Your Thoughts On Etsy's Make An Offer Program?

[kmmcrafts]

I'm sure all you etsy sellers have heard how they want to set up a "Make an offer" program. They have launched it I believe now and I've read in the forums that people are complaining about getting several messages a day with ridiculously low offers like 50 - 70% off, LOL.. Many of us price low and don't even participate in running sales, even during the holidays. I never opted in to this and some of the complaining sellers also said they never opted in. I did opt out of it by clicking the "I'm not interested" button. It ask for a reason why you aren't interested. I said I was a sole operator and I don't have time to be answering messages all day with price haggling and when I do get them messages I mark them as spam, LOL  I also mentioned that esty was supposed to be a handmade selling venue not a thrift store.

What are your thoughts on the program?  It's not for me but it may benefit some stores, I just don't see having time to haggle during the holidays, I get to many messages already asking if I can get it to them by ** date.. LOL I don't want to add price haggling to that already overwhelming number of I need this yesterday if possible messages. LOL 

[BadBob]

I'm 100% with you on this. I don't participate in sales or any of their other crazy ideas.

 

 

[rafairchild2]

I am still thinking about selling my work.  But I do have an opinion as someone who used to do portrait photography for over 20 years professionally.

For hand made products I think this name your price concept is BS.  Talk about cheapening your efforts and art.  If I want to play bidding wars on my pieces, then I would just list them on eBay. It all comes down to pricing your products AS YOU see fit.  I am still learning that.

I know what I would like to get for my work ([materials $$ + [time*$$/hr]]).  But I know for example, I could not sell my love spoons for $100+.  Still, I do not want some yahoo lowballing an item.  If I put 6 hours into something and they offer $10, do you think I would want to accept that?

[BadBob]

8 minutes ago, rafairchild2 said:

Talk about cheapening your efforts and art.  If I want to play bidding wars on my pieces, then I would just list them on eBay.

That was almost exactly my first thought.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, rafairchild2 said:

I am still thinking about selling my work.  But I do have an opinion as someone who used to do portrait photography for over 20 years professionally.

For hand made products I think this name your price concept is BS.  Talk about cheapening your efforts and art.  If I want to play bidding wars on my pieces, then I would just list them on eBay. It all comes down to pricing your products AS YOU see fit.  I am still learning that.

I know what I would like to get for my work ([materials $$ + [time*$$/hr]]).  But I know for example, I could not sell my love spoons for $100+.  Still, I do not want some yahoo lowballing an item.  If I put 6 hours into something and they offer $10, do you think I would want to accept that?

It might surprise you just how much one is willing to pay for those spoons... Used to be a seller on Artfire years ago that was selling them for right around $100 and was busy at it too.. I wish I could remember who the seller was and if they are still doing it.. This was about 12 years ago too.. 

[Gene Howe]

The things I make range from boxes of all kinds and descriptions, simple and I mean SIMPLE scroll saw work, inayed coffee tables, River tables, end tables etc. I do it for fun and give most to family and close friends. We're I to attempt to sell, the fun would be less and the time and effort would vastly increase. At my advanced age, it just ain't worth it. 

[John M]

I keep my prices as reasonable as I can and not in business to haggle. I do several events each year and never accept any offer lower then my price. So if we are on a platform to sell we set the price not the buyer. 

[Wichman]

Thoughts

1. Another reason not to sell online. It seems the online portion becomes a job unto itself.

2. Double your prices and then offer a 30% discount. You know this is going to happen, seems every major retailer pulls this "marketing idea". When J C Penny said the heck with this coupon bs and just had everyday pricing with no sales gimmicks; it almost killed the company.

[BadBob]

6 hours ago, Wichman said:

It seems the online portion becomes a job unto itself.

Absolutely,  it does.

6 hours ago, Wichman said:

Double your prices and then offer a 30% discount.

In many states, this is illegal. Not that it doesn't happen. Having perpetual sales is also illegal in many places.

 

 

[kmmcrafts]

8 hours ago, Wichman said:

Thoughts

1. Another reason not to sell online. It seems the online portion becomes a job unto itself.

2. Double your prices and then offer a 30% discount. You know this is going to happen, seems every major retailer pulls this "marketing idea". When J C Penny said the heck with this coupon bs and just had everyday pricing with no sales gimmicks; it almost killed the company.

The way Etsy set this all up is.. you have to "sign up for it" ..  I wonder how many will actually opt into it. I also feel like they are bringing in the wrong type of shoppers for a handmade site.. ( sorta like selling at a flee market ) I wonder how many people that do not opt into offers will get spammed with email offers because etsy is setting up a certain appeal for this type of bargain shopper.

Another thing is, I get emails with price hagglers from time to time now... it is possible that if you do not accept offers then they won't ask.. some shops will accept it and many will not. My worry is that they'll be bringing in these thrift shoppers and if you aren't opted in the shoppers will just email their offer anyway.

Many handmade crafters do not know how to price their crafts.. I can see many unsure and newbies to selling taking these offers "just to get sales" rather than being a confident seller and setting the bar.. then if no sales.. don't offer the product no more.. You can't make a living when you continuously lose money. 

IF I have a item that isn't selling, I don't even lower the price maybe I should but lowering it devalues the other similar items I have so I just take it offline ) I just take the item offline and donate it to a charity.. 

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

Absolutely,  it does.

In many states, this is illegal. Not that it doesn't happen. Having perpetual sales is also illegal in many places.

 

 

So you're saying if I raise the prices of my clock inserts and then run a sale on them that's illegal? I am fixing to raise the prices of the inserts to cover the cost of idiots that buy not knowing what size they actually need.. then they return it because it was the wrong size. I don't mind returns etc.. but I've had 6 orders last 30 days returned because it wasn't the right size. My markup is very minimal on these... so minimal that doing a return I'm losing money because of the packaging material and label.. Not to mention having to clean and inspect the returned item and adding it back into inventory. I'm either going to charge a restocking fee or raise the prices. Not sure which. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle it but it's getting bad for returns on those. I have sizes listed but many people don't seem to know how to measure I guess. I was thinking about raising the prices to what the others sell them for.. which is double what I sell them for now.. and then offering a sale for 20 - 30% off but if that's illegal then I'll just raise the price and leave it there.. I don't have to sell them.. I just like to keep a flowing inventory of them so I don't have to buy batteries.. However I could just buy batteries as needed and not sell at all.  

 

Art Van Furniture store was running a sale every day of the week.. they always had the regular price double what other stores sold the same thing for.. then run radio / flyer ads every day a sale for some made up reason. LOL. I'm not sure if they was throughout the USA or not but I don't think they are still in business.. at least not around here. 

Harbor Freight seems to have 5 different prices in the flyers for the same item, LOL.. Not sure if they are just trying to use up space in their flyer to fill a page or what.. but sometimes the flyer will have the same item 5 different times and some with different prices, LOL.

 

[BadBob]

32 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

IF I have a item that isn't selling, I don't even lower the price maybe I should but lowering it devalues the other similar items I have so I just take it offline ) I just take the item offline and donate it to a charity.. 

I have some things that I have lowered the price on. These had some minor defects that I didn't think I should sell for the full price. I have sold some used toys at lower prices than I would normally ask.

 

[BadBob]

17 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

Harbor Freight seems to have 5 different prices in the flyers for the same item, LOL

Harbor freight has this down. They have their regular price and then the sale/coupon price that always has an expiration date. They might have the same coupon a week later that has a different expiration date.

 

 

21 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

So you're saying if I raise the prices of my clock inserts and then run a sale on them that's illegal?

It is my understanding that if you are intentionally tricking people into thinking they are getting a bargain. I don't know how you would prove intent. I don't have sales and have never looked into it further.

 

[rafairchild2]

3 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

So you're saying if I raise the prices of my clock inserts and then run a sale on them that's illegal? I am fixing to raise the prices of the inserts to cover the cost of idiots that buy not knowing what size they actually need.. then they return it because it was the wrong size. I don't mind returns etc.. but I've had 6 orders last 30 days returned because it wasn't the right size.

 

Here's an idea for you.  Create a downloadable PDF "Template" with the various sizes of your clock cutouts.  This way, you can encourage customers to download and print the 8.5x11 sheet, and then place it on the piece they need the insert for.  This might reduce some of the returns.

Now you need to make that horse drink the water...

Edited July 22, 2023 by rafairchild2

[kmmcrafts]

3 minutes ago, rafairchild2 said:

Here's an idea for you.  Create a downloadable PDF "Template" with the various sizes of your clock cutouts.  This way, you can encourage customers to download and print the 8.5x11 sheet, and then place it on the piece they need the insert for.  This might reduce some of the returns.

Now you need to make that horse drink the water...

I'm not sure that'd work.. you might be surprised at how low tech some people are.. Their printers settings would / could change how the paper printed.. then it's my fault when it doesn't fit.. IF they just take a chance and order with intent to return then it's on them and i could charge a restock fee on their mistake of not knowing common measurements.. IF I list it in inches they can always google to equate it to mm or however they want to measure it. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what I do.. I can't make them read the description ( most just look at pictures ) or if they did read it I can't make them understand what they just read. 

Just as an example.. I send instructions on how to change the battery.. Even have them posted on my listing in the photos.. However I get tons of people that throw the clock away and ask me what clock they ordered from me in the past because the old one went dead so they threw it out but they want a replacement,  They live amongst us .. 

[rafairchild2]

6 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I'm not sure that'd work.. you might be surprised at how low tech some people are.. ....  They live amongst us .. 

Well...  Richard Axiom of Life #1.

People are Stupid.

The corollary to Axiom #1...

The Masses are Asses. 

[BadBob]

Half of the population is below-average intelligence.