Etsy And The New USPS Pricing Increase

I remember a time when it only cost me $.20 to mail a letter. That was around 1984. Today that same letter will cost me over double what it was then. It seems that shipping prices are always going to increase. The United States Post Office is increasing their rates again. So, you may want to go ahead and set up a new shipping profile and get all your mailing options changed.

If you'd like to see what your new rates are through Etsy or PayPal, Etsy has set up a chart that you can view here: New Postal Rates For Etsy For 2014 Please keep in mind that these prices are for postage purchased through Etsy and PayPal and they will be HIGHER if you go to the post office.

SO, it is time to calculate your shipping costs and change your listings. Don't forget that your shipping cost should not only reflect postage but packaging and the cost to take it to the post office. Be sure to factor in the full price of shipping as if you were paying for it at the post office as you will never kno when you have to actually do that.

Have a great weekend and I will see you all next week!

Etsy Lifts Ban On Shipping Upgrades

It's official! Etsy has lifted its ban on Shipping Upgrade Listings. Read about it in the Etsy Forum Post. So, what does this mean? Etsy has decided that it is okay to offer more than one shipping option. They plan to put some serious energy into making shipping options available in your listings. Until then, they have given the go ahead to make a listing for shipping upgrades.

Previously it was against the TOS to add an item that was contingent on purchasing another item. Because a shipping upgrade was deemed to not be a tangible item it was not allowed. After much discussion and interaction on the Etsy Admin forums they have finally changed their views.

Earlier in the year they actually tried a few different options and tested it with a select few accounts. Apparently the options provided were not all that effective so they abandoned them. Hopefully now that they are revisiting the options something will change soon. I would not expect any changes before the holidays. So, in the meantime, add those shipping upgrade listings.

When doing so I would make sure to include some information. The biggest thing that you need to have in your listing is that the upgrade is for your shop only! Also, it is probably a good idea to make sure that if you have different shipping prices that you have upgrades for each one. I suggest after creating the link you add it to all of the listings that it would work for.

These changes come just in time for the upcoming holiday season. So, get it done and get it done now, before it gets busy! That is it for today. See you all tomorrow. If you have comments please leave them here or email me MarketMyShop@gmail.com