Etsy is one of the best places to sell crystals online – especially for folks who have a small crystal business.
With over 90 million active buyers, Etsy sends potential customers to your shop with no outside marketing required. Etsy collects payments, handles sales tax, and creates shipping labels for you.
Etsy is simple to use for sellers, and its visually driven platform has lots of spots for photos and videos to showcase your crystals. It’s not surprising that many sellers choose Etsy for their crystal store – including yours truly!
To have a successful crystal store on Etsy, you must provide an exceptional experience to your customers. When people shop on Etsy, they expect personal touches and above-and-beyond customer service.
Just getting started?
Check out my 3 simple keys to selling crystals on Etsy
Table of Contents
- Why reviews matter on Etsy
- How to get amazing reviews on your Etsy crystal shop
- Things NOT to do in your Etsy crystal shop
- Be a star seller with your Etsy crystal shop
People who order from you get notifications asking for a review of your store. Your customers can give you star ratings (5 stars is the best); add photos of their purchases; and leave a comment on your shop.
Here’s a snapshot of the review section from my store, Interstellar Crystals:
Why reviews matter on Etsy
All stores on Etsy are not equal. When someone searches for an item, Etsy uses algorithms to decide which listings come up first. There are a lot of factors in their formula, and your customer service history plays a big role.
In fact, customer service is so important to Etsy that they recently introduced a Star Seller program. Star Seller is a special badge for sellers who respond to messages quickly, ship orders on time, and receive at least 95% 5 star reviews.
Customer reviews are super important because shops with a lower review score show up less frequently in searches. Not to mention, lots of customers refuse to buy from stores that don’t have a perfect 5 star rating.
How to get amazing reviews on your Etsy crystal shop
To have a successful crystal store on Etsy you need customer friendly policies and a strategy to surprise and delight your buyers. Once you have these in place, the 5 star reviews – and sales – will start rolling in!
Have customer-friendly policies
Etsy allows you to set policies for shipping and returns. Be sure to fill these out before you open your store. This minimizes the potential for disagreements between you and a customer. In a dispute, Etsy looks to these policies to decide if the customer gets their money back.
Ship within your stated timeframe
Customers want fast shipping! Most Etsy sellers can’t offer free two day delivery like big businesses; but the faster you send out your orders, the more orders you’ll likely get.
Offering 1-3 day shipping is fairly standard. This means after an order is placed, you have up to 3 business days to put it in the mail.
Shipping time is something Etsy pays close attention to. If you consistently send out orders late, your shop will be docked and made less visible on Etsy.
Respond to messages within 24 hours
Potential buyers will message you on Etsy with questions about your crystals, and customers might ask you about their orders. Even if it’s a spammy message, be sure to respond. Etsy tracks how long it takes you to message back. It’s also just good business to be responsive to customer questions.
Accept returns, no questions asked
This is just my personal perspective on returns! Many crystal sellers don’t accept returns at all, which is totally ok. You don’t have to offer returns on Etsy; but I really recommend that you do.
Offering returns shows customers that they can trust you. If the crystal isn’t what they expected, they feel secure knowing they can return it for a refund.
And guess what? In my experience, out of hundreds of orders, I’ve only had one item returned. For me, offering returns has been a low risk way to gain customer trust and make more sales. And it protects you from getting bad reviews from dissatisfied customers.
You do need to set some boundaries around refunds. For example, in my refund policy:
- Customers have 3 days from receiving their order to request a return.
- They must ship the item back within 7 days in its original condition.
- Items shipped back after 7 days are subject to a 40% restocking fee.
- Return shipping costs are deducted from the refund.
Provide a full refund for broken crystals
Offering returns is optional; but refunding items that are broken on arrival is a must do. Don’t try to wiggle out of it and say you’re not responsible for damage during shipping. Even if it happens to be true – that’s terrible customer service, and you will get a bad review.
Package your crystals carefully so they don’t get broken in the first place. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things can get damaged in transit. For large orders, consider adding shipping insurance through Etsy so you get reimbursed if a package is damaged or lost.
If a customer complains of a broken crystal, here’s what to do:
- Ask them for pictures. That way you have proof that the item was in fact broken, and you can see the extent of the damage.
- If the damage is minor: Give them two options. You can offer them a partial refund (20-30%) and they can keep the crystal. Or, they can ship the crystal back to you for a full refund.
- If there’s major damage: Give them a full refund. It’s up to you whether to ask them to return the crystal. Do you really want to pay return shipping for a crystal that’s destroyed and unsellable?
- It’s ok to require people to message you within 1-2 days of getting their order about any damage.
Have a strategy to delight your customers
Etsy buyers crave a personal touch to their orders. They also love nice packaging. Here are some suggestions for wowing your customers so they can’t help but write a great review.
Make sure your listings and photos are accurate
This goes back to the trust factor – your customers want to know that they’ll get exactly what they think they’re buying. So include plenty of pictures, clearly show how large or small the crystal is, and don’t use photo filters that enhance or change colors.
Include thoughtful touches in your packaging
Every crystal store packages items differently. Here are some ways to elevate your packaging:
- Including branded business cards
- Including a hand-written thank you note
- Incorporating branded stickers or stamps
- Wrapping crystals nicely in tissue paper
- Using colorful paper shreds as packaging material
- Putting bubble wrapped crystals in a cute gift bag
- Including a satchel of herbs like lavender or rosemary
- Including a small gift bag with bonus items like a tumble stone or crystal chips
Send a message when you ship the item
This isn’t really required, because Etsy sends the buyer an email when you ship their item. But I believe sending a brief, friendly message to all of my buyers has really helped my reviews. In this message, I tell them I appreciate their business and to reply with any questions.
By reaching out, you’re showing your buyer that you’re a real person who cares about their experience. Then, if they have any issues with their order, they’re more likely to contact you first before leaving a bad review. This gives you the chance to make the issue right.
Things NOT to do in your Etsy crystal shop
Here are some mistakes I’ve seen other Etsy sellers make. They might mean well, but you should avoid doing this in your store.
Don’t message your customers asking for a review
Etsy sends customers an annoying amount of emails and notifications about reviews. If they want to leave a review, they will. It’s not necessary for you to send another message.
Don’t eat into your profits with gifts or packaging
You want to stand out in a good way with distinctive packaging, and gifts if you choose to provide them. But the cost of these does add up.
Don’t overspend on packaging and gifts, especially if you’re just getting started! Shop around for the best deals. And include the cost of these in the price of your crystals.
Don’t be a pushover
You can choose to bend the rules in certain situations – like if a customer wants to return an item after your return period is over. But this doesn’t mean you have to accommodate every request or demand.
Remember that you’re the CEO of your own business and the buck stops with you. You’re not always going to make everyone happy, and that’s ok.
Be a star seller with your Etsy crystal shop
Being judged can be scary. Don’t let the occasional negative review get you down. It happens to everyone at some point!
The most important thing is to get out there, start selling, and treat every customer like you want to be treated. Do this and the sales – and positive reviews – will start flowing.
Check out my blog, How to start a crystal shop in 8 steps, for more tips!
Leave a Reply