Happy 4th of July! Here is a coupon!

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY!

Use Coupon Code 4th2013 at naiadsoaparts.com or naiad.etsy.com

International shipping goes Way Way Way up in 2013!

Paper Plane Air Mail Hand Carved Stamp from Canadian Etsy seller extase

So it is a new year and that means new postal rates! International shipping rates skyrocketed this year so before I deliver the bad news, I want to start off with a nice comment about the shipping from a customer in Sweden.

Me:

"...Sorry the shipping is so expensive!..."

Customer in Sweden who just paid $23.95 to ship for 6 bars of soap:

"Hi Erin! Thanks for setting this up for me :) Don't worry about the shipping, your products are so worth the money even with increased shipping prices! And it feels great to buy things from a real person :) it's not very easy to find great handmade products that lives up to my expectations here in Sweden, so I'm very happy that I found Naiad to make my showering so much more enjoyable <3>

drum roll please:

New International rates:
First Class 2 oz) Canada $6.55, all other countries $6.55
(One lip balm)

First Class (5 oz) Canada $8.55, all other countries $12.75
(One bar of Soap or three lip balms)

Flat Rate Envelope : Canada $19.95,  all other countries $23.95

(Fits flat items only, soap bars, bath teas, lip balms. Fit up to 6 bars of soap.)

Flat Rate Box Medium: Canada $40.95, all other countries $59.95

(Fits 6 scrubs plus 6 bars of soap or sprays and lip balms)

Flat Rate Box Large: Canada $64.95, all other countries $79.95

(Fits 9 scrubs plus 9 bars of soap or sprays and lip balms)

You're going to vote anyway so...

If you think you have seen this before it is because I just sent a newsletter with this exact text. I am lazy BUT I did add commentary below! :)

Post a Picture of you and your "I Voted" sticker on our Facebook Page for a chance to win a $25 shopping spree! (and free shipping) Be sure to "LIKE" us while you are there! If you are shy you can just post your sticker, and maybe your voter pamphlet or your hand or something! BE HONEST - it promotes good Kharma! :)

Post until Friday, November 9th at 6pm EST. I guess, considering the circumstances, this is for our USA Subscribers only. Sorry my friends afar!

Want to browse in anticipation of your win?
Etsy Shop
Big Cartel Shop

Just a side note - being an informed citizen is HARD sometimes! Especially when it comes to state issues and local candidates. I personally try and block out the TV ads and mailer bombardment, and do a little independent research to find the truth behind scare tactics and bent truths. I got my mail in ballot weeks ago, thinking I would just go a head and fill it out, mail it in, easy peezy, but I was in for it. It took 3 full days to research all of the propositions in California. I felt like I was researching a term paper! It was hard to get a straight line on any of them and what I found interesting was seeing who paid to get the props on the ballot and how the beliefs of those people fit mine. I'll just say it - I am pretty liberal but have been a registered Republican, Democrat and now Independent. I know that as life and experience press on, beliefs may change but the important thing is that you go out and exercise your right to have your beliefs represented! Happy Election Day everyone!

hugs,
-erin

Etsy new Search by Relevance - an experiment!

Looking but not finding? We try to get more proactive about who is finding us on the web!

I have noticed a sharp drop in Sales on Etsy in the past couple of months so I did a search for my items and they were pages deep. Ok, I just did a search for soap and expected to see my items, ones I just listed come up right away, but they were buried! My item "Blood Orange & Rose Artisan Soap" was 3 pages deep in the search but you know who had multiple soap on the first page? The guy who calls his soaps this "Bamboo Soap, Vegan Soap, Unscented Soap, All Natural Soap, Handmade Soap".  Those same words were in the first line of the product description as well!
In August Etsy switched from a "by most recently listed" search to a SEO based relevancy search and I am thinking my listings are just not "relevant" enough!

Yesterday I listed about 8 items on Etsy and noticed they were not getting any hits! With the recently listed search my items would have been in double digit looks within minutes but after 3 hours my numbers were 0-3 looks per item. Yikes!

I started looking around and found a GREAT blog post on the issue on the papernstitch blog, so I have used the guidance in this post to change my Etsy listings. I have to admit I never really knew how SEO worked and this post on How Stuff Works makes it easy!

I have changed all of my product descriptions and titles to include one or more of the following:

Shea Butter Soap, Olive Oil Soap, Clay Soap, Vegan Soap, Moisturizing Soap, Natural Soap, Scented Soap, Herbal Soap, Exfoliating Soap.

I hope it works and will follow up if I see an uptick in views to my items!

? Have you had the same issue with the new way Etsy allows buyers to search items? Have you found a successful method for getting seen?

Cute Big Cartel Find!

I have a thing for stamps! It is a great way to get cool graphics onto just about anything and a quick and easy way to make custom note cards on a budget. I was thrilled when I ran across this site called Paper Pastries while browsing on Big Cartel! They even do custom stamps!

 

This set makes me want to write more letters!

This would be so cute for a kids Birthday invitation!

I want this one for when the Husband and I FINALLY drive cross country! It would be cute to color in the state you are traveling through when you send the card! That reminds me - I have to update my address book! :)

Real Fruit Jewelry!

I got three big orders all at once and have been in production full swing. Needless to say Soap A Day Project has been put on hold for now and I have been struggling to find time to market but I am sending samples for the August Eco Emi box and will continue with the Thursday specials which have been a success! So I am marketing a little :)

It has been a busy month so I decided to get myself a little gift! I found the shop realfruitjewelry out of Philadelphia, through the Etsy Blog. Their concept is to take food, dry it out and encase it in resin to preserve its natural color, and make it into awesome jewelry! The prices are almost too good to be true - all pieces are between $18 and $45! I got this lovely blood orange pendant for myself:

 

all pics © realfruitjewelry

Some other favorites:

Black Walnut Shell Earrings

I love the naturally cool shape of the cross section of the walnut shell!

Mung Bean Pendant

 Tomato Earrings

I can almost taste these!

Lotus Root Pendant

 Carrot Ring

A Soap A Day Project: Day 22

I had so much that I was going to say and I forgot it all because I am in a food coma! It makes me a little ashamed just to say it. Consuming large amounts of food with friends and family always seems like a good idea on the holidays and then I think about the ever growing waste line, and waste in general in Rich countries and I get a little upset at myself! Oh well! I will just have to do some hard manual labor in the next couple of days to justify the 200g + of protein I ate today. Next year I am going to take it easier on the eating and focus more on the patriotic songs and parades and being thankful that I have my loved ones and my freedom!

I also think that I am getting sick (may be cause for the sarcasm). The throat is feeling a little scratchy and the ears are a bit sore. Bleh! A friend of mine just had his gall badder removed. He looks like hell (sorry friend) and is in serious pain, not to mention he can't pick up his 4 month old baby for 2-3 weeks. I think I can deal with a little cold and will try to not feel sorry for myself when it starts getting worse!

So, in lighter news, I am happy with this soap! I have been struggling with how to achieve the concept and ended up wrecking a cheapo basic square mold to get this done - totally worth it! The execution isn't perfect and will be revisited, but the proof of concept was a success!

 Hooray for Helvetica!