# First Etsy Sale!



## HerbalEarthling (Dec 11, 2013)

I finally got my first fish on Etsy! I'm so excited!!! I was a little confused because I thought for sure if I sold anything it would be soap but it was in fact a lotion stick. :sly:

Now, I was thinking for maybe the first 10 customers they will get a free gift or something. I have some bath bombs that I don't have for sale on Etsy but I have attempted to sell them in my real life shop and shows but with little success. Of course I'm biased but they are nice. Nothing fancy but cute. What do you think about doing that? 

Also, any tips on packing an item for shipping? Like do you make yours fancy or just make sure it's not going to break or burst during shipping? I gotta lotta learning to do. 
You guys are wonderful and so helpful! Thanks for your generosity! Xoxo


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## soap_rat (Dec 11, 2013)

Congratulations!  I think a bath bomb is a great idea, since they will go stale eventually anyway--keep cycling through them!

When I buy something I always appreciate when it's packed well, and a little note, even if printed out, is extra special attention to me.  I don't need anything else myself.


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## girlishcharm2004 (Dec 11, 2013)

Cute shop!  I love your pictures! They look so professional!


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## HerbalEarthling (Dec 11, 2013)

soap_rat said:


> Congratulations!  I think a bath bomb is a great idea, since they will go stale eventually anyway--keep cycling through them!
> 
> When I buy something I always appreciate when it's packed well, and a little note, even if printed out, is extra special attention to me.  I don't need anything else myself.



Good to know thanks!


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## HerbalEarthling (Dec 11, 2013)

girlishcharm2004 said:


> Cute shop!  I love your pictures! They look so professional!



Thank you so much! I bought a lightbox off of ebay for $33. Well worth it! Came with 2 lights, a tripod and 4 background colors. Well worth it!


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## SoapHappyNYC (Dec 11, 2013)

Congrats on your first sale! :clap:


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## HerbalEarthling (Dec 11, 2013)

SoapHappyNYC said:


> Congrats on your first sale! :clap:



Thanks so much!!!


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## paillo (Dec 12, 2013)

Yes, congrats, that first sale is a real thrill!

I like to package well too, bubble wrap or foam peanuts inside a neatly taped box. I've never had to buy bubble wrap or peanuts, get more than I can use for free when supply orders arrive, and save them for Etsy orders. I mostly use USPS boxes or bubble bags for small orders.

I also always include a nice sample of something, whether it's as small as half a bar of soap or a bath bomb, or for larger orders, at least a full bar, maybe two, and an extra goodie like a lotion bar that may not be quite perfect. Your customers will really appreciate it. I keep a bin of badly cut soaps, wrapped and labeled and ready to become an 'extra little something'.

For my repeat customers, I often ask them to be one of my 'official testers' and send them something additional and special that I really like but haven't put on my Etsy store yet. Maybe I'm too generous, but it makes me happy to go that extra mile. And I really feel like some of these repeat customers have become friends over time. That's a lovely thing 

I include a handwritten thank you note on the Etsy receipt, which I also pack in the box.

A couple of comments on your site: I would eliminate the medical claims like treating eczema or psoriasis so as not to violate FDA regulations. Also, I would consider making your bars a little thicker and charging a little more for them. I tend to think of anything less than about 3.5 oz as a trial size. A circular bar of about an inch thick is my preferred size for that shape. OK, that's my two cents.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 12, 2013)

Your site is really nicely done.  I too would make your bars 1" thick and charge more for it.   I also put a nice handwritten note in all my boxes when shipping and I also include a freebie or two as a thank you.     I wish you continued success with your site.


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## Spicey477 (Dec 12, 2013)

Yay! Congratulations on your sale! I just had a couple sales on mine this weekend (to friends) and these are great tips! I had some small bars of m&p that I put in each box as a thank you but I should have put a note in...next time. I sell scrubs, and the shipping is killing me! I need to get on the Etsy forums and see how they deal with that and their pricing.


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## paillo (Dec 13, 2013)

You don't charge for shipping? Set up shipping profiles in your Etsy store. It automatically charges shipping, paid by the customer.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 13, 2013)

From what I've seen on there, set a price for your products (x) and a price for shipping it to the destination - which ever countries you send it to (y).  X is the price on your product itself, y is a blanket figure.  The customer pays x+y to you. You pay y on to the shipping company and keep x in your soapy mits

So you might have a soap that sells for $5 and one that sells for $6.  Same size and weight, just different ingredients so it costs more.  Shipping to Westchestertonville costs you $2, shipping to London, England costs $10.  So one customer from Westchestertonville (a) buys the first soap for $5 plus $2 delivery.  Customer (b) from the same small town buys the $6 soap plus $2 delivery.  Customer (c) is from London and buys the $5 soap and pays $10 delivery.

(a) pays a total of $7, you pay $2 to the shipper and keep $5.
(b) pays a total of $8, you pay $2 to the shipper and keep $6.
(c) pays a total of $15, you pay $10 to the shipper and keep $5.


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## bjbarrick (Dec 13, 2013)

Congratulations! I had my first online sale yesterday on eBay. So exciting to have that sale


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## Pepsi Girl (Dec 13, 2013)

I'm so happy for you!  Your site is very nice . I like a clean simple look.  So it's very appealing to me.  I am a quilter, the first time I ordered on line and the order came back with a note of thanks and an extra "something" in it I was so expressed. I ordered everything I could from that supplier.  Not because I wanted the free stuff,  no it was because it felt like a connection between "friends" just like someone else mention. (I think it was pallio.).
I'm sure this is the first of many more sales!


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## Spicey477 (Dec 13, 2013)

I agree with you guys on the "connection" - that really makes a difference! 
I do charge for shipping but naively I didn't charge enough, $4.95 + $1 each additional. Had to eat a few $$$ because scrubs are...heavy.  My one friend's order was $21 to ship from DC to SF! Luckily he is my friend and he bought a lot so it doesn't bother me, I am thankful for the order.  I need to tweak my rate but I don't want it to be too much to keep someone from buying vs someone else with a lower shipping cost.


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