Jill Hannah's Craftacularity

Direct Checkout: Etsy Does a Good Thing Badly

2012-02-07T12:39:00.001-06:00

Etsy is unleashing its new direct checkout system. In theory, yay! In practice, ugh!

Direct checkout should be a good thing - no more having to deal with PayPal! Buyers and sellers have been asking for this for years.

Then I read the Direct Checkout FAQs. That's where the "ugh" came in. Here's a rundown of what I think are the important details of Etsy's Direct Checkout:

1) Etsy's fees are in line with PayPal's fees. PayPal charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Etsy will be charging 3% + $0.25 per transaction. So, if you do the algebra, that means Etsy charges less on items under $50 and more for items over $50. If you mostly sell less expensive items, Etsy is the better deal. If you mostly sell more expensive items, PayPal will actually cost you less in fees. Interesting, when you think of Etsy's push towards high quality handmade and putting a high value on yourself.

2) Funds do not become available to sellers until after three days and the seller has marked the item shipped! Why? Etsy says
Even though we've created a way for sellers to accept credit cards directly, Etsy is still very much a marketplace for buyers and sellers to convene. In orde to maintain a balance on our site, we ensure that all parties in a transaction are protected. This includes the seller, buyer, and Etsy. We work hard to create a site where buyers can trust that their items will arrive in a timely manner and that the listing description is an appropriate representation of the item they recive.
What? I still don't get it. This is a terrible idea. As a seller, I no longer have any incentive to send packages faster than three days after the item is sold, and in fact it may be a bad idea to send them right away as I won't know whether or not the payment will clear. So much for fast shipping. So much for piece of mind.

3) If, in a dispute, Etsy determines the seller is in the wrong, and the seller does not issue the refund his or herself for four weeks, Etsy can issue the refund on the seller's behalf, taking the money out of the seller's payment account and refunding it to the buyer. (See Etsy's explanation here.)

4) It works on Etsy mobile! Good thing!

5) After your three day waiting period, you can transfer your funds into your bank account at any time. If you don't transfer your funds yourself, they automatically transfer every Monday.

6) Direct Checkout takes Visa, Mastercard/Eurocard, Discover, and American Express (another good thing!)

Any other questions you might have should be answered in the FAQs and the Etsy Forum about Direct Checkout.

Etsy Apple Store Panel and My Chronic Illness: A Very Personal Post

2012-01-28T20:54:00.006-06:00

Today I cried in public.

I went to the Etsy panel at the Chicago Michigan Avenue (Magnificent Mile) Apple Store. Upon arrival, the Geniuses lead me upstairs to the auditorium which was already packed ten minutes before the event was scheduled to begin. By the time they started, people were sitting and standing in the aisles.

Randy, the Etsy Creative Director, moderated the panel. Four Chicago artists - Jack of Ethically Engineered, Kara of Secret Safe Books, Vana of Le Papier Studio, and Amanda of Mojo Spa and Mojo Spa Style. It was a lively, informative discussion and Q & A session, largely focusing on social media and getting started on Etsy. They touched on topics like the future of Pinterest (best described by Kara as a "virtual cork board," all agreed there is definitely a future in the site), having to scale and grow as a business, "putting heart back into commerce," (Randy's quote), and the importance of good photography.

But it was Amanda's story that made me seek her out after the panel ended. She, too, started her business out of the necessity brought on by chronic illness. Hers started 12 years ago and she was sick for seven years. I only fully dropped out of society with my chronic migraines a little over four years ago, so I have time. During the panel discussion she only grazed the topic of her disease, but when I found her afterward, she talked to me extensively about how to run a business around being sick, and more importantly, how to allow yourself to be sick in order to get better. She talked about her friends and family's incredible helpfulness, her sister actually moving to Chicago to take care of her and her friends stepping in to run her business and her life when she was unable to. Her friends even ran her craft fair booths with her and for her when she couldn't. That's huge.

Hearing about the generosity of her support system, taking in suggestions for being better to myself as I run my Etsy shop, talking about both of our illnesses and the frustration and guilt and helplessness that accompany year after year of a chronic condition, I started crying. I couldn't help it. Right there in the Apple Store, my face was leaking and I couldn't make it stop. I cried for the beauty of generosity, I cried from my own frustrations, I cried because someone else on earth not just knew what I was going trough but had seen the other side and found herself a successful and productive human being once again.

It terrifies me that there is no other side, and perhaps I've lost faith in the possibility of getting better, though I'm always looking to try something new and different to help alleviate my pain in a real and permanent way. Since the first of the year I've been on a gluten-free diet and it hasn't seemed to do anything. I just got the name of a homeopathic doctor in Skokie. After talking to Amanda I think I'm going to go back to biofeedback and be more vigilant with my daily relaxation exercises. And maybe there is hope that I will get better. Maybe someday I'll be the one up on that stage, telling my Etsy success story instead of crying in the aisle.

Thank you, Amanda. Thank you, Etsy.

Etsy Chicago Meet n Greet

2012-01-28T09:01:00.010-06:00

Last night I went to the Etsy "Meet n Greet" in Chicago at Vecco Studio. They served wine, Fat Tire beer, fruit, vegetables, cheese, and a healthy dose of conversational networking. I had an absolutely wonderful time chatting the night away with Etsy Admins Morgan, Randy, Kimm, and Leland, and many Etsians. Worlds collided when Morgan and I introduced my

two team leaders to one another. Ashley of OneInTheHand currently captains Chicago Style Crafters, and Martha of OpenDoorStudio created and captains the Vintage Etsy Society Team (VestiesTeam), and we all had plenty to talk about!

Other people I talked to during the night included Vanessa of Little Lady Company, Paula of Eganaise, Karen of Will Oaks Studio, and Kim of Kim Holmes.

After the Meet n Greet, Martha wrangled a number of the vintage sellers together to go out to dinner. The Etsy Admins were nice enough to give Martha the leftover wine, so we found a sushi restaurant (Sai Cafe) that was more-or-less BYOB ($10 corking fee per bottle). Thanks to good company and the several glasses of wine we all already had in us, we had ourselves a fantastic and lively meal. The attendees were: Martha, Lisa from A Blast from the Past, Tanya and Lisa from Bunny's Trunk Show, Gwen from Chloe's Window, and Sarah from Zzouzi.

Yay networking!

Top photo of (from left to right) Martha of OpenDoorStudio, Me, and Creative Director Randy. By EtsyLabs on Flickr.

Dress photo from Zzouzi's shop.

I Won the Vesties Treasury Challege!

2012-01-26T08:43:00.003-06:00

The Vintage Etsy Society Team (AKA Vesties Team) does a contest/challenge every week for Etsy treasuries. You have to include at least six Vesties' items, one item from the winner of the past week's challenge, and follow the weekly challenge theme. I enter frequently, but for the first time, this week I won! The theme was "Refresh, renew, and revive."

Here is my winning treasury:

'Reconnect in 2012' by jillhannah

Write a letter, make a phone call, send a carrier pigeon! Just get in touch with old friends in 2012. ALL VESTIES!

Remington No.3 Manu... housewarming10... $350.00	Vintage Country Bel... VintageWolfy $145.00	Vintage US Mail Box Rustical $55.00	Vintage Metal Addre... SummerHolidayV... $10.50
Vintage Postmark St... LuccaBalesVint... $9.50	antique boston penc... littlepart $20.00	Antique nibs. Insta... MademoiselleCh... $24.95	Vintage Rolodex, Fi... ShopMichL $10.99
50% Off Mid Century... TheWishingWard... $17.50	Brass Letters Door ... VintageLancast... $36.00	Vintage rotary phon... clcort $32.00	SALE-Vintage Match ... ChestnutHillVi... $15.40
Vintage Ostrich Fea... TheeLetterQ $9.00	Vintage Tiny Addres... SitDownSetDown $6.00	Set of 20 rare anti... SimonEtCie $5.50	Vintage Post Office... CampyClassics $24.95

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

ShopMichL had been the previous week's winner and was therefor the one who selected my treasury. She said:

"I chose this winning treasury because not only is it gorgeous - not only is it 100% Vesties - but its creator's take on the theme of renew, refresh, revive really struck a chord in me. Long distance friendships and family relationshipsare sadly a big part of my life. I would love to live in the midst of EVERYONE I love, but nope - I'm way over here in a distant city. I miss them, all the time, a lot. This treasury is a reminder to reach out."

All the 46 entries I was up against can be seen here:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/tags/ttchallenge52

Now, for this week, I get to be in a gazillion treasuries! The rules for this week's contest (and a few of my photos) can be found on the Vesties blog here:

http://vintageetsysociety.blogspot.com/2012/01/treasury-challenge-53-week-of-january.html

It's only been two days and there are already 20 entries. I've been busting my butt to keep up with them all, commenting and posting them on my Facebook page and Twitter.

You can see all of the entries for this week, which each contain one item from my shop, here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/tags/ttchallenge53

I don't know how I'm going to choose the "best" since there are so many amazing ones already! This is too much fun!

A Very Etsy Holiday

2011-12-31T08:33:00.005-06:00

This holiday season, I both gave and received the vast majority of my gifts from Etsy.
First, the giving.
My sister wanted cloth napkins. I made her two whole treasuries (one of prettier napkins, one of goofier napkins) filled with napkins I thought she'd like and then she went searching through Etsy herself as well. She ended up emailing me a list of ones she liked, and from that I picked two that I thought might coordinate well together.

The first were JAQStudio's EcoFriendly Large Cloth Napkins (more of this pattern still available at her shop)
The second were SisterMade's Organic Eco Friendly Cloth Napkins in Sunrise (I got the last of these but their shop is filled with similarly wonderful items)

My brother wanted cufflinks for Hanukkah. What 22-year-old boy asks for cufflinks? He's been interning in Washington, DC and needs to look like an official person, so he wanted cufflinks. Who am I to judge? I also made him a treasury of options I thought he'd like, and he actually loved all of them. Fortunately he was able to rank a few favorites so I got him his top three:

1) Red and Grey Stone Cufflinks from LoudCufflinks (more like this available!)

2) Vintage Flag Like Cufflinks in Dark Metal from janieg

3) Foreign Coin Cufflinks from JessiesDoohikies (similar available)

I've tried many, many different handmade and over-the-counter soaps and lotions, and my hands-down favorite is still Mirasol Farm on Etsy. Well, now they do gift certificates, which knocked a number of my friends off my gifting list. I also got soaps, lip balms, foot salves, and lotions for several of my friends whose scent taste I thought I could at least guess.

Now, my presents! I also made a treasury of things I wanted for Hanukkah and sent it to people, which turned out to be the best idea I've ever had.
I got:
This awesome necklace from stavri

A Pleated Turquoise/Light Blue Cushion Cover from pillow1

and enough of my favorite laundry detergent (lavender rosemary scented from showertreatsoap) to last me until next Hanukkah!

It was a very happy holiday!

Did your gifting come from Etsy?

Head Over Heals for Etsy Treasury Making

2011-12-05T08:57:00.005-06:00

I haven't posted in forever. So long it's been FIVEever.

I went to three estate sales on the northwest side of Chicago yesterday, got tons of stuff, and spent hardly anything. I'm pleased. I actually got another vintage camera in a leather case and a View-Master slide projector that's not as cute as the Junior Projector I sold a little while back but is still pretty darn awesome. I'm going to be busy listing things for awhile.

I made a treasury I'm fairly pleased with:

'Head Over Heals' by jillhannah

"For Her"An entry for the Vesties Team treasury challenge #46ALL Vesties!Join the fun here: http://vintageetsysociety.blogspot.com/p/team-treasury-challenge.html

Vintage Hat 1940s R... CalloohCallay $110.00	Vintage 50s wool ha... Atticgoodsvint... $125.00	Swanky Vintage Hat elizabethwrenv... $48.00	Vintage Hat: Brown ... JaanasVintage $19.85
Antonio Miro Vintag... MODvintageshop $59.00	Cat Eye Glasses - V... WiseApple $68.00	Vintage 30's Bl... BackThennishVi... $145.00	vintage horn rimmed... RecycleBuyVint... $33.00
Vintage 1960s Red F... Schmoo1515 $13.00	Givenchy Clip Earri... estatechicago $24.00	Vintage wings Sterl... NeldasNook $19.00	Vintage 1960 s Ster... Zoesgems $39.50
Vintage 1950s Red H... rileybella123 $75.00	Vintage 80s Sexy Bl... ChatteJolie $35.00	Sale 1920s Edwardi... antiqueeleganc... $119.00	60's Two Tone S... bumbleebuck $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This treasury by atticle is so stunning...

2011-07-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

...I had to include it in my blog! Wowzers!

'last embers' by atticle

When Starlight meet... ImagineStudio $30.00	Vintage Chunky Cros... sandraevertson $62.00	Small Faceted Penda... Zipper8Lightin... $125.00	Old Bust of Austria... CuriousGoodsTr... $20.00
Vintage Cast Alumin... smalltimenobod... $5.00	Hand dyed silk bias... mermaidsbeads $4.50	A Light To Guide Yo... lightleaks $35.00	Dopamine Pinbrooch ... madebymirjam $25.00
Clef StLuke $35.00	pod 1 lindayearginta... $65.00	Reserved for MamaWi... RichWitch $65.00	7 Pocket Trouser Wa... Revel $45.00
handmade pendleton ... littlebyrdvint... $40.00	FEATHER HAIR EXTENS... catgirlxoxo2 $10.00	Working Vintage Tel... jillhannah $45.00	1980s vintage Polym... MeshuMaSH $38.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I like making treasuries

2011-07-28T08:18:00.001-05:00

'Back to School, Simply Vintage Style' by jillhannah

Creeping into August, we hear the school bell warming up. This "Simply Vintage" treasury reminds us of the smell of pencil shavings, assigned seats, and the fresh adventure of a new year.

Vintage 30s Metal S... birdie1 $26.00	Vintage World Globe... UPSTARTS $128.00	Vintage Industrial ... Modred12 $38.00	vintage yellow bus ... goodfortunepho... $20.00
Vintage Yellow Wood... nellsvintageho... $11.00	portable Boston pen... allthebestvint... $16.00	vintage virco stack... ionesAttic $25.00	Vintage Sunbeam Sch... WiseApple $50.00
Vintage Wood Foldin... WurdeSein $45.00	refillable notebook... timeforteame $28.00	Vintage Black Lunch... justinnardy $25.00	Old School Vintage ... rhapsodyattic $175.00
Trio of Vintage Mac... funretro $15.00	Vintage Metal Calip... Niftic $9.00	MARVELOUS - Vintage... TheBIG8s $93.00	Vintage 50s 60s Hor... CollectableSpe... $65.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Treasury: Under Lock and Key

2011-07-13T08:45:00.004-05:00

I made this treasury last night and I'm fairly pleased with it. It's for the Vintage Etsy Society Team's weekly challenge, which anyone can enter. Check it out HERE (as soon as they update it) on the Vesties blog.

'Under Lock and Key - A Vintage Collection' by jillhannah

Assorted lot of vin... Meanglean $15.00	Vintage Glass Cryst... theartlyons $24.00	vintage hardware allthebestvint... $32.00	Vintage Shabby Crea... cabinwindows $8.00
Antique Victorian B... bonnbonn $85.00	The key to my heart... slinkycat $9.99	porcelain door knob... multer $29.00	Antique Ornate Bras... preciousplayti... $28.00
Three Vintage Skele... SameSameMaryJa... $12.00	Vintage Brass keyho... flosolio $10.00	Industrial old lock... jollytimeone $19.99	2 Ancient French Fa... FrenchGypsy $21.00
Antique Brown Swirl... WurdeSein $15.00	Vintage Furnace Key KateStealey $10.00	Vintage Metal Padlo... oppning $20.00	Industrial Chic. A... funretro $12.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I did it after all...

2011-07-11T19:52:00.003-05:00

Click on the images to go to the Etsy listings.

Vintage Letter Blocks

2011-06-28T09:28:00.004-05:00

A few months back, I found an entire box of vintage letter blocks at an estate sale. I'd already sold a set of blocks in my JillHannah Etsy shop so I was very excited to find quite so many of these fabulous blocks.

But now I face a problem: how to sell them. A lot of people already do custom names and things, others have words like "FUN" and "LOVE" available for sale. So I can compete with the existing or I can innovate. My initial innovative instinct? Sell words like "SHIT," "ASSHAT" and "NUMBSKULL." They'll sell, or at least get attention, but do I want my shop going in that direction? It's not exactly classy.

Maybe today I'll work on listing the vintage popcorn popper and see what other people think.

Other people? You out there?

Black Americana is Not "Cute"

2011-06-21T16:19:00.006-05:00

As a seller of vintage goods, I frequently come across "Black Americana." Mammy dolls, Uncle Remus, Aunt Jemima, "pickaninnies," and anything that looks like a black dysmorphic clown is not cute. It is racist.
There are positive historical icons of African Americans out there. I'm aware of them and all for them. These are not what I'm disparaging.
I'm also not advocating setting the racist items on fire (though I do have the impulse), as it is an unfortunate part of our history. Still, they need to be recognized as a mockery and not just sweet little cookie jars.

Etsy's "DOs and DONTs" actually state:

Items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred toward or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation; including items or content that promote organizations with such views

So, along with relics of the Hitler youth, the racially demeaning salt and pepper shakers can't technically be sold on Etsy.

I'm more than happy to report any listing that uses the words "cute" and "mammy" in the same sentence. I find this a thousand times more offensive than the four letter words and artistic nudes that have to be labeled "mature."

If you sell vintage, please take this into consideration before you buy or list that horrific lawn jockey.

What do you think? Please comment! I know it's a hard issue and there's no "right" answer, just my strong opinion.

Pay 10% Less for 100% Dads

2011-06-14T16:22:00.002-05:00

For Father's Day, since my shop is so full of Father's Day gifts:

I'm just trying out this site so we'll see if anyone bites. Business has been slow lately despite the many treasuries I'm in almost daily. I need to contact some blogs for giveaways and weasel my way back into magazines and list twice as many items as I've been listing. Maybe if I take up heavy drug use...

Treasured! Deep in the Pretty

2011-03-29T07:18:00.002-05:00

'Deep in the Forest.....' by 58andGrace

70s Knit Shades of ... illkniterate $3.00	Leather Faux Crocod... hugeancestor $28.00	Tree of Life Neckla... JewelryDeli $19.50	Tender - An Earthy ... peifferStudios $24.00
Vintage Army Jacket Lilyedenn $55.00	Mother Nature green... theothermagdal... $17.38	Deep Green Californ... vintagepickins $24.00	Mini watchmaker bot... deadsound $9.00
Moss and Ivy - natu... ForStrangeWome... $25.00	Deep Forest Wool Ba... baloo $34.00	Vintage 1930s Green... CuriousCrowVin... $75.00	Victor Electric Add... jillhannah $125.00
Journey into Myster... elgarboart $30.00	Vintage 2 Inch Wide... CynicalGirl $2.25	Rustic distressed s... tinahdee $70.00	Vintage forest gree... Wavalee $58.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'Give Me the Words to Speak' by BucktoothedBunny

Thank you to VelvetMorning for the title!

BOGO Sale - Mounted... CatherineAnnDe... $35.00	Tout Doucement AlisonTyne $35.00	High Five Hand Etch... ThePolkadotMag... $85.00	A Pair of Tea Canld... kaftansarafan $18.00
Manly Shave Gift Se... DirtyDeedsSoap... $35.00	Earrings Topaz Crys... fivelittlegems $16.00	Photographic Print ... instantt $23.00	vintage 1950s set o... Luncheonettevi... $70.00
Black and White num... ARTinVENICE $38.20	White Chocolate Cov... tookies $14.00	Necklace - sterling... realisationcre... $93.00	Give Me Words To Sp... VelvetMorning $15.00
Helen... Earthy red... cocoricooo $54.00	Vintage Beaded Earr... VintageScraps $12.00	Vintage Style Woode... inspirationsby... $6.00	Antique Doorknobs w... jillhannah $60.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Is Free Shipping Profitable?

2011-03-25T15:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday on NPR I heard a news story about L.L. Bean's new free shipping on everything policy. Everything. Apparently, recent market research showed the #1 reason a customer decides to buy something from you instead of your competitor is free shipping.

If it's a matter of sales versus no sales, it's probably better to sell (assuming your prices aren't already so low you lose money on your items). But if it's just more frequent sales versus less frequent sales, it gets a lot harder to know the "right" answer.

Questions to ask yourself:

How high are your shipping costs to begin with?
Will increased sales more than make up for the shipping costs?
Can you increase your current prices to cover the shipping costs and still gain enough customers to cover shipping costs?

That last question is the one I'm going to play with. Market research shows that customers irrationally would rather have free shipping and pay the exact same amount more for the item. Now, on Etsy that means paying 3.5% fees on your shipping costs, too, but if you make more sales, it's worth it.

My shipping costs are high. I ship heavy and/or breakable things all the time and I abuse bubble wrap until I can safely drop the package down the stairs without damaging the contents. Plus I like to make my packages look like presents (wrapped in recycled wallpaper samples for attractive durability), though I do that on my own time and don't figure that into my costs. Can I really get away with selling, say, my ebony Pyrex mugs for $60 if I offer free domestic shipping?
I'm going to try. If everything flies off the shelves, I'll let you know.
And send NPR a thank you card.

Another fabulous article showing how to think about free shipping and set up a formula for figuring out a good number for "free shipping over $__" can be found here:
http://www.marketingexperiments.com/improving-website-conversion/shipping-charges.html