How to use your Google Analytics to check highest traffic times

yah so the title says it all...

step 1: access your google analytics page. If you don't have one yet go to 'your etsy' and on the left side bar click on web analytics. They have step by step instructions on how to set up your account. Anyway, once you're on GA (google analytics) click on the left side of you screen, where it says 'visitors'

step 2: click on the 'visitor trending' then click on visits

step 3: click on clock symbol (sorry, it is a bit hard to see on the graph)

voila! you have a chart telling you at which times you have the most views. You can also change the month or day... if you want to.

sometimes you might see a big jump in views, this might be because you got onto the front page at that time.. or maybe someone twittered about you...

you'll probably have the most views at the times when you usually list items, so there is a bias with GA. To truly see when you have the most views, look at your times on a day when you didn't list anything. Then you can see when people were looking at your shop. Hope this helps =D

Jason Schwartzman

is totally awesome! If you don't know, he is actor/musician. i've been listening to his band, coconut records, for a week straight. his music is so relaxed and very beatle-esque, if you know what i mean ;) anyway i just wanted to share that with you guys.



and for any freaks and geeks fans, i love this clip!

All about free shipping on etsy

So i decided to figure out how free shipping works... free shipping doesn't cut into your costs that much, as long as you build it in from the beginning. here is what i mean =)

Free shipping when two items are bought together

Item...................................Earring 1..........................Earring 2
Cost with shipping built in .....15 USD ..........................20 USD
Weight ...............................5 ounces ..........................5 ounces
Cost alone to ship............. 1.5 USD ...........................1.5 USD
Cost to ship together....... 2.41 for both ...................2.41 for both
Profit using etsy fee’s...... 13.53 USD........................18.22 USD
calculator

(13.53 + 18.22) – 2.41 for shipping = 29.34 USD

Normal shipping when the two same items are bought together

Item................................ Earring 2............................. Earring 1
Cost without shipping......... 13.5 USD............................18.5 USD
Weight............................ 5 ounces............................... 5 ounces
Cost to ship alone.......... 1.5 USD ............................... 1.5 USD
Cost to ship together.... 2.41 for both ....................... 2.41 for both
Profit using etsy fee’s.. 12.14 USD..............................16.81 USD
calculator

12.14 + 16.81 = 28.95 USD

What you saved
29.34 – 28.95 = .39 USD

So you SAVED a total of 39 cents by offering free shipping! Yay! This happens because with free shipping the cost for items when shipped together is not reduced. Of course this only happens when items are shipped together. So what happens when items are shipped alone? I'll show you =)

One item with free shipping

Item: Earring 3
Cost with shipping built in: 40 USD
Weight: 5 ounces
Cost to ship: 1.5 USD
Profit using etsy fee’s calculator : 36.94 USD
Total profit: 35.44 USD

One item without free shipping

Item : Earring 3
Cost without shipping: 38.5 USD
Weight: 5 ounces
Cost to ship: 1.5 USD
Profit using etsy fee’s calculator : 35.53 USD
Total profit : 35.53 USD

35.53 – 35.44 = .09 USD

OH NO! You just lost 9 cents from offering free shipping! Thats a dime, you just lost a dime... that sucks! Okay, i was just kidding =) From my point of view, a dime isn't that bad.

A little more analysis

When shipping two items together you saved 39 cents. When you shipped an item alone, you lost 9 cents. That means you will break even if for every 3 items that you sell alone, you sell two items together.

Some general stuff about free shipping

Buyers love free shipping. Even more, etsy loves free shipping. Why does etsy love free shipping? Because for every item that has shipping built in, etsy gets some money. Etsy is a business, and the more items that sell with free shipping, the more money etsy gets. Since etsy loves free shipping, and buyers love free shipping, why shouldn't you love free shipping? Well, some people get a bit anxious about adding shipping costs to their prices. Some buyers get a bit anxious about free shipping because they think that the prices have been inflated. So free shipping is that great...

If you want to implement free shipping in your shop... I think the best thing to do is to build the shipping in from the beginning. That way you never have to increase your prices. And if you do want to increase your prices, just do it! One or two dollar increases aren't as noticeable as FREE SHIPPING in you item's name. And remember, what etsy likes, etsy supports.

etsy fee calculator : http://www.rolbe.com/etsy.htm

p.s. You don't have to offer free shipping, i was just laying out the facts =) You should do whatever you think is right for your business. Most importantly have fun =D And sorry about the junky formating... well what did you expect -.-

brought to you by junkshopgirl.

new

blog here! i guess i'll be writing a bit about everything, music, etsy, art, my shop. So here is some new junk...

Hair pin made with copper wire, turquoise, and coral. It was supposed to look like a cherry blossom branch. It's for sale on my etsy http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32280600


Now for some new music! I'm in LOVE with this band, Camera Obscura. Well, they aren't new, but i only really got into them during the summer. The lead singer is amazing, i could listen to her forever. She has cat-power's mellow-ness and zooey deschanel's voice =) This is a band to watch out for, you might hear them on one of those trendy ipod commercials =D