Want to use Etsy Vacation Mode? Do THIS instead

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A vacation or a short time away is much needed as a small business seller, but what about your shop? Etsy vacation mode and order processing time extension will keep your shop in the best shape while you’re away. Find out what the best option for you is below.

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I go on a 2 week vacation once a year, and before I had my employees to keep my shop running while I was gone, vacation mode on Etsy is what I used sometimes. The keyword being ‘sometimes’ here. There are alternatives to vacation mode on Etsy. Depending on what kind of vacation you are taking may depend on what is the best choice for your shop.

What you’ll learn:

Find out below if Etsy Vacation Mode is right for you

Etsy Vacation Mode vs Processing Time Extension

This table is to help determine what the best option is for you at the time. Basically vacation mode is used for extended leave from your shop, or an unexpected leave from your shop. The processing time extension can be used for shorter leaves, or for playing catch up.

My personal favorite is the extended processing time. I like to make money while I am away, and I like to avoid anything that could hurt my search ratings as much as possible.

PRO-TIP: Be proactive. Make a plan if you can and stick to it. Know what days you’ll leave and when you’ll return. This will help with your vacation mode message as well.

Will Vacation Mode Affect My Search Ranking?

I mentioned this in the previous section, and simply put, yes it can. You will know for sure if your sales drastically change once you get back.

Some Etsy sellers report that after they turn this feature off, it can take anywhere between a few days to a couple of weeks for their sales to return back to normal. (This is a direct effect of where your items fall in the search ranking)

PRO-TIP: To avoid the possibility of vacation mode hurting your position in the Etsy search results, extend your processing time instead to play it safe.

Will Vacation Mode Affect My Sales When I Get Back?

The answer to this question is not as easy as the previous. While it can hurt your sales, you should also know...

While some shops who used vacation mode on Etsy come back to sales as usual, others have experienced a decline in sales after returning from their leave.

Factors may include:

Time of year
Product type
Current demand

If you go on vacation during busy Christmas season, your sales may change when you get back. This is because your competitors not on vacation were selling like crazy while you were gone, resulting in their listings having a better “quality score” than yours.

If you go on vacation during a slow season for your shop anyway, the changes are not as drastic when you get back.

How To Put Etsy On Vacation Mode

The steps are quite simple, but I've provided a 7 step list, along with a video for my fellow visual learners.

Follow these simple steps:

Go to Shop Manager
Find Settings
Scroll to Options
Find Vacation Mode at the top 2nd tab
Change to "ON. Your shop is now on vacation" mode
Create an announcement for your customers
Set your automated out of office message

How to Write a Vacation Mode Message

An automated "out of office" message is vital to keeping your customers in the know while you're away. If someone messages you with a question they are more likely to return and buy if they receive a response.

This helps you as well! Who wants to spend half their vacation messaging customers back? That totally beats the purpose of taking a break from your shop.

3 Step System:

GREET
- Start with a friendly hello
- If you can greet them with their name
THANK
- Show gratitude for the time they took out of their day to reach out
INFORM
- Let them know when you will return, if you can.

Short Term Leave:

This message includes a friendly greeting, information about orders and when the shop will return to normal, as well as a mention to the future. If you leave them with the confidence that you will work with them right when you get back, they are more likely to wait for your message.

Extended Leave:

Sometimes we don't always know when we will make it back to the office. In order to not scare away potential future customers, here is a great message for an extended leave for an unknown amount of time.

Etsy Forced Vacation Mode

This is a good thing to keep in mind. Etsy may force your shop into away mode whenever they wish without your knowing. Don't worry though, this can be easily avoided.

Reasons why:

Your shop's paperwork is out of date and is under review
You just opened shop and your licenses are under review
You are selling a trademarked item (this is prohibited by Etsy)
You have fallen behind (Etsy will force your shop into away mode until you are able to catch up on orders)

How to avoid a forced vacation mode:

Keep track of your paperwork's expiration dates
Do not sell trademarked items
Try to ship your orders on time

How To Turn Off Vacation Mode on Etsy

You've returned! Now how do you turn vacation mode off?

Take the same steps it took you to turn vacation mode on, to turn in off. As you can see in the video tutorial above there is an option that says "OFF. Your shop is active." Clicking this will turn vacation mode off.

It's that simple!

You should now have a better understanding of vacation mode on Etsy, as well as when is the best time to utilize this feature, and how to go about it. Remember to try to plan out your leave to the best of your ability to avoid any big disturbances to your shop and returning customers.

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