3 Ways to be a Better Etsy Customer

If you are an Etsy customer, but you don't have a shop of your own, here are three things Etsy sellers wish you would do when shopping:

 

1. Fully read and understand the listing

Please take time to fully read and and understand the item description and to thoroughly look at the photos of what you are buying. Most sellers will try to describe and show the item as accurately as possible. If you receive something that is flawed and the flaw is easily visible in the photo and/or described in the text description, don't leave a bad review for something that was obvious before you purchased. If an item is described as three inches long but you want it to be five inches long, don't buy it expecting it to miraculously become five inches long. If you are looking for a book with a specific title, don't buy something that's close and then be mad when it's not the title you wanted when the photos and description clearly state the actual title.

 

In THIS Etsy shop, I sell handmade envelopes, most of which are made from a variety of magazine pages, many of which are quite thin. A buyer recently said she thought I might have magically figured out a way to make them thicker and left a bad review, fully knowing that the envelopes she would receive would be thin. Another buyer bought a book that looked sort of, kind of like a book they wanted and then they were mad and left a bad review because it wasn't the one they actually wanted...even though the title and other details were clearly on display. Don't be like these customers.

 

2. Understand shipping 

You've placed your order and are eagerly awaiting its arrival . . . but your package doesn't arrive as quickly as you expected. Or it gets stuck in a shipping facility for days on end. Or there's a natural disaster that disrupts package and mail delivery. Or there's a mail services strike in your country.

 

Once your seller drops off the package, shipping is out of our hands. It is your sellers responsibility to: 

• Ship within a reasonable time frame
• Have shipping time frames noted in their Etsy listings/shops
• Submit a tracking number for all packages valued at over $10

It is NOT your seller's responsibility to make sure the mail or package carrier actually delivers within a certain time frame. Etsy gives you an *estimated* delivery window, but it's still in the hands of the carrier to actually deliver.

  

If you order an item on a Friday or Saturday or there's a holiday within a day or two of your order, give your seller an extra day or two for shipping to take into consider the weekend. We aren't Amazon. Most of us don't have the capacity to be shipping 24/7! 

 

Of course, if you item is delayed by the postal or other delivery service, it's perfectly OK to message the seller and ask about their policies. Some sellers may have policies listed related to extended delays. If not, ask. For polite customers and those that have reasonable expectations, I'm far more willing to make exceptions to my policies, including for shipping issues. 

 

3. Contact the shop owner before leaving a bad review

Before you leave a review of less than 5 stars, please reach out to the seller. Most of us want to make sure you're happy with your purchase. For the most part, my customers have been great and communicated well before, during, and after their purchases. However, a few have opted to leave a bad or subpar review, even acknowledging in private messages that they were at fault for not understanding a listing or expecting something other than what was advertised (see above!).

 

If you're an Etsy seller (or a seller on other platforms), what do you want your customers to know before they buy? What advice do you have for customers?

Check out my Etsy shops here:

 

Download-and-print coloring pages, stationer, self help tools,collage ephemera, and more at Marbles and Jam

Vintage goods, handmade stationery, crafting tools, and more at Shop the Junk Drawer

Upcoming changes to Mom2MomEd

If you've been following Mom2MomEd for a while, you'll know this blog as a parenting and education focused space, particularly focused on younger children and their families. 

 

However, as relationships, interests, and the world around us have all changed, so too has this blog. 

 

Over the next few weeks, you'll be seeing a lot of changes around here. Some will be cosmetic -- new colors, new graphics, new styles. Others will be more focused on subject matter -- I've already put up posts on newer to this blog topics such as de-cluttering, networking as an introvert, and getting things done when depressed or down. And, I will be updating the blog name, policies, and more.

 

Over the coming months, we will be releasing a number of e-books on topics such as de-cluttering, smoothie recipes, homeschooling, and more. We also will start releasing homeschool literature curriculum guides. 

 

I will also be moving our lunchbox notes and other items from our Etsy shop to my download-and-print Etsy shop where I currently sell coloring pages, stationery, self help and therapy tools, and more. You can find that shop HERE.

 

I hope you'll stick around!

Decluttering over 1,000 items in only 30 days

Have you ever looked around your home and decided you just have too much stuff? 

 

Maybe you want to 

• de-clutter before a move
• get rid of stuff so you can clean less
• have people visit without worrying about tidying first
  
• feel less scattered and more at home in your actual home
• leave less for your children or loved ones to deal with when you are gone
• or any number of other things.

Years ago, I inherited a whole lot of stuff from my grandmother. More recently, I inherited a whole lot of stuff from my hoarder uncle. 

 

Dealing my grandmother's things was fairly easy as she had already downsized several times, so there wasn't actually a whole lot to deal with.

 

My uncle, however, was another story. As a hoarder with a three bedroom, built out basement, and large garage, he had a lot of stuff! Most of it was junk, but I still had to go through all of it as I couldn't find a will and was pretty sure he had other documents and possibly money tucked away into weird places (I didn't ever find a will though). It took me a few years to go through all of his stuff! 

 

The experience of going through all of my uncle's stuff was overwhelming and felt never ending! I don't want to leave my child with such a burden when it is my time to die.

 

As I was going through my uncle's things, I decided to go through my own belongings as well. This has been a multi-year process.

Even after a few years, I still had far more than I wanted and decided to really accelerate my de-cluttering.

 

In December of 2022, in just 30 days (I took Christmas day off), I de-cluttered more than 1,000 items! I started tracking the items going in and out of my home (excluding business related things). I started keeping a record of every purchase and every discard. I used a simple notebook with three columns:

• The date
• Green or red color coding (green if I got rid of something, red if I brought something into my home)
• The number and description of items

At the end of every page, I added up the items. By the end of the month, I had de-cluttered over 1,000 items, even after I accounted for the items I added to my home. In the following months, I've continued to de-clutter, though I've slowed down some and had a few periods where I didn't de-clutter at all. 

 

Even if I wasn't actively de-cluttering, I noticed that my shopping habits and my willingness to accept stuff from well meaning friends had changed. I said no more often and window shopped more than I actually made purchases. If I purchase anything now, it's typically something I need (my wallet fell apart and I replaced it, for example) or something I've thought about for a few weeks before purchasing.

Since December, as of writing this post, I've de-cluttered well over 2,500 items!

What has your own de-cluttering journey been like? Or are you wanting to de-clutter but not sure where to start? Or are you trying to de-clutter but friends or family don't understand why? Drop a comment and let me know!

Networking for Introverts, Highly Sensitive People, and Others

A few months ago, I attended a networking event for female entrepreneurs in my area. It was great, but it was also exhausting!

 

As an entrepreneur, I run my own private tutoring and academic and career coaching business, in addition to two thriving Etsy shops. I also consider myself to be a shy, introverted, highly sensitive person.

 

Networking and meeting new people are all scary and feel exhausting before I even take part in them! The same is true for many introverts, shy people, and highly sensitive people.

 

If you find networking difficult -- even if you aren't an introvert, shy, or sensitive -- here are a few ways I've made it easier for myself: 

 

DECIDE IF IT'S A GOOD FIT

First, I analyze if the networking event is a good fit for me. I assess what I hope to get out of the experience, what I have to share with others, who is expected to attend, the type of event, and more. If I don't think I'll get anything out of it and that I won't be able to bring anything of value, then I likely won't go. If the event will be huge, I won't go. If it's formal, I won't go.

DO SOME BACKGROUND WORK

If you have access to the list of attendees, take some time look up several on LinkedIn, social media, or their websites. Choose a few that you would like to connect with and send them a quick message. Briefly introduce yourself, tell them you'll be at the event, and that you look forward to meeting them. This will prime them to be on the lookout for you. You'll have made connections before the event even begins! I don't know about you, but having a connection beforehand helps to break down barriers the day of the event.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO CONNECT DURING THE EVENT

After I've decided that the event is right for me and I've made some connections ahead of time, I challenge myself to talk to three people during the event. I like to ask them questions about what they do. Getting others to talk about themselves and what they do is a great way to drive a conversation without having to do much work. Some of the questions I like to ask include:

• What problems do you solve in your work?
• What was your best client experience?
• What was your worst client experience? Did it change how you do business?
• What is the most misunderstood aspect of what you do?
• What are your goals for the next several months?
• What is the biggest lesson you've learned in your field and how do you apply it day to day?
  

GIVE YOURSELF AN OUT

I like to make sure I have an out, just in case the event isn't what I had hoped, if I feel overwhelmed, or if I feel my social gas tank hitting empty. In truth, I've gotten comfortable just saying, "This has been so great, but I need to get going. I have some things to take care of at home. Should we exchange business cards?" Most of the time, this is a pretty good path to the door. 

CIRCLE BACK AFTER THE EVENT

After the event, go back through the business cards or contact information you gathered, or go back to contacts you made before the event, and touch base with a few people. Just send a quick message on LinkedIn or by email and let them know you enjoyed meeting them and hope to see them at future events. If you have reasons to get in touch in the future, let them know that they may be hearing from you again and that you look forward to working with them.  

UNDERSTAND THAT IT MAY ALWAYS BE OVERWHELMING

Some aspects of networking may always be overwhelming though and it's OK to give yourself an out so that you can leave events early! It's also OK to say no and to be selective about networking opportunities. I've opted not to attend several this past month, but I have been in touch with a few people from the event a few months ago through LinkedIn and Instagram.

 

What have your networking experiences been like? What has gone well and what hasn't? Drop a comment and let me know!

Find me on Etsy -- Shop The Junk Drawer for vintage, handmade, craft supplies, and more!

Find me on Etsy: Shop at Marbles and Jam for download-and-print coloring pages, stationery, ephemera and more!

5 Things I love about masks that have nothing to do with Covid-19

Please note: links may be affiliate links in nature. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission -- thank you in advance!

 

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of mask wearing, there are some people for whom wearing a mask has multiple benefits that have nothing to do with Covid-19. I happen to be one of those people. 

 

I love wearing a mask for several non-Covid reasons and I hope doing so will become normalized even after Covid-19 is far in the past.

 

Here are five NON-Covid reasons why people might wear masks even after the pandemic is far behind us:

 

1. ALLERGY RELIEF:

As I write this, we are rapidly approaching my least favorite season of the year -- spring! I know, I know! Chances are you love spring and can't wait for summer, but I suffer from such serious and widespread pollen allergies that I can't stand the two seasons. I'm sniffling, itching, wheezing, and more from mid-March through mid-September. 

What does my hated of spring and summer have to do with masks? Well, one byproduct of mask wearing during the Covid-19 pandemic is my discovery that masks were MORE effective in dealing with my pollen allergies than most medications I've tried over the years!

2. ASTHMA 

As with my allergies, it turns out that wearing a mask has greatly improved my asthma! 

Cold weather, despite how much I love winter, is my primary asthma trigger. Wearing a mask means the air that enters my nose and mouth is already slightly warmed and thus I'm not prone to a coughing attack and possible asthma attack. 

Since the pandemic started, and since it has largely been considered to be over, I've had zero cold-weather induced asthma attacks! The difference? I wear a mask outdoors when it's cold.

3. CLEANING BARRIER

If dust, pet dander, or odors bother you while cleaning, wearing a mask is a great barrier! It will block a lot of dust and dander while you clean, but you can also dab a tiny bit of your favorite essential oil onto a mask to help cover unpleasant odors when you clean.

 

Side note: my favorite essential oil is a peppermint-eucalyptus blend from Thrive Market. You can shop Thrive HERE. If you are first time Thrive shopper, you may qualify for 40% off your first order! 

I have two dogs, one of which sheds a lot. Cleaning up her fur, especially after grooming, is made more pleasant by wearing a mask. Both are senior citizens and we live in an apartment. One of our dogs is old enough that she goes to the bathroom so frequently that it would be difficult to take her out to the park. As a result, we have a dog potty on our patio. It is not fun to clean up. Wearing a mask with a dab of essential oils has made the job much more tolerable.

 

4. FEWER COLDS

Much like my experiences with asthma and allergies, I've had far fewer colds when mask wearing -- even post-pandemic. I don't know about you, but I hate coughing, sneezing, and having to blow my nose all the time. I hate it enough that wearing a mask is worth it.

 

5. NO IDIOTS TELLING ME TO SMILE

If you are a woman reading this, you probably have men (and maybe even some women) telling you to smile randomly and without reason. They don't take the time to learn anything about you (and you probably don't want them to anyhow!) and they don't take a moment to consider that maybe you aren't smiling for a reason -- but also, do we really want to go around smiling 24/7? Sounds creepy and exhausting, right?

Wearing a mask has really cut down on the number of people that randomly, and without reason, tell me to smile. I happen to be an incredibly serious person, and I LIKE BEING SERIOUS. I find joy and fulfillment in my serious nature. When you tell me to smile, you disregard who I am as a person.

 

Wearing a mask resolves that for me. 

 

What are some non-Covid reasons that you might continue wearing a mask post-pandemic? Leave a comment and let me know.

 

P.S. -- Mom2MomEd is about to undergo a re-brand and re-focusing, including getting a new name. I'm a middle aged single mom to an adult child and living in the city. I love to travel, but also care about and am worried about the environment. I love drawing and crafting and selling on Etsy, and a bunch of other stuff. You'll be seeing a shift away from topics related to younger kids or generalized educational content and more towards single, middle aged mom life. I would love for you to stick around, but I also will understand if that type of content just isn't for you.

P.P.S. -- My drawing and illustration Etsy shop now has an associated YouTube channel! Right now, I am primarily filming ASMR drawing videos (visual content with ambient sounds, such as the sounds of my pen on the paper). Check it out HERE. If you read the video descriptions, you'll find a link to my shop (I'm waiting for YouTube to verify my account, so you may have to copy and paste the link) and a discount code for the shop!

P.P.P.S. -- The Mom2MomEd Etsy shop will be closing on March 31st and items from that shop will transfer to my drawing and illustration shop.

My favorite YouTube channels for simple living, de-cluttering, and lifestyle

Last week, I mentioned that I've been watching a lot of YouTube (read the post HERE). This week, I'm giving you a run down of my favorite channels. Most of what I watch on YouTube focuses on simple living, de-cluttering, and lifestyle with a few other topics sprinkled throughout. 

 

A to Zen Life: This channel features a family of four that downsized from mom's near hoarder status to fitting all of their possessions into 8 suitcases which they then took with them to move from the United States to Germany. The mom, Marissa, posts videos about de-cluttering and minimalism, mom and family life, routines, frugal and simple living, and more. 

 

Benita Larsson: Benita is my style and home decor guru and lives in Sweden. She is a single mom of an adult son who downsized several times and now is a dedicated minimalist but with a realistic streak, noting that minimalism means different things to different people. She regularly de-clutters and talks about simple, intentional living. 

 

Carter Sullivan: Carter is a 20-something young woman who vlogs about her daily life, career and personal goals, books, productivity, goal setting, and so on. She also is very realistic and up front about her mental health. She reminds me a lot myself at her age (I'm literally old enough to be her mom). Carter is in Canada.

 

Cecilia Blomdahl: Cecilia and her boyfriend live above the arctic circle on the island of Svalbard. Her channel is fun and funny. She vlogs about life in the arctic north, the highs and lows of extreme sunlight and extreme darkness. She also shares occasional book content, de-cluttering and home renovation content, adventures, and more. I like that she basically radically transformed her life by moving to Svalbard and has leaned into it. 

 

Jules Acree: I'm not sure how old Jules is -- late 20s? -- but I really like her aesthetic and her approach to productivity and working from home. Her home is clean lines and simple, but also soft and comfortable. Jules is from the United States.

 

Levi & Leah: Levi and Leah are a Canadian younger couple in their late 20s/early 30s who are committed to intentional living, the environment, healthy sexuality, and adventure. At times they feel a little out of touch with reality, but I still enjoy their vibe and approaches to life. 

 

Mallikkas Life: Mallikka is Danish and closer to my age -- maybe a few years old (I'm 48 as I write this) and she posts about frugal living, de-cluttering, and being intentional in life. Her channel is pretty straightforward. She's fun and funny too. 

 

Max & Occy: Max is an Australian van lifer who lives in his van with his dog, Occy. He's chill and cool, has lots of great adventures, but he's also very open about mental health issues and life challenges. 

 

Natalie Bennett: Natalie is in her late 20s, maybe very early 30s, and vlogs about decluttering, home life, life with kids, and journeying towards minimalism. Every now and then her husband also appears in her vlogs and he's pretty funny! I like that Natalie is generally very upbeat but also realistic about life with kids.

 

Not Just Bikes: The dude behind this channel is from Canada, but he and his family live in Amsterdam now. They go everywhere by bicycle and his channel is dedicated, primarily, to going places by bike and bike friendly city design. I aspire to being car free and going everywhere by bike, by foot, or by public transportation. I also live in a US city that has a reputation for being extremely bike friendly -- it. is. not! My city has a lot of work to do in this area!

 

Propel: The guy behind Propel is based in New York City, but also has strong ties to California. He is an e-bike shop owner and much of his channel is dedicated to topics related to e-bikes, alternative transportation, and similar topics as those found on Not Just Bikes.

 

Roots and Refuge Farm: Roots and Refuge is the vlog of Jessica Sowards and her family as they homestead and build up their family, home, and business around all things homesteading and gardening. Jess is passionate about homesteading, home gardening, and self-sufficiency in terms of food. I am working on improving my patio container garden every year and have learned a lot from Jess. You can buy her first book, The First Time Gardener, HERE (this is an affiliate link -- thank you in advance for any purchase through this link as it may result in a small commission for me).

 

Sustainably Vegan: This channel is hosted by a young woman from Great Britain who recently moved to the United States with her husband. She is a calm presence amid the chaos of the world! She is primarily focused on frugal and simple living with a lot of cooking. 

 

This Crazy Life: Ok, I'm a total nerd, and I love to watch "clean with me" videos! Amanda, the host of this channel, often shares home cleaning and organizing videos, day in the life videos, and occasionally home renovation and home decorating videos. She also regularly shares recipes -- she is on a semi-restricted die that I relate to. I like to turn on her videos for inspiration to clean and organize my own home!

 

Whispering Willow Farm: Jill and her husband are friends with Jessica Sowards and family from Roots and Refuge, listed above. In fact, Jill's family bought their home from the Sowards! Jill is another passionate home gardener turned homesteader and farmer. I've learned a ton from her! In addition to gardening content, she also shares cooking videos, often focused on sourdough bread and fermenting. 

 

Wild We Roam: This channel features a young family exploring alternative lifestyles. When I came across their channel, they were van lifers in Europe (they are from the United States). Since my finding them, they have also lived on a boat, lived in Hawaii, and recently moved to be closer to family when they became parents. They currently are working on building a shipping container home and a homestead. 

 

Yoga with Adriene: Adriene is such a calm, gentle, soul! She teaches yoga through her videos, but she is very loosey-goosey and encourages viewers and participants to go at their own pace and adjust things as they need to. She is not a strict teacher at all!

 

5 Baby Shower Gift Ideas

One of my dearest friends became an auntie yesterday and will become an auntie a second time very soon. She asked recently about ideas for baby shower gifts. Here are my top 5:

Links may be affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you make purchases through these links as they may result in a small commission for me. 

1. Lingerie bag

A lingerie bag is perfect for all the small bits that come with a baby but get separated or lost in the wash -- especially socks! Besides socks, I used it for drool bibs, gloves, and mittens. I also keep all of our family's single, unmatched socks in the bag, and over time I usually am able to find the matching socks! I like to use a big lingerie bag rather than small one as that gives the items inside of it room to move around and actually get washed while still staying contained. A large bag also leaves room for my own unmatched socks which I do wash every time I need to wash the little kiddo's socks.  

 

The bag I use for baby socks is actually an old lingerie bag that belonged to my grandmother, but here a few good options to check out on Amazon.com:

• MJIYA Mesh Laundry Bags, 3 Pack
• TENRAI Delicates Laundry Bags, 3 Pack, with a loop on each for easy hanging from a hook in the laundry room
  
• iDesign InterDesign Laundry, Mesh Wash Bag, 1 Pack
  

2. Restaurant delivery gift cards

In the past 10 years or more, I've only been involved in one group that has done a meal train for a family in need. When I was a kid, meal trains were incredibly common for new parents, sick people, grieving people, and so on. Someone would organize a group to make and deliver meals to the person or family in question. Although I know these still happen, it seems they are far less common than they used to be.

 

When my uncle passed away, someone arranged a meal delivery service for my child and I as we were his caretakers and he was our best friend. The meal service was great, but it had limitations -- pre-selected meals, allergens I couldn't avoid, and didn't always match up with what we were in the mood for. 

Consider a restaurant delivery certificate instead. GrubHub, DoorDash, Postmates or similar gift cards will provide ease and payment for the new parents or parents to be while also allowing them the flexibility to order food that fits their taste preferences, dietary needs, and so on.

3. A photo mini printer and tons of cartridges

In this day and age, many of us tend to keep our photos on our phones. Gone are the days of dropping off a roll of film or a disposable camera at a store for developing and printing. 

I miss having actual printed photos. It's nice to scroll through the photos on my phone, but printing them out is better! Make it easy for new parents by getting them a photo mini printer and plenty of cartridges. I love my Kodak mini printer and wish I'd had it when my child was a baby. 

Here's the printer I use on Amazon.com, as well as extra cartridges:

• Kodak Mini 3 Retro 3x3” Portable Photo Printer Bundle, Compatible with iOS, Android & Bluetooth

• 60 Pack Kodak 4PASS Real Photo (3"x3") Refill – Mini 3 Square Retro

4. A baby first aid and grooming kit

A combined baby first aid and grooming kit was one of the most useful and thoughtful gifts I received when my 23 year old was born. Even though I never used several of the first aid items, knowing I had them gave me peace of mind. And, the grooming items were more useful than I ever expected -- as a first time mom, I had no idea how often I'd need to use some items like baby nail clippers!

 

As a gift giver, combined baby first aid and grooming kits have always been a hit as a baby shower gift! Every time I give one, someone at the shower says what a thoughtful and important gift it is and asks why they didn't think of it.

 

Here are my two favorites on Amazon.com:

• American Red Cross Deluxe Infant Health and Grooming Kit

• Safety 1st Deluxe 25-Piece Baby Healthcare and Grooming Kit

5. Diapers and wipes

If you know if the family you are buying for plans to use cloth or disposable diapers, buy them some! Diapers are expensive and having a reserve is beneficial. Buy one small package of newborn and then larger packages of the next two sizes, if the recipient will have room to store them. If you are hosting a baby shower, ask all of the guests to bring a pack of diapers in addition to any other gifts -- at my sister's baby shower, not only did we ask that everyone bring one package of diapers, but we gave a raffle ticket to everyone that actually followed through! At the end of the baby shower, we raffled off a movie theater gift certificate.

What are your "go to" baby shower gifts? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

For older kids and partners, consider grabbing some of my download-and-print lunchbox notes -- available on Etsy HERE. Print them out and slip a note into your child's lunchbox or backpack or into your partner's purse or bag.