TEST Etsy Newbie Bootcamp: Class 19 Shipping Snippets

Well, it's back to school time yet again! Time for some more Bootcamp classes! Welcome to our Etsy Newbie Bootcamp! If you want to take part in Bootcamp and get one-on-one mentoring, or answers to any of your questions, please drop us a line at TorontoEtsyST@gmail.com. 

We have new sellers joining our Bootcamp all the time, so never fear if you're just starting. You can complete the classes at your own pace.


If you've been toying with the idea of opening an Etsy shop, this is the moment. In fact, if you sign up now, you can have 20 free listings. Just follow our link and enter the code: TorontoStreetTeam.


The entire series so far: Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Class 6, Class 7, Class 8, Class 9, Class 10, Class 11, Class 12, Class 13, Class 14,  Class 15,  Class 16, and Class 17. 

If you are just starting out, be sure you've checked out our first module of 6 classes, which cover how to open an Etsy Shop, making your shop look its best including: {Branding & Shop Banners, Shop Profiles Bios and Photos, Make Listings Tempting} and providing the information to your customers about who you are and how you run your business: About Pages, and Shop Policies. These introductory classes should get your shop up and running!

Today we're going to cover recent upgrades to shipping with Etsy!

Speaking of notifications, check out the oh, happy day,
wedding congratulations card by lovelylittlepaperco

Shipping Snippets: Automatic Shipping Notices

With streamlining your workflow and boosting productivity in mind, this July, Etsy introduced some changes to shipping. Now when you mark your item as "shipped" Etsy sends an automatically generated email directly to the buyer to let them know, through a tool called "Shipping Snippets"! No more multiple steps (ship, marking the item as shipped, notifying the customer). Now it's one step. You will be given the opportunity to:

• identify your shipper, and 
• include a tracking number (if you have one) 
• include a message to the buyer
• set the actual shipping date up to two days in the future (ou set a ship date in the future, your buyer’s receipt will show the order as “Shipping Soon” until the notification is sent. The email will be sent between 9 AM and 5 PM ET on the ship date you’ve chosen. Otherwise, the system defaults to the current day)
• preview the email which will be sent
• receive a copy of the message for your own records

Keep your records in style with decorative binder clips from KeepMeClips

If you've already developed the good habit of marking your items as shipped, you'll find that now you can do that and communicate with the buyer more efficiently.

Tip: Do note that this is automatic. If you do have a message for the buyer, or a tracking number to provide, be sure you have that info handy so you need not send multiple messages. Some people, including buyers, hate to see their inboxes overflowing needlessly.

Using Shipping Snippets: Nuts and Bolts

You sell something and want to mark it as shipped. Simply go to Your Shop > Sold Orders and check the Open tab. Sellers in countries with shipping labels, like Canada and the US will see two blue buttons on the open order: "Print Shipping Label" and "Mark as Shipped".

Click "Mark as Shipped" and a window will open which will prompt you to

•  choose your shipping date (up to 2 days in the future) 
• add a note to buyer
• add a tracking number if appropriate
• confirm your shipper (it defaults to Canada Post for Canadian sellers, and the USPS for American sellers)
• tick a box if you want a copy of the notification 

Feel serene, knowing your customer knows the package is on its way,
and contemplate seascape Ocean11*14 by Nadia Gurkova

Even more streamlining is availble.  You may also save up to 10 versions of your Note to Buyer. To do so, click the blue message bubble in the bottom right hand corner of the Note to Buyer field.

To preview the email click "Preview" and to submit it click "Submit".

Does this mean your workflow changes? It does for me. If have questions for Etsy you can check out their announcement thread, FAQ and post questions here.

If you are a Canadian or US seller who uses Shipping Labels to print your own postage things are even more streamlined! As soon as you opt to print a shipping label, you get a tool which prints out your postage label with built in Customs forms (if needed), marks your item as shipped and notifies the customer - all in one step. You'll get an additional window to edit a Note to Buyer on the label purchase page.

Orders then move to the Completed Orders tab.

Now you can relax and buy yourself a treat like a lovely,
handmade, tie-dye 100% silk scarf from OrderEthans

The Toronto Etsy Street Team loves Newbie shops! You can find some of our favorite listings from talented Newbie sellers, including those featured in this class in our new TEST ♥ Newbies section. Be sure to stop by often to see what's new in this evolving, curated treasury of amazing Newbie finds!