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!

Introducing our New Team Captains

Hello Team SASsy! Cindy and I wanted to take a minute to introduce ourselves and say how excited we are to be taking over the behind-the-scenes part of this fantastic team.

About us:

Cindy
cindylouwho2
Calgary, Alberta




Becka
beckarahn
Minneapolis, MN


When did you start with the SASsy Team?

Cindy: I was recruited around May 2010, by Morphologica.

Becka: I joined almost exactly a year ago. I teach in-person classes about opening an Etsy shop here in MN and I was looking for resources for my students when I found the team.

What is your job as Co-Captain?

Cindy: I am going to be in charge of the on-Etsy functions: the team forum, accepting new members, promoting the team in the regular forum etc. Becka & I will be consulting on all major decisions, but then are dividing up the work.

Becka: I am the official team Geek. I am in charge of the blog, Facebook and other technology type things related to the team.

What's your favorite part about being a mentor?

Cindy: It is a fabulous feeling when people tell you that you have given them exactly what they needed!

Becka: Exactly. I love seeing (virtually) the lightbulb come on for someone and having them say "Oh! I get it now!"

What are you most looking forward to as a Co-Captain?

Cindy: It is really exciting to be able to contribute more to the team.

Becka: I am really excited to learn more about the rest of team and really find ways to use everyone's hidden talents in writing blog posts, articles, critiques. I think we have a lot of un-tapped potential.

As soon as we have a few more housekeeping type things finished up, we have all kinds of ideas and we want your creative input, so stay tuned for lots more from us coming soon.

Big News - Team Changes!

Hi Everyone!

I have some big new changes to announce.

Steph (PandaCub), who has been leading SAS since Anna (TheHouseofMouse) has stepped down as Captain, is in need of stepping down from the Captain's duties as well.  She will be staying on as a leader in the SAS Team Forum on Etsy, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her all she has done for the team (and helping me with the transition)!

I have been Captain of the SASsy Critique Forum since Anna left, and enjoyed it tremendously!  So much so, that when Steph was looking for someone to take over for her, that I was happy to step up and take the job as Captain of the entire SAS Team (including the Critique Forum).  I look forward to assisting you all in your efforts to assist the sellers of the Etsy community.

If you have any ideas how we as a team and individuals can better serve the sellers of Etsy, please drop me a note, or post a thread in the SAS Team Mentors Forum. The easiest ways to reach me is by sending a message via either of my Etsy shops, KnitzyBlonde or ZaftigDelights, or you can email me at zaftig2k at yahoo dot com.  


I would love to see a resurgence of the team blog. It is such a valuable resource. Prior to this post, no one had posted since April.  I know that many of you have blogs and post regularly so anything that you have posted to your blogs that our readers would benefit from would be great to share here as well.  I'd also love any of you that enjoy writing to please send me your ideas for blog features.  They don't have to be long or involved.  Sometimes short and sweet is better!  But it would be great to hear from more of you.  I'd love stories about how you may have helped a seller with some specific ideas that can also help others.  If we publish you on the blog you always get a reference link to your Etsy shop as well, so it is a win/win!


I could also use more regular Mentors helping with critiques and questions in the SASsy Critique Forum.  I only have a handful of regular Mentors that help with critiques right now, and it would be nice to lighten their load a bit. Our Critique Forum is becoming a very busy place as we have received a lot of recognition lately (see next paragraph). If you could do one critique a day, or several a week, we would be thrilled to have you join us!  Let me know if you are interested.


Just yesterday there was a feature on me and our team on Handmade Spark!  I hope you'll stop by and check it out.  

I look forward to getting to know you all better!



SAS Captain

Team SASsy Interview: Mango Tango Designs

You've seen us in the Etsy forums, visited our Facebook page, maybe even asked us for advice. Or, perhaps you've joined the team yourself. But really, who ARE Team SASsy?

We decided to find out and asked team members to interview each other so that we could discover who really makes Team SASsy rock! Here's the first interview in the series - watch for more to come!

Team SASsy member, cindylouwho2, from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, spent some time interviewing fellow team member Mango Tango Designs, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA.

cindylouwho2's shop, Peacock Jewellery, was named for her love of peacock pearls, paua abalone shell and her peacock day gecko. The shop is filled with beautiful (and affordable!) jewellery made with natural materials such as gemstones, pearls and shells, as well as crystals and glass.

Abalone Shell and Pearl Cluster Earrings, Blue and Purple Paua Shell from Peacock Jewellery

Here's her interview with Mango Tango Designs:

How did you get started making jewellery?
A close friend suggested I register with her for a nearby jewelry class. The subject of that class was metal clay. I simply could not believe that a type of clay existed which, when fired, would become pure silver. To me, that was magical and completely addictive.

Did you always intend to run a jewellery business?
Not at all. I actually began handcrafting in 1990 in a completely different category – scale dollhouse miniatures. I sold my work online and at shows – just as I do jewelry now – for many years. Eventually the labor involved took its toll on me physically, and I switched because I found jewelry-making to be much less physically demanding. I believe my training in scale miniatures transitioned well to jewelry, as I was already so familiar with the necessity of precision and detail in my work.


We are often advised to have a niche or theme/unifying look for our shops. When I look through your beautiful listings I am struck by the repetition of the ocean theme, right down to the background colours. Was that your initial intent, & has it changed over time? What would you recommend others do to find a unifying theme or look?

My initial intent was certainly to have a unifying theme at least in the background of my photos if not in the work itself. At first I used slate and marble, but I found that too be too dark and gloomy. Once the theme of my work evolved into what it is now – which wasn’t an overnight process either; it took me a while to find my voice - finding a more suitable background was easier. I would definitely recommend that every seller find some way to make a cohesive statement in their Etsy shop – not only in their photos, which should be sharp and focused, but in their banners and avatars as well. Even when the merchandise is diverse, a common background that’s uncluttered and flatters the subject matter helps to sell the product.

You list several upcoming shows in your shop announcement – are they a big part of your business? Do you have recommendations for people who want to do art shows & festivals?

The bulk of my business actually comes from selling online and through a wonderful local gallery. Shows can be a hit or miss proposition. The juried shows which draw thousands are extremely expensive to do, and the unjuried shows may be less expensive but frequently draw smaller crowds and therefore fewer customers. I worked hard to jury into a local artisans’ guild that holds their own shows in order to guarantee myself booth space at a reasonable cost.

My advice to others is to be certain you have product that people want to buy. If you work in a competitive field such as jewelry, it can be very, very difficult to jury into some of the better shows. Be prepared to soldier on and keep pushing in the face of rejection and disappointment. Find a niche and fill it. Be unique.


Finish this sentence (but feel free to write more than a sentence!):
Before I started my Etsy shop, I wish I knew_______________
I wish I knew the formula for making high-quality, inexpensive product that would fly out of my shop! I see now that my style of jewelry is nearly impossible to craft less expensively, and so I accept that I will never be one of Etsy’s top sellers. And yet I’m pleased with the way my work has been embraced on Etsy and feel quite satisfied selling here. There’s a market for my work and I couldn’t be more pleased about that.


How did you get involved with Team SASsy? Has it been what you expected?
I love helping others. I also have a teaching background, and volunteering to assist others helps me to scratch that itch. Also I believe in karma. The good that I do for others will someday come back to me when I most need it. I derive tremendous satisfaction from a heartfelt ‘thank you’ from someone I have assisted on Etsy.

If you had the ability to start a completely different handmade business, what would you choose to do?
I guess I’d have to say there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Since I began handcrafting a totally different type of product, where I am now is precisely where I’d like to be.

And your final words of wisdom:
I think that what each of us gets out of Etsy depends entirely on what we put into it. Not everyone has the ability to create something that someone else wants to buy. If what you’re currently doing isn’t working, try something else. There’s always room for improvement. Do what you love and love what you do.


Thanks again to cindylouwho2 of Peacock Jewellery and Mango Tango Designs for this great interview!

Sellers Assisting Sellers Team now on facebook!

Custom Logo Cupcakes by shortbreadnyc

The Sellers Assisting Sellers Team is now on facebook! As well as linking to our new blog posts, we’ll also be sharing other useful business resources and announcing upcoming live critique sessions! You can find our facebook page here


Love Letter Necklace by SimonDesigns

Also, to make it easier to keep up with the articles published on this blog, you can now subscribe via email so that you don’t miss anything (in the box on the right panel). We’ll soon be interviewing some of The TeamSASsy mentors so that you can get to know the team and hear their best etsy tips.


If you’d like to join the team and become a mentor yourself, we’d love to have you! You can find information about how to join here

Le Gros Chat Noir Pendant by SuperVery

Posted by morphologica.etsy.com