Showing posts with label tips. Show all posts

I like to shop online. Who doesn't? I prefer to shop at online stores that accept PayPal, since that is where the money I make from my Etsy shops go. I always wished I could pay my Etsy bill with PayPal, to make my bookkeeping easier and more streamlined. Now, I finally can.

PayPal now offers a browser plug-in that allows you to pay with your PayPal account anywhere online, even when it's not accepted. After you install the plug-in, the way it works is anytime you are checking out from an online shop, the plug-in recognizes it and will ask if you want to pay with your PayPal account balance. The plug-in will even fill in the customer information forms for you. If the shop your at doesn't already except PayPal, the plug-in will generate a one time use Mastercard to use and the funds come right from your PayPal balance. For websites you visit frequently, you can even generate a Mastercard that can be used multiple times (for 2 years) that is designated for that one website. This option is the way to pay your Etsy bill. Once you install the plug-in, go to your PayPal account summary, and click profile. Under the Financial Information section, there is a PayPal Plug-In link. Here you can set up your preferences including generating a secure credit card, for sites you use often, like Etsy.

One of the first purchases I made on Etsy was my shop banner. It's the one on the top of this blog. I feel so lucky to have found Briana of bennyandroo, who created it. It was a premade banner she had listed in her shop, but I swear it was meant just for me. I've had it since, May, and I still absolutely love it whenever I look at it., which is so rare for me. The only problem I have had with it, is trying to use it as a logo. Because of it's shape, (bannerish) I have a hard time trying create a square logo or avatar from it, without cutting off most of it. I made due, as this was a minor issue, especially since I was so happy with it. However, I knew that one of these days I was going to commission Briana to create a custom logo for me, one that I can use to brand my shop completely. I wanted to have something that would work as my banner, my avatar, and for all of my business forms, easily. Her fees were quite reasonable, worth every penny. Now that my PayPal account had a few extra bucks in it, I am able to have her create one for me. So, I've contacted her, paid her, and she is working, this week, on my brand new logo! I can't tell you how excited I am to see what she comes up with. I'm a little sad to give up my current banner, but I just know whatever she creates will be just as fabulous, if not more. So, stay tuned for the "brand" new branding of my shop.

I highly recommend Briana of bennyandroo if you are in need of any graphic design work.

You know when you sign up for those free trial offers that promise there is no risk? But then, you forget to cancel it in time, so your credit card gets charged. A lot of times those offers are good ones, but where they get you is in the remembering to cancel on time. A great solution for this is using a virtual credit card. They are designed to be used once, or for a short period. This way once you have used it to set up an account for a free trial offer, it will then expire, making it impossible for your card to be charged once your trial period is over. Citibank offers virtual credit cards to it's customers, as well as other credit card companies. Well, today I discovered a company that allows you to purchase prepaid virtual credit cards. But even better they are offering a free card with $1.00 credit so that you can try it out before you decide to buy one. This is great, and it works. I wanted to try out a membership to stamps.com, while taking advantage of their free trial which offers free postage. I had learned my lesson with those "risk free" trial memberships, in the past. I knew better not to sign up with my credit card. So, I thought I'd give my new free $1.00 virtual credit card a try, and guess what? It worked. I now have a free trial membership with stamps.com, and the best part is I don't have to worry about forgetting to cancel in time. If I decide I like the service enough to continue, I can always just give them my real credit card information. Easy Peasy. So, if there is a free trial out there that you are dying to test out, but don't want to risk using your credit card, give this virtual card a try, it worked like a charm for me. Let me know how it worked for you.

Want to know what the secret to selling your items on Etsy is? Go outside. Or, shopping, or take a nap, or write a letter, or cook, or anything else except check on your Etsy shop. It sounds crazy, but if you try and stay away from your computer and stop checking your shop so often throughout the day, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's like what they say, "a watched pot never boils". And it's so true. It seems like every time I am away from my computer, (for me it's usually not by choice, but because I have other life issues to deal with) I come back to find a sale or two. Try it, you may be pleasantly surprised. It's a bit spooky.

Successful sellers on etsy know the importance of a good picture when it comes to selling your work. I'm still an etsy rookie, but the first thing I discovered since opening my shop, was if my photos weren't good, then I was wasting my time. When customers are browsing the infinite abyss of items to buy, it's the great photos that are going to make them stop and look, and maybe even buy. It's the only thing a buyer has to judge since they can't hold the item in their hands and see it up close. The quality of photos you'll find on etsy range from professional looking to "I think I'll let my 3 year old take my photos for me". I have found the best places to see examples of great photos are on etsy's front page and in the Treasury. Anyone with a camera can learn some simple techniques that make a difference between a photo that will get viewed by buyers and one that will just get passed by. A quick stop by the etsy forums or the etsy wiki can give you all the information you need. At the very least, sellers should edit the photos they take before adding them to their listings. You don't need to own photoshop to do this either. I've found a great online image editor that requires no download, that is simple to use. Try snipshot here.

Let me show you how just editing your photos make a huge difference. Yesterday I listed some magnets. Here is how the photo I took looked before I edited it at snipshot:

While the shot is clear and even in focus, the colors are off, and there is too much empty space around the magnets. Just a few adjustments at snipshot, a little cropping, and here is what I end up with:

Now, the colors are clear and vibrant, and the magnets take up the whole shot. It took me all of 30 seconds to edit the photo, and it will make a huge difference in the number of views this set of magnets gets. This set of "Gypsy" magnets were actually chosen for a treasury not too much longer after I listed them. If I had kept my original photo, I doubt they would have been chosen for a treasury. See my listing for this set or my others here.