How to Tuesday...Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are making a comeback.  Offering a gift certificate takes the pressure off of the gift giver.  Giving the receiver the opportunity to pick their own perfect gift.  This also gives your shop double the awareness as both the purchaser and the recipient are visiting your shop.  And more business is always good, but remember you will pay fees when both parties check out.

On Etsy it strongly states to research your local laws governing gift certificates to ensure your shop is in accordance.  The DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy state as follow:

• Gift certificates are governed by local laws; it is the seller's responsibility to determine if they are in compliance. If you list a gift certificate on Etsy, you are responsible for this compliance.
• You must include this sentence in the item listing: "This Gift Certificate is valid only in my Etsy shop, and it is only redeemable here."

There are some guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Make your listing for a set price (the price of the gift certificate)
2. Your listing must be an actual item (paper certificate, .pdf file, note card, etc.)
3. Verify the listing description accuracy.  All details and terms of use for gift certificates should be clearly stated.
4. Make sure your description clearly states that this gift certificate is only redeemable in the Etsy shop from which is it purchased.

A few key points to ensure are on the gift certificate and Etsy listing:

1. Shop Name
2. Your Shop's Etsy web address (ie: http://www.fourelementsdesign.etsy.com/)
3. Boldly state "Gift Certificate"
4. The amount of the gift certificate
5. Each certificate should have a unique secret code.  The recipient will enter the code when checking out to differentiate between gift certificate of the same amount. (DO NOT include this in your item listing!)
6. Clearly post instructions on how to redeem the gift certificate

Good luck creating your shop's gift certificate.  Remember organization is the key to success with gift certificates.  Keep detail accounts of all gift certificates and their tracking number or secret code.
 
For more information on Esty and gift certificates visit The Storque at www.etsy.com/storque