USPS Announcement

Important news for Etsy Sellers:  The USPS announced today that there will be a change to mail delivery services starting in August.
You can read the full press release here: Press Release
Or the quick fact sheet here: Fact Sheet

images courtesy USPS website

What do YOU want to know?

We are working on putting together a list of blog topics for the next few months and we would love to have your input!  What would you like to see here?

• Is there a particular topic you would like help with?
• What questions would you like us to answer?
• I would really love a tutorial to show me how to do _________________.
• I need more resources for learning __________________.

Please leave a comment and let us know.

Shipping Rates go up January 27

If you haven't heard, shipping rates for most package services with USPS are going up on January 27.  Most services have a pretty small increase, but some of the international rates have almost doubled!  If you ship internationally, you should probably be prepared to do some updates.  Check out this handy summary from Etsy or see the new chart from USPS.

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Vintage Postage stamps by TheBrightonEmporium.etsy.com

It can't be time to start thinking about holiday shipping already? 

Here are some helpful links to some of our favorite shipping companies with deadlines for making your shipping adventures a little more stress free this holiday season:

USPS Shipping Deadlines
Fed Ex Shipping Deadlines
UPS Shipping Deadlines
DHL Shipping alerts

How to: Getting Started in the SASsy Critiques Forum

Every day we have a few new Etsy sellers apply to the SASsy Critiques team.  With all of these new users, we thought it might be helpful to write a little guide to the SASsy Critiques forum.

Who can join?

Anyone can apply to be a part of the team, but you have a little homework to do. First you need to read the Shop Critique Checklist, which is located right here.   Why?  This checklist answers many of the questions that new sellers have and it has lots of links to great information for the most frequently asked questions.  By going through the checklist, you might be able to answer many of your questions on your own.  After you have read the checklist, come back and apply to the team.

We also encourage all of the SASsy Mentors to be a part of the Critiques team.  These mentors are there to participate in the discussions as a voice of experience.  They should identify themselves as a "SASsy Mentor" in their comment, so you will know who they are.

How do you participate? 

Post a question.  

Once you have been accepted to the team, you can start a new thread with your question by clicking the "Create Thread" link at the top of the discussion list. Be sure you are asking a specific question like "I would like some help with my titles.  I don't think they are helping me get many views." or "Please critique my photos, I don't know if the background color is working for my items"

We cannot do a full shop critique, as it says in the forum guidelines.  If you post a question like "Please look at my shop and tell me what I am doing wrong.", we will probably ask for you to narrow it down and be more specific.

Be a part of the discussion.
Everyone is encouraged to be a part of the discussion to answer a question.  If you know the answer or have an opinion, please chime in.

What are the rules of the forum?
They are pretty simple.  First, please be respectful.  The forum is about helping each other and being constructive in your comments.

We won't critique your prices or your art technique.  Only the seller can know what is an appropriate price for an item based on costs, overhead and desired profit.

Your questions have to be about your shop.  We can't help you with critiques of Treasuries, Facebook pages, blogs etc.

No "critique me and I will critique you" games or promotional threads, please.

And you need to abide by Etsy's Terms of Use:  http://www.etsy.com/policy/terms


What if I want to talk to a mentor one-on-one and not have a discussion in the forum?
That's great!  That's why we have our Mentors List.  Sometimes you have a question about a difficult situation with a customer or you just want a little more personal conversation.  Look at the list, choose a mentor who specializes in the topic you are looking for and send them a "conversation". 

You don't need to be a member of any team or forum to contact one of our mentors.  If you have a question, please ask!