5 things that prevent me from buying from an online shop (& how you can change that)

I used to be a seller on Etsy, but for the last few years I've been mainly a buyer. I am a huge supporter of the handmade community and will always go to Etsy first for any gifts or personal purchases. The creativity and craftiness the handmade community has never ceases to amaze and inspire me. With that said, this post is not meant to come across as mean in any way, but there's been plenty of times where I've clicked "add to cart" only to second guess myself and not go through with my purchase because of one of the reasons I talk about below. So this post is meant to be helpful coming from the point of view of a buyer so perhaps you can gain more sales. Also, when I say you, I don't mean you in specific obviously. I am not claiming to be a pro or a know-it-all. I am sharing what goes through my mind as a buyer.

 Here's why I won't buy from your shop.

1) Your shipping prices are ridiculously high.

I understand the cost of shipping materials is worked into this figure and I also understand distance is a big factor. But if something literally light as air is being shipped domestically for over $5, I won't go through with my order. Of course I do take into consideration fragility because I would hope that my package would be packed to high heaven with protective materials, which would explain a high shipping price. When I first started selling on Etsy and visited those online chats, they always recommend upping the price of your item to include part of the cost of shipping and then lower the shipping cost listed. It surprisingly works because I know for me, I'd rather pay more for an item and less for shipping, than less for the item and more than shipping. It's a psychological thing I guess. I also like sellers that say they will refund shipping overages that are over $1. 

What I recommend: If you ship from home, make your life easier by getting an electronic postal scale (you can get one for under $20 from Amazon.) and put together a sample package of everything you'd be including in the package to your customer (tape, paper receipt, the item, packaging materials, etc) and weigh it. Then check out the USPS postage price calculator and set your shipping prices based on the weight of that package and it's destination. Then you can print postage labels from home through PayPal. If you still somehow undercharge for shipping, it is not OK to ask the buyer to cover the overage. You should just consider it a loss and a learning experience.
*NOTE: If you ship from home, any items over 13 ounces can't be placed in the blue bins for pick up. They need to be dropped off in the post office. But at least you won't have to wait in line since the shipping has already been paid for.

2) You don't mention one thing about the size of your item.

Ummmm, why the heck not? Just last month I wanted to buy a planter for one of my succulents but instead of adding the item to my cart and paying right then and there, I had to send a message to the seller asking. By the time they got back to me, I lost interest and found another one instead. It makes no sense why a size wouldn't be included! We are shopping online so you as the seller need to be our eyes and hands.

What I recommend: Describe your item as if a blind person without hands asked you to tell them about it. Size, shape, color, weight, texture, length, material, smell (especially if you live with a smoker or pets), care instructions. In addition to that, perhaps include a photo of you with the item so they can gain an idea of the size. If you sell bags, include a photo of the bag being worn over your shoulder. If it's a necklace, include a photo of it being worn. If it's something that you don't want to wear because of hygienic reasons (earrings, make-up, etc) perhaps it may be helpful to include a photo of the item being held in your hands.

3) You spammed me

You see that I favorited your shop item and you sent me a message with a coupon code for X percent off. Now, I won't buy this item just out of principle but that's just me. Plus that 10% really isn't worth it.

What I recommend: Just don't spam anyone :) Ever. Instead, put a link in your shop's announcement to direct shoppers to sign up for a mailing list where they can receive your coupons or to 'like' you on facebook where you offer occasional coupon codes. If they like your shop enough, believe me when I say they will seek out ways to obtain your discounts. I will hunt the internet down, I tell you!

4) Your pictures are bad

I admit, I am partial to nice pictures. I will pay more for an item if the picture is nicer than someone selling a similar item for less. Plus, I can't see any details in a dark photo and it just looks icky.

What I recommend: It's better to use natural daylight than to use a flash. And it certainly doesn't hurt to use a photo editing program to lighten them up too. If you have Photoshop, I created a tutorial on how to easily lighten your photos. Or for free online photo editors, try Pixlr, LunaPic, or FotoFlexer. Maybe you can make your own lightbox! Here's two tutorials: lollygirl.com and photododo.com.

5) Your prices are too high or too low

Pricing is like an art! I know how hard it is to find that window to accurately price your items at. If it's too high people will think, gee I can't afford that! If it's too low, people will think it must be made poorly. I understand the cost of materials and your time goes into this factor, so really sit down and think about it.

What I recommend: Play around with pricing and see what works and what doesn't. If you think your prices are too low, raise them a few bucks. If they are too high, maybe offer free shipping to make the buyer feel like it's worth it. Check out this article for more help: Etsy Success: Reevaluating Your Prices.

Please feel free to leave your reasons for not buying from a shop so the conversation can keep going! Please don't name any specific shops, just your reasons :)

Computer graphic from freebie vectors