Hyperantiques best practices for good reviews

Hyperantiques best practices and Etsy shopping for vintage items

High levels of customer satisfaction and great customer reviews are very important to our Etsy business. We will try to describe our Hyperantiques best practices in the following post. We will also try to describe our items as best as humanly possible and if we run into issues prior to shipping we usually cancel and refund the order before it turns into a problem. We sell honestly by describing our vintage products as best and we possibly can – in text and in photos. We also try to ship as fast as humanly possible.

Shipping challenges in the COVID era and maintaining Hyperantiques best practices

COVID has created some challenges in the area of shipping. Prior to COVID we used to try to get the package packed and shipped the same day as the order was received. That practice has been deferred as we do not go into our local post office for any reason while COVID rages in our community. The US Postal service has made it possible for us to not go to the post office by facilitating pickups at our shop. This however has led to challenges in timing as we cannot request a pickup for the same day but must wait for the regularly scheduled delivery person to pick up. This usually adds a day to the shipping process.

So, if an order is received on Sunday through Friday we try to pack it and schedule a pickup for the next day. For example an order received on Sunday is packed on Sunday and scheduled for pickup on Monday. The same process is followed for each day except for orders received on Saturday. These orders need to wait until Monday for a pickup. We have altered our shipping policies to reflect the changes in effect during this COVID pandemic.

USPS scheduled pickups

Other strange anomalies in the process of scheduling pickups with the USPS is that it is difficult to modify the quantity of items scheduled for pickup. We have not figured out the precise process and how it works but we have found that if we have scheduled items for pickup and we receive another order before the pickup is to be made, the new item cannot be added to the list of items and it has to be scheduled for a future date. We kind of understand why this is but for small shippers like us we only try to add one or two items to the list. It is just not dependably consistent so we apply the next day rule to orders received after a pickup haven scheduled.

Other things that influence our shipping positively is that our local post office is staffed by some pretty amazing people. For the most part they really try to make our shipping a pleasant and dependable experience for us and our customers. We rarely have seen any issues with our local team. The bigger postal ecosystem is a bit more unpredictable.

Most if not all of the issue that we have experiences have been with orders that ship to densely populated cities or to homes that have ambiguous addresses. For the tricky addresses we either use the address provided by the Etsy shipping portal or if that does not work we contact the USPS to validate the address. If all of these methods fail, we will reach out to the customer to seek more information. We never ship to an ambiguous address.

We do not ship to nefarious re-shipping addresses. We will only ship to a verified business address or to a verified residential address. As we do not ship overseas we avoid these re-shippers like the plague. Unfortunately our vintage Chanel jewelry and garments seem to attract a lot of activity to these re-shippers. Our assumption is that people are seeing the stock from afar and using a re-shipper to get the goods delivered to them. Just avoid them where possible. Googling these re-shipper addresses can help you weed them out. Many complaints are shown for the ones that have seen trouble in the past.

We decided early on to not sell outside of the US. This decision was based on the high number of problems we had in a former iteration of on-line selling through eBay. The terrible stories we have been hearing about items being delayed for weeks even if just going to France has kept us from entering that market. Perhaps in a post-COVID time we will reconsider that decision.

Another practice that we found very useful in high value items is obviously to add insurance to the item. We insure all packages over a certain value. We also insist on a signature with USPS priority shipping for any item over $300. We also try to price our items in a way that we share in the added costs for insurance and required signatures. So far it has been an excellent deterrent to loss of packages (knock on wood).

Things Hyperantique does to help ensure a high quality customer experience

A few odds and ends that make our process better (in our opinion):

We try to use new boxes where possible. We will use recycled boxes but only for items that are larger or unusually shaped. Some smaller items will ship in lightly used boxes but we have tried to stop that practice wherever possible. We try to avoid “frankenboxes” as they detract from the positive experience of receiving an item from our shop.
We add branding to the package. A sticker or an ink stamped message is all we have right now but we do plan to have boxes imprinted in the future. We like to build a bit of excitement when the package arrives.
We add a hand written note to each order. A thank you note mostly but if we find that upgrading the delivery method is fitting for the item we note that as well.
We always upgrade shipping if there is left over money to cover the upgrade. Sometimes we even upgrade if the money is a tad short. We feel that getting the item to the customer as fast as possible is our best curse of action.
Package like it was the Mona Lisa. We never want to see an item arrive damaged so we “over pack”. Nothing more frustrating than seeing a one of a kind vintage item get broken on the way to a customer. We take packing seriously.

Here is a link to our shop to review Hyperantiques best practices Our humble shop – Hyperantique

eRank and Etsy SEO – Boosting Etsy Sales with SEO

Etsy Seo Improvements with eRank (that you can do today)

We have seen a tremendous drop in visits to our Etsy shop since we were taken off of Google Shopping . Etsy decided to insource the Google shopping ads a few weeks ago. Learning this we shut off ads in the Etsy provided marketing drop down menu in Etsy Shop manager. We started our search in Google for eRank and Etsy SEO.

We decided that we needed to try eRank in our little Etsy Shop which you can find here Hyperantique. Our statistics have been getting hammered into the wrong direction. The attached graphic showing the weekly trend of users looks like a ski slope in the wrong direction.

eRank to the Etsy SEO rescue (we hope)

eRank is one of the tools that are touted for their ability to assist you in fashioning SEO worthy Etsy listings. When we tried to register with eRank, we noticed that we had already registered for the product but we had not stored the password. We had to reset our passwords and refresh our listings. That said, you will not benefit from eRank unless you are actively using it. You must go in and audit your listings on a regular basis with a refresh to bring in new listings since your last visit to eRank.

We are not experts with the eRank product so we are using the free version which you can find here is eRank . So far we have re-loaded all of our listings and we are using eRank to examine each of the listings for good structure and then we will monitor the traffic. Fun is!

Our session traffic appears to be flattening out as well. This was happening before we installed eRank. We will continue to monitor the traffic and session data using our Google Analytics page. Follow the instructions and you will be able to track you traffic outside of Etsy too. Here is the link to the Etsy article that will guide your install of Google Analytics – for Etsy

Session Status before leveraging eRank

The Etsy Sessions trend is pretty dismal. While the trend is ok (wider base) the drop is coming unless we do something to enhance our SEO rankings inside of Etsy and outside of Etsy (from our website, Pinterest account and Google Search).

Our eRank starting point

We ran a refresh and eRank pulled in our 145 plus listings and presented us with a report card. eRank allows us to drill down on every listing. We are then presented with a list of deficits in each of our listings.

By drilling down on each item we were able to see that our biggest issues were with keywords. Second we never have enough pictures. We also noticed that the photos we put up were not all optimized for the majority of listings.

eRank is allowing us to focus on the mechanics of our listings. It will ensure that we are alerted to the missing information as well as spelling errors and a number of other quick fixes. We will check back in a few weeks to see if the numbers change dramatically.

We hope that you will visit our Etsy Shop to follow our progress. We will be updating this article with our findings in less than a month. See you on the internet!

Coco Chanel high value sales on your Etsy Shop

The pitfalls of selling Coco Chanel on Etsy

We have been selling vintage Chanel on Etsy for a total of 8 years. Overall our experience has been excellent but selling high value Coco Chanel leather gloves, earrings, hats and scarfs can present difficulties to the Etsy seller. Not only are these items of high value but they are readily counterfeited – just take a walk down Canal Street in NYC.

Canal street has historically been lined with fake everything including Chanel, Rolex, and all of the most desirable high-end brands. We strive to ensure that our Chanel items are authentic and of the highest quality that is available. Many of our items are new old stock that has been unused or lightly used.

We have bought and sold Chanel for almost 10 years now. All of our transactions have been consummated, delivered and completed with very little drama. We choose to sell from the large inventory of Chanel vintage items from the early 1990s. These were accumulated through our work with Chanels boutique on 57th street in NYC. We also managed repairs of high value Chanel handbags and other clothing accessories.

Coco Chanel gloves exquisite details

We absolutely love the details on the many pairs of gloves that we have acquired for sale. Beautiful and well made, these beautiful gloves can only be found on our site. Here is a sample listing for an amazing pair of longer formal leather Coco Chanel gloves right here Etsy Shop

Other Chanel items listed appear under the section for Vintage Fashion section.

How We protect High Value Chanel Inventory

First, we only sell authentic Coco Chanel items in our Etsy Shop that you can visit from right here Etsy Shop . Other items are also for sale in our shop but only authentic Chanel items are sold by us.

When we list a high value item the seller must agree to the following: Pay for insurance using a USPS priority shipping method, Insurance must cover the cost of the item as well as the shipping and packing charges, A signature is required for delivery and item must be paid for prior to shipping.

We carry many Chanel items as well as hundreds of other interesting and unusual vintage products. We try to ship the same day that we receive an order. In the worst case we ship within one business day unless the order was placed on a holiday. We attempt to answer any questions about the product, packaging and shipping as soon as we see the request or question.

From a curb on Canal Street, NYC a decal that was placed on the iron Curb. We would love to have you visit shop because Best of all – Love is Telepathic. See you on line!

Etsy Shopping is Eye-popping

Etsy Shopping – How not to list an item

Great photos and a well constructed description is not enough to get your items noticed and to turbocharge your Etsy shopping. You can do everything “right” and still not get any conversions in your Etsy shop. What can one do to increase the odds that your items will get picked up by search engines or at lease float to the top of the Etsy search algorithm?

We covered the proper way to make a listing according to what we have read in the Etsy support documents. Here is a link back to that article. It discusses many of the technical aspects of making a listing inside of Etsy’s own ecosystem. Here is a link to that article Get Google Analytics Working for Your Etsy Shop

After following their own recommendations for listing construction and even trying to use Google ads for some of the more expensive items we still see little upward trends in site traffic or conversions.

Trying something different to fix your Etsy Shopping experience

We have spent a good deal of time to set up the following accounts: Twitter @hyperantique , Pinterest Hyperantique, a facebook page called Hyperantique and an instagram account called Hyperantique. Still no noticeable increases in visits from outside of Etsy.

We also have this website www.hyperantique.com. The site uses WordPress and a number of plugins that we use to tailor the user experience. We are going to see if we can drive traffic from the website to our Etsy shop.

Here is a sample listing photo that was badly done:

Here is the actual listing with a better photo at our etsy shop Seat Belt Safety Award

Several things should come to mind when looking at the listing. First and foremost – what the heck is it and why do I want it. The description:

“A very cool 1988 award or sales display for seatbelt gear
From the time before airbags and when the only thing between you and the front window was a seat belt in your car.
Nice to put on your desk or trophy shelf.
Show the kids you are safety minded and hip to car stuff.”

Not an extremely compelling listing but it does cover all of the necessary Etsy requirements. It is fairly priced but it still does not rank. Let’s see if this article improves the views.

How to sell on Etsy without making it a full time job

Here is a check-list for those looking to sell on Etsy:

Selecting what to sell on Etsy

Item selection is very important but not for the reasons that you might think. For an Etsy seller, size and weight matters almost more than any other attribute. Of course the items must be of high quality but if you can not ship it cost effectively you might just be wasting your time listing them. Choose items that are easy to ship and do not weigh too much. Unusually large items will not sell unless they are extremely interesting or rare.

Does the Item Photograph well

Larger items are difficult to take a meaningful photograph of. Smaller items can be much easier to take a good photo of and will sell on Etsy. Do not use distracting background and try to place something in the picture that will show scale. Use pleasant but neutral colors in your background. Use natural light when possible. Make sure to put any defects, scratches or patina in a photo for full disclosure. Use all 10 Etsy photograph slots if you can. If the item is simple (like a bowl) use as many as you can to show the item and use the rest to place the item into a good contextual use case – like put fruit in the bowl.

Items are art

We sell antiques and vintage items. One of our goals to sell on etsy is to try to pick out items that are made with interesting materials. Those made using a process that is extinct are the best for us. Our favorites are items items that are essentially impossible to duplicate because the process is too complex or the maker used materials that are not abundant any longer. These items sell the fastest for us. Luxury items that are gently used are also very popular. We specialize in Chanel stock items from the 1990s along with an eclectic mix of unusually well made items. Take a look at our shop here Middle Cove Antiques

Item Title

The Item Title is important for the (internal) Etsy Search Algorithm. We will talk more about internal search later in this piece. More importantly, the item title that you provide is submitted to Google and other search engines by Etsy as a snippet. Most interesting is that Etsy uses only the first 66 characters of the item title to submit to search engines. See the attached image where the preview uses the first 66 characters and the word by and your shop name to construct the first part of the preview.

This makes it extremely important to use your best efforts to describe the item as you would imagine a buyer searching for it. The second part of the submitted preview is the first 160 characters of your item description.

Item Descriptions and Stories

If you want to get found inside of Etsy and more importantly in search engines you will need to focus on your item description in two parts. First you must concentrate on the first 160 characters and then the balance of the description quite differently.
To be effective you really need to try to concentrate on how you would search for what you are selling as you construct first 160 characters of item description. Use the balance of the item description to talk about size, condition and other important attributes you wish to convey to a potential buyer.

In Middle Cove Antiques we try to spice up an otherwise boring description with a little bit of a story. That said, don’t write a novel about your item. Tell your prospective buyer what the item is, what the condition of the item is, the size and weight of the item, the color and materials that the item is made of.

It is also very helpful if you know what the item actually is. While this sounds strange, some items are so out of place in modern times you need to be able to tell your customers what the item is and what it was used for. They will like you to be truthful so don’t make stuff up. If you have some amusing tidbits about the item, how you came across it or how you think it might be used in modern times add it to the bottom of your description.

Tags – use them all

Etsy describes tags as tools to help get your item found. Etsy tags are limited to up to 20 characters. We try to use the first 5 tags to add great search triggers. We try to use the remaining 8 tags to place context around the use of the item. For example if you are listing a bowl, use the first 5 tags to clearly lockdown descriptive search keywords: soup bowl, glazed ceramic, etc. Try to use the other 8 to capture different related keywords that are highlight the practical use of the item. We get creative with tags but we try not to get crazy with them.

Clearly Etsy messes with the search results constantly so I suggest that you read the article at Etsy SEO

What I have written here appears to work well for us to sell on Etsy, your results may be different. At the end of the day Etsy has their own rules for placing your listing into its search results. Once the snippets go to Google or Bing only they know what actually makes them important or highly ranking in search.

Materials Tags

Materials which are optional appear to show up in the product overview under “materials”. Looking at what Etsy has to say about materials does not really shed much light on their actual purpose. I suspect that they may be part of some filters that Etsy uses somewhere in internal search algorityms but I am not clear on their impact on the ability to get your item found in outside search engines.

Etsy Search – Tag and Title Relevancy

Here are some notes from Etsy on internal search relevancy: “Items in Etsy’s search results must match the buyer’s search word or phrase. Items that do not match a buyer’s search won’t be included in results”. (This was taken from Etsy’s “Factors in Etsy’s search placement” article).

Exact phrase matches are stronger than matches on individual words. For example, a search for “banana backpack” would return all items with the words “banana” and “backpack” in the tags or title, but items with “banana backpack” in the title would be considered a closer match.

If a word or phrase in a buyer’s search appears in both the title and tags of a listing, the search algorithm considers that listing more relevant than a listing with that word or phrase in the tags or title alone.
According to Etsy the words at the beginning of titles are considered more important than words at the end of the title.

All I can conclude from this is that while a customer is in Etsy, using Etsy search you better use your tags and your titles in a manner that is consistent with Etsy’s search algorithms. Once you are outside of Etsy, search engine placement is a whole different ball game. We will talk more about this in another article/post. In the meantime let us know how you sell on Etsy.

Where is Etsy Heading? – sellers aggravated

Where is Etsy Heading?

Etsy has been doing some very strange things as of late that are making many Etsy sellers wonder where is Etsy heading. While Etsy sellers have access to some great tools to make selling on-line easy, the overall value of Etsy is coming under question by many shop owners. Continue reading “Where is Etsy Heading? – sellers aggravated”