Shop FAQs
Here are frequently asked questions for Crafty Fisherman.

FAQ DETAILS

Here are details about faqs

  • Now that I've registered, what steps do I have to take?
    Congratulations!  You're a part of Crafty Fisherman.  It's time to list some products and start earning some money!  There are just three, really easy steps and the entire process of set up from here should take approximately 10 minutes. 

    Nothing involved will cost you anythingAll of these steps are in place to make sure that you can accept payments and get paid!

    1. Complete your Seller Profile.  Select Profile, then select My Account.  Here you will input your seller details, upload logos (if you want, seller banners (if you want).  The only mandatory fields are Name, Shop Name, Location Fields, and your Store Description.  This should take about 1 or 2 minutes.  None of your personal info or location will be shared publicly.  It is between you and the site only. 
    2. Sign up for a PayPal Business Account.  It is completely free, and separate from your personal PayPal account to help you manage your business better.  You will likely sign up as a Sole Proprietor and simply have to enter your details from there.  If you already have an established LLC or other entity, you would simply select the appropriate choice in lieu of Sole Proprietor and proceed from there.  This should take approximately 5 minutes.
    3. Connect Your PayPal business account to the seller dashboard.  This is so that you can get paid!  Click Profile (near the top) within your seller dashboard, and then select payment details in the submenu.  Chose Payment method, click PayPal, and then type in the email you registered your PayPal business account with.  

    Your set up is complete at this point, and you're now ready to begin listing products!
  • How do I list products?
    Super easy process.  Numerically there are about 15 steps as shown below, but this entire process should only take a matter of moments.

    1. Select Products within your seller dashboard, and choose Product Listing.
    2. Click Add Product
    3. Enter Product Details
    4. Most likely you are going to select Normal Product rather than digital product.
    5. Enter a Product Name (whatever you want to call what you're selling!)
    6. Chose a Product Type.  The choices are new for anything that you consider new.  Select Used for anything that is going to be second hand.  Select Wood Shop if you are into burning wood, building tackle or fly boxes, etc and that is what the product is.
    7. Enter a description that will appear on the website for buyers to see.
    8. Input a weight for the product so that shipping can be accurately calculated.
    9. Chose a shipping method.  Shipstation is likely the easiest.  The customer is billed the shipping directly and you can print a USPS label from your dashboard.  Flat rate shipping is just that.  You would also use flat rate if you want to offer free shipping. Simply choose flat rate over all and input your shipping amount. 
    10. Enter a sales price (enter a compare at price if the product is on sale).
    11. Enter the quantity available, and choose if you want to track the products inventory.  If you want the customers to be able to purchase the product when is out of stock, check the appropriate box.
    12. Set up any variants (see additional FAQ for more on variants).
    13. Upload a picture of the product.
    14. Select the appropriate collection from the drop down box, so that your product shows on the right section(s) of the website.
    15. Save.
    You are listed.  Way to go!
  • Variants... what are they and how do I set them up?
    Variants are different versions of the same product.  If you're selling a hook, and you sell size 1/0, 2/0, & 3/0.  That would be three variants.  If you are selling a bobber that is 3", 4", 5" and comes in red, yellow, and green.  That is going to be 9 variants.  3"/Red, 3"/Yellow, 3"/Green, 4"/Red, 4"/Yellow, etc, etc.

    Variants are a way to simplify your life so you're not creating listings for tons of the same product.  The various options will simply show up on the single product page, keeping things nice and concise.  This saves you lots and lots of time.

    To create a variant, take the following steps when you're adding or editing a product.

    Click Add Variants
    Type in the Particular Option Name, for example "size" and then input the optionvalues such as "3" ", "4" ", and "5" ".  Make sure these options show up separately!

    If you have a second option, click "add another option."  Then repeat the process above.  Option Name "Color" and then Option Value "Red" "Yellow" "Green."

    Note, you do not need to use the quotation marks like in the examples above.

    If you have an existing product that you originally only had one variant for, but later need to add more simply click Add Variant and input the new details within the page that comes up.  Here you can then re-add unlimited new variants.

    You will get the hang of it, but if you run into problems... contact us!
  • When will I be paid?
    Here is the breakdown of the timing of each step in your order.

    Order placed (Buyer)
    Order Fulfilled (Seller) - Day 1
    Order Shipped (Seller)
    Order Received (Buyer)
    Refund Period Expiry / Payment to Seller- Day 14

    As a best practice, the fastest way to get your money will be to ship your order as quickly as possible.  You have 14-days to do this by the Terms of the site before the order is cancelled and the buyer is refunded.  If you wait 13 days to fill an order, that means you will not be getting paid until the 27th day after the order is placed (13-days of waiting to ship, plus 14 return days).  Our strong recommendation is to follow the stated shipping policy from the home page on Crafty Fisherman  (Click here to view).  This suggests that you will ship the order within 2-3 days.  This serves as a crazy good service initiative, that will lead to repeat buyers, as well as getting you your money as quickly as possible.  We really don't want to hold it from you, and if we could get by giving it sooner without the worry of fraud (people sending out empty envelopes) or misrepresentation (not sending the correct item) than we would.  We are obligated to give the customer a period of time to examine their purchase.  Your funds will come, promise.  
  • Our Obscenely Low Fee Breakdown
    Crafty Fisherman was created as an alternative to the big sites that crush you.  We learned that listing fees, re-listing fees, commissions, and credit card costs were just brutal and ate into half of the sales price.  We decided to do something about it to benefit you.

    Here is a quick breakdown of the fees:

    Crafty Fisherman
    Listing Fee - Free
    Commission/Final Value Fee - 5%
    Relisting Fee - None
    Credit Card Fee - 2.99% + $0.30

    Do your research on Etsy or Ebay and you'll find that this is way lower than what you're going to get anywhere else.  This means more of the money you earn is going into your pocket.

    We are fisherman, just like you, and our goal is to make you as successful as possible with your small business!
  • Fulfillment Note
    We have implemented an absentee shop owner policy to prevent buyers from having their funds held up indefinitely.  To that end,  if you as a seller have not fulfilled the order within 14-days then the order will be cancelled and the buyers money returned. 

    We recommend establishing a best practices and defining your shipping policy in your seller profile if you do not want to abide by the stated policy on the home page: Click here to view.  Our recommendation based on experience is the try to fulfill and ship orders that come in by early afternoon the same day, and all other orders thereafter the following day.  This is great customer service and leads to repeat buyers.  Again, merely a suggestion, but being on top of things is super important.  Think of how nice it is to get your package from places like Amazon in two days, versus some one off stores that get you your stuff a week after you order.
  • Other Questions?
    Write us!  We are pretty quick to respond.  Usually within a couple hours max unless we're sleeping.  

    [email protected]
  • Listing Aid
    We thought we'd put together a brief guide to assist you in making sure you're showing your product(s) as well as you can.  Ultimately, our hope is that these notes get your items noticed in the world, increase your sales and stack happy money in your pocket from helping people with your offerings! (YAY!)

    1. Create a straightforward title

    To sell you first need to be found...
    And, to be found and reach more of your perfect people the first step is to write the title for your product in the same way they would type it in Google if they were looking for a product like yours to solve their problems.  
     
    So, while the title of your Crafty products doesn't have to be “clever” or “fun,” it does have to be clear and straightforward.

    Think of Keywords to use that would be common search terms that people may be looking for.  

    Pro tip: Use Google to find keyword ideas that will make your product more searchable (check out this post to learn how to do it). 

    2. Show quality photos of your products

    Now that you have hit the customer search intent lottery with a keyword rich title, it is time to make their jaws drop with great pictures of your product. 
     
    Let’s start with the basics...
     
    So, what size should Crafty Fisherman images be? Well, the recommended aspect ratio for your listing photo and thumbnail to be 4:3.
     
    We highly recommend a minimum of 2000px for the shortest side of the image, so it won't be blurry if someone tries to zoom in.

    Meaning, your Crafty product image size should be at least 2700 px wide and 2025 px height.
     
    Next Pro Tip:  Canva makes it so easy to create and resize pictures following these guidelines. If you haven't tried it yet check it out here.
     
    SO... HOW DO I TAKE GOOD PICTURES FOR CRAFTY?

    According to Pinterest, photos of products in lifestyle settings get more clicks. 
    If you can hire or collab with a professional photographer that’s amazing, but if not, then natural lighting and your phone can do wonders!
    For outdoor pictures, around sunrise and sunset are the best time to take pictures.
    It is known as “Golden Hour” or “Magic Hour.” Checkout this free app to see at what time exactly the next Magic hour is happening in your area.
    To take indoor pictures, do it close to a window and test throughout  the day to see what time gives you the best result.
    You can also create or purchase photo boxes made just for this purpose that provide perfect lighting and a solid backdrop to work with.

    3. How to write Crafty Fisherman descriptions...

    Writing amazing product descriptions starts with knowing your ideal customer, how they are feeling at this moment, and how you can help them solve their problem with your product.
    Because...”If you don’t solve a problem, you don’t have a business”.
     
    Once you identify the problem, focus on what they want and tell them how your product can help them achieve that. 
    Talk about the transformation your product could create in their life! And even better, if you can support your words with photos!
    Last, mention the features of your product, which is the more technical stuff like the size, format, etc. 
    To make product features more exciting and interesting link each one of them to a benefit. For example, Instead of saying  “Size: 1 by 3 inches” say  “It’s only 1 by 3 inches, so you can take it with you everywhere.”

    Wrapping it up
    Most of the tips on this post apply not only for Crafty but for any other online marketplace or platforms as well like eBay.
    Marketplaces like Crafty Fisherman are amazing for traffic because they have tons of people visiting every day!  Just keep in mind, being an entrepreneur is a wild ride, so remind yourself that having a business doesn't make “You” the business.  Have fun with this!