Three Months on Etsy and Experimenting with Discounts

I am approaching three months on Etsy.  I have sold 54 books in three months.  That is equal to the number of books I sold on Bonanza in my last five months on that site.  So, my Etsy sales are a little better than my Bonanza sales were at the end.  Of course, my Etsy sales are nowhere near what my Bonanza sales were in 2009 through 2013, but those days are long gone.

I still have quite a few of my original Etsy listings from May 7, which all came from Bonanza.  Those listings have one more month before they expire, and then I will have to relist them.  I lowered the prices of all of those listings a few days ago, hoping to get a few of them to sell.  The prices were lowered by $1 to $3 for the items priced low. Two more expensive items were reduced by $10.

I feel much better about my presence on Etsy than I did about my Bonanza booth from 2014 through early 2016.  I do have better traffic on Etsy.  The traffic is still quite low as compared to eBay, but I do get about three times more traffic each day on Etsy than I did on Bonanza.  The traffic on Etsy is actually more than three times better, since most of my Bonanza traffic was to completed listings.  And those shouldn't count, yet Bonanza keeps them in the daily stats.  At least my Etsy traffic is to listings that are currently available.

I decided that I should finally experiment with coupons once again.  I just created an 10% off coupon on Etsy with a minimum purchase of $20.  I put an announcement on my Etsy shop page with the coupon code, and the code should be entered during checkout.  I do not have an expiration on this offer and will leave it in place so long as I feel it is worthwhile.

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

I also have an eBay store.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

I decided to experiment with a discount on eBay.  On eBay, the discount is 5% off with a minimum purchase of $35.  My fees are much higher on eBay, and that's why the discount is lower.  The eBay discount expires on August 31, 2016 at 23:59 eBay time. After the end of the month, I will decide whether the discount was worthwhile and whether I wish to create another one.

I find that many buyers on eBay pay for each listing individually when multiple items are purchased.  It's actually better for both of us when buyers pay for items all at once. You can do this in one of two ways.

If you are worried about someone buying an item before you decide which others you wish to purchase, complete the Buy It Now on the first item, but do not follow the link to pay.  You do not have to pay the moment you complete the Buy It Now.  You can then purchase other items in individual Buy It Nows.  Once all items have been purchased, click on one item to pay, and all others will be grouped with it.  You get a postage discount when you pay for all items together.  The rate is $3.95 for the first book and $0.60 for each additional book.

The other method that you might find easier is simply to place all items in your eBay shopping cart.  Once all items are there, you can complete checkout.  eBay will figure the postage at $3.95 for the first book and $0.60 for each additional book.

Buyers who pay individually end up paying $3.95 postage on every single item.  I do refund the extra cost and ship in one package, but it does take more time.  I have to make sure each item does have the same destination address, and I also have to make sure I remember to send the refund.  Therefore, I prefer that all items are paid for in one transaction so that I do not have to check addresses and send a refund.

Now that I have an active discount on eBay with a minimum purchase of $35, buyers have an additional money-saving reason to send just one payment.  You won't get a discount for a $35 purchase if you send multiple payments for different items purchased.  While I will refund the extra postage charged, I'm not going to send a manual discount of the 5% savings to those buyers.  To get the discount, you have to make one payment, thereby fulfilling the requirements of the offer.

In both stores, I sell Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Rick Brant, Dana Girls, and many other series books.