Deco tape sale!

Destashing my stock of kawaii deco tapes! Use coupon code DECOTAPELOVE2012 at my Etsy shop for 15% off your order :) I have lots of designs, including Rilakkuma-themed tapes like this one:

If you see a design that you like and you want more than 1, send me a convo through Etsy! I have multiple quantities of many designs! Coupon code will be valid until May 12, 2012.

Etsy Tips: Paypal shipping (part #2)

Here's part #2 of my post about shipping with Paypal! I hope all of this information helps you out, and feel free to ask questions in the comments. I'll do my best to help!

To see part #1, click here: http://ilovekawaiiness.blogspot.com/2012/03/etsy-how-to-paypal-shipping-part-1.html

DYMO LABELWRITER

If you're a high-volume seller, I highly suggest you look into buying a Dymo labelwriter. I bought a Dymo 450 Turbo for $70 including shipping off Ebay in December 2011 and I absolutely love it! It totally rocks! They usually retail about $129.99, but you can occasionally find them on sale at Staples, Office Max, or other office supply stores.

It's very easy to use, I just installed the drivers using the included CD, plugged it in, attached the USB cord to my laptop and it was ready to go. I use it to print my Paypal shipping labels and it's cut down on so much time I use to waste on cutting and taping labels. Just a note, I'm on a Macbook and Paypal doesn't officially support labelwriters for Macs. If you try to print out a label using a labelwriter on a Mac, the label is in the wrong orientation. But never fear, there's a fix! I'm using a workaround that a fellow Etsy member found:

www.etsy.com/teams/7722/business-topics/discuss/9099198/

About the workaround:

You have to install a virtual printer (CUPS) that allows Paypal to bypass the instant print feature and gives you the chance to turn the label image to portrait. 

sourceforge.net/projects/pdfwriterformac/ 

After you install it, switch your label printer in Paypal to the DYMO 330 Turbo (which works even if you have a Dymo 450 Turbo) and change your default printer in your system preferences to PDFWRITER (CUPS). This allows you to send the print job to a folder where you can open it in Preview and then print using the DYMO printer and the proper label size. Disable the "auto rotate" and switch the orientation, and voila!

As for my labels, I buy the 99019 labels from Amazon. The off-brand that I use currently comes as a roll of 150 for $5.25, and I get free shipping since I have an Amazon Prime membership. They work just as well as the official Dymo labels (which retail for $19.99 for 150).

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Paypal rolled out the ability to print USPS first-class international shipping labels back in November 2011, but there were tons of glitches and problems, so they took it away to tweak it. Rumor had they would re-release the program in January 2012 but it's now March 2012 and I still haven't heard anything, unfortunately. In the meantime, you can use the USPS Shipping Assistant if you have a PC; unfortunately it's not available for Mac users at this time. It'll print out the customs form + label for you and you just need to add postage. If you want to avoid the line and your post office has a self-service (APC) machine, you can purchase the stamp there and drop it off, easy peasy!

SUPPLIES

Buy in bulk and save! I've bought all of my bubble mailers so far from justpoundsandounces on Ebay for excellent prices:

500 #000 (4x6 inches) = $30 shipped ($0.06 each)
100 #2 (8x12 inches) = $20 shipped ($0.20 each)
250 #0 (6x9 inches) = $27 shipped ($0.11 each)

I wouldn't buy envelopes from the dollar store or Walmart; the price per envelope is really high. You can also shop around online; many Etsy sellers highly recommend RoyalMailers or Uline, which have a huge variety of options for all of your shipping needs, including bubble mailers, poly mailers, boxes, bubble wrap, and tapes. And don't forget, always remember to figure in the price of your shipping supplies into the shipping price that you charge for your items!

Etsy Tips: Paypal shipping (part #1)

Another how-to for U.S.-based Etsy sellers and other online small business owners: using Paypal shipping! It's an enormous time and money saver, and I'm continually astonished by the number of people who don't know how to use it or haven't heard about it at all. Other options include Endicia and Stamps.com, but those programs require monthly fees, whereas using Paypal shipping is free! Have questions? Leave them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them!

SUMMARY

Here's the quick and dirty rundown of my shipping setup for my Etsy shop :)

• Buy supplies in bulk! I bought a box of 500 #000 envelopes (4x6 inches) from Ebay for $30 including shipping.
• Get a postal scale. You can find a digital postal scale for about $20-$25 at Walmart or any office supply store.
• Print labels via Paypal. I print all my USPS shipping labels via Paypal, which is cheaper than going to the post office, even with delivery confirmation included!
• Labelwriter = lifesaver! I use a Dymo 450 Turbo labelwriter to print all my shipping labels, which saves me time, printer ink, tape, and paper.

PAYPAL SHIPPING

Paypal shipping is very easy to use! If you're running an Etsy shop, you probably already use Paypal to accept payments from your customers, which makes this doubly easy: login to Paypal, go to the transaction, and click on the Print Shipping Label link!

Quick tip #1: You can still print out a shipping label via Paypal even if you didn't receive payment for the transaction through Paypal. Just use the link http://www.paypal.com/shipnow to print a shipping label for any package! 

I do almost all of my shipping labels through Paypal. You are still shipping through USPS, but you get the commercial base rate online, which is cheaper than the retail prices at the post office. The only things you can't print out shipping labels via Paypal for right now are first-class letters, postcards, and first-class international mail (but I still have time-saving tips about that later!)

To use Paypal shipping, you'll need to know the weight of each package. I have a digital postal scale that I bought from Walmart two years for $20, and it's definitely a worthy investment. You always round up; if the package weighs 1.4 oz, you'll input 2 oz for the weight. Always double-check the shipping address before you print! Keep in mind that you are only protected through Paypal as a seller if you ship to the address connected to the buyer's Paypal account. Sometimes buyers will ask you to ship to a different address as a gift for someone; I've never had a problem with that before, but you'll have to make a judgment call about whether or not you're comfortable with that.

I shrink my Paypal labels to 85% in size before printing since I mostly use #000 (4x6) envelopes for my buttons, and I've never had a problem with a package not arriving before *knocks on wood* I just print on the back of used paper (recycle!) and use clear tape over the label to protect it from smudging. Be sure not to cover the barcode, since that's what the post office will use to scan for delivery confirmation! You can also find sticky-backed labels on Ebay or Royal Mailers if you don't want to mess around with tape.

Quick tip #2: Save paper and don't print the receipt! To print just the shipping label on half of the paper, here's the steps: 

Paypal: Profile > Selling Tools > Shipping Preferences > U.S. Postal Service Preference > Edit Printer Settings > Laser/Inkjet Printer > uncheck Print Receipt

As of today (3/13/12), first-class mail via Paypal costs $1.64 including delivery confirmation for packages that weigh between 1-3 oz, and the prices go up from there. That's a lot cheaper than at the post office, which is $1.95 + $0.85 for delivery confirmation (DC). Delivery confirmation is always good to have in case of a Paypal dispute; Paypal will not take USPS receipts as proof of shipping.

You have 48 hours after you print a label on Paypal to void it. There's a link to void the label by going back to the transaction details in Paypal. Just keep in mind it takes about 2 weeks for you to get a refund for the postage. After you void the label, you can print the new one with the correct info.

If you have a priority mail package, you can schedule a carrier pickup at USPS.com so you don't even have to leave your house! You can also drive by the post office, but I usually drop off my packages in the slot in my post office's lobby since I've heard too many horror stories about theft from the blue boxes. It's still definitely a time saver since I don't have to stand in line at all. I've also noticed that when my carrier picks up the packages, it takes them a day longer to be sent off to the sort facility versus me dropping them off at my post office. I think it might be because the mailpeople drive around all day with the packages they've picked up and so they don't enter the mail flow until that evening or the next day.

*

Phew, that was so long, I feel like I just wrote a novel! Stay tuned for part #2 about shipping with Paypal! I'll share more tips about using a labelwriter, shipping supplies, and how to deal with international packages. Lots of people are scared initially about selling and shipping internationally but you don't have to be, it's super easy once you get the hang of it :)

Part #2: http://ilovekawaiiness.blogspot.com/2012/03/etsy-how-to-paypal-shipping-part-2.html

Review: Vistaprint Business Cards and Magnets

When I saw that LivingSocial was offering a deal for Vistaprint ($10 for $50 worth of products) a few weeks ago, I totally jumped on it! I've been needing new business cards for my Etsy shop, among other things, so it was perfect timing for me. It's an awesome deal, even with some of the conditions attached:

"Orders must be redeemed at www.vistaprint.com/livingsocial50 • Valid for 30% off list price of all products side-wide; if purchaser spends more than $25 beyond voucher value, purchaser will receive free 14-day shipping"

Often, you can get really good deals at Vistaprint for much better prices than the ones shown through the LivingSocial link that you have to go through. For example, right now you can get 250 premium business cards for $10 shipped versus $13.99 without shipping through the link.  Overall, though, the LivingSocial deal turns out to be a lot better than the stand-alone deals if you plan on buying a lot like I did. I decided to spend $25 more than the voucher value in order to get the free shipping, so here's what I got as well as what I paid:

• 1 free rubber stamp
• 500 premium business cards
• 1000 folded business cards
• 25 business card magnets

RETAIL: $115.95 + $14.55 S/H
TOTAL: $78.72 + free S/H
WHAT I PAID: $28.72 + $10 LivingSocial offer = $38.72

Since their "free" business cards have a limited selection of designs and come with the Vistaprint logo on the back, I decided to go with the premium business cards and they are fabulous! The colors are beautiful and crisp and I especially love the folded business cards because they can double as business cards AND thank you notes. The cardstock is nice and thick without being overly rigid. I wish I could have gotten them glossy instead of matte, but that would have cost an extra $11-$12 so I decided to skip that option.

Yay for magnets! Now I can package the magnets in my Etsy shop along with these business card magnets, so they'll act as both packaging + promotional material, another win-win situation! I'll be honest, these were a little thinner than I was expecting, but the graphics are again clean and crisp and I definitely like the way that they look.

The rubber stamp was a free offer, so I decided to go with my shop name + a little thank you message that I can stamp on the back of my cards. I was a little weirded out by the fact that the rubber stamp came in two parts and I had to assemble it myself. However, it only took about three minutes for me to figure it out since it comes with a helpful pictorial + instructions, so I guess I can't complain too much, especially since it was free after all.

Shipping was a little on the slow side, since I usually receive stuff that I order online a few days before the expected day (Staples is especially good about this). This time, it really took the full 14 days from the day that I ordered them for me to receive my package, but I was in no rush to receive them, so no harm done. Other reviews have mentioned that the quality of some of the other products on Vistaprint, such as their T-shirts or pens, leave a lot to be desired, so I'll probably stick with paper products for any future orders through them. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the products that I received, and I would definitely order from Vistaprint again.

Free $50 Facebook ad credit!

There's an amazing opportunity available for Etsy sellers (and other small business owners) right now! Facebook is currently offering up to $150 in free FB ad credit through their Small Business Boost program. To qualify, you need to have a FB fan page located in the U.S. with at least 50 likes so far. When you apply, they'll send you an email with a coupon code for $50 free credit and details about how to set up your ad. And if you get at least 100 new fans between the start of your ads using the $50 credit and April 1, 2012, you get another $100 in free ad credit. This is the perfect opportunity to gain new fans and drive traffic to your Etsy shop and it's all free!

I've noticed quite a few users in the Etsy forums complaining that the page told they did not qualify for the ad credit due to their location, even though they are in the U.S. That's because you need to set your location: to do so, here's the following steps:

1. Go to your FB fan page
2. Click on "Edit Info" or the "Edit Page" button on the top right hand corner
3. Go to "Basic Information" on the left hand side
4. Add your city/state. You don't have to put an actual address if you don't want to (I didn't and it still worked for me)

STATS

It's pretty awesome, within three days of starting my free FB ad, my fan page got more than 50 new likes. I hit 100 new likes within 10 days and received an email about the extra $100 credit the next day :)

Here's my stats from 2/29/12 through 3/9/12 for the first ad that I ran:
target: 283,460
campaign reach: 31,514
connections: 244 (<-- # of new FB likes)
spent: $40

I've been running three separate ads since 2/29/12. One links directly to my FB fan page, one goes to my Etsy shop, and another is a "Sponsored Stories" ad. Before my ads started, I had 374 fans and as of today, I'm at 892 fans and counting. I don't know many sales have resulted directly or indirectly due to the ads, but I'm extremely satisfied with my increased fan base; it'll definitely make it easier to spread information about promotions and new products to a large audience!

SETTING UP THE AD

I set up my first ad per click and my bid was $0.55 per click, but I actually only paid about $0.18 per click on average. You'll want to narrow down your target market to about 200,000 or less to maximize your ad's potential to reach people who will actually like your FB fan page and/or visit your shop. The area to do so is the "Targeting" section when you create your ad. You can choose the demographics you want to reach and under "Interests," start typing different things that your audience generally likes. For example, my shop usually has customers who like kawaii or use my buttons to make hairbows, so some of the "interests" for my ad included bottle caps, kawaii, various hairbow FB pages, SAHM fan pages, etc.

You can run more than one ad at once, so I would suggest creating two ads, one that links to your FB fan page and one that goes directly to your Etsy shop, and see which works better and translates into more sales for you :) Be sure to use a photograph that will capture people's attention and summarizes what you sell in a quick glance.

BUDGET

You have to make sure and apply the coupon for the free ad credit under Funding Sources, otherwise it will charge your CC or PP account (whatever you chose to use as your backup funding source). Go to www.facebook.com/ads/manage, Billing, then Funding Sources. There's also a place to set a budget for the ad and it will stop running the ad once it reaches the specified amount. Go to www.facebook.com/ads/manage, Billing, then edit the "Amount Spend."

This picture shows my ad coupon applied as my primary funding source. I have $87.94 left from the extra $100 ad credit that I received. There's also a little blurb that says "Note: Your funding source will only be charged after your campaign charges exceed your coupon balance."

This picture shows my daily charges for my FB ad and under payment method, it shows "Facebook Coupon" so that's how I know it's using the balance from my ad credit and not my PP account. You can also pause the ad at any time, so as long as you check on your ad spending (www.facebook.com/ads/manage) every once in a while and use the budget, there's no reason why you should go over the amount of the free credit unless you choose to.

Giveaway winners!

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winners of the giveaway! I know you guys are all excited to know who won! The two winners are...

ToriaServiss and Szappanbubi

◕‿‿◕｡Congratulations! Winners, you guys have 48 hours to respond to me here or via email (pandaloveshop@gmail.com) to claim your prize. If I do not hear back from one or both of you within that time period, I will announce another winner(s).

Thank you to everyone who participated! Here's a special coupon code to use in my Etsy shop to show my appreciation --- use coupon code KAWAIINESS201202 at checkout for 10% off any order! The coupon code will be active until February 14, 2012. Happy crafting!

New logo and shop banner!

I'm so excited to present Panda Love Shop's new logo and shop banner! Both were custom designs commissioned from Holley at HolleyTeaTime. Aren't they just oh so kawaii and gorgeous? I love them so much!

FLASH DEAL: Kawaii sushi buttons

FLASH DEAL: Get this set of 12 kawaii sushi buttons for only $2.99! You can choose to have them made as either pinback buttons or flat back cabochons. Click on the picture above or the link here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81417961/12-pinback-buttons-cute-kawaii-sushi. Hurry, this deal is only valid until 12/24/11! 

A giveaway to celebrate 1000 sales!

Wow, it's almost the end of 2011 and I made it to my sales goal of 1000 sales on Etsy! YAY! I'm so excited and happy about how successful the shop is, and I've very grateful and appreciative of all the support and lovely comments I've received from everyone. I'm holding this giveaway to celebrate and thank you everyone and I hope you guys will have lots of fun! This contest is open to kawaii lovers all over the world and you'll have lots of ways to obtain entries!

♥ THE PRIZES

 

1. A kawaii mystery jar (in the shape of a purple tiger!) filled with the following: 50 memo sheets, 25 sticker flakes, 2 rolls of small deco tape, 1 pack of lucky star paper, 10 pieces of Asian candy, and 25 kawaii pinback buttons. For US/Canada only due to shipping costs.
2. A kawaii grab bag that includes the following: 50 memo sheets, 25 sticker flakes, and 15 kawaii pinback buttons. For everyone else (excludes US/Canada).

♥ THE ENTRIES (feel free to do any combination!)

1. Leave me a comment on this post with a link to your favorite item from my shop! (1 entry)
2. Follow or subscribe to my blog and leave me a comment letting me know (1 entry)
3. Like my Facebook page (1 entry)
4. Leave a comment on the FB fanpage Wall about your favorite item from my shop (1 entry)
5. Make a post on Facebook (either on your personal page or your fan page) about my giveaway and your favorite item! Leave a link to the post as a comment (1 entry)
6. I made a Tumblr post about the giveaway! Reblog this post (up to 10 times, once per day!) and leave a link to the reblog (1 entry)
7. Tweet about my giveaway and your favorite item. Leave a link to the tweet on this post (1 entry)
8. Blog about my giveaway and your favorite item. Link me to your post by leaving a comment! (2 entries)
9. Post a YouTube video about my giveaway. Link me to your video by leaving a comment (3 entries)
10. Make a purchase from my shop. Every item you buy equals 3 entries into the giveaway! Just leave a comment with your etsy name and the date of the purchase!

♥ OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The giveaway will run until January 31, 2012 so you will have lots of time and chances to enter! The two winners will be chosen randomly by a List Randomizer and will be announced in a new post on February 1. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to me here or via email (pandaloveshop@gmail.com) to claim their prize. If I do not hear back from them within that time period, I will announce another winner(s). Good luck to everyone and I hope you have a fabulous day!

♥ Remember, the more entries you have, the better the chance you will have to win! Giveaway provided by Panda Love Shop ♥

New item: kawaii pinback buttons!

Yay! I recently bought a professional Tecre button machine and I've started making kawaii pinback buttons. They're so much fun to put together and they're now available in my shop individually, in sets, and as random grab bags! I have a *ton* of old sticker sack packages lying around, so I've been punching out graphics from them to make into buttons. Show off your love for kawaii by pinning these buttons to your backpack, purses, or clothes. One of my friends hangs a lanyard full of pinback buttons off her backpack, which is a totally cute idea.

What do you guys like to do with pinback buttons? Collect them or wear them?