Really Useful Information to Make Your Shop Successful!

I am reading a really great book by Corey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Perlman</span> called "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">eBoot</span> Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques To Grow Your Business." I am learning so much about how to market my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">etsy</span> shops that I thought I should share!<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Easy Things You Can Do To Make Your Shop More <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Searchable</span></strong></span></div><br />First off: what are meta tags and how do you use them?<br />Meta tags are just like the tags on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">etsy</span> for people to find your site only they are embedded in the source code of your web site. Here's how to find them on any website: At the top of the page, click on "View" then on "Source." The source code will come up and it will say what the meta tags are. On my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">etsy</span> shop (and all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">etsy</span> shops because <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">etsy</span> does this for us) "handmade" will come up. But the next set of tags are the sections you've created in your shop. In my photography shop I have these sections: sale sets, nature, urban/architectural, etc. But it doesn't use photography anywhere! So, I changed the name of my sections to: Sale Photography Sets, Nature Photography, etc. Now it comes up as that in my meta tags. The next part of the meta tags is basically the first couple of lines you have written in your description of your shop. I had put the announcement of the sale in my shop with a lot of these at the beginning and end ****** What a waste! From now on I am going to put any announcements after my first couple of lines describing my shop. I changed the beginning of my description to "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">LilacPOP</span> Photography features fine art photographs that are printed on metallic paper." That way I have "photography", "fine art", "photographs", and "metallic" all in there to be searched. On a side note, I also put all my links in one nice list. I've found that when I am looking at other people's shops I am more likely to click on their links to twitter and their blogs if they are all in one spot and easily <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">accessible</span>. People are busy and searching through your profile to find that stuff isn't something they are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">necessarily</span> going to do. Another way to figure out what you should write in your description to be used as meta tags is to do a google search (or any other search engine) and see what comes up first. For example, I searched for "fine art photography prints" and a website called Studio 279 came up. Their meta tags were "fine art photography prints" (duh! I changed my first line to include this), "art photographs", "black and white photography", "photo art", and "posters and stock photography."<br /><br />The way that search engines find websites and rank them is by using computer "spiders" to search, real people to search, or a combination of both. Our job is to let them find us. Some websites pay to be at the top but research has shown that most people skip over those results and go to the "organic" or unpaid websites first.<br /><br />Here is a list of some great websites to help you keep track of the latest news on search engines:<br /><a href="http://searchenginewatch.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">searchenginewatch</span>.com</a>- provides the latest news on search engines<br /><a href="http://google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35291">google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35291</a><br /><a href="http://highrankings.com/forum/">highrankings.com/forum/</a> a forum to discuss strategies<br /><a href="http://seochat.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">seochat</span>.com</a> Provides articles and info<br /><a href="http://dogpile.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">dogpile</span>.com</a> is awesome. It searches other engines (google, yahoo, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">msn</span>) and the results are the overall highest ranking. Plus every time you use it a donation is made to help animals. Win win. *By the way, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">artfire</span> comes up before <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">etsy</span> in a search for "handmade jewelry" and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">etsy</span> is the 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span> ranked. Yikes. Get on that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">etsy</span> people!!<br /><br />By now you've probably already named your shop but something to consider is that your domain name (website address) is part of your search and you should try to have it relate to your shop. For example, my shop: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">lilacPOP</span> Photography is <a href="http://lilacpopphotography.etsy.com/">http://lilacpopphotography.etsy.com/</a> so I have photography right there in the address, which will bring it higher in the list of searches.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Title Of Your Shop</strong></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong><div align="left"><br /></span>You've probably already heard this but just in case I'm going to repeat it here. The title of your shop (what it says right below your banner) is SO IMPORTANT! A lot of people put "Crazy creations from my artistic mind" or something silly like that. Be as clear and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">concise</span> as you can about what your shop is. Not only does it come up across the top of the window (the blue bar at the very very top) but it also is what comes up when people type in a search and it lists the websites. It will make you more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">searchable</span> if you list what it is you are selling. Yes, you can be creative in order to have your shop stand out and as a way to get people to click on your link but it also has to tell them what in the world you are selling! Also keep in mind of using keywords here. I make sure it says "Fine Art Photography" and since my shop is unique because I only print on metallic paper I've included that as well. So they will see "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">LilacPOP</span> Photography: Fine Art Photography On Metallic Paper by Janna <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Bissett</span>" in the list. I think my shop name is intriguing but it also explains what I do and it includes my name, which is important when you are an artist. Some people that I've met personally know my name but not my shop name and might just search for me that way.<br /><br />Another IMPORTANT thing to consider is your titles of your items. If you are already quite successful and get a lot of repeat customers (you probably aren't reading this blog!) then you could name your items with quirky titles. But if you want to be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">searchable</span> on google be precise and not too long either. You can check what will come up on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">google's</span> search by clicking on one of your items and reading the very top blue bar and that is what will come up in a search. It's very enlightening to do this! It will only use the first 5-10 words or so and not anything beyond that. So it may be tempting to call a stuffed animal that you made "Colorful Bob" that won't mean anything to someone searching for handmade stuffed animals when they search on Google. Instead you could put "Colorful Bob Handmade Stuffed Animal." Forgive my dumb name example but you get the point!<br /><br />*Here is another great tool and website:<br /><a href="http://monsterwebpromotion.com/">http://monsterwebpromotion.com/</a> Click on "tools" and scroll to the bottom of the page. Enter your website in the "Search Engine Spider Simulator." It will break down your shop and show you exactly what your page title, meta description, and keywords are.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Now The More Complicated Things You Can Do</span></strong></div>KEYWORDS: super important! However, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">etsy</span> does it's own keywords so you cannot alter them in the source code but if you have your own website this is very important. You can put your keywords in when you are in html mode. More on how to actually insert them <a href="http://websearch.about.com/od/keywordsandphrase1/a/keywordscontent.htm">here</a>. Keywords are what people type in the search field when using a search engine (google, yahoo). These keywords are in your source code, not on your website or shop. This list is located in your source code and usually starts with the header meta name="keywords." (Remember to get this just go to your public shop, click on view at the top of the page, then source.) You will want to add misspelled words to this list in case people do that in their searches. It won't show on your website at all. For example, if you sell jewelry make sure to also put <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">jewellry</span> or jewellery in there too. The most important thing to do when creating your keyword list is to forget everything about your shop and pretend that you are a customer unaware of your shop who is searching for products. Something else to consider when picking your keywords (as well as picking tags on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">etsy</span>--I learned this from the tagging virtual lab too) is that if you use a phrase instead of breaking it down into <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">separate</span> keywords/tags it will still come up. For example, instead of using "wool" and "scarf" you could actually do "wool scarf" and it will still come up when searching if someone just puts in "scarf." Most search engines scan about 15-25 of your keywords to grasp what your website is about.<br /><br />This is an exercise in the book I am reading and I think it is very helpful. First write down 30 words or phrases that describe your business. Then ask someone else to write down 30 words or phrases to describe your business. Then close your eyes and pretend to be a potential customer who doesn't know anything about you. Write down the first 10 phrases that come to mind. Now you have 3 lists. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Prioritize</span> them into one list of 20 words or phrases and you have created your keyword list for your site!<br /><br />Here's a website that will help you come up with keywords if you get stuck:<br /><a href="http://wordtracker.com/">http://wordtracker.com/</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Popularity</span></strong></div><div align="left"></div>Here are a few great ways to get more traffic to your shop and it involves popularity! Try to get your link to your shop in as many places as possible. A lot of people post in the forums that they don't really want to learn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">facebook</span> or twitter or start a blog but these tools are invaluable and free. Blogs attract search engines, especially if your keywords relate to your website. But they don't do you much good unless you use them and most importantly LINK them all together. Link, link, link. If someone goes to your main page on twitter (check out mine: twitter.com/lilacpop) you should have the link to your shop right there so they can easily look at it. Quite a few <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">etsy</span> sellers have started following me on there and when I click on them, their site is no where to be found, or worse there isn't any link at all. I hate having to click on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">someone's</span> blog and then find their shop link somewhere on their page when all I want to see is what they are selling. There is nothing worse than making someone "work" to find your shop. Most of the time they will give up and go back to twittering. I could write an entire article on twitter and will later! Basically, just keep links to your shop easily <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">accessible</span> everywhere.<br /><br />Another great marketing tool is to get your website linked with another website. Ask people with blogs if they will add your link to their link list and tell them you will add theirs as well. Because every time that you do this, the search engines recognize that and that will help you get to the top of the search list too. But it has to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">relevant</span>. Having your cousin add your handmade site link to his/her blog about fishing isn't going to register with google. It has to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">relevant</span>. However, crossing over into different target audiences is good to do! If you sew and make really cool clothing, you might want to try to cross over to the music scene since they may be the ones that wear your clothing. A great and free way to do this is to leave comments on other websites. And ALWAYS leave a link to your shop. The more times you add links to your shop, the better. But be careful of spamming. Make a comment on a blog or website that is relevant to that site and just add your link at the bottom. Try to think about other markets that might be interested in your products. Are there any Mom type websites that might be interested in your products? Fashion? Music? Home Decor? Do a google search using a keyword and see which ones come up a the top of the list. See if it's a website that you can leave comments on. Sell supplies on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">etsy</span>? Leave comments on Martha Stewart's website so other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">crafters</span> might buy from you. Selling wearable fashionable items? Leave comments on Elle or In Style magazines blog. I've gotten some views from that before. And even if you don't have the time or effort to create your own blog, follow other's blogs. Your avatar will appear on most blogs after you start following and if it looks interesting, people may click on it that way too.<br /><br />Another way to get your link out there without using a computer is to buy a window decal for your car. Advertise anywhere you go. Go to <a href="http://webdecal.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">webdecal</span>.com</a>. You can get a basic 1" one for $16.95 plus shipping or a big 2" one for $33.95 plus shipping.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>After you've tried all these techniques you are ready to have your site evaluated and ranked by google. to do this go to to google.com/addurl. Add your website (it's free) and then do the same with yahoo, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">msn</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">aol</span>, and ask.com.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Here is something else that is helpful and free if you use a web designer or design your own website: <a href="http://ebootcampbook.com/freearticle">ebootcampbook.com/freearticle</a>. It's an article on the five things your web designer might have missed when designing your home page.<br /><br />A lot of the info above is from the book "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">eBoot</span> Camp" by Corey <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Perlman</span> so I have to give him mad props for all this useful info. And he lives in Royal Oak too!<br /><br />Don't forget to subscribe to my blog. Every time I learn something new I post it here. And be sure to let me know if this generates any new traffic (you can register your shop on google/analytics to find out specifically) by <em>leaving a comment---with your LINK too</em>!! I may end up featuring you in my "Friday's Favorites" too.<br /><br />My links:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=%22http://lilacpop.etsy.com%22%3Ehandmade,jewelry,%20jewellery,%20jewellry,%20beaded%3C/a%3E">LilacPOP.etsy.com</a></li><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=%22http;//lilacpopphotography.etsy.com%22%3Efine%20art%20photography,%20photograph,%20print,%20janna%20bissett%3C/a%3E">LilacPOPphotography.etsy.com</a></li><li><a href="http://twitter.com/lilacpop">Twitter.com/lilacpop</a></li><li><a href="http://flickr.com/lilacpop">Flickr.com/lilacpop</a></li><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href=%22http://myworld.ebay.com/lilacpopremix%22%3Eresale,%20vintage,%20used,%20fashion,%20clothing,%20womens,%20children,%20jeans,%20home%20decor%3C/a%3E"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">LilacPOP</span> Remix on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Ebay</span></a></li></ul><p></p>

Really Useful Information to Make Your Shop Successful!

I am reading a really great book by Corey Perlman called " eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques To Grow Your Business....

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Friday's Favorites 4/17

<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:180%;">Friday's Favorites!</span></div><div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.66321120.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 317px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23736457">Silk and Wool Rainbow Triangle Scarf</a> $45<br />This is my cousin's brand new shop so check it out!!!</div><div align="center"><br /><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=73481348679&h=enaiZ&u=3s8Is&ref=nf"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.57496278.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 365px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=73481348679&h=enaiZ&u=3s8Is&ref=nf">Wood pendant with Necklace and Vintage Miraflex Camera image</a> $7</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21696929"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.59480567.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />Mister Pie has no idea-ORIGINAL PAINTING</a> $30<br /></div><br /><div align="center">Free Shipping Until Sunday night! </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23710556"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.66231972.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /> <p align="center">Freddy Little Monster</a> $58<br /><br /></p><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15890310"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.40199953.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 420px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15890310">Asymmetrical Crocheted Sweater Vest Dress w/ Vintage Buttons</a> $132</p><p align="center"> </p><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22126421"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.60923117.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22126421">Preppy Tree Hugger Necklace</a> $25 </p><p align="center"><br /> </p><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21979663"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.61672966.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 265px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21979663">San Francisco Scarf-Lariat Natural Soy</a> $35 </p>

Friday's Favorites 4/17

Friday's Favorites! Silk and Wool Rainbow Triangle Scarf $45 This is my cousin's brand new shop so check it out!!! Wood pendant ...

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The Secret Etsy List! The most Useful and Hard to Find Links Relating to Etsy

I found this on Loose Wire Studio's blog and thought it was so helpful that I had to post it here too. It's got EVERYTHING you need to know about etsy including some links that are hard to find elsewhere!<br /><br />To learn about the Showcase, see here:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/howTos/article/how-to-make-a-treasury-the-nuts-and-bolts/688/">http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/howTos/article/how-to-make-a-treasury-the-nuts-and-bolts/688/</a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/showcase_gateway.php">http://www.etsy.com/showcase_gateway.php</a><a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Showcase">http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Showcase</a><br />Check out the Showcase Gateway to find out when they will be available for purchase:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/showcase_gateway.php">http://www.etsy.com/showcase_gateway.php</a>===<br />To learn more about the Treasury, visit here:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/howTos/article/how-to-make-a-treasury-the-nuts-and-bolts/688/" target="_blank">http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/howTos/article/how-to-make-a-treasury-the-nuts-and-bolts/688/</a><a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Treasury">http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Treasury</a><a href="http://etsytreasurydemo.blogspot.com/">http://etsytreasurydemo.blogspot.com/</a><br />View the Treasury here:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php">http://www.etsy.com/treasury.php</a><br />It is also availabe in a link on the Home Page. And remember there is a test treasury that is *usually* available!<a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_west.php">http://www.etsy.com/treasury_west.php</a><br />There is also a tool where you can prepare and visualize your treasury while waiting to nab one:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php">http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php</a><br />For a quick look, here's the box you'll see to enter your title:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/2258410303">http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/2258410303</a><br />... and some quick tips for nabbing one. :)===<br />You can use Etsy Mini, found in Your Etsy.LOTS of buttons here:<a href="http://team.etsy.com/downloads.html">http://team.etsy.com/downloads.html</a><br />Another button for Etsy is located in the blog (not easy to find):<a href="http://blog.etsy.com/?p=131">http://blog.etsy.com/?p=131</a><br />Also in the Etsywiki:<a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Embedding_SWF_on_Your_Site">http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Embedding_SWF_on_Your_Site</a>===<br />When I click on shops in (insert flash app here), they don't open up. Nothing happens! This is likely one of those situations where the first click opens up in a new tab or window. If you then navigate away from that tab or window, instead of closing it, subsequent clicks will open up in that *same* tab or window, but it won't move to the front. So check your tabs or windows in the background. If you can't find it, just close and reopen your browser to clear the situation.<br />Same is true for Time Machine, Treasury, and other flash apps.<br />Or... it could be a pop-up blocker.<br /><br />==========I'm stuck in Gallery (or List) view!<br />This setting is stored in your Etsy cookies. Deleting them should clear the settings kept in them. How to do this varies with each browser. Alternately, logging out, closing all instances of your browser and reopening "should" clear it. But if a cookie has become corrupt, only deleting will solve it.<br />Here's how to delete just Etsy cookies:<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser">http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser</a><br /><br />==========Sometimes when the Treasury is really busy, you may just receive a white page. A workaround to get in is to use a link to a specific treasury. You can always find a link from the Home page treasury. I just tested this and it's working right now. Sometimes when it'sREALLY busy, even this won't work.<br /><br />==========Why are some Treasuries 2 days and some 3?<br />jared says:All Treasury lists are given 36 hours. Up to 24 hours is added on randomly at the time of creation. This random additional time is required to avoid the phenomena of sync.<br />I can promise you that the extra time is in fact completely random.<br />Here is the actual server side code::: var age = application.rsoSettings.getProperty("expirationAge");:: // add up to 24 hours randomly:: age += Math.random()*1000*60*60*24;<br />The Treasury lists are also sorted by 'Hotness' only by default.<br />As soon as someone manually changes the sorting column or direction (by selecting Title, Curator, or Expiration), the lists remain sorted in that fashion every time that person visits the Treasury. Same holds for page selected. from: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5257883">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5257883</a><br /><br />==========Can't access Treasury (or Chat). Doesn't connect!<br />The Treasury and Chat rooms require port 1935 to be open on your network.<br />Check if you have a firewall, and if so, configure it to allow TCP/IP traffic through port 1935.<br />All firewalls are slightly different so it's difficult for me to explain precisely how to do this.<br />It's best if you can talk to your network administrator or whoever in your household set up your network. Thanks and good luck!<br />Here's a great little utility (not Etsy's) that tests the firewall ports required by the Treasury, Workshop, and Chat rooms:<a href="http://yackpack.com/firewalltest/index.html">http://yackpack.com/firewalltest/index.html</a><br />All tests should return success.<br />Here is a helpful article from Microsoft on how to open ports on Windows XP: <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308127">http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308127</a><br /><br />=========="Connections" show who is connected by hearts. On and on and on and on...First it will randomly show you 5 of your favorite items. From there you can select the Little heart on the item and be brought to two of that person's favorites, with items... Then you can either click another heart to continue, or click the item if you so choose.<br />Just a fun way to shop.<br /><br />==========Great stats here:<a href="http://majaba.org/heartomatic">http://majaba.org/heartomatic</a><br />And here's some helpful information about general traffic, accumulated by our own gemmafactrix from her own website...<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5021166">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5021166</a><br />Also, FYI here's some Etsy traffic stats for the past 6 months from Alexa.com. <a href="http://www.iwebtool.com/alexa_traffic_rank?domain=etsy.com&data=r&range=6m">http://www.iwebtool.com/alexa_traffic_rank?domain=etsy.com&data=r&range=6m</a><br />And, more interesting stats, thanks to KerriHale:<a href="http://www.quantcast.com/etsy.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.quantcast.com/etsy.com</a><br /><br />==========Dyno has posted a pdf over on the etsywiki with lots of pertinent info on the proportions of all image views on Etsy (first link here downloads the pdf): <a href="http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Photographing_items">http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Photographing_items</a><br /><br />==========Clearing cache:For many browsers, you can simply hold down the SHIFT key while pressing the refresh button (works for IE and Firefox).Here's some more detailed explanations for various browsers:<a href="http://www.americanfunds.com/help/clearing-browser-cache.htm">http://www.americanfunds.com/help/clearing-browser-cache.htm</a><br /><br />==========From the Selling FAQ:How do I become a Featured Seller?The featured seller is always hand-picked by one of the Etsy admins. We look for ingenuity, well-made items, interesting descriptions and top-notch item photos.(Source: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#featuredSellers">http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#featuredSellers</a> ).<br /><br />==========Those four little floating items at the top of the home page?jared says:Those are 'knockout' items. Knockouts are photographs that feature the item and follow all of the following rules:* absolute pure white background (#FFFFFF)* no cropping of the item or item's shadow* no graphic designKnockout items are periodically collected and added to a pool where they are randomly displayed in that area. The collection process is part robot, part human. About 50 unique knockouts are collected in each batch.---Here's a thread with a couple of techniques to create the white background:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5484630">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5484630</a><br /><br />==========I can't comment in Treasuries!<br />Treasury Comment limit: jared says:The number of comments each list in the Treasury can have is limited. The limit is not a hard number, it's more of a space issue. The Flash player has a maximum vertical height of 2880 pixels. If enough comments are added to a list, the box to add more comments gets pushed beyond this limit and disappears, just as imaginationalley (cool name) said.Remember also you must be logged into to leave a comment.<br /><br />==========Formula for pricing:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5002736">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5002736</a><br /><br />==========Common need when the Tabs page isn't working properly in Listing/Editing items.Also, when having trouble with the Profile page loading.Enabling Javascript:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/faq_enable_javascript.php">http://www.etsy.com/faq_enable_javascript.php</a>(Or browser and OS isn't compatible with this feature. See approved browsers.)<br /><br />==========For more info on basic soldering, here is a great forum post from DownToTheWireDesigns:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=39509">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=39509</a><br /><br />==========I updated my sections and now they're off - my items are in the wrong sections!Crazy sections In this thread<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5058628">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5058628</a>RD said this:This happens when you add or remove listings from your shop and the batch sorting page is pulled out of your Browser's cache. To prevent this, try reloading the batch sorting page before clicking on the submit button at the bottom of the page.If this does not work, try clearing your browser's cache.<br /><br />==========Person sees the following text on screen:"write about it in your Etsy blog (everybody has one) "Are you using Safari, by any chance? It has some issues rendering comments properly. Meaning, it's code on the page that shouldn't be showing. Etsy has obviously thought about having a blog for each of us at one point, a long time ago.Problem discussed here...<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5073049&page=3">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5073049&page=3</a><br /><br />==========In this threadhttp://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=42298 RevolvingDork says:"We've tested and are officially supporting the following browsers:PC:Internet Explorer 6Interner Explorer 7Firefox 1.5Opera 8Mac:Firefox 1.5SafariLinux:Firefox 1.5KonquerorPlease note that IE on the Mac is no longer supported with version 2.<br /><br />========What does Etsy mean? How is it pronounced?It is a purposeful mystery. Answers have been:1. From a movie by Fellini2. It's latin for "and if"3. Rob's Grandmother4. It's Hebrew for TreeHere's the original thread discussing it:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=75">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=75</a><br />Here's a recent tv spot with another version:<a href="http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=96951@wcbs.dayport.com">http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=96951@wcbs.dayport.com</a><br />More:<a href="http://www.thenameinspector.com/etsy/">http://www.thenameinspector.com/etsy/</a><a href="http://team.etsy.com/downloads/facts.pdf">http://team.etsy.com/downloads/facts.pdf</a><br />FYI, it's pronounced like Betsy, without the B.<br /><br />========Forum "Police".As Stella, an Etsy admin, once posted:"we do appreciate when our more experienced members *respectfully, tactfully and lovingly* help new users to understand how the site works, where to find information (including the rules) and alert the staff to problems privately via email or convo."<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5119173&page=25">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5119173&page=25</a><br /><br />========Why is Etsy slow?From this helpful website<a href="http://www.kiva.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=99">http://www.kiva.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=99</a><br />They clearly describe"Why do sites load slowly or not at all?<br />This is a good question and we are asked this many times a day. Web pages can load slowly for a variety of reasons, here are the most common:* Internet congestion.* Too many people trying to go the site simultaneously.* The site does not have enough bandwidth to handle all the requests.* There are lots of images.* You have a slow connection.It is usually due to congestion on the Internet (lots of people online) or the site does not have enough resources (bandwidth or fast enough web server) to handle lots of people trying to get to it simultaneously. However there are some tools available to help figure out what is happening."Since I have windows, I used tracert to view my internet route and found two servers having problems today - both of them with my ISP.<br />See here:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/531985666/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/531985666/</a><br />I also used Ping to check just Etsy.It's pretty handy. I've used these utilities many times over the years. If others have any other ideas or input, I'd be interested. :-)<br /><br />========You *CAN* use the following symbols in your titles:- hypen( ) parentheses, comma. period' apostrophe/ forward slash0-9 numbersWe are *NOT* able to use these:" quotes& ampersand; semicolon: colon! exclamation point? question mark\ backslashpipe_ underscore+ plus= equal sign* asterisk@ at sign# number sign$ dollar sign< > angle brackets{ } decorative brackets[ ] square brackets<br /><br />========(Was this for Treasury titles?)inName.restrict = " 0-9A-Za-z.,()[]{}'?!+=";Which basically means all letters, upper and lower case, all numbers, and the following characters .,()[]{}'?!+= are allowed.<br /><br />========--- PAYPAL ---Secret Paypal Shipping Link:<a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now">https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now</a><br /><br />========Paypal Phone Numbers1-888-221-1161 (Toll Free for Business/Premier)1-888-204-4481 (Toll Free for Business/Premier)1-402-935-7733 (Personal Accounts)1-402-935-2057 (Personal Accounts)<br /><br />========ShippingIf someone buys multiple items, here is an example of how Etsy tabulates:Primary / Secondary3.50 / 1.002.50 / .754.50 / 2.33Etsy picks the largest amount for the primary and then the secondary amounts for the others. So in this case,4.50 + 1.00 + .75 = 6.25========Cancel a Sale?1) Leave Appropriate Feedback2) Relist The Item, If Needed. To do this, click on Your Etsy, Sold Items, Select the item and you will find "Relist" at the top of the page.3) Report The Transaction, Using The Link On The Left Side Of The Help Page. Additional link under Your Etsy, then Cancel a Sale.Note That After Etsy Reverses The Transaction, #1 & 2 Are No Longer Available. Your Selling Fees And Relisting Fee Will Be Refunded. This can take from one day to up to a week. Sorry This Happened To You.<br /><br />========jared says:Lists are removed from the Treasury when they expire. This happens on the server. There are no known problems with this process.The DISPLAY of when lists expire depends on your local computer's clock. If your computer's clock is out of sync with the server's clock, the time left to expire will be off. You can verify this by setting your clock ahead by a month. Look at the Treasury and all the lists will say they're expired.Depending on your operating system there are a number of ways to synchronize your clock to global atomic time.I am working on some code that should help compensate for clocks out of sync. It will be pushed live as soon as testing is complete. Sorry for the inconvenience.Posted at 11:48 am, July 17 2007 EST<br /><br />========Littleputbooks tips for making listings ahead of time:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5147546">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5147546</a><br /><br />========Here's a Flickr group about art & craft fairs/shows (mostly setup pictures):<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/craft_fairs/">http://www.flickr.com/groups/craft_fairs/</a><br /><br />========Acronyms<a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=List_of_Etsy_acronyms">http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=List_of_Etsy_acronyms</a>h<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=24868">ttp://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=24868</a><br /><br /><strong>========Loosewire's Tips to Snagging a Treasury:-In preparation, sort the Treasuries by expiration date. Count back to 333 to see approximately how long it will be before they will become available. Check back before this time, as people will delete their lists.*Then*-Go to the last page of the treasury.-Sort the treasury by expiration date, so you can see the time count down.-You can click on the page number to update the time more quickly. It only does so automatically periodically.-Wait at that last page until the 333nd treasury expires. It will remain there expired for a few minutes. Last time it took 5 minutes for it to disappear.-This box will appear: </strong><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/636016590/"><strong>http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/636016590/</strong></a><strong>-DO NOT refresh. You may miss the box. I repeat: DO NOT refresh.-When the box does appear, type at least one letter in it to reserve it. Then think of a title and press Create.-Good Luck and have fun! :-) You *will* snag one.*Also*After you get one, a few things to know:-The little boxes to enter the numbers may not appear at first. Simply arrow out of your treasury and then enter it again. Then you'll see them and be able to proceed.-A lot of people are doing just what you have done. The Treasury is mighty busy. Things might be a bit slow. Continue to be patient. If something odd seems to happen, again, don't refresh. If need be, just step away from your computer for awhile, while everything processes.</strong><br /><br />========Why are items still showing that were listed more than 4 months ago?Let's say I have an item that I listed on 1-1-06.Remember, each time I renew, another 4 months is added to the expiration time.I let it expire on 5-1-06 and then renew it. Its expire is now 9-1-06.I renew it again on 10-1-06. Its expire is now 1-1-07.I renew it again on 11-1-06. Its expire is now 5-1-07.I renew it again on 12-1-06. Its expire is now 9-1-07.I renew it again on 1-1-07. Its expire is now 1-1-08I renew it again on 2.1.07. Its expire is now 5-1-08.If I do not renew this again, and allow it to roll along, when someone looks at the category anytime in 2008, it could seem like an unusually long expiration time.Does this now make sense?Here's another thread where this was discussed, er confused even more. :)<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5435050">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5435050</a><br /><br />========(Old) Info about sorting by views in this thread, where the previous problem was stated:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5154407">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5154407</a><br /><br />========'Buy Now' button not encrypted? See this thread for how to remedy.<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5195254">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5195254</a>Here's the resolution, as stated in two different ways:RevolvingDork says:This is an issue with the seller's paypal settings -- they will need to turn off their PayPal account's option to only select encrypted PayPal buttons, and open their account up to unencrypted PayPal buttons.dyno says:loginProfileSelling Preferences: Encrypted Payment Settingsclick Website Payment Preferences link: <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_profile-website-payments">https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_profile-website-payments</a>scroll down to Encrypted Website Paymentsmake sure Block Non-encrypted Website Payment is marked OFF(Full error message is: The seller accepts encrypted website payments only. You cannotpay the seller through un-encrypted buttons. Please contact your sellerfor more details.)<br /><br />========Here's a GREAT thread about Tags:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=23040">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=23040</a>Oh, and remember that you can use "NOT" to eliminate items.For example, looking for:woman dressbrings up a lot of patterns (sigh), so try this:woman dress NOT patternsstill brings up maybe some jewelry, so enter:woman dress NOT patterns NOT jewelryetc.<br /><br />====================Why is Paypal charging a different amount for shipping?It's a Paypal setting that needs to be changed, so it doesn't override Etsy.*NOTE: Paypal has made some unannounced changes and you will see either one of these two options:**A)From the FAQ:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#paypal">http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#paypal</a>"Why is the shipping wrong on the PayPal invoice when I have the correct amount entered into my Etsy shop?When shipping on your PayPal invoice is incorrect, you'll just need to adjust the amount in your PayPal account settings. If you need to revise the invoice for the customer, go to your PayPal account and click on "request money".To check your PayPal settings:1. Log into PayPal at www.paypal.com2. Go to My Account > Profile > Shipping calculations3. Check the box at the bottom that states: Allow transaction-based shipping settings to override profile settings"Here are my personal screen caps of this original location of the setting:<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/623498701/in/set-72157594525465692/">http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/623498701/in/set-72157594525465692/</a>**B) See my screen captures of new screens here:<a href="http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/1281490344/">http://flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/1281490344/</a>"In your Profile...1) Shipping Calculations2) Check Shipping Method box, then Edit will become clickable3) Click Edit4) Edit Settings5) Override shipping methods per transaction? Select the "Yes" radio button.6) Scroll to bottom of the page and "Save Changes"---------------Also, when you begin the Paypal steps mentioned in Option B, above, and are instead given the option to Setup your defaults, I don't believe there's a need to do this - so don't. If there are no Paypal shipping defaults setup, then they won't attempt to override Etsy's transaction based shipping charges. Hope this makes sense. :-)---This is my own personal finding of where the same setting is within Paypal.Etsy is reviewing the changes and will be updating the FAQs. It seems this change was made in the US, but there are sellers (so far) in the UK and Australia that still see the old screens.<br /><br />======================Multiple Chat Ghosts!In this thread:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5222765&page=2">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5222765&page=2</a>Etsy Admin jared says:Appearing multiple times in a chat room is usually an indication that there are network troubles between your computer and our servers.What generally happens is you are disconnected in some way, then you reconnect. When you reconnect, you see your old self still there. Theeason is because the way you disconnected confused the server, and it thinks you're still out there somewhere, just being very quiet.Eventually it will decide the connection is invalid and automatically remove these old copies of you. We call them ghosts.They're more spooky than anything. They don't hurt anything.If you're on a wireless connection, try moving closer to the source. If you have a network administrator handy, tell him you're dropping packets. Good luck!Posted at 4:45 pm, September 7 2007 EST<br /><br />===============Okay to add one of your own items to a Treasury?1) When you create a treasury, it is stated in the Terms that it is not intended for self promotion. When you create a treasury, you are agreeing to the terms noted. See screen cap here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/22584103032) Admin has stated their position:From a previous thread about Treasury:"stellaloellaEtsy Admin:The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, ie. don't make a list ALL of your own items. The Treasury was created as a way to showcase the work of others on Etsy, thusly building community spirit and exhibiting respect for our fellow artisans.A curator may place one of their own items on a list if they feel it really fits their theme/aesthetic. However, Treasuries including the curator's own items are not likely to be promoted to front-page status (and if it is, we may choose to exclude the curator's item from the front page)."-------My added note:Just know that if you include one of your own items in a treasury, you do risk losing some potential customers, whether you agree with how they feel about it or not. It will happen.<br /><br />==========Etsy Staff:<a href="http://blog.etsy.com/?p=378">http://blog.etsy.com/?p=378</a><a href="http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=General_FAQ">http://www.etsywiki.com/index.php?title=General_FAQ</a><br /><br />==========Old news on Categories/Subcategories:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5218649">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5218649</a><br /><br />==========In this thread<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5239561">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5239561</a>stellaloella says:Your Conversations are private.In cases of disputes or abuse, Etsy's Admin may ask your permission to view your Convos to get the full story, but this is rather rare.Posted at 7:25 pm, September 20 2007 EST<br /><br />==========Press KitIn this thread<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5291059">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5291059</a>wonderamy says:"The Etsy Press kit has a great video (or electronic press kit) on it, examples of lots of press clippings, and downloadable images.<a href="http://blog.etsy.com/?page_id=44">http://blog.etsy.com/?page_id=44</a>I know that Matt has been working on press releases for our new Holiday Initiative, <a href="http://www.buyhandmade.org/">http://www.buyhandmade.org/</a>.We also have just published a guide in the Teams section of the site called "How to write a killer press release for your Etsy TeamEvent," which has some simple guidelines about making a great press release:<a href="http://team.etsy.com/pressreleaseguides.html">http://team.etsy.com/pressreleaseguides.html</a>Thanks for helping spread the word about Etsy!"<br /><br />==========Links to other places you sell?This is from another thread that went round in round in circles until it encountered the administrative lock:stellaloellaEtsy Adminstellaloella says:This thread, much like the last one on this topic, is just going in circles.The actual rule is this:"Don't post links or URLs anywhere in your shop to another web site for the purpose of encouraging buyers to purchase your items off Etsy; this is considered fee avoidance."D&D > Selling: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/dosdonts.php#a4">http://www.etsy.com/dosdonts.php#a4</a>We've clarified the rule in several places:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346512&page=29">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346512&page=29</a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346945&page=3">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346945&page=3</a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346945&page=10">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5346945&page=10</a><br />If you have further questions about linking/posting the URL for *your* specific website, please contact support [!at] etsy.com and they will assist you.<br /><br />========Gleaned from the forums:CRAFT FAIRS High end shows:<a href="http://zapplication.org/">http://zapplication.org/</a><a href="http://www.juriedartservices.com/">http://www.juriedartservices.com/</a><br />Lots of shows. Lots.<a href="http://eventlister.com/">http://eventlister.com/</a><a href="http://craftlister.com/">http://craftlister.com/</a><br />A good festival to follow<a href="http://www.hpifestivals.com/">http://www.hpifestivals.com/</a><br />Others:<a href="http://www.artandcraftshows.net/">http://www.artandcraftshows.net/</a><a href="http://www.artfaircalendar.com/">http://www.artfaircalendar.com/</a><a href="http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/">http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/</a><a href="http://www.collectiblewebs.com/">http://www.collectiblewebs.com/</a><a href="http://www.craftmasternews.com/">http://www.craftmasternews.com/</a><a href="http://craftsreport.com/showfinder/">http://craftsreport.com/showfinder/</a><a href="http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/">http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/</a><a href="http://www.festivaldirectory.com/">http://www.festivaldirectory.com/</a><a href="http://festivalnet.com/">http://festivalnet.com/</a><a href="http://www.indiecraftfairguide.com/">http://www.indiecraftfairguide.com/</a><a href="http://www.indiecraftshows.com/">http://www.indiecraftshows.com/</a><a href="http://www.sunshineartist.com/">http://www.sunshineartist.com/</a><a href="http://craigslist.org/">http://craigslist.org/</a> . Serious. :)<br />Midwest Shows:<a href="http://midwestartfairs.com/home">http://midwestartfairs.com/home</a><br />A newsletter for events in the PA/OH/WV/MD area<a href="http://www.craftconnection.net/">http://www.craftconnection.net/</a><br /><br />========Unable to write comments in Treasury or Chat? Can't type in the box?There is a known issue with Safari on Mac.There is a newer issue with Vista and IE.For the Safari issue, you can hold your cursor over the box while typing. This sometimes works. Other have said opening a new window works.For Vista, assure you have the latest flash player here<a href="http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/">http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/about/</a><br />Best to assure You have version 9,0,115,0 installed, but unfortunately for that, issues still remain.Jared is aware of this, and he rocks, so be sure a fix is on the way.This is assuming you are logged in, of course, as you need to be. :)<br /><br />========In this thread: (Old info, as new color picker was implemented 02-08)RD says:The average color is generated and stored automatically when you upload an image -- there's nothing extra you have to do to be included in the color picker. :DANDIn this thread:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5040666">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5040666</a><br />Jared says:It's a balance between taking a good, descriptive photo while also satisfying the color averager.One especially good trick is to use a solid white or black background. Backgrounds of this nature are ignored from the average, thus giving a more pure representation of the color.<br /><br />========Jewelry Suppliers<a href="http://www.firemountaingems.com/">http://www.firemountaingems.com/</a><a href="http://www.artbeads.com/">http://www.artbeads.com/</a><a href="http://www.fusionbeads.com/">http://www.fusionbeads.com/</a><a href="http://www.thunderbirdsupply.com/">http://www.thunderbirdsupply.com/</a><a href="http://www.metalliferous.com/">http://www.metalliferous.com/</a><a href="http://www.jewelrysupply.com/">http://www.jewelrysupply.com/</a><a href="http://www.trashcity.com/">http://www.trashcity.com/</a><a href="http://www.monsterslayer.com/">http://www.monsterslayer.com/</a>What am I missing? Oh- <a href="http://www.riogrande.com/">http://www.riogrande.com/</a><br />You have to call them to get a login, but it really only takes about 3 minutes and a few simple questions.<br /><br />========Can't find my items in Google!In this thread:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5407835">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5407835</a><br />kfarrell says:Since google works on indexed information (meaning they crawl Etsy periodically and store the information on their servers rather than go out to Etsy every time you search), newly listed items may not show up in google.There's a lot of info that goes into how Google ranks their results, including how many other websites (and which ones) link to a page.The shops that show up at the top of the Google results often will have been featured on another site, giving their item more "importance" in Google's rankings.The best way to improve your chances of coming up in a google search is to promote your work off etsy. If you're concerned with bringing traffic to your items from within Etsy, make sure you have clear photographs and descriptive titles/tags. That way when someone uses the Etsy search function, they'll be able to find your items :)<br /><br />========Can we use the Etsy Logo?<a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/etsyNews/article/etsy-trademark-permissions-program-this-aint-no-cease-and-de/15/">http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/etsyNews/article/etsy-trademark-permissions-program-this-aint-no-cease-and-de/15/</a><br /><br />========Refusing Service:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/607/">http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/607/</a><br /><br />========Gift Baskets:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5405120&page=7">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5405120&page=7</a><br />stellaloella says:littlebitsys makes a great point (pg 6). This is one of those things that requires some case-by-case examination to determine if something fits into the rules of not. I'll do my best to explain the basics, but please keep in mind that specific items may fall into different shades of this gray area. This is about finding a balance between the focus of Etsy being handmade goods and what it means to "hand-assemble" something from commercial components. Here goes...Gift baskets made entirely of non-handmade (commercial) goods including a non-handmade container are NOT allowed.A gift basket that mixes some non-handmade (commercial) goods with your original handmade items is generally ok -- IF your handmade goods are the majority/focus of the overall product. The commercial goods are a "bonus" in this situation. (This is similar to including a non-handmade makeup brush in a set with handmade makeup. It's like a free gift with purchase.)Gift baskets or sets comprised entirely of your own handmade goods (including the container) are totally a-ok!Diaper cakes are a unique situation. They're different than a standard "put stuff in a basket" gift basket, since they require creative crafting to sculpt the components into a cake.Posted at 10:33 am, January 9 2008 EST<br /><br />========Cool Propay Discount Link!<a href="http://www.propay.com/?refid=ETSYOLCM">http://www.propay.com/?refid=ETSYOLCM</a><br />Also, there's a user here called PropayMike who would be able to help with any questions, problems. Here's the thread link where he posted more details: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5318693">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5318693</a><br /><br />========Where else to sell?<a href="http://homegrownmarket.com/">http://homegrownmarket.com/</a><a href="http://lov.li/">http://lov.li/</a><a href="http://en.dawanda.com/">http://en.dawanda.com/</a><a href="http://rubylane.com/">http://rubylane.com/</a><a href="http://mintd.com/">http://mintd.com/</a>===dottyral says:Found it. Here's part of what she said...stellaloella says:If you want to discuss the pros & cons of other selling venues, you're welcome to do this in our Crafting & Business forum. We generally allow those discussions, as our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and we understand these other sites may have something different to offer each individual. Please note, we do not allow the outright promotion of other venues (just discussion).<br /><br />========Can I change a listing from one product to another entirely different one?<br />dottyral says:The only quote I could find was from ages ago from RD. Stella's discussed it in the forums more recently but I can't find it.Anyway, here's what RD said...RevolvingDork says:"We ask that seller do *not* edit their items into different items -- as DD's initial problem has demonstrated, this messes up all of the metadata attached to the listing.Favorites, view counts, date listed, past sold receipts, order histories -- all become innacurate if an item listing is altered competely.This affect not only the seller, but also their buyers and anyone else who has interacted with the listing."<br /><br />========Visited Treasures not updating?<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5249954">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5249954</a><br />Also, in this thread <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5453310">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5453310</a><br />Or...jared says:Be sure your Flash cookies are enabled.To do this:1) load the Treasury2) right click (command click on Mac) anywhere over the Treasury lists3) select 'Settings...' from the menu that appears4) click the folder icon tab5) move the slider to 100kb or greater6) click the 'Close' buttonThe instructions above set the available disk space for your Flash cookies to 100kb. The Treasury uses your flash cookies to keep track of which lists you've been to.<br /><br />========Making headpins, tutorial:<a href="http://silverriverjewelry.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-make-sterling-silver-head-pins.html">http://silverriverjewelry.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-make-sterling-silver-head-pins.html</a><br /><br />========Someone is using my photos<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5445308">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5445308</a><br /><br />========How to charge a different price?Instruct your buyers to do one of the three:1. Convo you and wait for you to adjust the Etsy price. (hardest)2. Buy through Etsy and wait for adjusted invoice (most common)3. Let them know you will Refund through Paypal (also works)After the fact:1) If they have not yet purchased through Etsy, just adjust the Etsy price.2) If they have already "bought" through Etsy, but not yet Paypal, just send them a new (revised) invoice. To do so, go prepared with the buyer's email address to Paypal. Click on the Request Money tab. It's pretty straightforward after that.3) If they already have paid in Paypal, click on the Details of the Paypal transaction and look for the Refund link at the bottom of the page. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/1313665150/in/set-72157594525465692/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/1313665150/in/set-72157594525465692/</a>It's your choice how you want to handle a sale. Good luck! :)<br /><br />========International rate chart! Easy!<a href="http://www.shelfmasters.com/InternationalRateChart.aspx">http://www.shelfmasters.com/InternationalRateChart.aspx</a><br /><br />========Changing items a flaggable offense?<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5464091&page=2">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5464091&page=2</a><br />Stella says:The Terms of Use says, "Each unique item must have its own listing." (Source: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/terms_of_use.php">http://www.etsy.com/terms_of_use.php</a> ). The "changing a listing" rule is not explicitly outlined in the DOs & DON'Ts, but will likely be added when we revise the document a little later this year, just for clarity.Please do NOT change a listing to a completely different item. There are several reasons for this:-- fee avoidance: each item should have it's own unique listing and therefore it's own listing fee of 20 cents-- confusion for other members: someone may have the item in their shopping cart, favorites, a Treasury, the Gift Guides OR otherwise bookmarked in some way-- database unhappiness: when all the identifying info for a listing is changed, it can cause technical problems in the database (editing one or a few things about a listing is ok, but total change is bad)In short, don't do it.If you have reason to believe another seller has done this (like an item you hearted is now different), please email abuse [!at] etsy.com and we'll look into it.<br /><br />========Adding EtsyMini to Blogspot:Layout TabPage ElementsClick "Add a Page Element"Select "HTML/JavaScript"Paste the javascript code there.Save Changes. And save again.<br /><br />========Alchemy not updating sales total?In this thread:<a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5520300">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5520300</a><br />kfarrell says:Alchemy sales won't show up in your sold item count until you upload pictures and click the "complete" button in the bid. Once you click the "complete" button, the item will appear on your Alchemy page in your shop, your sold items page, and shopping tools like Pounce and Time Machine.We'll update the FAQs to make this a little clearer. Thanks!<br /><br />===Poster Sketch not saving?http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5594508jared says:The Poster Sketch uses your browser's Flash cookies to save data. If your Flash cookies are disabled or full (there is a 100kb limit by default), the Poster Sketch will not save and will not display an error.This means a couple things:* Poster Sketch will only save on the computer you make it on* your Flash cookies must be enabled for save to workI will work on updating the Poster Sketch to display when it is unable to save your work.In the meantime, make sure your Flash cookies are enabled and not filled up with junk:* right click (control click on Mac) anywhere on the Poster Sketch tool* http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php* choose 'Settings...' from the menu that appears* click the little Folder icon* move the slider to the right* set to 100kb or more (I keep mine set at 1Mb, which is just fine)<br /><br />That's a lot of info but hopefully helpful!!

The Secret Etsy List! The most Useful and Hard to Find Links Relating to Etsy

I found this on Loose Wire Studio's blog and thought it was so helpful that I had to post it here too. It's got EVERYTHING you need ...

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