Featured Seller: Mary from Jasmine Blossom Crafts

This week's featured seller is Mary from Jasmine Blossom Crafts.

I have been crafting since I was around 7 years old, when I learned to knit. I grew up in Scotland, and at that time, most girls were taught to knit at a young age. As the years went on, I have learned many different kinds of crafts and I love it!

I was told about Etsy by my niece, but it took a while before I had the courage to try it. One day I just decided to take the plunge, and I've been really enjoying it. I've been open for over a year, but it's been the last 3 or 4 months that I've really been trying to put a lot more effort into promoting.

The gospel influences my work by making me honest in all that I do - and that means making sure I do a good job, that I represent my products properly, that I treat my customers fairly and honestly.

Check out Jasmine Blossom Crafts for more cute items!

Is Your Shop Professional?

When people shop online, they want to feel secure in their purchase so they buy from professional-looking sites. If your shop does not look the part, it may be hurting your sales. What you need to do to improve your look:

Have a Logo
Brand your shop by having your banner, avatar (profile photo), and business cards all look the same. They don't need to be fancy, just consistent. If you don't know how to design your own brand, ask another team member for help. We have many talented designers!

Include Policies
Fill out the policy page of your shop. Customers like to know what to expect with returns and refunds, turn-around times, custom orders, etc.

Edit Your Writing
Have someone look over your listing descriptions for spelling and punctuation errors and missing or inconsistent information. 

Reply Promptly
What bothers me the most as a customer is sellers not responding to my emails quickly. That tells me they are forgetful or too busy with something else. Even if your shop is only a part-time gig, don't let it show! A simple reply of "Got your email. Can't reply now but I will by tomorrow evening" is better than a late response or none at all. This tip also applies to shipping notifications. I like to know the seller is aware of my purchase and is working on it or shipping it off.

What Doesn't Matter
Many of the people who buy from Etsy are not too familiar with the site, which means when they search for an item, they usually go straight to the listing and check out from there. They probably will not see how many sales you have. Nor care. They may, however, try to find your feedback to make sure you are reliable. So don't worry if you have low sales. Just make sure you do all you can to be professional and earn great feedback! (Also keep in mind that since many people don't see your shop page, include important information such as current processing time in each listing or include a link to your policies.)

New Year, New Goals

It's a new year and time to make some new goals for your shop! Just a few things to remember as you plan:

1. Be realistic. Challenge yourself but not so much that you can't accomplish your goal. Take into account your daily life, emergencies, holidays and vacations, capabilities, and resources.
2. Be focused. Instead of having a whole list of goals, narrow it down to three important ones or one long-term goal with a few short-term goals that will help you reach the big one.
3. Be flexible. Understand that things may happen that can change your goals, for better or worse. Adjust accordingly and move forward.
4. Be positive. Take one day at a time. Congratulate yourself for your efforts and improvements. But be honest with yourself too: if you're getting lazy, give yourself a pep talk and get back to work!
5. Be organized. Keep a journal of your successes and failures so you know what worked and what didn't as you achieve your goals. 

Good luck!