Pastiche Jewelry has asked me for a critique of her shop, and she has graciously agreed to allow me to post the critique publicly, so that others may be helped by it. Thank you, Pastiche!
Your banner is the first thing I notice when I go to your shop. It’s very eye-catching, and it illustrates the type of jewelry in your shop very well. One very minor detail, and this is a personal nitpick of mine (others may not agree): I’m not fond of the Photoshopped-in fake sparkles on the jewelry. I just don’t care for them myself. Your banner is otherwise great!
Your avatar is very hard to see. I’m not sure what is in the picture. I’d recommend changing it to something more recognizable.
I recommend including your state in your location. Where are you? Portland, Oregon? Portland, Maine?
Your shop announcement is short and to the point. Two small recommendations I have: 1. Avoid using too many CAPS. They are the equivalent of shouting on the internet, and they can be a turn-off. 2. I recommend making a sale time shorter than a month. If you have a month-long sale, people see that and think they’ll come back later (which they usually don’t.) A shorter sale gives a greater sense of immediacy.
Your product photos aren’t bad, but some of them could use some work. I recommend not shooting on a red background for two reasons: 1. Red doesn’t seem to show up well on Etsy. and 2. Red overpowers any colors that might be in your jewelry. I suggest making using backgrounds with a consistent feel to them. If you want to use a black background, use that in all of your photos. With your jewelry, you could probably use backgrounds that are a little more colorful and whimsical. Just make sure the backgrounds you choose aren’t too busy or overpowering. Play around with some different things, and decide what feel you’d really like your shop to have.
Make sure to always include at least one photo of the entire piece of jewelry. You have five photo slots – use them well! People will want to know what an entire necklace looks like, not just bits and pieces of it.
I think it’s generally a good idea to use a close-up photo in your first photo slot. You want a photo that catches the eye and makes people interested. The bracelets on the black cones are particularly difficult to see.
Your descriptions are very well written. You describe the piece, provide measurements, and share your personality – very nice! There are a few minor spelling mistakes here and there.
Remember to include things like color in your tags. Try to think of how someone might find your jewelry when doing a search on Etsy. Think about what you’d search for if you were going to buy jewelry online.
Your shipping costs could be a little lower if you’d consider using First Class Mail. I don’t think the prices you have listed are outrageous, but First Class is something you might want to consider.
In your policies section, you ask the customer to let you know if they want insurance. Getting an item to the customer is your responsibility, not theirs. PayPal always holds the seller responsible for items lost or damaged during shipping. I’d reconsider your policy. You also mention that you cannot refund or replace items lost while shipping internationally. Even when shipping internationally, it is your responsibility to get the item to the buyer. Lost and damaged merchandise costs should be part of your overhead. Plan ahead and be prepared to refund or replace items sometimes. It’s just part of doing business by mail.
Everything else in your policies looks pretty good to me. It’s difficult to state your policies, and not sound off-putting. It’s a delicate balance, but I think you’ve done a pretty good job.
Your profile is very nice, and you’ve made good use of your sections. I think that’s about it!
If anyone has additional comments, or would like to disagree with my critique, please feel free to post in the comments section below.
Thanks again to Pastiche Jewelry!
micheledodge
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Thank you PasticheJewelry for allowing your critique to go public. And thank you for posting this here, Lava Jewelry. My etsy site is still a work in progress even after two years and I have picked up quite a bit from reading this post.
With much appreciation,
Kim