🌿 30% Etsy fee hike & Selkie updates! 🌊

Published: Sun, 02/27/22

30% Etsy Fee Hike-ouch.

Last Friday, Etsy announced that seller fees are going to increase from 5 to 6.5%, which is so much more painful than it appears on the surface. That's because that fee is leveled on "the total transaction cost" which is the item AND shipping. This means that they're charging me against portions of the transition I don't make any money on. Etsy says the increase in fees will mostly pay for “marketing, seller tools, and creating world-class customer experiences.” (lol.) It's also no secret that Etsy now makes more money off sellers paying for seller services (like Promoted Listings, and Etsy Plus) than they do on these transaction fees.

Tl;dr- this hurts a lot. Last year I paid just over $29,000 in Etsy fees and Etsy shipping labels. This year, under the new fee structure, that number becomes $37,700.

This has, understandably, lit a fire under my butt to get the shop on NightBlooming.com up and running asap. I'm hoping for early access for Patrons soon-ish, and perhaps a full launch by my store's anniversary in April.

What's in the works for NightBlooming.com

To make it worth the fuss and hassle of making a new account I’ve hired a little help to make this the best possible experience! Already in the works are:

Account Creation Reward: When we’re live? You’ll get $10 off your first purchase over there.
Loyalty rewards: A system where you’ll get points to spend towards flat dollar amounts off, free products, and discounted/free shipping. You’ll get points by doing the things you already do on Etsy: buy things and leave reviews, but now you’ll also be able to get more points by referring other customers to me.
Birthday bonus: You’ll get a special treat during the month of your birthday.
A better shopping experience: On Etsy? Hinoki Hair Growth Blend is spread across several listings because Etsy doesn’t allow me to assign shipping weights to each variable product size (which is only critically important when it comes to keeping shipping costs accurate). Most people don’t even know that you can get Hinoki Hair Growth in 5 sizes, including as a mister or a dram of pure essential oils. As you can see up above, all those variations now live together in one place on NightBlooming.com.
Clearer layout: Etsy crams a bunch of stuff at the top of the listing with the goal of converting as many people to an impulse buy as possible. I don't want impulse buys, I want you to have a quality experience. Everything in one place, variations easy to find, and you’ll be able to hover over any of the ingredients on an item for a quick description of what that item actually is, and why it’s included in the product.

Patrons will get early access

My Patrons are people who choose to kick in a little every month to support my creative works in exchange for various benefits. Some of those benefits are the 15% off EverGreen discount (so Patrons at the $7 tier and above get 15% off every order at NightBlooming), and Guildmasters gets special merch. Their support also lets me pay for things like enlisting help to get the WooCommerce side of the new shop running correctly, and absorb bumps in the road like this fee hike.

Patrons will also get early access to the new site--it's a good way to limit traffic at first because I have a whole bunch of new processes to learn there.

If you're not a Patron already, I'd love it if you consider becoming one!

A fresh batch of Selkie, and Paperbottle Refills are here to stay!

Back in August I introduced a trial of paperbottle refills for Selkie. 100% recyclable and biodegradable, these 16 ounce bottles will refill your big Selkie spray bottle TWICE. The trial went well, people love them, and so I've gotten proper labels printed for them and these are now a permanent addition to NightBlooming.

I've also just finished making a fresh batch of Selkie, so grab a sample, a big bottle, or a refill!

Don't forget the new 500g compostable packets of herbal hair colors!

I've added a bulk size to all of my herbal hair colors. Now, you can get a 500g packet for what 400g would normally cost you and the packets are compostable!

500g Pouches