It's been a busy year for Etsy since my Missing Etsy Features article; the keen minds behind the scenes rolled out direct checkout, Etsy gift cards, new ways to browse, a wedding registry, and apps for iPad and Android. There were even nods to my last article with...
Two years after opening my Etsy shop, I've come to a striking realization. I'm a hobby seller. It seems obvious in retrospect; I'm earning less than minimum wage on Etsy. I spend hours fretting over items and tearfully sell them for pennies on the dollar. I'm...
The Etsy forums lit up today with the news that a critical security hole (exploit) has been found in Java, a plugin installed with many browsers. Brittany asked me to explain what the security hole means and what you can do to defend yourself. Java is a...
Back in June, Etsy released Direct Checkout – which allows shop owners to accept credit cards and Etsy gift cards directly through their shops rather than diverting to PayPal. I disregarded the notices that Etsy posted encouraging sellers to sign up – my son was...
Michelle Mach is a prolific writer, jewelry designer and editor. She gained notoriety as the editor for Beading Daily and continues to impress with her Books and Beads blog, where she posts book reviews, inspiration and articles about crafting. Michelle's designs have been featured in...
Seller feedback or product ratings are a cornerstone of online sales. Amazon realized this long ago and has thrived in part by giving buyers a rating system with which to gauge their purchases. Etsy saw the value of reputation and trust early and created a...
The Etsy team has created a full-featured marketplace for handmade and vintage artisans. In six short years, the site has grown as a user-friendly, well designed hub for artists, crafters and collectors alike. Even this beloved purveyor of handmade isn't without its imperfections and missing...
Last week's article on giveaways struck a chord by pointing out that nearly all giveaways hosted on Facebook are violating the Facebook Promotions Guidelines. The more depressing news is that even those giveaways run outside of Facebook are probably illegal. [box type="info"]UPDATE: Facebook revamped their Promotions Guidelines...
Last week, Etsy announced a new way to promote listings on search pages by dropping links to the Etsy Surprise site in newsletters, Twitter and Facebook. Later, the Etsy CEO made the Surprise even more public with an Etsy blog post. Exactly what the Surprise is...
Swamped with orders? We’d all like to have that “problem”, right? Maybe not. The top Etsy sellers get over a dozen orders per day. Think about your crafts on such a scale. Would it be fun anymore, or would you feel like an underpaid sweatshop...