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Hey everyone, Isabella from Etsy here.
I hope you and your families are all doing OK
during this challenging time.
Right now for us, our main focus is making sure sellers like you
have the support and resources you need to successfully run your businesses.
Recently, we've been seeing more and more shoppers coming to Etsy
looking for everyday supplies like face masks.
So, if you have the skills and supplies necessary
to create these products,
listing them in your shop could be a good opportunity for your business
as well as a way to get shoppers the items that they need right now.
That's why I'm here today
to talk about tips and best practices for listing face masks on Etsy.
There's tons of patterns online right now for simple fabric face coverings.
For example, you can find a free downloadable one
at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Something important to call out here though
is that many of these patterns are going to come
with sort of stamps of approval
from either hospitals or medical organizations,
and you can't actually mention those approvals anywhere in your listings.
In fact, you can't make any medical or health claims
about the efficacy of your masks on Etsy.
When you list face masks or face covers on Etsy,
there's actually going to be a banner at the top of the listing page
letting potential buyers know that items sold on Etsy are not medical grade.
Still, we feel like it's important for you to mention this on your end
somewhere in your listings.
Here’s what you need to know:
Making medical or health claims about your masks
is against our Prohibited Items Policy.
The policy forbids statements or suggestions
that a product prevents, heals, or treats
a terminal or serious medical condition or disease.
Because of this,
you should avoid mentioning things like coronavirus or COVID-19
anywhere on your listings.
You should also avoid claims around virus, bacteria, pathogen,
Influenza, Flu, Flu protection, Flu prevention,
antibacterial or antimicrobial,
claims around the CDC, the FDA, or other official approval or compliance.
You should also avoid making any comparisons to N95 masks.
Listings that do make any medical claims
may be flagged and removed from the site.
And shops that repeatedly have items removed
could ultimately be suspended.
Now, here are some helpful things you should be doing:
First, make sure to highlight any helpful product info.
So, are your masks washable?
Are they reversible? Are they adjustable?
Put this information into your listing description.
I also suggest putting this information into your keywords--
so your titles and tags--
because these are words
that we're seeing buyers type in to search right now
when shopping for face masks on Etsy.
Remember that your listing titles should be descriptive,
yet easy-to-read,
containing the most relevant phrases.
For your tags, you also want to use the most relevant phrases,
and be sure to use all 13 available to you.
To make it easier for shoppers to find these items on Etsy,
we've added new listing categories
for "Face Mask Coverings" and "Face Mask Patterns."
It's under the "Bath and Beauty > Personal Care" vertical.
Be sure to add it to any relevant listings.
I know there are some other categories that may seem relevant here.
For example, we have "Face Shields," which is actually for welding masks.
There's also under the Beauty category
"Face Masks," but this is actually more of a skincare thing.
So, if you're listing face masks on Etsy,
try to avoid those categories
to best help shoppers find what they're looking for.
Something else to call out here is product photography.
As many of you know,
good product photos make it clear what's for sale
and showcase the features and quality of the product.
Since face covers are wearable,
try to photograph your product on a model.
If it's safe, ask a family member you live with or a roommate
to either be your model or your photographer.
And be sure to take your photos in natural light.
I also want to know quantities here.
You want to set realistic expectations with potential buyers.
It's a good idea to limit your listing quantity
to the number of items you have on hand
or can realistically make during this time.
You can also consider turning off auto-renew on these listings
so you that don't get orders for more masks
than you can reasonably create right now.
It's up to you how you want to manage your shop and orders during this time,
but we'll reach out and offer support
if we feel like your shop is experiencing unmanageable surges right now.
If you are experiencing shipping delays
or are falling behind on your processing times,
be sure to communicate this with your customers.
And if you're feeling overwhelmed
and need to focus on your current orders,
you can temporarily put your shop on Vacation Mode.
This will remove your items from search results,
so you won't get any new orders
and can focus on getting those current orders out the door.
When you turn on Vacation Mode,
you're able to set up an auto-reply message
and an announcement for your shop.
There you can let your customers know that this is just a temporary break,
and let the shoppers who have already placed orders know what to expect.
Most importantly, make sure you're taking care of yourself.
Set healthy limits as you're adjusting
to new schedules, demands, limitations.
Think about how many orders you can complete in a day or a week,
and the supplies that you have,
and how much time you can spend on your shop.
Do you have the time and resources to effectively manage your shop right now?
This can help you determine how many orders you can fulfill.
Thanks for tuning in today.
We hope you found this information helpful.
You can find more resources for selling masks on Etsy
in Etsy's Seller Handbook.
We also just published
our Ultimate Guide to Running Your Shop During COVID-19,
and it's packed with helpful tips.
We'll include the links to both in the description below.
Take care and be well.
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