The philosophical issues of putting up an Etsy shop

[trystinn]

Update: I forget the simple things these days! Still in their infancies, but they will be growing!

The Triple Pillars Etsy Shop!

And our Facebook page.

As many of you know, what ultimately killed Triple Pillars was my inability to get either of the two websites to work seamlessly - at the last, the damn shopping cart program was refusing to actually give me the orders. So I'd essentially get a notice from PayPal telling me you'd order, the money you'd sent and your address, but not what you'd ordered. Then I'd try to sort out what the hell you'd ordered by sheer divination. It was maddening!

So Etsy makes sense, because I have a local mentor to guide me through the process and assist with any roadblocks I come across. I've also created a Facebook to announce new products and will likely be working on a blog (though the FB cover the needs) to handle the essays, etc.) that the website used to host. We'll see how that works, going forward.

I'm working with the Etsy calculator, my own spreadsheets and various tools all while trying to sort out various other issues such as the realization that going forward I'm likely going to be changing my packaging. Personally, I'd rather not spend a bunch of money on labels and containers, preferring to concentrating my efforts on the ingredients. But then, I'm a really pragmatic soul. Perhaps though, I'm missing out on something. And I may be short-changing the customers and losing customers in the process. I'm not sure how important packaging is to people - would you like the option perhaps for a discount for your item to be sent in a plain ziplock envelope vs the fancy jar?

Right now, we're using a white plastic pot container. Its easy to store, but hard to stack due to rounded edges. Lovely for a clear label but you cannot see the product. And we're running low, so we'll need to buy more containers at some point soon.

I've looked at clear plastic pots but the acrylic is VERY fragile and in my experience shatters easily. What a mess if it does so during shipment and expensive for me to replace?

Glass is heavy for shipment and drives costs upwards. I like the glass test tubes but everyone seems to be doing it and again, fragility. Those are better for events, which I don't do. I do like the frosted glass bottles, though.

Ziplock envelopes have huge pros and cons. Most local companies use them - huge problems. They use a cardboard tag which they staple through the bag, which leaks forever afterwards. Plus, once you remove the label, you can never match it to the bag. A printed adhesive label is great, but drives up printing costs - color, design, etc. Cellophane bags are great and you can staple the folded up portion, which will handle some of the issues with the staple holes. I personally prefer to re-locate purchased incense to glass jars at home. Not sure what others do at home.

I'm really not fond of those metal mint cans, plus its been done and its very hard to get a full ounce in them for some of the larger, lighter incenses. Plus, I find them somewhat difficult to get incense out of.

I'll be looking around for unique ideas. And of course, all ideas and preferences wanted.

Comments

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

I think the idea of cellophane bags is a good one. It will cut down on shipping costs and, as you said, the customer can see the product.

Yes, the rounded white plastic jars don't stack well.

When I think of incense purchased at an occult shop, I think of those cellophane bags with a carboard/cardstock top, with a hole punched in it for hangtag purposes. Cardstock isn't terribly expensive, really, and you could print on plain paper and simply staple it over the cardstock (for support).

I transfer most of my incense to the 4oz ball canning jars. :-)

I'm really happy that Triple Pillars will be open for business again.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

More and more I like the cellophane bag idea. I can do the cute little jar thing if I ever do events, which just isn't likely given how rural I am.

I'm just not the kind to want to do the fancy-dancy sparkly packaging thing. I've seen the Etsy shops that do that and it just ain't my style. *blech* I figure most folks have their own system for storing their incenses and don't want a bunch of mismatched jars, bottles, etc. but its hard to guess.

I have found some very nice plastic tubes, which are nice and I may offer them at an additional price for customers who want them. They will lay flat for shipping and storage.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I forgot to put up the Etsy link and FB page. *headdesk* Updated the dang post. Its been one of those days/week/months/years.

Honestly, since the damn heater caught on fire, I feel like I've been playing catch up.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Also, I'd love your thoughts/suggestions/cyber wretching sounds on our art theme for the photographs on the Etsy store.

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

I like the photos. I haven't been to Etsy much, but from what I can see your layout is good. Workable - the first requirement.

If you switch over to cellophane/ziploc, will you update photos?

IMO, cellophane is a better option. I've always found that incense of any sort sticks to the inside of a ziploc bag. Not so with cellophane.

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

I'm personally fine with purchased incense coming in a plastic bag; I can transfer it to whatever I want. (My system is not sophisticated; it mostly consists of recycled jars of all sizes, as I empty them in the kitchen. I'm fine with this, as it means I can often recognize things by shape of the jar.)

When I do buy more solid containers, I prefer a smallish, wide-mouthed jar of some kind, so that it can be opened and set next to the thurible, with my little incense spoon in it (I have this adorable salt cellar spoon made to look like a broad leaf and a twisted twig), without having to find another container or dish to put the incense in. Small and unobtrusive on the altar, and not made of plastic, because, ALTAR. Any of the little versions from http://www.specialtybottle.com/glassjars-2.aspx would work for me, generally.

Like you, I hate the tins. Hate them. If there's any resin in the recipe, they stick closed, and getting them open makes a mess. If they get a little bent, they stick closed, and getting them open makes a mess. If they . . . makes a mess. Repeat ad nauseum. Fuck those things.

But again -- I'm perfectly fine with plastic bags, especially if it brings the shipping cost down.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'm leaning toward cellophane and/or plastic ziplock (I also have no problem asking customers to specify their preference there. I always use recycled or canning jars to home either my purchased or homemade incenses so I'm not too impressed with the fancier jars, etc and those damn things are EXPEN$IVE: 50 cents to $1 a piece, which I cannot fathom folks are that impressed with when purchasing. Except for *that* crowd - likely the folks who would prefer I dye, add glitter, etc. to the incense, too. *shudder*

The metal tins confuse me. What the hell do they do to the resins to desiccate them? Cardboard fillers?

I totally get you about wide mouth jars, I use antique spoons myself. My grandmother collected state spoons, so I have hundreds of them. A container that doesn't allow for them would drive me bonkers.

[sanacrow.livejournal.com]

I do use tins - specifically tea tins - for a lot of my herbs and incenses. (And for my teas, of course.) I also use the 4oz ball jars for some and the larger jelly jars for others.

But I prefer the stuff I buy to come in zippy bags or similar. (I want *my* tins, that I know are the 'good ones' and that match my 'filing system' for finding stuff.)

And yea! on the spoons. I have a bunch of salt and demitasse spoons that I use similarly. And little silver sugarcube tongs for charcoal. (Garage sales are my friend.)

[wild-heart.livejournal.com]

I have an utterly gorgeous Victorian cutwork sterling silver demitasse spoon that I picked up at an antique for $8 that we use on the altar. Instead of using jars of incense, we transfer what we'll be using to a small Japanese sauce dish.It's about 2" x 3" and perhaps 1/2" deep and is of a lovely green glaze on the inner surface with rough raw clay texture on the outside.

Sake or Japanese tea cups and soy sauce dishes are *really* good for small holdings on the altar and come in a bazillion designs.

[onyxtwilight.livejournal.com]

I do the same thing with the soy sauce dishes, and with my small ceramic ramekins and clear glass spice-sized prep bowls. :-)

Back in the '90s when we had a couple of initiates with active AIDS, and therefore had to be extra careful about exposing them to other peoples' germs, we had a little basket full of several dozen different saki cups that we passed around before the chalice went around, and everyone got their own cup rather than drinking from the chalice directly. We all had our favorites; mine was octagonal, the only one in the set that wasn't round. I kinda miss them. :-)