Waaaaa

I have a complaint about all of the complaining on Etsy. 

Stop it!

Complaining is bad business!

 It can be very tempting to complain about a lack of sales. But would you ever say this to a customer, "Oh, I have not seen the sales fairy in weeks"?  Remember that most of the Etsy forums are public – once you post a comment online, it is there forever, for people all over the world to read. Also, many buyers come right from Etsy. Your buyer may be on a forum with you, listening to how poor your business is. Nobody wants to join a losing team. That is bad business.

If you must complain about slow business or your frustration with your business, or have a legitimate question about sales volume, etc. do so on a forum where you can post anonymously!

Not exactly scientific, but interesting: I asked six Etsy shopper-friends, what they look for when purchasing. Personally, I do not base my  Etsy purchases on the number of sales a seller has, and my small "study" found the same results.

The consensus was that a decision to buy is first based on several clear photos, especially a photo of the item being worn; next on vivid descriptions that are almost as good as touching an item. My "focus group" shoppers all appreciate a cohesive, professional branding feel, and a positive, open, personal vibe from a seller. A fair return policy is well appreciated and a "no returns" policy is a total deterrent to purchasing.

For me, luxe packaging with a personal note, (and, of course, a high quality product) assures me becoming a return customer. I do not think I am alone when i say " I love packaging". The shoppers I spoke with agreed with me, but three did not care about a personal note.

Feedback: the buyers I spoke with reported that they read feedback skeptically and do not base decisions of whether or not to buy on feedback, unless it is glaringly bad. They tend to believe the positive and find a single negative feedback not to be a deterrent to purchasing

Another problem with complaining; above all else, complaining is negative. Positive thinking results in positive outcomes. It just does. Negative self thought and doubt results in a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. Sure, selling on Etsy can be discouraging at times, but you want your customers to hear your creative voice and not feel your doubt. Put your complaining time and energy into researching and implementing new ways to improve upon the issues that buyers see as relevant.

Take home message :

If you wouldn’t say something directly to your customers, it’s best not to post it online.