The New European Union VAT rules on digital item sales
For information about how sellers of digital items will be affected please read this post on the Etsy Blog:- https://blog.etsy.com/en/2015/update-european-union-rules-on-digital-item-sales-2/
This is excellent news for digital sellers as Etsy will be taking responsibility for collecting and remitting all VAT so you are free to focus on creating and curating your digital products!
Please note that I am not able to answer any questions on the subject of VAT and how the new rules will affect you – please consult a professional adviser.
New Listing Categories
Etsy has reviewed its listing categories taking into account feedback from the Etsy community with the aim of making it easier for sellers to select the right category for their items and easier for buyers to find what they are looking for.
The new categories took effect on the 17th of February and Etsy has updated your listing categories based on your listing information. Etsy advises that you double check your new categories to ensure your items are in the best spot.
How do you know what the ‘best spot’ is for your items?
Etsy suggests you consider what each item is – a vintage desk, for example would be listed in Home & Living> Furniture> Office Furniture and they say that buyers will still be able to filter their searches to bring up only vintage items.
You can check out all of the listing categories here:- https://www.etsy.com/categories
You’ll notice that there is now a dedicated “Prints” category (within Art & Collectibles) which seems like the logical place to list our vintage book illustrations.
Personally, I am planning to review my sales numbers before shifting my items into this new category. Etsy have placed all of my items into Home & Living> Home Decor> Wall Decor> Wall Hangings which may or may not be the right place for them so I have put a note in my diary for the 17th of March to compare my sales to the previous 30 days before I decide whether to move them or not.
click on the image to enlarge it
If you have a large number of listings up like I do then don’t worry about having to edit each one individually – the new listings manager allows you to bulk edit your category choice.
Coming Soon……….
A list of buyers is the Holy Grail of online and offline marketing. Businesses that are able to communicate with their customers have the power to create income whenever they choose – you are most likely reading this blog post now because you are on one of my mailing lists and whenever I have news of a new product an email is all that is required to turn my new product into revenue.
Building a list of buyers when you use a third party platform to reach your customers is at best difficult and most often completely impossible. Third party sales platforms like eBay and Amazon know that if you can build a buyer list you can dispense with their costly services so they make the task as difficult as they possibly can.
The good news is that it is relatively easy to build a list of your Etsy buyers and prospects without breaking any rules and to help you do just that I am putting together a comprehensive, step by step guide that will walk you through the entire process!
Of course, building a customer list is only half of the battle – you also need to interact with your buyers and prospects on a regular basis to keep them buying so I am also sharing the email marketing skills and techniques that I have used to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of products over the last 7 years.
My brand new guide will teach YOU how to build your own responsive and profitable mailing list using FREE tools and without the need for any technical skills – if you can read – you can do this!
You’ll be the first to know when my new guide is ready so keep a close eye on your inbox!
Talk soon!
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Stuart, Thanks for your past help. I am wanting to reward my past customers and try to get some repeat sales on Etsy. I was going to use coupon codes ,but they tell me that they would only go to future sales and then only if the person has opted in to receive them. They also said I myself could not issue them as it would be considered spamming by Etsy. I was hoping you would have an answer to this.
I am trying to get my sales up, I think shipping has something to do with it but there is nothing I can do about that until Etsy goes to calculated shipping.
Thanks for all you do to help us!!
Thanks
Jim
I agree with Etsy on this one, Jim – you can’t contact past customers unless they have signed up to a mailing list to receive notifications of future offers.
I’m currently working on a new guide that will teach you how to build a list of Etsy buyers and shop visitors and also teach you how to create and use a sales catalog to promote your shop (using FREE tools!).
Thanks for the update!
Stuart, thanks for the great info as always.
Which subcategory of the “prints” category would be best for our book plates?
I reckon that Etchings & Engravings or Lithographs will cover most of our vintage stuff.
yeah..me too. Look forward for your email marketing product. Hopefully something differ from garbage out there. 🙂
Thanks for the Etsy update, full of important and interesting info from you as usual, Stuart. I’ve yet to enter the Etsy fray, but I will, with your seasoned guidance, and look forward to the new product. I’m certain, based on your track record, it will contain insight and experience available nowhere else in the IM world. And, by the way, spring has also sprung here in central California, drought stricken as it is, with the falls falling nicely in Yosemite Valley, which is just a stone’s throw away. Have a great 2015!
Looking forward to your new product. Thanks for your recent Etsy updates.