Question for anyone who buys/sells on Etsy

[MaggieTheCat]

Or any individually operated online store...

I have recently started getting into crafting with polymer clay. I want to start selling some of my stuff on Etsy eventually. However, I am a little concerned about how to handle shipping. We only have 1 car and my boyfriend works Mon-Fri 8am-5pm so I don't have any way to get to the post office or anything during the week. And it would be a pain for him to have to go to the post office before/during work every few days. I am wondering, how appropriate would it be if I just had a policy that all orders shipped on Saturdays? (with the possible exception of "rushed" or expedited orders that I would deal with on a case-by-case basis.)

Also, what, if anything, am I going to have to document for tax purposes? I will readily admit that I know next to nothing about taxes, my dad had someone who always did the whole family's taxes every year so I really am clueless.

[ibor132]

A couple of thoughts about shipping - could you get to the post office after hours? Most post offices these days have an automated postal center, basically a kiosk where you can buy postage and ship packages 24/7. It seems like that would work really well for you. Alternatively, I believe there are a number of ways to buy postage online and print it yourself.

[Aethian]

There is also free carrier pickup, free delivery confirmation if you print the label through the usps website, and you can order free priority boxes through the usps website.

[sms001]

And yes, you absolutely have to track income for taxes. The plus side is that many of your current "hobby" expenses become deductible when incurred as a business. A couple of quick tips:

Document document document. Keep EVERYTHING business related. And start the organization aspects of it NOW. I promise you won't want to do a year's worth of sorting all at once ever. A whole file cabinet of empty folders looks silly at first, but you'll never regret it.

Separate business from household. Get a business license and use that at the bank to open a business only account.

Read up, online and at the library, on administering a small business. Lots of good info out there.

The SBA is your friend. I have yet to encounter anyone connected to this organization who wasn't helpful and well informed. They WANT you to succeed, and offer many tools to help you do so.

Good luck, and have fun!

[Taboo]

I won't address the legal stuff since it's already been covered well.

I have an Etsy account myself and there are sellers who only ship one or two days a week. They have a very clear statement of this on their profile, and it's repeated as a copy-paste at the bottom of every item. For example,

"All orders will ship on Saturdays after payment has been received. If your order is received later than (time) on Saturday, then it will ship the following Saturday. If this is a rush order and you need it shipped sooner, or upgraded to a faster shipping plan once sent, please contact me before purchasing to find out if it is possible (if you are willing to offer this as all - you don't have to)."

Something like that is fine. People on Etsy understand that these are individuals, not companies, and are usually flexible. If your shop gets popular, see if you can get more shipping days prior to major holidays, but you should be fine only shipping one day a week most of the year.

Good luck!

[calulu]

Another option I've used when I do Etsy and Ebay is to deal with the postal service online. Most of the time I ship using a flat rate Priority Mail envelope/box from the postal service. I order the boxes/envelopes for free from the postal service, they ship me a box filled with mailing supplies to my door. When I'm ready to mail out merchandise I fill, pay for the postage online, print the postage and shipping label from the postal service software on my computer printer and tape it to the box. The final step is leaving a note at the mail box letting my carrier know I have packages for pickup at the house. All this is done without once leaving the house or inconveniencing myself.

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks, everyone, for the great advice! I really appreciate it. I am definitely going to look into getting a Texas state Tax Permit form, and doing some or all of the postage online. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment complex that does not have a drop box or drop area for mail. Apparently before I moved in, the mail drop box kept getting vandalized and damaged, so they removed it entirely. So we have to go to the post office to send ALL of our mail. Still, if I can pay for the postage and everything else online, that will be better than having to wait in line on a Saturday morning to send a bunch of boxes.

[Aethian]

Maggie, when you print your postage there is a box to check to indicate carrier pick up for the packages. The carrier then gets a piece of paper stating that a carrier pick up was requested at (address* for *number* of packages weighing *weight*. These have to be turned in with the corresponding packages. So as long as your home and have talked to your carrier, your fine.