Leatherwork On Etsy: Ask Etsy For A "leatherwork" Category!

[swivelsphinx]

Hi There!

I recently opened a store on Etsy. When I went to make my first listing, I was surprised that "leatherwork" did not have its own category. There are "bags and purses", but as we all know, that's just a *fraction* of what leatherworkers can do! I think it would help everyone who works in any kind of leather to get more business if "leatherwork" was recognized as a category. Like woodwork, leatherwork requires specialized skills, tools and materials. Woodworking is recognized, several forms of fiber arts are recognized... but not what we do! If "needlecraft" and "woodworking" have their own categories, we certainly deserve a way to have our customers find us by category selection too!

If you would like to see "leatherworking" recognized as a category on Etsy, please hit the button that says "Contact Esty Support" and then select "Category suggestions" (or similar) as a topic and *tell* Etsy you'd like to see "leatherwork" recognized as a unique category in the search menu! If you sell on Etsy, if you BUY on Etsy, if someone you know sells or buys on Etsy, please spread the word!

Thanks,

Tannin Schwartzstein

Etsy Store: TrueCraft

swivelsphinx

Edited December 20, 2010 by swivelsphinx

[JesseJean]

Never thought of adding Leatherwork as a category. I've been selling my dog collars on Etsy and list them under Pets first (then collar, then leather).

I've just started to make sense of all the ways people can find your stuff on etsy and one of the tips I've seen over & over is use all 14 tags (this is one of the ways the search engines will find you too). You can put 'leather' and/or 'leatherwork' in your tags. I did that on a new listing and right away someone bought it.

Jess

Etsy shop: dieselDOGwear

[swivelsphinx]

Never thought of adding Leatherwork as a category. I've been selling my dog collars on Etsy and list them under Pets first (then collar, then leather).

I've just started to make sense of all the ways people can find your stuff on etsy and one of the tips I've seen over & over is use all 14 tags (this is one of the ways the search engines will find you too). You can put 'leather' and/or 'leatherwork' in your tags. I did that on a new listing and right away someone bought it.

Jess

Etsy shop: dieselDOGwear

You *are* right about tags... but really, I just feel that leatherwork deserves its own category... I mean sheeeeut.... knitting has one, and so does woodwork!

[JustKate]

Hi Tannin,

There has been a number of groups and individuals who have been campaigning for a "leatherwork" category for products, but sadly, there has been no response from the Etsy team that I know of. It may become a moot point, anyway.

According to Rob Kalin, the Etsy CEO, their traffic statistics have shown that the browse navigation hardly gets used by site visitors looking to buy. The vast majority of them use the search function to find what they are looking for. So they are considering phasing out the category browsing features entirely. Whether they do or not (I don't think they will), what that tells us is, the best way to get found is to optimize your listings for search.

So I second what Jess suggested. Make sure you have tags to include any search terms you want to be found by - as long as they accurately describe what you are listing, that is! I also suggest frequently adding and renewing listings. Since the search results are sorted by date by default, it is the most recent listings that appear at the top of the search results, unless the person searching changes how they are sorted. Also, my shop analytics consistently show that when I place a new listing or renew something, my shop traffic increases, and that's also when I'm most likely to get inquiries and sales. (My own shop has been pretty slow, but that's just because I haven't done much with it lately.)

Kate

[swivelsphinx]

Hi Tannin,

There has been a number of groups and individuals who have been campaigning for a "leatherwork" category for products, but sadly, there has been no response from the Etsy team that I know of. It may become a moot point, anyway.

According to Rob Kalin, the Etsy CEO, their traffic statistics have shown that the browse navigation hardly gets used by site visitors looking to buy. The vast majority of them use the search function to find what they are looking for. So they are considering phasing out the category browsing features entirely. Whether they do or not (I don't think they will), what that tells us is, the best way to get found is to optimize your listings for search.

So I second what Jess suggested. Make sure you have tags to include any search terms you want to be found by - as long as they accurately describe what you are listing, that is! I also suggest frequently adding and renewing listings. Since the search results are sorted by date by default, it is the most recent listings that appear at the top of the search results, unless the person searching changes how they are sorted. Also, my shop analytics consistently show that when I place a new listing or renew something, my shop traffic increases, and that's also when I'm most likely to get inquiries and sales. (My own shop has been pretty slow, but that's just because I haven't done much with it lately.)

Kate

I actually did receive a reply... that they don't like to add categories but that they were willing to "take demand into account in the future". If they phase the category system out... I certainly wouldn't miss it much!