Latest / The Modern Etsy Seller Podcast / 60. Can You Link to Your Website on Etsy? What About QR Codes? | Etsy Tips for Sellers

Transcript

60. Can You Link to Your Website on Etsy? What About QR Codes? | Etsy Tips for Sellers · The Modern Etsy Seller Podcast

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hey there, welcome to the Modern Etsy Seller Podcast and what you're wondering, the segment where I answer one specific Etsy question in under five minutes.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Melissa, a busy working mom with two profitable Etsy shops, and I help other busy women make money with Etsy and print on demand.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're answering the question: can you add a link to your own website on Etsy?
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: And what's going on with QR codes?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: This is something that I've been looking into because Etsy updated its off-platform transactions policy on October 5th.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been seeing a lot of conversations about having listings flagged or removed, and they're finding that it's because they're directing customers off of Etsy.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I decided to look at what Etsy actually says, and there are a few things that I think we all need to know.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, first of all, yes, you are allowed to link your own website within your Etsy account, but you can only do it in a very specific place that Etsy provides.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: So if you go into your shop manager, go under settings, and then into your shop, scroll down a little bit, you'll find a section where you can add links to your website.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, then you can even add on, you could add links to social media accounts, or if you have a blog.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you're allowed to add links right there.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: But that's the only place that you're supposed to do it.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: That's the designated place that Etsy provides for sharing those links.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I would absolutely stick to using that and avoid putting any kind of link in your Etsy listing descriptions or on your listing photos.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Don't put anything there because that is likely to get you flagged.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing wrong with having your own website or wanting to build a business beyond Etsy, but for Etsy, there's an important distinction between sharing your website and using Etsy to direct customers somewhere else to make a purchase.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy considers that fee avoidance because you're using its platform to attract a customer and then encouraging them to complete the transaction somewhere else.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that's just against the rules.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: So now let's talk about QR codes.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what Etsy's policy says, word for word.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: We don't allow using a QR code to direct members off Etsy.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's it, one sentence.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And what's important to understand is that Etsy doesn't distinguish between QR codes that direct shoppers somewhere else to make a purchase and those that are serving some other purpose.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: For example, I've used, I use, I should say, because I'm not done deleting everything, I use QR codes in my own Etsy business to give customers the opportunity to sign up for my email list.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: And in return, they've received a coupon code that they can use on Etsy.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: They can't use it anywhere else, they can use it on Etsy.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: So I know I'm not trying to get customers to buy something outside of Etsy.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm certainly not trying to avoid paying Etsy fees, but that QR code still takes them off the platform to sign up for my email list.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: And based on the wording of this policy, that could be a problem.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, that means I have some listing photos to updates because that is where I've included the QR codes for my products.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe there's some of you out there who have as well.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's definitely not something that I'm excited about doing, but considering how much time and effort I've put into building my Etsy shops, I'd rather spend a little time updating those photos than risk having listings removed or potentially putting my shops in jeopardy.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're using QR codes in your own Etsy listings, even if they're just for an email sign up or something else that has nothing to do with making a purchase, I would strongly encourage you to review them.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really that's really my takeaway from all of this.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: You can absolutely build an email list, grow a social media following, have your own website alongside your Etsy shop.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to be careful about how you're directing Etsy shoppers to those places.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that's it for today.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening, and I will see you next time.