thank you for this, you are very straightforward, and I appreciate that. I am diverse, we sell jewelry, 3D art, scrapbooking stuff and more, so our shop is all over the place, but my kids are talented and I love trying to sell their creations. This summer we started doing craft fairs, it's a lot of work, but we are selling some of our stuff so it's working, trying to get our Etsy shop to $1000 a month by August is our goal.
Thanks Kara! I've just written all these down; I know I'm guilty of obssessing over how my competitors are doing, then getting discouraged. I'll take your advice and avoid that! Great tips, thanks! 😊
@@KaraBuntin It's sooo tempting!! Usually when things are slow for my shop, I wonder if I'm going wrong somewhere, and everyone else knows what they're doing! 😳
Excellent video! Some good reminders and also confirmations for me that I’m not stuck in those bad habits! I like this type of video advice! Thanks so much. 😃
I'm guilty of number 1 sometimes and it just makes me discouraged! It's stupid. I'm happier when I'm oblivious, but sometimes it feels like I *should* look at what else is out there. And the bonus one: SERIOUSLY. You could do a whole video about that. Successful Etsy sellers will spend time giving thoughtful advice about someone's shop, and then the same person will post the same questions again and nothing has changed about their listings or strategy. 😆 I have noticed procrasti-planning also takes the form of spending lots of money of supplies that one "needs" before they can open their shop.
Hello again, Kara. Another very well-done tutorial. Such great information. I have somewhat of an indelicate question to ask and you may not even want to touch the question with the proverbial 10 ft. pool, but I'm going to pose the question anyway: Ummmm, maybe I'm the only one who took notice, but Etsy is one of the companies that has sunk millions of dollars into Silicon Valley Bank. Yes, the very bank that collapsed. As I've heard from other experiences expressed on youtube, the biggest gripe about selling on Etsy is that it's notorious for slow payment. And just maybe their affiliation with SVB is the reason why? And the obvious concern from here on out, is how the verification of funds functionality works? I'm new to your channel but was curious if anyone else has posed the question or if the question has been discussed by your colleagues in the field? I'm gathering all the input I can on the subject of selling on Etsy because I plan on opening a shop by the end of April, but I have serious concerns.
First, Etsy isn't notorious for slow payments, I'm not sure where you've heard that. You can set a deposit schedule for daily, weekly, or monthly, whichever is convenient for you, and they pay you on that schedule. And there are MANY bigger gripes about selling on Etsy, hahahaha! Second, the SVB thing didn't have anything to do with Etsy specifically, it was one of the banks that they used, but they use multiple banks to process payments, and because of the SVB failure there was a delay over the weekend while they shifted their payment processing to a different bank. But sellers were paid on the Monday or Tuesday after the weekend where everyone was freaking out, and there was no reason to. Any payment processor can have trouble depending on what's going on, and there could theoretically be delays at any time, but I've never had a problem with Etsy paying the sellers.
The first tip is so true. I remember spending days trying to figure out how this one shop was making all these sales with no tags, no social media presence, etc. Then the shop got shut down lol. Time wasted when I could've been creating new listings.
Hi Kara, I really like your videos, they are very informative. I am an Etsy newbie, so I really appreciate the information you share. For me, I am coming close to retirement from the 9-5 work-a-day race, so my Etsy store hopefully will be that small side thing I can do afterwards to keep me busy and to hopefully make some additional income...fingers crossed...that can supplement my retirement income. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insights.
Question about listing details: is it a good idea to fill out 'occassion' and 'celebration' for items that could fit into a specific event but aren't exclusive to one? Im wondering about the specific drop down menus that come up when listing greeting cards etc., not about writing holidays in the tags. Obviously if something says happy birthday or Merry Christmas those are useful sections, but if I have something that could work for a wedding or mothers day just as easily should I just pick one or leave it blank? I've heard it's best to fill out every section possible, but not sure if people are saying that because it's true or because it sounds like it might be true. (P.S. thank you for being a source of info that is actually grounded in reality! Very appreciated!)
The attributes are used for filters, and they're also included in keywords, so use them if they're accurate, but don't cram things into the category if it's not really right. If it's a Christmas card then absolutely put Christmas, but you don't need to put things in unless they really fit into that holiday or event. Things that could maybe fit is more of a judgment call. It's not going to hurt the listing unless it really doesn't fit and Etsy misidentifies it.
I LOVE this video! All true! Kara, i would love you to review my shop, since i know i need to change something, but i am not sure what. I just feel, this year is time to change my shop somehow 🙃 Can you help me, please?
I, for one, would ABSOLUTELY follow your advice if you ever get the itch to do a ship review and want to know for sure that it will be worth your time. I would be THRILLED to get your eyes on my shop anytime. So I'm here if you get the urge. Let me know. 😊
IF, and that's IF, we get forced into taking offers on our vintage, my prices will get doubled as fast as I can type in the numbers. If they sent you the chance to take the survey, be sure to fill it out and tell them they are nuts. Let EBay have it.
Speaking of adding kits or bundles - do you know if there is a way that we can automatically suggest a companion product when we get a sale, (without having to message the buyer) or would that have to be another option within the original listing?
Etsy does that but we can’t choose which ones they show. You can put a link in the description that goes to the other item, or you can as a variation that has both items. You can’t do it after the sale in any way that shows up on the screen.
@Kara Buntin 🌷thanks for the video. How do we know if we have the Explore app. No idea what that is (potentially boneheaded confession, but I want to learn...😅)??
@@KaraBuntin I just looked in all the different screens in the new Etsy app and I don't seem to have anything that is 'Explore.' I must still have third class citizen status with Etsy lol 🙃
As always such great advice! So in consequence of watching, I decided to update my Etsy seller app (waited a bit in hopes bugs were worked out) only to discover my 'new' phone is not compatible with the new Etsy app. And such is the way the world moves these days. Honestly I have to laugh that technology can't keep up with technology. (And, hell no, I am not getting a new phone just for Etsy in these days of waste not 😀)
Don’t worry. I find the new app pretty useless. The filtering of items í hopeless, I can’t use snippets to make convos easier (or maybe I haven’t found the feature yet) and worst of all, it doesn’t show revenue in the stats. The only stat I need. So I use the old app, even though Etsy is pushing for the new.
@@KaraBuntin yes that's what the message said. But I am not buying a new phone for an etsy app. I only bought this one in 2022! Maybe France isn't as au fait when it comes to mobile phones 😀
Great video! I'm glad I'm off the hook for monitoring my competition because I always forget to do that! 😅Can you please explain what "direct traffic" is? I've looked at Etsy's definition, and it doesn't help me. It says the sources are other websites, blogs, or directly typing in my shop name. I guarantee I'm the only one typing in my shop name, and I don't have my shop on blogs or websites. The only places I market are FB, IG, and Pinterest, but those stats are listed separately. I really want to understand direct traffic because it's my second-biggest source. Thanks!
Direct traffic is SUPPOSED to be when someone types your shop name or product url into the browser, or when it's bookmarked, or when there's a link that comes from a website to your Etsy shop or products. But then they divide that up so some is thrown into social media if the source if a social site, and there's the question of what category affiliate traffic goes in. It usually turns out that there's a lot of non-direct traffic that's counted in the direct category, so "direct" is pretty much a garbage category that's not as well-defined as they say. It's the same thing in Google analytics, "direct" includes a lot of stuff that its not supposed to, so take the definition of what it is with a big grain of salt.
I have a question about images. is it allowed to have a website within your photo (not an overlay, but taken as part of the photo?) I can seem to find info on this
Hi there I watch your videos a lot and I really like them and your experience you sharing. Can I send you my shop link and you look at it and tell me if my shop need anything to done to it? I made no sales since I uploaded my products.
Ther are none! None of the ones that claim to tell you that stuff has that information, they're doing a lot of guessing based on the public information on Etsy.
I wonder what's up with youtube. It keeps unsubscribing me from your channel and then it put me in one that was called Kara Buntin youtube videos. Do you have 2 channels? It's crazy.
I don't do individual shop reviews anymore, sorry. I do have a couple of people who I refer to, they're in my program so they know what they're doing. One is Anne Londez www.youtube.com/@annelondez and one is Mary Avelis www.youtube.com/@maryavelis1157
To see all of my classes, click here: classes-by-a-cake-to-remember-llc.teachable.com/
Hi Kara. You're the only ETSY seller whose videos make sense to me. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
If I know anyone going to join Etsy, I am going to share your videos with them. You have the most solid, honest advice I have found. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!!
My goodness Kara! I am always taking action based on feedback I get on my shop!
You'd be surprised. People will ignore the things they don't want to do or just not do anything and keep asking questions.
@@KaraBuntin my issue is that my to-do list is rammed - so I have half my listings in what I would call "good shape"... the rest is work in progress
Straight talk from a straight shooter!
Thanks!
thank you for this, you are very straightforward, and I appreciate that. I am diverse, we sell jewelry, 3D art, scrapbooking stuff and more, so our shop is all over the place, but my kids are talented and I love trying to sell their creations. This summer we started doing craft fairs, it's a lot of work, but we are selling some of our stuff so it's working, trying to get our Etsy shop to $1000 a month by August is our goal.
Thanks Kara! I've just written all these down; I know I'm guilty of obssessing over how my competitors are doing, then getting discouraged. I'll take your advice and avoid that! Great tips, thanks! 😊
Don't look at them!
@@KaraBuntin It's sooo tempting!! Usually when things are slow for my shop, I wonder if I'm going wrong somewhere, and everyone else knows what they're doing! 😳
Nah, they're just good at faking it.
@@jacquietibbetts7660 no one knows what they’re doing, often shops with successes just put in the work for years or got lucky and went viral.
I needed to hear these pieces of advice. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video! Some good reminders and also confirmations for me that I’m not stuck in those bad habits! I like this type of video advice! Thanks so much. 😃
You are so welcome!
I'm guilty of number 1 sometimes and it just makes me discouraged! It's stupid. I'm happier when I'm oblivious, but sometimes it feels like I *should* look at what else is out there. And the bonus one: SERIOUSLY. You could do a whole video about that. Successful Etsy sellers will spend time giving thoughtful advice about someone's shop, and then the same person will post the same questions again and nothing has changed about their listings or strategy. 😆 I have noticed procrasti-planning also takes the form of spending lots of money of supplies that one "needs" before they can open their shop.
yesssss.... Or spending way too much time worrying about your brand colors and logo.
Hello again, Kara. Another very well-done tutorial. Such great information. I have somewhat of an indelicate question to ask and you may not even want to touch the question with the proverbial 10 ft. pool, but I'm going to pose the question anyway: Ummmm, maybe I'm the only one who took notice, but Etsy is one of the companies that has sunk millions of dollars into Silicon Valley Bank. Yes, the very bank that collapsed. As I've heard from other experiences expressed on youtube, the biggest gripe about selling on Etsy is that it's notorious for slow payment. And just maybe their affiliation with SVB is the reason why? And the obvious concern from here on out, is how the verification of funds functionality works? I'm new to your channel but was curious if anyone else has posed the question or if the question has been discussed by your colleagues in the field? I'm gathering all the input I can on the subject of selling on Etsy because I plan on opening a shop by the end of April, but I have serious concerns.
First, Etsy isn't notorious for slow payments, I'm not sure where you've heard that. You can set a deposit schedule for daily, weekly, or monthly, whichever is convenient for you, and they pay you on that schedule. And there are MANY bigger gripes about selling on Etsy, hahahaha!
Second, the SVB thing didn't have anything to do with Etsy specifically, it was one of the banks that they used, but they use multiple banks to process payments, and because of the SVB failure there was a delay over the weekend while they shifted their payment processing to a different bank. But sellers were paid on the Monday or Tuesday after the weekend where everyone was freaking out, and there was no reason to.
Any payment processor can have trouble depending on what's going on, and there could theoretically be delays at any time, but I've never had a problem with Etsy paying the sellers.
The first tip is so true. I remember spending days trying to figure out how this one shop was making all these sales with no tags, no social media presence, etc. Then the shop got shut down lol. Time wasted when I could've been creating new listings.
Hee hee hee! Got shut down...
You mean it got shut down itself or you actually closedown your store on Etsy??
@@laradavenport903 I think it means that the shop got shut down because it was selling things that weren't allowed on Etsy.
Thank you so much for your channel. It’s so helpful. I’m trying to up my sales and this video is I watch repeatedly. :-)
Glad it was helpful!
Love the advice! Thank you💗
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Kara, I really like your videos, they are very informative. I am an Etsy newbie, so I really appreciate the information you share. For me, I am coming close to retirement from the 9-5 work-a-day race, so my Etsy store hopefully will be that small side thing I can do afterwards to keep me busy and to hopefully make some additional income...fingers crossed...that can supplement my retirement income. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insights.
Thanks for watching!
I use to have a bad habit of start making something new for my shop never finish it and never post it 😄
You and me both!
I do this all the time. I have so many WIPs!
Me to. Now not so much.
I do the same!
I create something that may be trending, then I look at what's already on Etsy and I decide mine isn't better and I scrap the idea.
What is the explore app? Haven't heard about this. Thanks.
It's the short-form video feature on the new Etsy seller app. Not everyone has it yet but it's like posting Instagram reels.
Question about listing details: is it a good idea to fill out 'occassion' and 'celebration' for items that could fit into a specific event but aren't exclusive to one? Im wondering about the specific drop down menus that come up when listing greeting cards etc., not about writing holidays in the tags.
Obviously if something says happy birthday or Merry Christmas those are useful sections, but if I have something that could work for a wedding or mothers day just as easily should I just pick one or leave it blank?
I've heard it's best to fill out every section possible, but not sure if people are saying that because it's true or because it sounds like it might be true. (P.S. thank you for being a source of info that is actually grounded in reality! Very appreciated!)
The attributes are used for filters, and they're also included in keywords, so use them if they're accurate, but don't cram things into the category if it's not really right. If it's a Christmas card then absolutely put Christmas, but you don't need to put things in unless they really fit into that holiday or event. Things that could maybe fit is more of a judgment call. It's not going to hurt the listing unless it really doesn't fit and Etsy misidentifies it.
@@KaraBuntin That makes sense, thanks!
I LOVE this video! All true! Kara, i would love you to review my shop, since i know i need to change something, but i am not sure what. I just feel, this year is time to change my shop somehow 🙃 Can you help me, please?
noooo! Too much stress on my part. I do quick shop look-overs for channel members but that's about as much as I want to do.
Great advice. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Great video. Thanks.
Glad you liked it!
I needed to hear the 1st advice 😅
a lot of people do, you're not alone.
I, for one, would ABSOLUTELY follow your advice if you ever get the itch to do a ship review and want to know for sure that it will be worth your time. I would be THRILLED to get your eyes on my shop anytime. So I'm here if you get the urge. Let me know. 😊
Never again...It's too stressful. The closest I'll do is the quick shop reviews I do for channel members.
Thank you for this video ! :)
My pleasure!
Will you be doing a video about the new vintage make an offer feature those of us that sell vintage were told about yesterday via Etsy messaging?
😮
IF, and that's IF, we get forced into taking offers on our vintage, my prices will get doubled as fast as I can type in the numbers.
If they sent you the chance to take the survey, be sure to fill it out and tell them they are nuts.
Let EBay have it.
I think that might be the topic of my first video podcast hee hee!
@@KaraBuntin video podcast 😮
@@mrs.quills7061 it's a thing
Speaking of adding kits or bundles - do you know if there is a way that we can automatically suggest a companion product when we get a sale, (without having to message the buyer) or would that have to be another option within the original listing?
Etsy does that but we can’t choose which ones they show. You can put a link in the description that goes to the other item, or you can as a variation that has both items. You can’t do it after the sale in any way that shows up on the screen.
Spot on.
Thanks!
@Kara Buntin 🌷thanks for the video. How do we know if we have the Explore app. No idea what that is (potentially boneheaded confession, but I want to learn...😅)??
It's on the new Etsy seller app, but I don't know if everyone has it yet. It might not be available wordwide yet or on every device.
@@KaraBuntin I just looked in all the different screens in the new Etsy app and I don't seem to have anything that is 'Explore.' I must still have third class citizen status with Etsy lol 🙃
I love your videos. What app does anyone use to create videos?
This question relates to using Explore. I’ve put it off but would love to use it
I fil them using my camera but I edit on Adobe Premiere Pro, it's a desktop software.
As always such great advice! So in consequence of watching, I decided to update my Etsy seller app (waited a bit in hopes bugs were worked out) only to discover my 'new' phone is not compatible with the new Etsy app. And such is the way the world moves these days.
Honestly I have to laugh that technology can't keep up with technology.
(And, hell no, I am not getting a new phone just for Etsy in these days of waste not 😀)
What the heck...
Don’t worry. I find the new app pretty useless. The filtering of items í hopeless, I can’t use snippets to make convos easier (or maybe I haven’t found the feature yet) and worst of all, it doesn’t show revenue in the stats. The only stat I need. So I use the old app, even though Etsy is pushing for the new.
They're not going to be supporting the new one at the end of either this month or May, I can't remember which but it's coming up.
@@KaraBuntin yes that's what the message said. But I am not buying a new phone for an etsy app. I only bought this one in 2022! Maybe France isn't as au fait when it comes to mobile phones 😀
Great video! I'm glad I'm off the hook for monitoring my competition because I always forget to do that! 😅Can you please explain what "direct traffic" is? I've looked at Etsy's definition, and it doesn't help me. It says the sources are other websites, blogs, or directly typing in my shop name. I guarantee I'm the only one typing in my shop name, and I don't have my shop on blogs or websites. The only places I market are FB, IG, and Pinterest, but those stats are listed separately. I really want to understand direct traffic because it's my second-biggest source. Thanks!
Direct traffic is SUPPOSED to be when someone types your shop name or product url into the browser, or when it's bookmarked, or when there's a link that comes from a website to your Etsy shop or products. But then they divide that up so some is thrown into social media if the source if a social site, and there's the question of what category affiliate traffic goes in. It usually turns out that there's a lot of non-direct traffic that's counted in the direct category, so "direct" is pretty much a garbage category that's not as well-defined as they say. It's the same thing in Google analytics, "direct" includes a lot of stuff that its not supposed to, so take the definition of what it is with a big grain of salt.
@@KaraBuntin OK that's helpful. I have so few visits right now - so it makes sense that this category isn't telling me real data. I'll ignore it!
I have a question about images. is it allowed to have a website within your photo (not an overlay, but taken as part of the photo?) I can seem to find info on this
I wouldn’t put a website anywhere on Etsy other than on the about section where they let us link out to it.
Hi there I watch your videos a lot and I really like them and your experience you sharing. Can I send you my shop link and you look at it and tell me if my shop need anything to done to it?
I made no sales since I uploaded my products.
I’m sorry, i don’t do individual shop reviews.
@@KaraBuntin ok
@@KaraBuntin May I ask why? This person is asking for a good advice, no offense. I am just wondering a question.😢
@@laradavenport903 Because I don't have time.
@@laradavenport903 No idea why.
What tools are among the right ones to know what is our competitors doing or working for them?
Ther are none! None of the ones that claim to tell you that stuff has that information, they're doing a lot of guessing based on the public information on Etsy.
I wonder what's up with youtube. It keeps unsubscribing me from your channel and then it put me in one that was called Kara Buntin youtube videos. Do you have 2 channels? It's crazy.
Yes she has two. Kara Buntin & Kara Buntin tutorials , and I think she has one with cake decorating too.
I have 5 RUclips channels, but only two are called Kara Buntin anything. This one is Kara Buntin and the other is Kara Buntin Tutorials
@@KaraBuntin O.k. I re-subscribed to the Kara Buntin channel. Hopefully they won't unsubscribe me again.
Procrastaplanning - also known as "a problem for every solution"!
Grhhh! I’m that person “procrastaplanner”! 😭🤦🏻♀️
We all are!
Would u be able to visit my shop and give me hints I'm struggling 😢
I don't do individual shop reviews anymore, sorry. I do have a couple of people who I refer to, they're in my program so they know what they're doing. One is Anne Londez www.youtube.com/@annelondez and one is Mary Avelis www.youtube.com/@maryavelis1157
Hahaha yes procrastinplanning 😂yep
thanks for the video
Thanks for watching!