Etsy Shops > Vacation Tips

Vacation Tips

Posted: Lis on Jun 01 | Business Topics

Etsy doesn’t have a way to easily close up shop to take a vacation, but this doesn’t mean that your vacation has to be spent worrying about annoyed customers or searching for internet cafes to check your email.

Here are some easy things you can do to keep your shop in order while you are away…

Option 1: Close Your Store with Edit Mode

• If you have only a few items, or a ton of spare time, you can remove all of the items from your store temporarily by putting them in edit mode. Just click the edit button on each item and don’t click finish. This will move your items to Inactive listings.
• When you get home, just click the “activate” link next to each item to put them back in your shop.

If you don’t put your items in edit mode, there are a few things you should do before you leave on vacation…

Option 2: Spread the Word 

• Write a short message to inform your customers that you are on vacation. Include the dates of your vacation, and the date on which you will ship orders when you return. Put this message:
  • in your shop annoucement
  • in your shop profile
  • in your message to buyers that is sent with every transaction email
• If you have a blog for your Etsy shop, consider adding this message there as well. The only exception to this is if you post your home address on your blog, as it’s a bad idea to advertise an empty house!

Set up an Email Auto-responder

• Set up an email autoresponder message to let your customers know when you will be able to answer their emails.
  • In Gmail, click on the “Settings” link and under the “General” tab, find “Vacation Responder”
  • In Yahoo Mail, click on the “Options” link and in the Management column, click on “Vacation Response”

Reward Your Loyal (and Patient!) Customers

• Consider having a sale or offering free shipping for orders placed while you are on vacation. Your customers will have to wait longer than usual to get their order, so it’s nice to reward their patience.
• Put your sale info in your shop in all of the places mentioned above, and put the info in your email vacation response.

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