seen from Russia
seen from New Zealand
seen from China
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seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Canada
seen from Saudi Arabia
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seen from United States
seen from Canada
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Oooooooo I hate it when people remove text from my posts and replace it with their own website link. Not as much as when people change the source for a post, but almost as much. People who reblog my posts from them don't get my descriptions, and end up being directed to their website instead of mine!
My 'Chu Totoro' cushion has been featured on Buzzfeed!
'Top 10 Totoro Merchandise On Etsy'
I love a nice bit of customer feedback!
July has been a really strong month sales-wise, I'm working full-time at the moment so it's tricky finding the time to complete made-to-order items! But I'm loving every second of it, it's so nice having positive feedback and kind words from customers, and I'm thrilled that sales have picked up a lot over the last few weeks. Bring it on!
Shipping supplies list for Etsy sellers
A few weeks ago I posted my thoughts on international shipping tips, and I thought it would be good to follow up on this with my shipping shopping list. Whether you're a seasoned seller or a newbie, it's always great to have a look at your materials and make sure you have the essentials. So keep reading for what you should keep stocked...
Business cards
Thank you cards (optional)
Pens, markers and pencils
Address labels
Bubble wrap
Packing paper
Jiffy bags
Envelopes in different sizes
Cardboard boxes (if necessary)
Packing tape
Long ruler
Scissors
Product packaging (ribbon, tissue paper, washi tape, gift bags, stickers.... anything you like!)
It's important to keep your supplies well stocked, because it can be hard to keep on top of materials if you have a busy sales period (e.g. Christmas), a hectic social life or a full-time job. Or all three!
New item in the Peniferous shop, and probably my favourite thing that I've ever made!
I've just listed a double-sided Wonder Woman purse, and I love it so much!
International Shipping Tips:
One lucky customer in Canada just snapped up my last Steve Zissou purse, and it made me think of how many of my customers have been from overseas. I'm based in the UK, and whilst my shop is still pretty small-scale, about 40% of my customers have been abroad. My most regular destinations are the United States and Australia, but I've also had Germany, Switzerland and France. In terms of stats, views from the USA are three times higher than views from the UK, with Australia, Canada and France being the next highest countries. So I've had a think about my personal tips for international selling....
Know your costs and fees: Your P&P charge shouldn't just cover the cost for posting and packaging, but also the 20 cents listing fee, the percentage Etsy takes per sale, and the percentage that PayPal or Etsy (via direct checkout) take per transaction. Whether you opt for your shop to have direct checkout is up to you; I've found that the fees for items under £12 are higher than PayPal fees, but more customers use direct checkout. Taking these costs into consideration is a helpful way to ensure that fees don't take a huge chunk out of your profit.
Make international shipping an option for the top 10 countries: Australia, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Canada, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and the United States. You can use the 'Everywhere else' option (which is what I do) where there is just one P&P cost for all countries, or you could use your postal service website to calculate the cost of shipping to each of these 10 countries as a starting point. You could also use the 'EU' and 'Non-EU' postage options. The post office website is a great way of calculating how much it will cost to send parcels abroad.
Have an accurate shipping time and stick to it: If your dispatch is 1-3 days, don't leave it to the last minute. You need to be clear with your customers how long it may take for their parcel to arrive, as well as how long it will take you to dispatch it in the first place. Several times I've placed orders on Etsy where their policy is 3-5 working days, which can technically be longer than a week if this includes a weekend. This waiting time, combined with how long it takes for items to arrive from abroad, can make customers impatient if they are buying from your store for a particular occasion e.g. birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries etc.
Keep your customers informed of taxes: communication is a key part of building a relationship with your customers, and being clear about fees and shipping taxes establishes trust when you make a sale. In your shop policies, you should clearly cover whether customers are responsible for potential shipping taxes which may occur when a parcel goes through customs. Unexpected additional fees are a real turn-off for international sales, but being clear and covering your policies should be a key part of your shop information. You should also clarify whether you accept returns for unwanted goods or damaged items, and whether you will cover the cost of return shipping.
Keep customs forms and declarations handy: In the UK, every post office should have a little basket or box by the counter where it keeps airmail stickers and customs forms. It makes packing up international parcels so much quicker if you take a few every time you're in the post office and keep them with your packaging. This means that you can fill out the form accurately in your own time and have your parcel ready to go, instead of rushing in the queue to fill out the information properly. I have a little pouch which has my paper bags, washi tape, business cards and ribbon inside, so that my packaging for orders is all in one place. Slipping customs forms in there too means they don't get lost and it saves me time. This leads to my next point, which is...
Fill out customs forms properly: I cannot stress this enough. If you fill the form out incorrectly, you risk having your package opened in customs or being returned to sender. This would disappoint your customer and damage your reputation as a seller. Make sure you accurately describe the item (e.g. 1 zipped felt purse; 1 felt sewing kit with needles) and list the cost.
Ensure your parcel is packaged up well: You don't want your parcel unravelling during shipping, getting wet or falling apart. Find good quality packaging materials and stick with them. I buy packs of bubblewrap envelopes for purses, and wrap up cushions in 2 layers of bubblewrap and 2 layers of parcel paper. This means less wastage (I dislike jiffy bags because they can't be recycled) and that my parcels are secure. When in doubt, use extra packing tape.
Own up if you can't ship abroad: Some items are just too large to ship overseas, and that's ok. One customer requested that I get a quote for shipping my companion cube plush to America, and it would have cost her over £90 due to the size of it. It was a pain as a seller to disappoint someone, but it wasn't worth that kind of money and hassle. Just be honest in your listings if you can't offer the international shipping option for any particular items.
It seems like these tips are plain old common-sense, but having a consistent international shipping plan makes it easier as a seller to keep on top of sales. I hope these have been helpful, if you have any questions or suggestions then let me know!
Brace yourselves...
Peniferous 2.0 is coming!
June has been a great month for me. I finished my university exams, had my 21st birthday, went on holiday to Lisbon with my two best friends and achieved a First Class Honours in my Bachelors degree in Philosophy. I'm now thinking about what I want to do with my life and how I am going to achieve it. And being so busy over the last few months meant that I had no time to work on my shop or this blog.
I started this tumblr about two years ago, and it was meant to be a simple and small way of documenting things I've created and promoting my shop. I'd post blurry photos of projects and repeat photosets to try to drive traffic and sales, and not focus on high-quality content or clear photos. I was happy with that whilst I was focusing on my studies and busy with other things, but I feel like that's not good enough any more. I have worked too hard on my shop and put in too much effort to let this be a wasted opportunity. I want to be able to showcase my sewing skills, share my ideas and help others start their own projects.
So over the next few weeks, I plan on posting some basic tutorials, updating my shop photos and working on creating great posts which interest all my lovely followers that I've gained over the last two years. If anyone has any suggestions or requests, let me know! Otherwise, watch this space....
My shop is now in holiday mode, because I, very soon, will be in holiday mode. Funny that.
It'll pop up again mid-June when I'm back!
