STIKKLING Seller Handbook

Enter STIKKLING

STIKKLING is the online marketplace where plant lovers from all over the world can buy, sell and discover incredible plants.

Every day, STIKKLING is visited by plant enthusiasts looking for green treasures to add to their growing collections.

We are here to help you get your greens to their future growers.

Let’s dive right in!

When you’re going on a field trip you want to be well prepared. Selling on STIKKLING is no different.

Personalise your profile
Your STIKKLING profile is like your own public garden. Fill it in to make your shop brim with life.

• Start with a profile picture. Whether you choose a photo of yourself, your logo or your favourite plant, this will be your face on STIKKLING. Choose something that you want people to remember you by.
• Write your bio. Let people know what you’re growing, what you’re selling and what you’re passionate about. A personal touch can go a long way. Choose to use STIKKLING’s default refund policy or write your own.
• Link your social media to your shop. When editing your profile, you can choose to link your Instagram to your profile or add other social media channels to your bio. Your followers will love to see what you’re growing.

• Connect a payment method. Currently, STIKKLING supports Stripe (and PayPal is in the works). Make sure that your payment method is verified so that you can receive payments.
• Get the papers in order. Are you planning to send plants across continents? You may need to provide phytosanitary certificates. Check with local and foreign authorities whether extra documentation is necessary. This way, you can prevent trouble with customs later on. Extra documentation may not be necessary if you ship within the EU or US. Be careful when shipping to non-EU countries in Europe. For example, you do need to provide extra documentation when shipping plants from Sweden to Norway.
• Take the time to photograph your plants. Great pictures are the fertiliser to your sales. Use natural lighting and clean backdrops to show your plants from their best side. Check out the “Picturing plants” page of this handbook or wander through our Explore page for inspiration.
• Write accurate & detailed descriptions. A great description will help customers find your listings in STIKKLING’s jungle. Specify which plant you are selling (genus, species, cultivar, etc.), whether it’s an established plant or a fresh cutting and which growing conditions it prefers. Check out "Writing descriptions" for more information. A well-informed customer is a happy customer, and happy customers often come back for more.
• Prepare a handful of plants to sell. And keep on propagating! The more plants, cuttings and seeds you have listed, the more you will sell. Turn your little plant stand into a whole garden centre and attract more customers along the way.

• Someone out there is excited for their new plant. Send the buyer a message and let them know when the plant will begin on its journey towards them. Communicating with your customers is key for a good relationship and may prevent shipping issues.
• Ship that plant off. Make sure that plants you sell sit snug and secure in their box. We recommend using a courier that offers proof of delivery and provides a track & trace. This can prevent trouble for you and your customers down the road. Check out our chapter on “Shipping” for more tips.
• Update your sale on ‘My transactions’. Make sure that the plant is paid for and mark it as shipped. Don’t forget to send the tracking code to your buyer too. Knowing when the plant will arrive may save them a lot of worry and makes you more trustworthy.
• Time for reviews. Leaving a positive review is a great way to make your customers happy. If they haven’t done it yet, encourage them to leave a review for you too. It will increase your shop’s trust and make you stand out among the rest.

Selling plants on STIKKLING should be easy and fair. That is why we have made our fees as simple as possible for you. When you sell on STIKKLING, we charge a fee of 10% on items up to € 500. This includes the fee of our payment providers. When you sell an item priced € 500 or more the fee you pay is only 5%. You do not have to pay to post a listing or if your item doesn’t sell. We do not have subscriptions and we do not sell your data either. Due to currency conversions fees may deviate slightly.

Our partnership with Stripe

To make payment on STIKKLING safe and reliable, we have partnered up with Stripe to process payments. On every transaction, Stripe charges € 0.25 and a percentage of the sale price. This percentage is 1.4% for sellers in the UK and EU. In the US, this is 2.9%. The rest of the 5-10% fee goes to STIKKLING. We can only keep STIKKLING up and running if you have a good time selling with us!

Why we charge fees

STIKKLING is run by a small team of people who love the plant community just as much as you do. To keep STIKKLING alive and thriving we rely on fees. To give you an idea on what we do, here’s what your fee goes towards:

Community. We want STIKKLING to be the home of plant lovers across the globe. We’re hard at work to make STIKKLING a place where you can meet people, make friends and share your love for plants. Of course, we want more people looking for new plants to come to STIKKLING too.

User experience. We want your experience on STIKKLING to be fun and smooth. That’s why we are continuously working to improve STIKKLING, add new features for the community and improve existing features. Here, your feedback is very valuable to us. And we can keep STIKKLING free from ads too.

Team. As STIKKLING becomes bigger, we’ll need new team members to keep up with the growth. This way, we can make sure that there’s always someone ready to help you out in a pinch.

Work place. We’d love to sit and work outside in the sun, but we need to rent an office too. With your fee, you allow us to gather in our office and work on STIKKLING together. The best work is done in good company.

Servers. All of the listings, likes, messages and profiles need to be stored somewhere. To keep all of this data secure and to keep the website running smoothly, we need to pay for our servers. Your fees ensure that we can do this.

Nature protection. We love plants and we love where they come from. That’s why 10% of our earnings go to protection of the rainforest. With every sale, you help us save endangered land.

Photos give shape to the jungle of STIKKLING. By taking great photos of your plants, you can make your marketplace come alive. A stunning plant picture may be all it takes to inspire growers. The better your plants look, the more customers you will attract.

No two plants look exactly the same. By taking a variety of pictures you can capture your plant’s unique shimmer and shine. You may want to picture your plant in different levels of light, inside or outside, in a pretty planter, close-up and from a distance. Really show off what makes your plant special!

The details and the bigger picture. There’s so much more to plants than just foliage. Depending on what you are selling, you may want to show the stem, bark, flowers or even roots of your plant. Make sure customers can see how big your plant is, but also how great it looks up close. When selling cuttings, a picture of healthy roots can already seal the deal.

By showing off your whole plant, the buyer will have a better idea of what they’re getting. That can only do good for your reviews.

Lighting. Plants and light go hand in hand. The best plant pictures are taken in gentle natural light. Taking a picture close to a window and out of harsh light is one way to do it. However, sometimes different levels of lighting can show the unique qualities and colours that your plant has to offer. If your plant looks particularly stunning with flash or when the sun hits the leaves from the back, make sure to show it off. A wowing picture can make your plants simply irresistible.

Composition. When deciding where to picture your plant, go for a setting that highlights it. A clean and simple backdrop will make sure your customer’s attention goes where it needs to be. We recommend taking pictures in front of a solid coloured surface to make your plant pop.

• Placing the plant on a small table may make it easier to picture it, especially if it is big. This way, you won’t have to place your plant on the floor and it adds a nice touch too.
• Of course, it can be a lot of fun to get creative with your photographs. We encourage you to play around with different backdrops and plant pots if that’s what you like. Having your own style can make your plant shop stand out. Just be careful that your composition does not distract from what you’re selling.

Stock photos. Using stock photos on STIKKLING is not allowed. When creating a listing, ensure that you use recent pictures of the plant that you are selling. If you use stock photos or take someone else’s pictures without permission your listing is likely to be removed.

Pictures don’t say it all. A strong description can push a visitor over the hedge and buy your goods. On top of that, a comprehensive description can make your listing show up in more search results, increasing your customer reach. In contrast, a misleading or missing description can mow your sales down. Here’s how to use descriptions to make your listing prosper:

• There’s a lot to say when describing your plant. Think about information that can help your listing show up in search results. For example, mention your plant’s species, common name and whether it’s a hybrid or a certain cultivar. Let your potential customers know whether your plant is established, freshly imported or recently propagated. Add the size of your plant to the description to prevent surprised customers later.
• Happy plants make for happy customers. Let your future customers know how to make their brand new plant thrive. If relevant, describe which temperature ranges, humidity & lighting levels your plant thrives under. Report on how you’ve been taking care of it. This information can give your doubting customers confidence and make a sale all that more likely.
• Keep it relevant. Only mention plant or brand names that are relevant to your specific listing. Adding misleading names to your listing may result in your listing being reported and removed. Nobody benefits from that.

Plants come in many shapes, sizes and varieties. Choosing the right price for your plant will help you sell sooner than later. Here’s what to consider when you’re settling for a price.

• You can start by exploring STIKKLING. Chances are that someone is already selling a plant similar to yours. This will give you an idea of how much your plant can sell for. Of course, take qualities such as condition, shape and size and colour into consideration too. Depending on these, your plant may sell for more or less. If you cannot find it on STIKKLING, shopping around online may be a solution. Choosing a realistic price will set the odds in your favour.
• Auctions. If you have something truly special, or if you are simply in the mood for it, you can create an auction. When choosing a starting price for your auction it may pay off to go somewhat below the price you’d like to get. This way, making a bid on your auction can be more attractive for customers.

STIKKLING offers a recommended refund policy that can be used when selling on STIKKLING. You may choose to use your own refund policy in your shop too.

Your refund policy is something that you should thoroughly consider. A solid refund policy can give customers more trust in your shop, with more sales as a result. Be aware that you are solely responsible for living up to your own refund policy. Violating STIKKLING’s or your own refund policy may result in the termination of your account.

Choose your reach. Decide whether you want to sell domestically, internationally or whether your plant is pick-up only. Selling internationally will increase your chances of selling but may also require additional documentation. For example, you may need to provide phytosanitary documentation for your plant to pass through customs in other countries. If you choose not to provide documentation and your parcel is intercepted by customs, you are held accountable.

Choose the right pricing. Your plants will likely vary in size, weight and destination. Make sure to choose the right shipping price based on what you’re selling. If you are unsure about the pricing, find a fitting box, weigh your item and check the pricing with your post carriers of choice. Keep in mind that shipping to further destinations may have additional costs.

Free shipping. By paying for shipping yourself and making it free to your customers you can increase the likelihood of selling your plant. Who doesn’t love free shipping?

Mark your plant as shipped. Go to "My transactions" and mark your plant as shipped as soon as you’ve sent it out. This will notify the buyer that their shipment is on its way and it will help you keep an overview of your completed sales.

Keep your proof of postage. Sometimes shipping goes wrong, it happens to the best of us. To protect yourself, make sure to always keep your proof of postage. To prove that you’ve sent the item, write down the tracking number, the first line of the buyer’s address, the buyer's postcode and the date of shipping.

Ship as soon as possible. Don’t leave your buyers hanging and ship your plant as soon as possible. Make sure to send your buyer the tracking number as well to give them some peace of mind.

STIKKLING is a place full of plants that are alive and thriving. Make sure to keep your plant in good condition after it arrives at the buyer with the following tips.

Get snug. Packing your plant loosely is asking for trouble. A plant can take some serious damage in the hustle and bustle of the shipping process. Wrapping a plant in newspapers or other soft materials can prevent contact damage. Consider taping the plant to the box to prevent it from tumbling around. If you are selling a potted plant you can use tape to prevent the soil from spilling out.

Take a look at the weather forecast. Is it going to get chilly around the time of shipping? You may want to add a heat pack to your parcel. This can be especially beneficial for tropical plants. Offering heat packs is an attractive addition for customers who are worried about cold damage.

Watering your plant. If you are selling a potted plant, you may want to water it depending on the temperatures and the destination. If it is getting cold, very wet soil may cause root rot. Likewise, you do not want your plant to arrive as a dried herb during the summer heat. Look at the temperatures and estimated shipping times before packing your plant and water accordingly.

Add a personal touch. Make your shop stand out by adding a handwritten card or a little gift. It will be appreciated by your buyers and leave a positive impression of your shop. This will reflect in the reviews that you get, with more sales as a result.

Sometimes, it may simply be too cold to ship certain plants. For example, tropical plants may struggle to survive shipping during a harsh winter. Other times, you may simply be unable to ship because you are away from home. Make sure to communicate this with your customers. Specify the dates on your profile page and message buyers who are interested in your listings when they can expect you to ship their order.