Can I add something to the list? When a listing is so long you have to scroll through advertising stuff to get the shipping price a the bottom.

Great list!

True!

Great reminders- thanks for the post!

[...] sale happen.  This is part 2 of “Biggest Put Offs For Etsy Shoppers ” series.  In part 1 awesome photography seems to be a theme.  Lets see what more buyers have to [...]

All good points, for me though a turn off is opening a shop and having to scroll through customers feedback. Let me decide if first I like your items enough and if I do then perhaps I will read some of your feedback but don’t put it in my face.

It’s great to hear what buyers are thinking. We should strive to think more like buyers, than sellers when listing an item or setting up shop; after all, they are our “target audience,” not other sellers or worse, ourselves. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into what buyers are thinking about our shops.

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Great list!! I always try and remember these things when I list an item. Thanks for taking the time to remind me ;)

great list!

One that I’d add is the super-long shop announcement, including listing every blog or site that the artist has ever been featured on, among other things. Always seems a bit pretentious.

I credit Etsy for teaching and training buyers and equip sellers for the professional trading details.
Thanks for all you do.

good points

Great points, and reminders. I look forward to reading more of the series!

As both a seller and a shopper, I concur with many of these wonderful reminders. But when I’m shopping, the number one turn off is bad photos. I rarely get past that, even if I’ve gotten a referral. The comments about showing scale is a great reminder for me.

About this one:

“I am completely turned off when they have a “no returns” policy or a statement saying that once they mail the item they are not responsible if you don’t receive it. Both make me move on to a more buyer friendly shop.”

I agree wholeheartedly, which is why I no longer sell on etsy. etsy has a policy that discourages sellers from offering refunds. Etsy keeps the fees (both listing and final value fees) if an item is returned, regardless of the reason.

stella-whatever (they have those cutesy names) posted in November in the *public* forums that the reason why was that the sellers were dishonest so etsy felt justified in adopting this policy. She went on to say that a seller offering a refund was completely optional and etsy was well within its rights to keep all fees (even though *no* other venue adopted this policy).

When Rob Kalin returned, he agreed this was a bad policy and promised to reverse it the first week of January, but, as far as I know, never followed through (I closed my etsy shop in late January and quit checking earlier this month).

When I see jewelry, hats, scarves, etc. photographed on a model’s hand, neck, head, etc., that usually does not appeal to me. An alternative, for a sense of scale, is to show a similar item not for sale on a model.

Tim, Great job in bringing this info to everyone! When a shop doesn’t give enough info about the item is a “turnoff” for me or unclear photos. However, if I’m really interested in an item, I will contact seller for more info.

Many thanks for these wonderful tips! I’m doing my best to take them all to heart — especially the one about showing something for scale in at least one photo!

For me, that “once it leaves my hands …” policy is a total turn-off! I simply won’t buy from a seller who says that.

Thank you for these very helpful comments. I’m new to Etsy and am eager to hear your opinions!

Great advice. I’ll be cropping some of my wordage, and rethinking shipping. I have to say, it is difficult to decide how to handle returns. I have not had a concern with that yet as seller or buyer, which I am both, but it is an area that I wrestle with when setting up policies.

Definitely some great tips here!

Every time I read a “tips to sellers”, photo perfection pops up the most.
So true! You want to look as pro as any shop out there on the web.
I can’t say all my pictures do my work justice. It is just something I have to work on.

I do have small items too, and should place a quarter in at least one photo with them;)

The no-refund thing is a total turn-off. We have to think of ways to sell honorably and not get bit.
I would even send material swatches ahead of a purchase. If I sell locally, I offer to do free alterations.

Cheers!

thx for the reminders

I agree with all that’s been shared here. When it comes to returns, I have a very generous policy because I think having a customer’s goodwill is worth the cost, even if I have to trash a $100 item.

I agree with all of the article and the further comments too. I would also like to add that seeing a person modelling something with tattoos on their neck is a big turn off; items laid on a grubby carpet to be photographed is another; stacks of ironing in the background of the photo is another ALL of which makes me think that the person making the item is dirty and so is their home. I always think the item I would receive would be dirty and feel second hand.

Woo! I spent way to long looking through that thread yesterday.. I did go through my shop and do a a little up keep though…:)

I agree with most of these things…but Rachel, why are tattoos on a model so repulsive? Would a plus size model turn you off too? A disabled one? Someone with unnatural coloured hair? I really think that’s pushing the boundaries of what turns off buyers, and going into what you personally do and don’t like. (which is fine, I just don’t personally have those prejudices)

I do agree thought, that a model wearing the exact item I’m purchasing is a bit off-putting, no matter what they look like! Especially hats and tight fitting clothing. I know there’s no alternative with vintage or one-of-a-kind clothing, but usually a well designed fake model does a good job of showing what something looks like on a real person. =)

Thankyou, these are valuable points, and they are logical, as a buyer and seller, I agree with all of them, though I know how challenging and deceptive photography can be!

I agree fully with a lot of this unfocus pictures and when someone puts others down. I love the information in this. Thanks to all that wrote something this definitley helps♥ Much Love

As a non-US seller/buyer I move right in of the shop doesnt offer world-wide shipping, even if they say to convo for shipping rates.
I’ll find a shop that is easier to buy from.

Have to say I agree with Tess as a UK Etsy seller and buyer. I do wonder if some sellers realise that there is a world outside their own country and I have been fortunate to sell items to the US, Australia etc. I also wonder about sellers who insist on priority/insured shipping for small & lesser priced items. Surely if you have a proof of posting that should be enough.

I have taken on board comments about scale, but find it difficult not to use a live model bracelets and necklaces. How can you possibly gauge how it’ll look on you size-wise if you don’t have a live model? Not for earrings obviously.

Thanks Tim again

I find what Rachael wrote insulting, and I’m shocked that someone would put their name next to a statement that insinuates that tattooed people are dirty, and sell dirty items. I don’t think I would like that sort of customer to buy stuff from my shop anyway, so I wouldn’t count it a loss if a model with tattoos scared some people away.

I see a lot of people saying that they don’t like seeing items on live models.
I guess we have to agree to disagree on this. I personally prefer to see items on actual models to get a better idea of how the item exist in real life. I even prefer seeing actual models instead of mannequins.

I know people like to have this idea that they live in a sterile world, but this is not the case. Clothes that you buy in normal shops might have been made by dirty workers, handled by dirty staff in the shop, then tried on a couple of times by dirty, sweaty, nasty customers who doesn’t even bother with underwear(ok ok stretching it a bit far here, hehe) without being washed before they end up in your bag.

I’m sure a lot of the people who say they dislike seeing items on real models buy clothes from shops where it’s possible to try items on. And thus end up buying stuff that has been tried on.

I’m glad I’m one of those people who don’t see a problem with items that has been modelled or tried on by someone else, as it’s virtually impossible to buy something that has not been tried on, handled by human hands or been exposed to reality in any way.

Sorry about the rant, the tattoo comment set me off,

Eva :)

“Surely if you have a proof of posting that should be enough.”

Actually it isn’t. Having the receipt for shipping the item isn’t enough when a customer says they did not receive it and their money is refunded due to paypals rules. It caused me to change my shipping and I now charge more for shipping so I can have protection for myself against buyers who might not be honest.

My number one turn off on listings is scrolling through a lot of stuff before I find info on what I want to buy. It’s annoying, especially when it’s the shop announcement that is so long because then it makes seeing multiple pages of a shop difficult.

Thank you so much Timothy, for offering these helpful insights and opinions on what buyers want. Like most sellers, I am also a buyer and so will share what I like in the form of positives.

For handmade items, I love to read about the artist’s method, material, etc., and even hours of production if they choose to. I understand that too much cannot be given away of course, but I do enjoy reading on how they created what they are offering.

For vintage items, it’s crucial to see the backs of jewelry, the labels (if available) on clothing and fabric content (is it rayon? is it wool? is it poly?), the pontil marks on the bottom of glassware, etc. In other words — those maker’s clues that will help identify the era of an item.

I enjoy surveys like this, since constructive feedback can be the best feedback that there is! :)

One thing frustrates me, and both metric and Imperial folk are guilty of this.

Put your measurements in inches and centimetres and feet/metres. Please. I was born and raised with Metres and Centigrade and if I only have Imperial measurements I move on, I am no good at maths and calculating or converting sizes is a pain. I do my best to include both sets of measurements in my work, why can’t others.

The most perceptive Etsians are already doing this – thank you. Others, please, add your skirt lengths, yard skein lengths, earring drops, ribbon lengths, whatever in both – its not too hard and a lot of European and Australasian folks will thank you and buy your stuff.

I definitely think pictures can make you or break you. Pictures should be clear and be able to be enlarged. If you enlarge the picture before you post it gives you the opportunity to check for fuzz, hair, crumbs, etc.
I personally do this to check my work for obvious flaws that would show up if someone else enlarged my work.
A no returns policy sounds so unfriendly! Who would give a second thought to a shop with that policy. Saying you can’t be bothered with packages lost in the mail sounds like you don’t care that your customer spent all that money.
I believe a good shop is from a good consumer. If you use common sense to shop then turn it around and make your shop common sense.
Thanks for the tips Tim!

I dont like when you can see the bad organised personal space on the picture of the item. I mean if you have a neat room behind the vase you photographed it is perfect, but if you have some mess behind it , like dirty clothes or not washed dishes, it makes me think in what conditions the items were made.

Thanks for putting this information togethter..

Thanks a lot for this. As both a shopper and store owner, one thing I would add is:

–Proper spelling and grammar. I know that everyone makes a typo here or there, I do too, but thing like capitalization don’t require good spelling. No one writes a business memo using poor language.

I always look for this because if a seller can’t be arsed to at least write something well, what else can’t they find the time/energy to do?

Thanks!

(awesome…I left the “s” off “things”! Proof that mistakes DO happen ;)

In response to:

I agree wholeheartedly, which is why I no longer sell on etsy. etsy has a policy that discourages sellers from offering refunds. Etsy keeps the fees (both listing and final value fees) if an item is returned, regardless of the reason.

stella-whatever (they have those cutesy names) posted in November in the *public* forums that the reason why was that the sellers were dishonest so etsy felt justified in adopting this policy. She went on to say that a seller offering a refund was completely optional and etsy was well within its rights to keep all fees (even though *no* other venue adopted this policy).

When Rob Kalin returned, he agreed this was a bad policy and promised to reverse it the first week of January, but, as far as I know, never followed through (I closed my etsy shop in late January and quit checking earlier this month).
_________________________________________________________

He kept his promise.

Thanks for all these infos Tim. As a seller it got me thinking, and as a buyer I agree with most of them. Photos are crucial, and to have the most buyer-friendly policies as well.

I always get turned off when someone has an extremely high price for international shipping. I live outside the US, but I still pay in USD for your item, why should I pay a lot more for shipping? Especially when they offer free shipping to the US…it always disappoints me and I move on to a more friendly shop.

This is great and how true! Thanks so much for taking the time to help all of us with this invaluable information!

Thank you Tim. Those responses are enlightening.

Excellent advice and feedback, Tim! I appreciate the comment about including metric sizing for international customers. Excellent point.

Hi, I just felt I should comment in regard to shipping outside the U.S. I have found, for me, it just isn’t worth it. There are so many extra expenses that it has on occasion actually cost me more than I made.

My biggest turn-off are the too-short descriptions that don’t even give basic information (such as “Lovely purple necklace.” Well, how long is it? What are the stones? Is the silver sterling or plated? And so on …

Next would be too-long shop announcements. In the newspaper biz, they put the most important stuff (including the headline) “above the fold” so it shows in the newspaper boxes on the corner. Etsy sellers should take this into consideration! (I’m cutting it close on this one, but feel that I have the bare minimum amount of information “above the fold” — the only thing I feel that I could delete is the link to my friend’s shop!)

Thirdly, would be NO shop announcement or profile or policies. I want to feel assured that I really am buying a handmade item (we all know that non-handmade non-vintage items sometimes end up on Etsy).

Great collection of suggestions! I’m off to read Part 2!

Great stuff! Obviously there will always be debate over some issues – like model vs. real…I know I would love a real model to use, but have no able bodies :P

Marjorie – thanks for the reminder about the measurements….I know somewhere along the line I stopped doing both…time to go add metric :)

One thing I know gets to me….if you are doing an upcycle or handmade embellishment on something purchased (like embroidery on an already made bag) PLEASE tell us in the description…I run across so many that just don’t say…I want to know if the dress I am buying was made by you or if you just added the cute painted or embroidered or whatever design.

great post…looking forward to #2

Thanks for the insight into what buyers are thinking – really helpful. Quality photos are essential, and I’ve been trying to improve on mine since I started on Etsy. However, many of my products are really difficult to photograph – I do a lot of embossed relief prints and cards. I’ve been told by people that some photos completely disappear on their computer monitors, even though the photo is very clear on mine. It’s tricky trying to photograph embossed prints with the right lighting and the right angle so it doesn’t show up as a white blob. But I’ll keep working on it!

Thank you tim!!!
ST

Thanks for the great tips! I would love to hear more about art in particular! I think it is deceptively difficult to sell.

Thanks!

I must say that these are great tips.

International shipping… I have a problem, Paypal will refund all monies without proof of shipping and it seems that proof of shipping is not enough. They want delivery confirmation, tracking. This is expensive for the buyers.

I do not offer refunds, I had a few buy an item, use it and then return it because they only needed a few of the cuts. Now my item is used!

Insurance.. I think it is important to insure packages and I will be including insurance with no extra cost to the buyer.

Photos… Well I must admitt, I sometimes rush and do not clear a work station and have clutter in the back ground. I will make it a point to think first.

Measurements…. I do try to include the size of the item, however I am not that great with metrics. I will search out a good ruler to take pictures with..

Feedback.. I have stopped leaving feedback for buyers untill they leave for me. I found they would not bother since I left for them already.

Buyers…. Feedback is important.. Write something… I do not like those that say nothing. I am guilty of CC&Ping my feedback message. But it makes a statement.

I do wish there were a way of bulk revising our listings, and if we wanted to run a sale. I have too many listings to have a sale. Also a list simular item. It takes so long to list simular items…

Again great ideas for improvement.

I hope Canadians don’t think I”m inflating my shipping prices. I have to charge them 5% tax and that’s the only place I can add it. I don’t want to mention it everywhere because it’s boring and sort of negative. I do mention it in my brief shop announcement but not everybody reads those. Oh well.

So I fall on the “yes to a live model” side of the argument. I photograph bracelets and necklaces on myself (not earrings of course) to show scale. In my experience people want to know what it looks like ON. And as a buyer I like to see them on a real model. (tattoos, purple hair, I don’t really care). And, yes, even though I make and sell my own jewelry; I do buy from other jewelry designers on etsy. I like to support good work, and can appreciate the materials.

I don’t offer refunds, but that is because I don’t make much profit. Most of my buyers are my friends already and know the quality of my products.

I simply cannot (as a buyer) stand dark or fuzzy photos. And I agree with everyone about the super long shop announcement.

But a couple other things that bother me are: no sections, and too few items.
If I go to your shop looking for thank-you cards, I don’t want to have to scroll through all your other items to find them. And if you get me to your shop by some means, give me SOMETHING to look at. Shops with under 10 items just bug me.

Well, the person who responded to the tattoo comment basically said what I wanted to an so I move on.

My solution to a live model for earrings was to take a photograph of myself and then scale it down to true size. I printed it out and now, when I have earrings, I shoot the earrings on my to-scale face so people can have an idea of size. it satisfies BOTH sides, the ones who want a live model and those who don’t.

The only thing I don’t like seeing on people is earrings (because they actually go inside the skin), everything else is fine by me as I am not at all germophobic.

For those who need a place to convert measurements, this is a good place: http://www.onlineconversion.com/

Happy selling and buying everyone!

This is really helpful. I think I am going to get that mannequin bust, now!
Also, I just wanted to say that I think another reason some people charge so much for shipping and so little for the price of the item is to get around paying the 3.5% fee etsy charges for the price of the item (they do not include S&H).

Tough Crowd and honest.
I guess I’m not put off by most stuff-it is either a match find or I move on and don’t look back.
Although, I do agree that customer service is extremely important and I think there are ways to manage one’s business to offer both friendly service and proprietor protection all at once.
On Postage: The easiest and cheapest thing to do with “lost mail” possibilities is to insure it-it costs next to nothing using USPS. USPS has great pricing for most things-Priority mail starts at $4.95 flat rate and up to 70lbs to ship throughout the 50 states! As the box size grows the flat rate jumps to $11.95 and up to 70lbs. I think this is a very fair price and doesn’t bust anyone’s bank. And, it looks like most items sold on Etsy will fit under this shipping category.
On all sales are final: It makes me think that the seller is inadvertently admitting that they don’t believe in their own products. I know my stuff is well-made and I want my customers to be jazzed with their purchase. Therefore, I will work with my customer when the request is reasonable and something I can actually fulfill. Which brings me to the point, good photos should help overcome the ” Caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware) issue.
Etsy promotes “Keep It Weird”, “bend the envelope” – from reading the blogs and forum I get the impression that sellers are constantly tweaking their sites to attract buyers. Sometimes your just way off-I don’t think those errors deserve such harsh criticism. It’s tough creating art and then attempting to market yourself , too. I’d defend that those are separate talents.
Thanks for the metric measurement tips-

I’m confused about the no returns policy. What is really the right thing to do? To insure the package would cost a bomb, whilst if it’s not insured then how can I be responsible for it? Would appreciate some guidelines here please.

As a buyer, once I paid for an item I expect it to arrive safely, and if that doesn’t happen for whatever reason (gets lost in the post for example), the seller hasn’t technically deliver on his/her promise on shipping me my purchase so the whole transaction is not complete.

I think this is the reason why it’s not really legal (I am not sure if it’s ” illegal” per se) for the seller to say they won’t be responsible for item lost in the mail or if you don’t receive it etc.

Legally the seller has to deliver the product to the customers safely. If it’s a case of non-delivery, the buyer can (and should – if the seller is not willing to rectify the situation after being contacted) call their credit card companies and get a refund that way.

I am a seller myself and I always insure all the products I ship. (Plus I require a signature on delivery).

Generally, when I am in doubt of how to do something business, I always think “If a seller does this to my mum/sister, how would I feel about it?” :)

There are a couple ways you can go about this insurance thing… hope this helps!

(I use both methods depending on the situation)

1. Good old tag on insurance at the post office

Pros – easily done

Cons – can get expensive especially since very few items get lost or damaged during delivery. And should you ever need to claim insurance, it’s more paperwork, email and run around for you that waste time.

2. DIY insurance –

You put aside some money every time you ship an item, it works best if you know your non-delivery rate, and calculate a cost based on that, but nonetheless works even if you don’t.

Say you put aside what you would have paid the post office in insurance for each item you ship and keep a tally, should an item get lost in the post, the money from this ‘insurance kitty’ goes towards covering the costs of the lost item and a replacement to be shipped.

Pros – Very rarely (touch wood) does something goes wrong at the post office, your kitty will more than cover any potential loss. Should something go wrong, there’s no need to spend hours dealing with multiple parties to get the refund sorted.

Cons – You have to keep track of how much you have in the kitty, and there’s a chance that what you have already accumulated does not cover the loss.

GOOD points… my pet peeve in a shop is a long intro announcement. you have to scroll forever just to see the products…. page by page. there should be the least amount of obstacles for the guest to get to your products!

I agree. I keep going back to mine & shortening it more everytime I'm cruising around Etsy reading others that are waaaaayyyyyytooooollllonnng. Someday mine will be short, sweet & a "grabber."
Char of Caravan Design

I looked all over & couldn't find any reference to refunding on a return by Etsy. But thinking about it–the PayPal fees are higher and I doubt that they return the fee either. So you'd be out 2 fees. Plus shipping. Plus listing cost.

Well, I guess that's something else I haven't located on Etsy. I think I spent about 3 hours searching through & reading on Etsy. Someday I'll think I've read everything I should have to be a seller. Why am I doing this? Because I am surprized at how many peeps say they don't make sales and don't know about the important stuff–like good pix, tags, using all your photo spots, and everything else listed here.

Please note:

On International Shipping through the USPS, you can only get insurance on Priority Mail International or Express Mail International. They are more expensive. First Class Parcel International Mail, which is much cheaper for lighter-weight items, does not offer insurance — therefore, the buyer assumes the risk if the package never arrives. Also, the USPS does not have delivery confirmation to countries outside the USA.

So, even though Priority Mail International is considerably higher, it is the only safe way to ship with insurance to outside the USA! And that is the international shipping that I offer. I want to be able to put insurance on all packages, so international shipping is going to cost more – really only worth it if you buy a lot of things, but I still offer it!

I have talked to my local Postmaster at the Post Office about this. Apparently, with the problems of shipping First Class Parcel to foreign countries, the Post Office stopped offering insurance on it.

Great comments. I do spend time on photos and scroll thru the treasurys to see the inovative and fantastic photos there to give me some ideas.
As far as tatoos–they are the sign of the times and you need to remember what age group you are selling to. I would only find them out of taste if your model was in her 60's or 70's (like myself) and the tatoo was faded and had travelled 'south' :)

Wow – so helpful, I’m really surprised about the comment wanting to see something in jewellelry shots to give a sense of scale..
I’ve read many times that using something to give a sense of scale distracts from the jewellery and should be avoided!
There are so many different school’s of thought on so many different factors, I’ve reached the point of not knowing what to do for the best!
I’ve been told by some people that my descriptions are too long, then by other people that they really value my long descriptions!
These put offs are helpful – but when you find that your shop isn’t guilty of these sins, and yet your still not making many sales… it can leave one a tad flabbergasted!