Filling Out Etsy Policies- A helpful Outline

Creating your own policies can seem like a daunting task. What most people don't realize is that you already have policies that you follow! You just have to convert them to your Etsy page! For example- Shipping. We all do it, but is there certain days that you ship? This is your shipping policy! Below is a basic outline I have created stating what should go here. If you have any question, as always, please feel free to ask! The outline is in the order the policies appear on your Etsy shop!

Your Shop Policies

1. Welcome
• Here simply state a brief welcoming statement
• A short blip about your shop and what you do is appropriate
2. Payment
• What types of payment methods do you accept? State them here
• Are there certain payment options that should be discussed before using them?
• Example: I have the "other" option available on my shop, but in my policies section it states that this option is only to be used for Heartsy Orders.
• Also include how long a person has to pay and what actions will be taken if it is not paid for.
• Example: If you say a person has 2 days to pay for their item, what actions will you take if payment is not received. For me I send out at least 2 Etsy convo's (a few days apart) and a final Email message. If I don't receive an answer in a day or two I cancel the transaction and leave appropriate feedback. I will only leave negative feedback if the person failed to respond to any of my messages.
3. Shipping
• Who do you ship your packages through? (USPS, FedEx, etc.)
• What days can you ship? No need to explain, just state what days you ship.
• Do you include insurance or delivery confirmation? If not can it be added?
• Is insurance automatically added to certain orders?
• Do you refund shipping overages? 
• For this you may have a limit. For example I only refund shipping overages if the overage is over $1
• How long (on average) does it take before you mail a package?
• Do custom orders normally take longer to ship?
4. Refunds and Exchanges ***VERY IMPORTANT***
• Do you accept exchanges?
• When?  (Goes along with last bullet)
• Will you refund?
• When? (Goes along with last bullet)
• In what situations do you refund instead of exchange?
• Are there certain criteria that has to be met in order to qualify for a refund or exchange?
5. Additional Policies and FAQs
• Do you accept custom orders?
• Is there a certain process for custom orders?
• Links to any relevant pages
• Here I link to my fabric gallery in which customers can choose fabrics for their items
• I also link to a frequently asked questions blog post.

This is my little policy outline! I hope it helps every fill out their policies and makes things a little easier! See something I forgot? Let me know, I'd be happy to add it!

Heartsy Gone, Top Hatter Opened

Well I had every intention of creating a post with my experience and thoughts about Heartsy. But now, I guess it doesn't really matter! As of March 30th Heartsy will be no more! So instead, I'm going to give you a little briefing about their new site!

Tophatter Auctioneer 

With Heartsy closing an new site has emerged. TopHatter is to "take the place" of Heartsy, but in its own unique style. TH is a live auction site, sort of like Ebay, But instead of bid and watching for days, each item takes a few second to a couple minutes. Everything is much like it would be in an actual auction house.

A "lot" goes up to bid. Anyone interested may click the bid button. The bidding continues until it comes to a slow. The auctioneer (seen at left) will give the lot two chances before he closes the lot. (ie. going once... going twice... sold to -----) Most auctions also have a fair you can TRY to join. Once the regularly scheduled items start to finish the fair spots open. With sometimes 200+ people at an auction its hard to get a spot. You have to be quick! (Oh but you can pay the 50 cents to get a guaranteed spot in the fair... a rip off in my opinion.) TH invoices you for 10% (min. $1) of each thing you sell, so you better cross your fingers it sells for more than a buck! (You can't list your item with out first checking the I agree box)

Oh and you have to try and schedule your spot. And if there isn't any open in the next week it won't let you schedule it. Don't get me wrong I love the idea, and its quite fun. But there are certainly a few things that need to be worked out first! Feel free to check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think!