# Just getting started on Etsy, looking for feedback.



## Gingerbeard (Jun 10, 2014)

Hi everybody, 
   I'm new here (and to the soaping world in general) but I caught the bug from my better half. She has made soap for years and at one point was selling it at craft fairs and such. I watched her make a couple batches and it appealed to my inner "mad scientist". The possibilities are endless for tinkering... So now I find myself making as much soap as she does and we figured we may as well make an effort to get this insanity to support itself. If we happen to come out ahead I promise not to complain!

Ok, lengthy introduction complete, I now face the moment of truth... I have never had an online business before and I am *really* hoping that some of the folks that have been in my shoes before can clue me in as to whether or not we're off to a decent start. Right now we have a few items up and I thought perhaps getting feedback, good, bad or indifferent would be a decent idea before investing a ton more time and energy on this.

That said, the address is www.etsy.com/shop/WhiskeyCreekSoap so if anyone is so inclined, please take a look and let me know what your thoughts are.

I really appreciate the information I've found on here and look forward to hearing what's great and what's not so much.


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## hmlove1218 (Jun 10, 2014)

If I were you, I'd include things like ingredients and bar weight in my listings.  People usually want to know things like that before they purchase.  Also, you'll get more quality views with tags that are commonly searched phrases instead of single words.  So for example, instead of baby, try baby soap.  That's really what stands out to me the most.  I really like the look of your packaging and you have pretty soaps.  Good luck!


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## lenarenee (Jun 11, 2014)

I have had no business at all...only been a customer. I looked at your Etsy store - I didn't check or spelling or other errors - I just look to see if the appearance keeps my interest.  Yours did. The pictures show your soap wrapped and unwrapped, you've got a lot of clear, jewel colors in your soap and they look fresh and happy!!  And your soap base looks as white as snow...HOW did you do that?


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## Seawolfe (Jun 11, 2014)

I like the look and the photos!

Since you're doing pre orders, I would make it very clear when the soap will be available for shipping- either as a date or x number of days or weeks after the order is placed.


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## Relle (Jun 11, 2014)

I would like to see a full photo of your soap without the packaging, not a cut off version to the side and have your packaged ones in the background. It's a bit confusing when you first look, thinking it looks like two different soaps.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jun 11, 2014)

Agree with the above, espcially that the open soap should be more prominant than the wrapped ones.  One thought on the wrapping is that, in the tumbnails, it makes it seem like different soap because the colours are different - when you go in to a soap you can see that it is also wrapped in paper and not just the cigar band, but at first glance it made me think a wee bit.

On another note, be careful with the claims that you make in your descriptions.  Soap can clean, that is all.  If it moisturises or anything like that, it is a cosmetic and then you should make sure that you follow the FDA guidelines for cosmetics.  I didn't see any soaps with "drug" type claims (heals acne, for example) which would put you in a different class and would need to have it tested and verified.


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## navigator9 (Jun 11, 2014)

Gingerbeard, I think your soaps look pretty and I like your labels. Marie Gale has a great book on the rules and regs of soap and cosmetic labeling, which are extremely specific, in case you have any questions, you can find the answers there. Like others have mentioned, a list of ingredients would help. I would not buy from your site, simply because no ingredients are listed. If someone doesn't list their ingredients it makes me wonder what they are hiding, even if that's not the case. And, am I the only one who's a bit confused about the pricing? Are you offering soaps at a lower price if people pre-order before they're cured? What is the price if they order after?  I think that if I were going on line specifically to buy soap, and saw that all of the soaps in your shop were not ready to ship, I would go elsewhere. But that's just me. Maybe it wouldn't bother most people. Good luck to you!


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## Gingerbeard (Jun 11, 2014)

Thank you all for the feedback. I will have to spend a little time today updating things on etsy. Adding the ingredients makes complete sense, I will make sure to get that in there so it's apparent that we don't use any shortening or animal fats. It may take a little longer to redo the pictures but that also seems like a worthwhile investment of time. The pre-order was something we were planning on running until father's day as sort of an introductory pricing and to attempt to jump start orders. My plan was to test the responses from people to see what needs to be adjusted before we go full bore with sales online. 

I'll run through the descriptions and ensure that there aren't any claims of anything except cleaning properties of the soap since I don't want to run afoul of the FDA, that seems like an unpleasant prospect...

I appreciate you taking a look and letting me know what you think, the only feedback I've gotten up til now is from family and friends. While they are amazing people I feel like they may not have offered the honest, constructive criticism that I can use to improve things.


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## hmlove1218 (Jun 11, 2014)

I agree with Navigator about the pre-order pricing.  I kind of like the idea of offering pre-order soaps at a lower (but still profitable) price.  However, I think you should state how much they will be regularly as well.


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## Gingerbeard (Jun 11, 2014)

lenarenee said:


> I have had no business at all...only been a customer. I looked at your Etsy store - I didn't check or spelling or other errors - I just look to see if the appearance keeps my interest.  Yours did. The pictures show your soap wrapped and unwrapped, you've got a lot of clear, jewel colors in your soap and they look fresh and happy!!  And your soap base looks as white as snow...HOW did you do that?




Thanks for the compliment, I am glad the soaps look fresh and happy! That made me smile and picture a little soap party in my head. As for the base looking very white, I don't know how we managed that other than using shea butter and palm kernel flakes? Honestly, I'll have to ask my girlfriend since she made the straight soap which seems the whitest. There wasn't any special colorants or anything. I just received some titanium dioxide yesterday so plan on playing with that to see what kind of impact it has on the coloration.


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## Susie (Jun 11, 2014)

I love the style and coloring of the name of your company!  I also like the short intro paragraph!

I am with the others on the confusion of pricing/availability, etc.  

I don't think I would show soap wrapped in anything other than the cigar band.  I see completely wrapped stuff and think I don't know what it is going to look like even if an unwrapped bar is right next to it.(I am not a very trusting person.) 

I also agree with needing ingredients.  I want to know whether those are EOs or FOs, and what oils you used before buying.


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