Virtual Lab Highlights

Time again for another virtual lab highlights. These questions/answers came from the Seller Chat with HeyMichelle on Wednesday 10/27/10. Due to some technical difficulties on Etsy's end, the chat was a bit short, so there's only a couple things that I have to share.

1. Can the word "gift" be used in tags? The most recent Merchandising article in the Storque was a bit confusing.

The simple answer is no, you cannot tag items with the word "gift" unless they are something like handmade gift bags, gift wrap or something similar. Per the Etsy Do's & Don'ts:


"Tags should only state what the item is, not what the item may become or potential uses for the item (for example: yarn should not be tagged with "sweater," beads should not be tagged with "bracelet," small gift items should not be tagged with "stocking stuffer")."

The article in question is the November "From Etsy's Merchandising Desk" article. It talked about thinking in terms of what types of gifts your items would make, and creating treasuries as gift guides. The article was talking about tagging Treasuries with the words "gift" or "gift guide" which is perfectly fine.

2. Do other shops have their own unique website, and does it help bring business to their Etsy shop?

HeyMichelle decided to post this question in the room as 2 polls, and here are the results.

• Do other shops have their own unique web site? 19 yay, 23 nay
• If yes, does it help bring business to your Etsy shop? 10 yay, 5 nay

It was mentioned that even if you're not ready to dive into creating your own website, it may be a good idea to purchase the domain name that you would like, say one that is similar to your shop name. You can then set that domain to either forward directly to your Etsy shop or put a link to your shop on that first main page.

Well, that's the highlights for this lab. Hope they were interesting and informative. Come join us soon in the Virtual Labs!