Treat my articles as inspiration. Think about how my suggestions might work in your context. The handicraft market is very wide. My observations are generalized and will not necessarily be true in every case.
And finally, the moment comes when I will summarize everything that we have already managed to prepare. Yes, instead of scaring you with the whole list of things to prepare and discouraging you, I did it a bit differently, introducing you to the topics step by step over the past weeks, so now you probably have a good base to start your international expansion ?
There will still be some topics that probably need to be refined, but I am sure that you will have time to prepare it before the start of our joint project, and above all, it will be formalities that you were probably already aware of ? The most important thing is that you have sorted out a bit what, to whom, how and for how much you want to sell ?
So let’s get down to business and check off point by point what we have ?
1. Terms and Conditions – I have discussed all of this in this article.
2. Information about you:
a. your contact details,
b. your story (remember to focus on people, not products, as we did with the group – customers want to see the human behind the work),
c. description of your brand, if you have one – e.g. what values it represents, what makes it stand out.
3. Your products:
a. descriptions of each product (what it is made of, how to maintain, etc.),
b. dividing them into those ready “on the spot” and “on request”,
c. considering their attributes (standard features such as color or size) or tags (special features, e.g. flower, dog, doll, etc.),
d. combining them with each other due to “up-sells” (premium versions or sets that you would like to highlight for a given product, so that the customer will buy such a version instead of the “basic” version) and “cross-sells” (products that complement a given product and the customer can buy additionally by increasing the entire order),
e. for custom-made products, defining certain attributes and variations that the customer can normally choose and issues that will have to be, for example, clarified in writing (e.g. inscription). Too many options can overwhelm the customer, so this has to be balanced. It will also be easier for the client to check certain things than to write a long text to you in a comment, so it’s good to suggest some options. Try to make shopping easier for him.
f. if certain product variations cost more, then also listing these prices and specifying exactly what the change depends on (e.g. the size of the clothes and color may not change the price, but e.g. the customer’s choice of a different material, or instead of a 20×20 frame, a 40×40 frame already it will probably cause such a change, although for a different frame size I would suggest adding a separate product);
g. also think about what occasions it will be a good gift idea and for whom (e.g. for grandmother, mother, teacher, birthday, Christmas, etc.).
4. Formalities related to mail order sales abroad – here each of you should ask someone dealing with accounting how you should settle accounts for your sales abroad and whether / or at what point you should register a company, if you do not already have one, to do everything legally. With the registration of the company, you will have to obtain an EU-VAT number, because you will use the services of a foreign contractor – the platform.
5. Foreign shipments:
a. you should check the prices of courier or postal services, how much they cost to individual EU countries.
b. Also pay attention to eg shipping to Germany, where if you are shipping as a business, you have to register with their office to pay certain waste generation fees.
6. Prices in Euro – as the main currency in Europe it is good to use it as your reference currency. At the same time, I would urge you to set up an account in euro (if you don’t have one). If there is a different currency in your country, then you will only need the official exchange rate for the accounting settlement – so it is not so problematic, and you can save some money on currency conversions deducted by banks ?
7. Stripe account – in our case, we start with the best card payment intermediary on the Internet (FB also uses it). Creating an account is free. Also, the solution we have chosen will be the cheapest for you when it comes to commissions and other fees for processing these payments. You will make an account once your register on the platform, but it is worth to check the conditions for Stripe Connected Standard Accounts before.
8. Free shipping and other promotions – if you intend to offer them, think on what terms and describe them also in your regulations. It will be possible to create coupons and add conditions for free shipping (for a given amount, for a given product, etc.). I wrote more on this topic here.
9. Translation into English – this is not a mandatory point, but it seems to me to be a kind of going out to the client and showing that you are really trying to attract clients from abroad and meet them. If you have a problem, you can always ask us to check what you wrote, or how it translated you by the automatic translator? Also remember to try to write back to foreign clients in their language or in the language in which they wrote the message. Even if it is automatic translation, the client will appreciate your efforts.
10. Stay positive – a positive attitude attracts the most ? try to reflect it in your texts, photos and your story. This does not mean that you cannot write about the adversities that have happened to you – quite the opposite! Show that you still do not give up and you want to infect others with joy by offering them your products created from the heart: D Simply, customers are more likely to buy things that evoke positive feelings in them ?
And so it seems to me that in these 10 points I have covered all the most important things that you should focus on, although even some of these things you can develop and adapt later ? If you have any questions or do you just need support, then write to us – we are always happy to help you ?
Have a beautiful day!
Aga
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