Creative Income

The blog dedicated to all things crafty business!

  • Home
  • About
  • Giveaways
    • Win a Ticket to Snap!
  • Newsletter
  • Free eBook
  • Join our Facebook Group

Rebecca’s Etsy Series, Part 4: How to Use Listing Variations in Your Etsy Shop’s Item Listings

December 22, 2016 by Rebecca George 9 Comments

image image image

Etsy’s “listing variations” are an easy way to present all of the available item choices and factors to your customers. Buyers will have to pick from a drop-down list before they check out, so it simplifies the whole process for everyone involved. They can be created in your item listings on both on the desktop version and the Sell on Etsy app. Let’s look at a few ways to most effectively use this feature:

Why Variations are Important

Variations eliminate the problem of having to continually contact buyers to have them make a selection or decision regarding their purchase. Customers might not always know they have a message in their Etsy conversations inbox, so our questions can go unseen. For this reason, variations save time and thus allow you to get orders mailed out to customers much faster.

You get two variation sections per item listing, so choose them wisely. Make them your most important factors that will impact their purchase. For example, if you sell handmade t-shirts you’ll definitely want to make a drop-down with size choices (XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, etc.) as well as a color variation if that’s another factor.

When to Use Price Variations

Price variations are perfect for items that have options or add-ons that require a higher retail price. Etsy allows for one variation section with price differences and it must be done first if you’re doing two drop-downs. You can ask your customers to pick from sixteen pre-set variations (including Color, Fabric, Length, Scent, Style, etc.) or you can create your own.

When you’re creating this type of variation you must enter the final price the customer will pay (rather than the difference from the lowest priced selection). For example, if you have a necklace on base metal chain that is $20, the silver-plated version would entered as $30, the gold-plated would be $35, etc. When the listing is active it will then show as $20+ and the shopper can see the price differences in the drop-down.

How to Use Size and Style Variations

This is the way I typically use variations in my Etsy shop. The pre-set choices are the same as the ones I mentioned above and you can still create your own variation if none apply to your products. For instance, if you’re selling bath products with different scents, make a variation that lists all of the available choices (vanilla, basil, rose, etc). If you make bracelets that have several length choices, you can enter the various lengths by the pre-set suggestions of centimeters or inches or add your own measurement. I also recommend presenting the various options in your listing photos if possible- this way customers can get a visual besides the drop-down choices.

How have you used listing variations in your Etsy shop?

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow me
Rebecca George
Designer at Purple and Lime, Inc.
A Cincinnati native, Rebecca studied Art History & Geology at the University of Michigan. From there, she earned a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing from the American Intercontinental University in London, England. Highlights of her career include having several pieces from her graduation collection featured in the international fashion magazine i-D (UK, Feb. 2007) and working on men’s leather pouches for the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age (which won an Oscar for Best Costume). Her brand "Purple and Lime" is a line of super-fun womenswear, jewelry, and accessories based in Chicago. She has been successfully selling her line on Etsy and in shops for four years, and enjoys teaching others about online handmade selling!
Follow me
Latest posts by Rebecca George (see all)
  • 7 Essential Tips for Accepting Credit Cards at Craft Shows - September 30, 2020
  • How to Create a Press Release for Your Handmade Business - September 23, 2020
  • 6 Ways to Get into a New Craft Scene After You Move - September 16, 2020

Share and Enjoy !

0Shares
0 0

Filed Under: Etsy Tips Tagged With: Etsy, Rebecca George

Comments

  1. DeeDee says

    April 3, 2017 at 11:14 pm

    I just opened at Etsy shop yesterday and the variations seem different than your example above. All I am trying to do is add the option to buy the shoes with the doll dress for an extra cost. So it does not fit in their published variations, I have to choose to create my own. I have tried every way to add this option with NO success. It’s not really a variation, it’s an option to purchase the matching shoes to the doll dress. I have tried every way I can think of and it’s not easy and the Etsy instructions are worthless. Do you have any hints?

    Reply
  2. Rebecca George says

    April 5, 2017 at 7:04 pm

    Hi DeeDee,

    Etsy has recently updated variations to include more options and functionality, so it doesn’t look exactly the same as when I wrote this post. You can create your own variation, then give it a name and the various options names while selecting the “Prices vary” button. You might have to go back and forth on the pages when doing this to add all the options. Hope this helps! I’ll be writing an update for this feature in the near future.

    Reply
  3. annie farley says

    August 31, 2017 at 8:41 am

    Hi! Do you know if you can, indeed just add s, m, l xl, etc….when I try to add them they always say us women, or alpha, or mens. Trying to get rid of those words! Thanks so much for your help!!!

    Reply
    • jen says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      Ditto! What the heck?!
      Have you found a solution Annie?

      Reply
    • Mark Fleming says

      January 7, 2018 at 6:27 am

      I’d also like to know how to fix this. I’ve selected Unisex t-shirts as the product but the only options in size variations are S, M, L, XL, etc, with (Men’s) in the description. I’d like to remove ‘Mens’. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Brianna says

        July 2, 2018 at 7:31 am

        I’m seeing this months later but having the same problem (etsy only gives me options for “S Men’s”, “M Men’s”, etc… no unisex or womens). Wondering if anyone found a solution!

        Reply
    • Kelley Stringfellow says

      June 1, 2018 at 11:54 pm

      Does anyone have the answer to this question?

      Thanks in advance!

      Reply
  4. allison nealon says

    September 27, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    I’m looking for a workaround and want to sell my listings with variations in person, but on the Etsy app they are all greyed out if there are any variations at all…which is everything in my store except 2 items! Can you help??

    Reply
  5. LaTosha says

    February 28, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Is there a way to get the lowest priced thing in the variation to not show? I make items that have the availability of customization and when items are viewed the show the 2.00 for the customization as the main price. It may get more people to click through, but it seems misleading and I don’t want to represent my shop as misleading.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Email Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube RSS

Subscribe to the Creative Income Newsletter.

Getting Started

5 Easy Steps to a Successful Handmade Business

Start a Handmade Business: Free CreativeLive Class You Don’t Want to Miss!

Categories

Craft Fair Tips

16 DIY Craft Booth Ideas

Does your craft booth need some Tender Loving Care - TLC? Whether you’re looking to completely revamp your space or to add a few new additions here a … [Read More...]

Archives

Blogging

10 Tips for Creating a Successful Craft Blog

Craft Fairs

16 DIY Craft Booth Ideas

General Advice

7 Essential Tips for Accepting Credit Cards at Craft Shows

Getting Started

Starting a Business? Don’t Make These Rookie Mistakes

Organizing

5 Ways to Maximize Space in Your Craft Room

Sales Tips

Real Life Sales: Getting Your Crafts Into a Shop

Prime Publishing Craft Group
Copyright © 2021 · Creative Income - A Prime Publishing LLC property. All rights reserved.

About Us Advertise Contact Us FAQs Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Subscribe Terms of Service Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2021 · Tidy Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in