crossed out in red with a sale price, also in red, next to it.  This is done with this app.  It is a great way to promote a sale price, as people can the original price.  And the line crossed through the original price makes it obvious you are having a sale.

• fotofuze.com: for improving photos.  This site links directly to Etsy so you can upload your photos to your listing and touch them up from fotofuze,  No loading jpegs into photo software programs and then saving the somewhere on your computer so you can upload to Etsy.  Just touch them up in fotofuze, click the button, and your photos on Etsy are done.  Fotofuze is meant to enhance pictures that are already fairly close to the image you want and works best for white background photos.

• shmetsy.com: for easy treasury making and contacting featured sellers.  You can make the treasury and send a mass email to everyone included to let them know that they are featured.  Super slick.

Find more Etsy apps here. The ones you use will show up in "Apps" under "Your Account." 

Francesca

Etsy Shop Promotion Series: Francesca's BNS/BNR Experiences

Are you a newbie to the BNS world, not quite sure if it's the thing for you? I hope sharing my experience will help you decide.

When I first heard about BNS/BNR treasuries I was greatly confused. Reading forum discussions about them only made it more confusing and difficult. I then contacted one of the people who had replied because she invited questions and seemed really friendly. She straightened out my questions, and I decided to give it a chance and see for myself how good or bad these treasuries really were.

It took me some time to understand everything going on. But the one thing I noticed immediately was how incredibly welcoming and supportive everyone is!  These people really care. Of course, I got some sales too and many more since then, but the best reward is the friendship I have received.

Bella's BNS Team is by far my favorite. Our leadership is awesome and dedicated, doing so many things to promote the treasuries, items, and shops, and to encourage us to be involved, all resulting in boards that fill up fast (translation: sales!). The members are friendly, fun, and creative, and genuinely desire success for everyone. The support system of this team and others like it are incredibly valuable to me. To me, these are great reasons to participate in BNS/BNR treasuries!


Francesca

Welcome Natalee and Francesca to Bellas Blog Staff!

It is my pleasure to introduce you to two new member of the Bellas blog staff.  Natalee from Black Willow Soaps and Francesca from The Shop At Pooh Corner have joined up and are already coming up with great ideas.  We are thrilled to have them writing for the blog and are certain you will enjoy their articles.


Natalee will be doing a series on social media and how it can be used to promote your business.  She will be tackling things like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Wanelo and more.  Be prepared for some fantastic insight into how to make these sites work for your business.  


Francesca is working on a series on some Etsy basics.  She will cover rules that are commonly broken, how to create an Etsy mini, how to be featured in treasuries, tagging listings (SEO), how to host a giveaway, Etsy apps, and an Etsy lingo dictionary.  I'm sure that newcomers to Etsy, as well as seasoned veterans, will find something in this series that will help them with the ins and outs of selling on Etsy.


Please join me in welcoming Natalee and Francesca.  Also be on the lookout for a new page that will contain a calendar of dates articles will be posted.


Love and Peace,


Luci

Congratulations Francesca from The Shop at Pooh Corner!!

Francesca from The Shop at Pooh Corner is our semi-finalist winner this week in our treasury competition.  Find her treasury under the Treasury Competition Semi-Finalists above ( bellasbns.blogspot.com/p/treasury-competition-semi-finalists.html).  Each week our semi-finalists boards will be listed there for all to admire.

Congratulations Francesca on a beautiful treasury!

What is our treasury competition?  Well, each week team members submit treasuries in a defined format to be chosen as that week's semi-finalist winner.  They get the board posted on the team blog and are entered to win the monthly drawing.  If they win the monthly drawing I will feature their board on the Bellas Weekend BNS Bash.  Our first Bash is July 7-8.  Once a board fills we will start another and the fun continues!

Want to enter the treasury contest?  It is very easy.  First, you must be a member of BellasBNS.  You can join from that link.  The thread for this week's competition is here.  Build your treasury according to the rules on there and post the link.  You are then entered!

Love and Peace,

Luci