How Etsy became one of our biggest fans.
, by Sarah Frame, 1 min reading time
When you’re booking a hotel, hiring a car or even buying face cream online, your buying decision will usually be influenced by some form of review.
Which can be great if you’re the person doing the shopping but stressful if you’re the shop.
Glowing recommendations can boost sales and help build trust. But one unhappy customer can have the opposite effect. And people are far more likely to complain than compliment. Which is why many retailers choose not to display their star ratings.
At Elderflower Lane, we decided from Day One to grasp the nettle and embrace reviews because we thought we did a pretty good job.
Before we set up our own web store on Shopify, we actually launched on Etsy.
Etsy shoppers tend to be very discerning. And Etsy itself will not tolerate any seller that tarnishes its brand.
But we’re happy to say that, for over ten years, we have frequently been an Etsy Star Seller. In fact, we are at the moment.
To earn this badge, you have to respond to at least 95% of customer enquiries within 24 hours. You need to have an average rating of 4.8 (out of 5). At least 95% of your orders must be trackable and shipped on time. And you must reach certain sales targets.
This Etsy seal of approval is worth a lot but comes at a price. Their seller fees mean that our products are 20% more expensive on their site.
So, by all means take a look at our Etsy shop and read our reviews.
But we sell exactly the same products on our own website - which also features impartial ratings from our customers - for 20% less.