Thank you Dummies for Teaching an Old Dog Some New Tricks!
Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies
Why would we want this book when we have been selling on Etsy for years? Because Etsy has been making changes. At the time we requested this book, the latest change negatively affected our sales to the point where we were wondering why we were bothering to list any items at all. The problem was Etsy changed it's search format. Potential buyers were not finding our items. We followed all the Etsy newsletters & workshops changing tags, titles you name it. It made no difference. Along comes this book & we think, "What have we got to loose?"
For the most part being active buyers & sellers we can say that this book is dead on right. The advice is sound & you should follow it. We even discovered little things here & there that We didn't know! =D
Sadly the book is already outdated! Etsy is continuing to make changes & at the rate they are doing these changes, no book will ever be up to date. The already mentioned search format change is not in the book. Also, the book says you cannot change your shop name. Last week we got a notice from Etsy saying soon we would be able to change our shop names. The book says how you can buy a spot for $7 a day to be featured. This changed twice now. They did away with that when they changed the search format. That space featured the newly listed items. It has yet again changed to feature items that sellers pay to have featured but not for $7 a day. It's totally different & we're not going into it or this review will never end.
There is now a option to click the Facebook like button on the shop page front. As well as a Twitter option. Now not only is your shop name shown, but your real name (or whatever name you chose to provide. If you don't provide a name it will show your shop name twice) and your shop name. The book mentions going into the chat rooms & etiquette. Well don't worry you can skip right over this. Etsy got rid of the chat rooms!
While writing this, we are trying to remember all the changes that have happened that are not in this brand new book & really there are so many it's rather nutty & we are sure we're missing a few.
The section on paying taxes was not very detailed. This is another reason we wanted the book. We only discovered one thing we hadn't known about our tax system. Mostly this section covers the tax part in Etsy but advises you to speak to a lawyer and/or accountant. They also recommend finding out the specific tax laws for not only your state but your town as well. This is good advice but probably not what you are looking for since you have to look elsewhere for the answers to all those confusing tax questions.
If you are new to Etsy we see no reason not to read this book because it still contains loads of useful information. If your a seasoned seller, you may enjoy brushing up on your Etsy knowledge & who knows maybe like us you will learn a few new things along the way! The biggest problem is if you use this book & really are a "Dummy" you are going to be very confused when what the book says & what Etsy does don't match up. Luckily at the moment it's a small enough amount of differences that you can still learn plenty. Aside from that Etsy is not a super complicated site. It functions very well. As the book advises (this is great advice) Be a buyer first! You have a stress free way to get familiar with the site while getting some nifty items for your efforts!
Good luck!
Why would we want this book when we have been selling on Etsy for years? Because Etsy has been making changes. At the time we requested this book, the latest change negatively affected our sales to the point where we were wondering why we were bothering to list any items at all. The problem was Etsy changed it's search format. Potential buyers were not finding our items. We followed all the Etsy newsletters & workshops changing tags, titles you name it. It made no difference. Along comes this book & we think, "What have we got to loose?"
For the most part being active buyers & sellers we can say that this book is dead on right. The advice is sound & you should follow it. We even discovered little things here & there that We didn't know! =D
Sadly the book is already outdated! Etsy is continuing to make changes & at the rate they are doing these changes, no book will ever be up to date. The already mentioned search format change is not in the book. Also, the book says you cannot change your shop name. Last week we got a notice from Etsy saying soon we would be able to change our shop names. The book says how you can buy a spot for $7 a day to be featured. This changed twice now. They did away with that when they changed the search format. That space featured the newly listed items. It has yet again changed to feature items that sellers pay to have featured but not for $7 a day. It's totally different & we're not going into it or this review will never end.
There is now a option to click the Facebook like button on the shop page front. As well as a Twitter option. Now not only is your shop name shown, but your real name (or whatever name you chose to provide. If you don't provide a name it will show your shop name twice) and your shop name. The book mentions going into the chat rooms & etiquette. Well don't worry you can skip right over this. Etsy got rid of the chat rooms!
While writing this, we are trying to remember all the changes that have happened that are not in this brand new book & really there are so many it's rather nutty & we are sure we're missing a few.
The section on paying taxes was not very detailed. This is another reason we wanted the book. We only discovered one thing we hadn't known about our tax system. Mostly this section covers the tax part in Etsy but advises you to speak to a lawyer and/or accountant. They also recommend finding out the specific tax laws for not only your state but your town as well. This is good advice but probably not what you are looking for since you have to look elsewhere for the answers to all those confusing tax questions.
If you are new to Etsy we see no reason not to read this book because it still contains loads of useful information. If your a seasoned seller, you may enjoy brushing up on your Etsy knowledge & who knows maybe like us you will learn a few new things along the way! The biggest problem is if you use this book & really are a "Dummy" you are going to be very confused when what the book says & what Etsy does don't match up. Luckily at the moment it's a small enough amount of differences that you can still learn plenty. Aside from that Etsy is not a super complicated site. It functions very well. As the book advises (this is great advice) Be a buyer first! You have a stress free way to get familiar with the site while getting some nifty items for your efforts!
Good luck!
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