Friday, October 30, 2009

Matryoshka Doll Review



Matryoshka doll

It's a Russian stacking doll! Wait, no...it's made of cloth.

A good friend of mine in high school collected stacking dolls from Russia. They were so cool, because when I was first introduced to them, I didn't realize what they were until she started pulling them apart. My eyebrows shot up in surprise and I said "Oh, look - there are more of them inside!" Kudos to this listing for bringing back fond memories.

This little Matryoshka doll doesn't come apart, however. It could just be the lighting, but in the pictures, it appears to have one blue eye and one brown eye. How cool is that? It's like a malamute doll!

I advocate proper use of grammar in Etsy listings, so I would suggest capitalizing the "I" in the description. Otherwise, this listing looks good - with three pictures with decent views of the item, proper use of item tags, shipping offered to anywhere in the world, and two forms of payment accepted, this listing appeals to almost any buyers. Bravo!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Aaliyah Original Oil Painting Review




Aaliyah - 24 X 36 Original Oil Painting - EBSQ

Many minutes of my life have passed while I studied the thing in the upper left corner of this painting. I cannot determine positively what it is. After much consideration, I concluded that, if anything, it must be a wine glass. Another possibility that I considered was a sparrow, but I'm leaning more toward a wine glass than a sparrow. I have no clue what relationship Aaliyah had with wine glasses or sparrows, but I imagine that she probably had a lot more to do with wine glasses than she did with sparrows. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my guess.

I would love to see more pictures in this listing. Pictures of this painting hanging on the wall, both framed and unframed, would show the buyer how the painting could look in the buyer's own home; thereby, making the buyer more inclined to purchase the item. Also, many buyers may not realize the sheer size of a 24" x 36" oil painting. Placing the painting close to an item the buyer can more easily relate to would help the buyer to understand how large this painting is.

I can't help but notice that the seller only offers shipping within the United States. Because Etsy is such an incredibly diverse place, filled with people of many nations, only marketing towards those in the United States cuts out a large portion of the potential customer base. The more customers that are able to purchase the item, the more likely it is that the item will sell.

Crayon Hearts Review




Crayon Hearts

I remember melting crayon scraps when I was little. My brother and I would dump out the old shreds of crayon shavings onto a piece of paper. We would then fold the paper in half and heat it up in the microwave. We would take the paper out while the crayon was still molten hot, and open it up. After allowing it to dry, we would look at it, and see what we could see in it. We called this making crayon ink blot tests.

Once, we decided to make a crayon out of our shavings instead of making crayon ink blot tests. I can't remember what we used as a cylindrical mold, but we dumped our crayon shavings in, heated it up, and voila! A multicolored crayon. It was so cool, because it was huge, and as you colored with it, you never knew what color you would discover on your paper from one second to the next. When I see these crayon hearts, I think of that.

The main picture on this listing is beautifully done. I love the way that the hearts are piled in a seemingly haphazard manner. The bright colors caused me to think initially that they were heart-shaped candies. Unfortunately, the seller does not mention in the listing what size these are, nor is there any size indicator in the pictures. Interestingly, the seller placed an apostrophe in the title word "hearts." Curious.

Concerning tags, "children" is misspelled and no materials are listed. I love that shipping is offered to anywhere in the world and two forms of payment are accepted - so if a buyer does not like to use Paypal, this seller also accepts money order.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Miniature Brass Gavel Review




Miniature brass gavel

I'm not certain what it is that I find so intriguing about a judge's gavel. Is it the shape? The color? The loud sound it makes when it slams against something? Perhaps I was a judge in a previous life. Whatever the reason, I find gavels very attractive and seem to gravitate toward them.

The pictures of the gavel are nice enough, but I would love to see this gavel against wood. I would be able to associate this gavel with a courtroom more easily if it was on a wooden desk, because courtroom judges traditionally pronounce their judgments behind wooden desks.

I would like to see more tags on this items, such as metal, traditional, silver or gray. I generally suggest filling up all fourteen tag slots with descriptive words. The more words a seller puts in the tags of an item, the more likely that item is to appear in a search made by a potential buyer. Make sure to think of all of the words that a buyer might type in order to find the item.

If a seller ships internationally, he or she should list international shipping prices. International buyers may click through to the listing, scan down to the shipping area, see that the seller has not listed international shipping rates, and move on to the next item. Even though the seller says "convo me for an international shipping quote," the buyer may not see this upon a quick scan or the buyer may be unwilling to write a convo to the seller and then wait for a response, only to find that the seller's international shipping prices are too high.

This seller only lists Paypal as a payment option. I always suggest listing Paypal plus at least one other form of payment. Many buyers do not use Paypal, and money orders are relatively safe to accept.

Gameboy Fabric And Felt Electronics Case Review




Gameboy Handheld Fabric and Felt Case - iPod iPhone iTouch Cell Phone Gadgets and more

The nerd in me is totally geeking out over this oh-so-awesome electronics sleeve that looks like...a Game Boy! I am taken back to my childhood...a time of long car trips and brothers who say "lemme alone, do somethin' else." My answer: the Game Boy!

Now, if you're thinking that the creator did an excellent job of imitating the way that an actual Game Boy looks, then you're absolutely correct. After all, this is a photo of a Game Boy printed onto cotton photo fabric. I was previously unaware of the existence of "photo fabric" and I am very impressed with the quality of this.

The main picture in this listing shows the item, tilted at a nice eye-catching angle, and with an electronic device partially inside. This effectively allows the potential buyer to see the item, develop interest in the item, and see how to use the item - all before clicking through to the listing.

Once on the listing page, the prospective buyer may view the back of the case, a glimpse of the wool interior of the case, the packaging of the case, and other case options that a customer may choose instead of the gameboy case.

The seller offers shipping to the US and to Everywhere Else (yes, that means you). Unfortunately, it appears that the seller only accepts Paypal for payment. Because some buyers do not use Paypal, I suggest accepting Paypal and at least one other form of payment (money orders are relatively safe).

Monday, October 26, 2009

Joy Felt Hat Review



Joy..Felt hat...

When I'm walking down the street on any given Sunday, I sometimes see women looking at me strangely - but never from the top of another woman's head! Looking at the main image of this hat, I saw some fuzz and thought "huh, looks kind of like some weird kind of mold on top of a hat..." Then, I took a look at the second image and realized "Oh my God! It's a woman!"

This hat is incredibly unique, to say the very least. I have never in my life worn another woman on my head, but they say there's a first time for everything. It's like a doodle art cameo portrait...on the back of your head!

The seller might want to consider taking the ellipses out of the title and simply calling it "Joy Felt Hat" or something to that effect. I like the fact that the seller ships everywhere, and the fact that the seller is willing to make the hat fit the buyer's head size.

Chocolate Brown Clutch Review



Chocolate Brown Clutch

Is it a flower? Is it an English symbol of royalty? Is it a monster from the depths of I have no idea where? Call it what you will, but the design on this clutch is intricate and beautiful. And, as an added bonus, while you're waiting in the doctor's office for your name to be called, you can play psychologist with your fellow patients by asking them "What do YOU see in this picture?" Be sure to raise your eyebrow when you say this. People find this very intimidating.

I'm thrilled with the usage of the photo slots in this listing. However, I think the second picture should be the main picture. The main picture seems darker than the others and may not accurately reflect the actual color of the clutch. Additionally, the angle in the second picture gives more depth than the frontal picture presented in the main picture.

The placement of the brown-on-red designer's tag is excellent. The contrast works very well to offset what would otherwise be a harsh interior. This listing shows excellent picture quality, a great close up view of the flower design, and an adequate view of the back of the clutch.

I approve of the shipping options outside of the US, although the seller might want to consider shipping to Canada and Everywhere Else.

Sterling Silver Chunky Shell Pearl Necklace Review



Sterling Silver and Chunky Shell Pearl Necklace

I was struck by the simplicity of this black pearl necklace. This single pearl strung on a leather cord reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament. With the swarovski rondelle at the top of the pearl, the sterling silver fastening peeking out the bottom, and the wire connecting the rondelle to the cord, this ornament looks sure to hang around any neck with style.

The black necklace set against a white mannequin is a nice visual touch, creating maximum contrast. I really like that the seller used all of the picture slots, although I would make the second picture into the main picture. This would demonstrate the necklace being used in the thumbnail, thereby decreasing the amount of thought necessary for a buyer, and increasing the likelihood that a potential buyer would click through to the actual listing. If a buyer has to think about what an item might be, he or she might simply pass on to the next item rather than read what the title says.

I love the third picture. The way that the seller has swirled the leather cord into loops is very attractive.

I'm pleased to note that this seller has listed four different options for shipping destinations - US, Canada, Australia, and the ubiquitous Everywhere Else. The seller may regret having such a low shipping cost to Everywhere Else when Everywhere Else becomes Russia, however. Sometimes, international shipping can be more expensive than one might imagine.

Ghoulish Goodies - Cookies in a Jar Review




Ghoulish Goodies - Cookies in a Jar

Initial reaction to the picture: What the heck is in the bottom of that jar???? And then I read on to discover: Oh, my gosh! It's cookies in a jar!

With oatmeal, pecans, M&Ms , chocolate chips, and sugar in this container, what's not to love? The seller even offers to mix you a custom batch that doesn't contain nuts, if you're allergic.

But the fun doesn't stop with the yummy goodness that's inside. The outside of the jar is decorated with Halloween fabric displaying ghosts, bats, and pumpkins.

I love the pictures on this item. Not only are there a lot of them, but also they were taken outside with good lighting and a tasteful background.

The polka dot black and orange ribbon against the ghost/pumpkin/bat fabric may have been a tad much though. There's only so much activity that should be happening in one area, and the polka dots push this one over that edge. Might try that fabric with a plain black ribbon for a better effect.

Clear Rubber Cupcake Stamp Review




Handmade Clear Rubber Stamp -cupcake-

After reading over this description, my first thought is "Gift wrap? Where?" The description claims that a buyer can have the stamp gift wrapped, but shows no indication of this in the pictures.

I love how there is a picture of the top of the stamp, the bottom of the stamp, and of the finished product resulting from the stamp. Still, I'm left to wonder about what the offered gift wrap looks like. As we all know, there's gift wrap, and then there's gift wrap.

The cupcake image itself is very cute. It isn't quite symmetrical and yet it is definitely not haphazard, resulting in a subtle charm. I could see this stamp being used on envelopes, greeting cards (think Happy Birthday!), or in scrapbooking.

Dream Pictures on Canvas Review



Dream Pictures On Canvas

My attention was so distracted by the sparkling beauty of this image that at first, I didn't notice the baby curled into the top of the flower in this picture. This picture has an almost magical feel, from a land where babies are small enough to fit on the head of a flower (or perhaps the flowers are just that big ;).

A contrasting color would do nicely for the text. As it is, the text is difficult to read, particularly in the whiter areas. Using a color from the flower for the text definitely ties the picture together effectively. However, because of the contrast issue, I would suggest using one of the brighter colors of pink within the flower.