Since re-opening my etsy shop at few weeks ago, I have had 2 sales. That may not sound like a lot but since I only posted 4 items, technically I sold 50% of my inventory in 2 weeks!! (I like the way the latter sounds better)I realized after selling that I was not at all prepared to ship. All the materials that I used to use over a year ago, I no longer had. so I had to go buy them.
I hadn't bought the shipping materials before, it was just stuff that we had available in the house. I use. bubble wrap, packing tape, recycled cardboard, and craft paper. I was able to find it all and get the package out the door!
which reminds me of a popular discussion I would love feedback on.
"Do you care about the packaging when you buy from Etsy, or just that it arrives?"
if you are a fellow seller
"Is there anything special you do to make your packaging personalized and unique?"
I am considering ways of doing this, and will keep you posted on what I come up with as well.
as a buyer i really don't care that much about packaging, but as a seller i do. i've read a lot about how unique seller's make their packaging and I feel like buyers expect a little something extra.
ReplyDeleteright now i use purple tissue paper tied with grey yarn and put a business card on top. I use a stamp border for the label. it's not much but it's better than nothing!
As both a buyer and seller, my primary concern is that the order arrives completely unharmed by the travel. I am satisfied as long as that is the case.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I definitely love the experience of opening a package and feeling like there the seller took the time to present my item nicely. I don't mean tons of stickers and extra doodads - just nicely and attractively wrapped, especially if it involves the branding of the shop so that the whole buying experience all the way down to opening the package is so tied to that particular shop I love.
My own packaging ... on my vintage clothing, I hand make little tags with my website and a piece of map, and hang just like any clothing label, and wrap the whole thing in tissue paper with a thank you note. For my jewelry, I make my own origami boxes with my logo on top for the jewelry to go in, along with a thank you note. For my art shop, I write a thank you note and draw a small sketch on the note. Stuff like that. :)
Btw - thanks for the note on my blog about vintage ... I really appreciate getting a guy's input, especially since I sell guy's stuff too, so thank you! :)
I've read a lot of differing views on packaging. Some sellers package their items only in recycled materials. I think that is a great idea. You can be really clever with recycled materials.
ReplyDeleteIn theory, this is what I'd like to do as a seller. However, I'm concerned that I might be shipping to someone who would think it is unprofessional to wrap something they paid for in "trash" (I tend to worry about things like this). So, I end up using new packaging - nothing special - and I include a couple of "freebies" (like some tags made from hand carved stamps or other small things made from paper) and a thank you note.
As a buyer, I love to get both types of packaging. I like to see how clever people can be with how they ship their items. If I were buying something like your jewelry frames, I would be happy with either. Just as long as it arrived at my door safely.
I try to reuse boxes I have, save bubble wrap, packing peanuts. I attach a business card to all my sales, but otherwise, I really don't do anything too special other than try to pack it so that it won't get broken in transit... vintage is hard, because things come in so many sizes and shapes, hard to have a cohesive packaging plan... and by the way CONGRATS on selling 50% of your inventory! ;)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could sell 50% of my inventory! You must have a coveted product. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteAs a buyer I wouldn't mind getting very basic packaging, but at the same time when it's decorated really nicely it makes opening up the whole thing a pleasure.
As a seller I try to make the packaging a little fancier but also use mostly recycled material and reuse boxes. The one thing that isn't recycled is ribbon... which now that i think about it could probably be an eco friendly thing as well if I search for it. I also add a 10% coupon code and personalized thank you note.
As a buyer I am not especially concerned with the wrapping, but it's really fun for me if the seller did something special.
ReplyDeleteAs a seller I always write a little note giving some information about the item(s) and why I chose to make them or what I especially like about them. Then I decorate the envelope/package, include a business card, sample, return customer coupon, and wrap it all in a coordinating color of tissue paper.
As a seller I use recycled materials when possible. I generally add my business card and a thank you card with each purchase.
ReplyDeleteWow!! thank you for all the feedback on this. you all have some great thoughts and Ideas. as I look at my packaging strategy moving forward I am going to try to incorporate a little extra something as it seems everyone really enjoys opening something special. As long as I dont have to change my shipping costs, I see no reason why I cant make getting a J.Crabbit package something exciting to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to use material that is already around the house: I handsew little waterproof packages out of brown paper bags and clean plastic bags, and I also make little light brown paper envelopes for each item that goes in the larger package. I just bought a little stamp with my store name on it so that I can personalize the packaging a bit more.
ReplyDeleteGood to read all the other comments too!
@April:I would love to know how to make origami boxes -- I worry that my little envelopes will squish the soft fabric I use.
there are good oragami box instructions here http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-box.html
ReplyDeleteif you use larger paper, or something thicker, you could make whatever size and strength you wanted.
As a buyer - I do care about packaging. I get disappointed when I buy something from Etsy and there isn't as much as a thank you note in it. I expect to get something personalized, that's why I'm buying from Etsy!
ReplyDeleteAs a seller - I do care about packaging. I put a lot of care into packing and I always send a hand-written thank you note, and lately I've even started tying pretty ribbon around the package and I hand-sketch a little owl or something on the (plain brown paper) wrapping. I want my customers to be delighted when they receive my package.
In fact, I started printing bookmarks and greeting cards from my paintings, so I will probably include 1 or 2 of those items as free gifts in the future as well!
PS: Although I do so much to personalize the item for the buyer, I hardly EVER receive ANY feedback. I've only gotten 3 feedback out of 16 sales :( So who knows if it's even working. Well at least I haven't gotten negative feedback :-/
heather, those are great points, stuff like that is why I was asking in general. I hope that my buyers love the product that I personally made, and haven't thought a lot about packaging, just how to best make it get to its destination. This is great feedback. I put a lot of layers in my packaging and am thinking of putting something between each layer. something personalized, and also something to help the buyer to see that I made and packaged the item... not some factory somewhere.
ReplyDelete