A few announcements for everyone

Anna over at TheHouseOfMouse has been busy (as always) getting our newest members added to the ever growing list. That list is taking on a life of its own, and in an attempt to make our team an active one rather than just an impressive list, she has suggested a few guidelines. Here is an excerpt from the latest forum thread.

Suggested membership requirements for new members applying to join Sellers Assisting Sellers.

1. At least 6 months selling on Etsy from the date of your first sale
2. At least 10 sales
3. Excellent feedback*
4. You must be an expert in at least one subject/category. That is to say you feel you can answer ANY question on that subject and you must give a short reason why with your application* (e.g. I'm an expert in promotions because that is my day job and I have been doing it for 5 years).

* All applications will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Suggested participation requirements for members of Sellers Assisting Sellers. Every 3 months members are required to do a minimum of one of the following things for the team.

1. Write a blog post for our team blog
2. Take part in a live mentor critique in Etsy chat
3. Take part in a positive team action, for example: running a promotion to bring attention to the team, writing an article for the Storque about us etc.

Okay, I'm in trouble myself with the whole expert thing, since it is definitely out of my comfort zone to call myself an expert at anything. I'm sure that some of the other requirements might be a bit daunting to some of you as well. Just remember, the more that we put into this team, the more everyone will get out of it.

Also, I think that we are all set to sponsor a regular Sneak Attack with handmademovement.com. Visit the site to learn more. Sneak Attacks are getting alot of attention in the forums these days and are a crazy amount of fun but do require a bit of work. If anyone is interested in helping, we will need particular help with these areas.

*Choosing a shop that fits the criteria. Again, visit handmademovement to see what is required for a shop to be chosen. I have a list of new shops that I can send anyone who would like to screen them and of course, any shops that you all find would be much appreciated. We would need a shop (or possibly two) a month and its the hardest part of a Sneak Attack. Send me links in a convo if you have any suggestions.
*Members who would be willing to be that months "sponsor". Your shop would get a good bit of exposure for this, so its not completely altuistic.
*Help, lots and lots of help, keeping the forum threads alive and kicking. I would like to see everyone pop their heads in at least once to show support and "team spirit".
*Any members that blog, it would be much appreciated if you could be counted on to post a bit about the upcoming attacks, with dates & times, to help promote it.
*A successful Sneak Attack thread attracts a good bit of attention. If there are any members who would like to offer a discount to participants (someone who actually makes a purchase) in a particular attack, we could add a list of shop links right at the top of the thread. It wouldnt have to be much, maybe 10% off? I doubt that it would generate too many sales, but would show some group solidarity and give your shop a bit of free exposure.

♥And on a personal note, I just have to share this idea! I have been looking for some mini cards for kitsandcaboodles and havent had much luck. I ordered the most adorable mini cards from pixelbypixel for threadednest and I just loved them. They are so cute and different and they double as hang tags. Unfortunatley, I send out too many cards with kitsandcaboodles for those to be affordable for me right now. I need ALOT.
What I did in the end was to design a regular size business card that I could have printed and then cut in half! Personally, I thought this was a stroke of genius. I ended up ordering cards from VistaPrint. Yes yes, I know that many of you have had a bad experience with them, but this is the third time I have used them and I have had nothing but positive experiences. I uploaded my custom image, added some text to the backside, keeping in mind that each card was actually two cards, and ordered 1000. Yeah you heard me, 1000. That means that I actually now have 2000 business cards once I slice em up! I added some address labels to the order and still only paid an amazing $26 with free shipping! Thats with two image uploads and a upgrade to 100 lb cardstock. You know you wanna see them! Here you go.

I always google VistaPrint coupon codes before I order and just a tip: you can put all of your stuff in your cart and then click the coupon links and compare codes to see which offer is the most affordable. For my order it was 50% and free shipping. That actually came out better than the 500 cards for $1.99. I have to mention that VistaPrint, like everyone else, has insane shipping costs. But I always choose the "slow shipping" and though they say it takes up to 21 days, I've always gotten my order in about a week. So I would'nt recomment paying for the shipping upgrade.

Remember...if you have any team ideas just convo Anna or pop over to the team thread and leave a comment, and if you would like to write for this blog you can let me know and I'll add your name as an author. You get a free ad square over there ----> and your mini on the blog!

Also, if anyone could tell me how to STOP eating all the handmade caramels I ordered for my holiday packages, please share this info with me!

Have a great day everyone! Here's wishing you many happy sales.

A little bit about me: I'm Andrea from kitsandcaboodles.etsy.com. I have another shop as well and have been selling on Etsy for over a year. Kits & Caboodles is relatively new but has done pretty well thanks to a bit of experience and some good advice from my mentor. I'm thrilled to be able to share what I have learned with others. You can visit my personal blog if you just need to know more.