Hello, friends! Thank you for joining me, and welcome to the brand new site for The Mustard Dandelion! I'm super excited to share this with all of you. The shop has lots of vintage and new décor, clothing and collectibles for anyone looking for fun and unique items. My name is Haley, and I'm the owner and curator of The Mustard Dandelion, which was first established on Etsy in 2013. (You can click here to take a look.) Hopefully this blog space helps us to get to know each other better, communicate our thoughts and have some fun along the way!
I'm by no means a computer-savvy person (thank goodness for my husband and online tutorials!) but I had a few reasons for wanting to open a separate site to sell my vintage items. First, it's nice to have more freedom and complete control over your own store! In this way I can run things the best way for me and more importantly for my customers. I can set up the site for optimal flow and be able to input the look, features, colors and layout myself. It's been a learning experience and has taken me a long time to get everything streamlined and to my liking (there are a lot of good things about being a control freak, right?) but I learned a lot along the way. I tried to take some of the things that I like and don't like while I'm shopping online and apply them to your shopping experience here.
Here are a few of my favorite features of the new site, and they include both new features only found here and improvements over the old site:
- Photos: I can now share an infinite number of photos for each item! Etsy only has 10 slots and I would often have to make grids for the available slots to be able to include as many as possible, but unfortunately that just makes each of those images smaller and more difficult to see all of the details. It can be tricky buying items online since you can't see them in person first and this is even more true with vintage items, where any possibly existing flaws or signs of wear need to be noted before purchase. Having the ability to add all the photos I need to is a game-changer!
- Collections/Sections: I can now include way more Collections than Etsy's 20, making it easier and faster for you to browse for what you're looking for. The Mustard Dandelion now has more Collections than ever before and even has Sub-Collections too for things like jewelry and dollhouse accessories. That way if you're looking for a bracelet you won't have to scroll through pages and pages of earrings, necklaces and rings (though definitely come back later and check those out too, haha!). Also, items can now be found in more than one Collection at once, so searching for something or even just browsing is easier, more specific, and more fun!
- Store Layout & Lots of Quick Links: The layout of The Mustard Dandelion was purposely designed to be clean, uncluttered, easy on the eyes and easy to navigate. The Search function, account Login and Cart are all found at the top of every page, all Collections are on the left hand side, and information like store FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), Order & Shipping info, the Return Policy and lots more can be found at the bottom of every page, yet nothing will be in your way as all of the menus are "fixed" in place and don't move or scroll. You also won't have to deal with tons of annoying pop-ups! (Nothing annoys me more while I'm shopping, haha). The left side also has quick links to The Mustard Dandelion's Pinterest and Instagram pages too. Plus anytime you click on a link on any page it'll open a new browser tab so you won't lose your place on the website or have to constantly navigate back. The Home page, product pages, and more also have an option to click a simple link to contact me with any questions or issues, and even a specific email address as well - I can always be reached at hello@themustarddandelion.com.
- Item Page Layout: The layout of each item page was also designed to be as clean, clear-cut and as brief yet informative as possible with easy-to-spot measurements for the item, tons of photos and very detailed descriptions. Also included on each item page are links to our Shipping Policies, Return & Refund Policies, FAQ, and colorful links for sharing or pinning the item to your Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter account.
- Fresh Finds section: The first Collection on the left side has the "Fresh Finds" section, where many of the newest listed items can be found, and a preview of these items can also be found on the Home page as a featured collection. All new items will also be posted in their assigned category Collections as well. It's extremely hard to pick favorites from my inventory, but if I had to they'd be included here!
- New Clothing & Accessory Items: We've combined our Etsy, eBay, and Instagram Closet shops so that all New & Pre-Loved clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry and housewares from stores like Anthropologie and Modcloth can also be found right here on the site, AND at lower prices! Shop dresses, skirts, tops, sweaters, pants & jeans, shorts, jumpsuits, rompers, necklaces, shoes, belts, home décor and more by browsing the 5 new Collections and Sub-Collections on the left side of any page on the site.
- Size & Fit Guide: We now have a separate page that includes Measuring & Sizing Tips instead of crowding each individual item listing page with that info. Fit and sizing can be tricky for vintage clothing especially since numbered sizing has changed a lot over the years and can still be confusing today from brand to brand, but hopefully you find these tips helpful.
- Wishlist: Who doesn't love Wishlists while shopping?? They allow you to favorite items to purchase later, create a gift list, or help inspire you for a room, project, or outfit. With our Wishlist program it's super easy to add items with just one click, which means that you won't have to leave the page that you're currently browsing. You can even share your Wishlist with family and friends via email, Facebook or Twitter which really comes in handy for gift purchases! Your Wishlist is located in the upper right corner next to the cart and will be saved for you once you login to your account.
- Quick & Easy Checkout: I wanted to make sure that there was an easy way to add items to your cart without having to leave the page each time (again, this really bugs me when I'm shopping, haha). I also wanted to streamline the checkout process as much as possible. On the cart and checkout pages you can add comments or instructions to me for your order (like "hello!" or "please be extra cautious and keep this item away from all cats, shellfish, strawberries and hay because I am allergic") and clearly view the items you're purchasing and the totals for the order. If you're purchasing a gift for someone else, you can ship it directly to the recipient, add an optional gift message for free, and add gift wrap to your order just by checking a box! You can also either select to use the Express Checkout depending on your payment method or just fill out a few lines to check out in under a few minutes. You can also opt for Expedited shipping for a small fee.
- Free Shipping offer for US orders: Orders shipped within the US are free with a $20 minimum, and we now also have discounted international shipping rates too!
- Improved Search: My site allows me to add an infinite number of tags to each item, making it so much easier to find anything. Typing something into Search on Etsy will often get you numerous unrelated items, which can be frustrating and a waste of time. Here I can add specific words and tags so that the correct items or closely related items pop up every time.
- Shop Newsletter: A brand new feature! Sign up via the popup or the bottom of the page for The Mustard Dandelion newsletter where you can be the first to know of new products, sales, new blog posts, and more!
- Lower Prices!: Finally, running my own site means that I'm able to pass those savings on to my customers since I no longer have to pay so many third party fees. My Etsy shop will still be up and running and eventually most inventory will be listed in both places, but pricing will ALWAYS be lower here. Now that's great news!
In future blog posts I'll be sharing a little more about The Mustard Dandelion's origin story (it's not as cool as Wolverine's, but I like it!), topics that are personal to me, the history of many popular vintage objects, collections and brands, plus recipes, stories, home décor, product recommendations, fun travels, lists of favorites, and just some pretty photos and quotes to lift your day and make you smile.
Thank you again for joining me on this brand new journey - I can't wait to get to know you better!
Much love,
Haley
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Very interesting post!
Nice post!