Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies. Gatski Kate

joined, leave the check boxes at the bottom of the screen checked.

      If you see a Treasury Lists check box, ignore it. Etsy members used to be able to curate Treasuries – lists of their favorite items on the site – but that’s no longer the case. Selecting this check box simply enables members who curated Treasuries in the past to continue to share them.

      13. Click the Save Changes button.

      Etsy saves the changes you made to your profile.

      14. To preview your profile, click the View Profile button in the top-right area of the page.

Etsy shows you how your profile will appear to others (see Figure 2-9).

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 2-5: From here, you can populate your profile.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 2-6: Preview your photo.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 2-7: The photo you chose replaces the generic one.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 2-8: You can populate your profile from the Your Public Profile page.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 2-9: Preview your profile.

AVATAR HERO: CHOOSING A PROFILE PICTURE

      Your profile picture, or avatar, isn’t just something people see when they peruse your profile page or visit your shop. It represents you across the site. When you post on a forum, your profile photo appears next to that post. Ditto when you comment on the Etsy Blog or participate in teams or online workshops. You want to select a profile photo that reflects well on you.

      So what type of image do you want to choose? Etsy urges you to use one that shows your face. This helps to build trust. Just make sure the photo isn’t blurry (no “Bigfoot sighting”–style photos), that it’s well lit, and that your mug covers at least 70 percent of the frame.

BIOHAZARD: WRITING A WINNING BIO

      For many people, the idea of writing anything – let alone about themselves – is about as enticing as spelunking in Yucca Mountain. But a succinct, clever, well-written bio is essential to the success of your Etsy shop. Why? Your bio enables buyers to see who they’re buying from. It turns you into a bona-fide human being in your buyers’ eyes.

      If writing your bio seems a bit daunting, don’t freak out. It’s a process, like anything else. You can start by writing down the answers to a few key questions: Who are you? What’s your educational and/or artistic background? What do you make and/or sell? What are you passionate about? Who or what inspires you?

      With the answers to these questions in hand, you’re ready to write your bio. Try to incorporate some of these tips:

      • Say hello. If you were the proprietor of a real-world boutique, you’d certainly greet customers as they entered your store. Do the same for folks visiting your Etsy shop. While you’re at it, thank them for stopping by. It’s just good manners.

      • Be friendly and approachable. This strategy will yield substantially better results than taking the opposite tack – being rude and inaccessible. Also, a little bit of humor can go a long way. Oh, and the tone of your bio needs to match the tone of your shop and products. If your business is about whimsy, a stuffy bio just won’t do!

      • Stick with first person. Some people write their bio in first person. Others opt for third person. Our view? Unless you’re the queen or a professional athlete, go with first person.

      • Keep it short. It’s your Etsy bio, not War and Peace. A few short paragraphs will do. If you find your bio running a little long, try using sections, with titles, to break up your information.

      • Be professional … sort of. No, you don’t have to wear a pin-striped suit and practical pumps. But you do need to project an air of competence – even if your shop is all about fun. You want to be taken seriously as a seller, right?

      • Proofread. Before you post your bio, triple-check it to make sure there aren’t any spelling or grammatical errors. Better yet, ask your English-major friend to check it for you.

Chapter 3

      There’s No Place Like Home: Discovering Etsy’s Home Page

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      ❯❯ Exploring the header bar, categories, and Search tool on Etsy’s home page

      ❯❯ Seeing more ways to shop

      ❯❯ Perusing the Etsy Blog and tracking Etsy campaigns

      ❯❯ Finding out more about Etsy and checking out the footer links

      ❯❯ Viewing the home page on the Etsy app

      Home. It’s a word with many meanings. It’s where you live. It’s where your heart is. It’s where you hang your hat. It’s where the cows finally come. Simply put, it’s a place to which you always long to return.

      Etsy’s home page is no different. As you use the site, you’ll often find yourself returning home – to the home page, that is. Whether you’re buying or selling, exploring or researching, Etsy’s home page is your home base. In this chapter, you explore the various features of the page and find out how to navigate from it.

Home Sweet Home: Etsy’s Home Page

Etsy’s home page (see Figure 3-1) is the page that appears when you type “www.etsy.com” into your web browser. You can also access the home page by clicking the Etsy logo in the upper-left corner of each Etsy Marketplace page or by clicking the Home link in the header bar. The Etsy home page includes several sections. We delve into several of these sections in this chapter.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 3-1: The Etsy home page offers easy access to myriad site features, and it’s easy on the eyes.

       If your home page doesn’t exactly match what we discuss here, don’t freak out. Etsy regularly experiments with the layout of its home page.

Tonight’s Head(er)liner: Exploring the Header Bar

      To enable you to easily access the tools you need, every Etsy Marketplace page, including the home page, contains a header bar with several links. The appearance of the header bar differs depending on whether you’re signed in to your Etsy account. If you’re not signed in, the header bar contains the following links:

      ❯❯ Etsy: No matter where you are on the Etsy site, you can return to the home page by clicking the Etsy logo on the left side of the header bar.

      ❯❯ Sell on Etsy: For quick access to tools and resources for sellers – including a helpful guide to how fees work and info about what you can and can’t