I'm in the process of removing some eBay listings and changing them over to bulk lots. Every so often, it's necessary to have a fire sale. When I set up a bulk lot, the books are typically being sold at a great discount and at a loss. I want them to go away and hopefully fast.
Jennifer's Series Books on eBay
Most of my eBay listings will remain as they are. I'm not that worried about the low sales. I figure things will get better eventually.
Etsy is a different situation. I had been taking that situation in stride just like I continue to do on eBay. Now, I'm getting angry.
Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy
Today I checked the placement of my Nancy Drew listings in Etsy's search and did not find the first item until the 12th page of search results. That is unacceptable. Etsy is hiding my stuff and acting like I need to work harder to fix the situation. Yes, indeed. I'm supposed to fix this.
Etsy sent me an email a few days ago. The email is titled, "Growth takes time. Keep going, JennifersSeriesBooks!"
I feel insulted. They make it sound like I'm a new seller who hasn't sold much of anything.
Hey Etsy, check this out. Since 2016 on Etsy, I have sold 3,868 books in 1,688 transactions. I'm not new, and I used to be very successful on your site, but that was before you started hiding my books.
Let's just place the blame squarely where it needs to be, which is on Etsy.
A few weeks ago, I received this gem from Etsy.
Our research shows that a quick settings update may boost your annual sales by about $6.00. In the last year you processed 92% of your eligible orders on the weekend. Now you have the option to update your processing schedule to include weekend days, showing shoppers faster delivery in some cases with little or no change to how you work. Etsy shoppers have shown they're more likely to buy items that ship faster—even if it's only by one day!
Where to begin...
Why would I bother to change a setting if I would yield only a $6.00 sales boost in an entire year? Are they on crack?!
Also, I don't get this statement that 92% of my orders are processed on the weekend. Granted, I really don't know, and I'm not going to go through my Etsy sales to see what the breakdown is. Nevertheless, I am certain that there is absolutely no way that 9 out of every 10 of my Etsy orders have been packed on or for the weekend. There is no way. Nope. A good many orders might have been packed on the weekend, but it cannot possibly be 92%. It could be half, maybe. Not 92%.
But even if it were 92%, how could a change in settings only gain me a whopping $6.00 in sales in an entire year? Again, I feel insulted. It's like they are telling me that my sales are so awful that this wonderful settings change would only yield me $6.00. Wow.
They are on crack. They must be.
The email had a link to a page with a list of ways I can improve my placement in Etsy's search. I certainly do need that, so I followed the link.
1. Your listing’s first photo, the image displayed in search results, is crucial when it comes to inspiring shoppers to click and increasing your conversion rate. The first photo should clearly show the item that’s for sale and be eye-catching enough that buyers want to take a closer look.
Hmm.
I mean... I don't see what I can change. I show the entire outside of the book, and the title and cover art are clearly visible.
2. Your titles can also play a role in getting shoppers to click on your listing. Your title should make it easy for shoppers to quickly see what you’re selling and what makes it unique. Shoppers only see the first few words of your title when they’re looking at search results, so make sure you’re using that space to describe what your item is.
My title is "Nancy Drew #32 Scarlet Slipper Mystery Original Text PC." That tells buyers what they need to know. I don't think changing it to "Nancy Looks for Ballet Slippers" is going to help.
3. Shoppers also compare prices when looking at search results, so your listing price can also affect whether or not a buyer clicks on your listing. Shoppers may have a specific price point in mind before they even start their search.
Of course. But I'm not going to give my books away.
Etsy also gives a helpful formula for calculating how to price one's items.
One basic formula for calculating price is: (hourly overhead + production cost + profit) x 4
The part in parentheses is what I already do. I guess I'm supposed to multiply that by 4. The Scarlet Slipper book is priced at $19.99. I guess Etsy wants me to change the price to $79.96. Somehow, I don't think the book would sell...
4. Running a sale or offering free shipping can also make your listings stand out from the competition in search results. You can offer free shipping by running a free shipping sale using Etsy’s sales and coupons tool. Shoppers will see your free shipping offer on the listing in search results and your listings will be included if a shopper uses the free shipping search filter.
In June I caved and went back to Etsy's free shipping promotion. It's not helping. I even ran a sale for 10% off for a few days and did not get even one sale. That had never happened before.
5. Shoppers can also see your shop’s review star average when browsing search results. A high average will help to build trust, and could encourage some buyers to take a closer look at your item.
My average is five stars, and it's not helping.
6. Your listing descriptions can also help convert views to sales... Aim to incorporate relevant keywords in the first few sentences. Avoid copying your title verbatim or simply listing your top keywords. Instead, you want to craft a sentence or two that casually incorporates a few of your top keywords in a way that sounds human and written in your brand’s voice.
Maybe I should throw in "#32" and "Scarlet Slipper" somewhere. I'm so annoyed.
I'm going to stop here. Etsy also suggests that I have competitive shipping prices and a fast handling time. I'm not going to lower the shipping I charge when I'm already taking a loss. I'm also not going back to shipping the next day. No.
This is frustrating. Etsy's advice is not helpful. Do you know why? Because my Nancy Drew listings are buried down on the 12th page of search results! That's why.
Etsy tells me that 159 of my 269 listings will be expiring in the next week, starting tomorrow. I believe that most of them will come down tomorrow if Etsy is telling the truth about the date. Sometimes the listings stay up for a couple days past the date given by Etsy, so I don't really know when they are going to deactivate.
I still haven't decided what to do. I keep going back and forth on whether I should renew them or just leave them down.
1 comment:
Well, they certainly do seem to be on crack.
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