4 Lessons I've Learned After Two Months on Etsy
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:33 am
I’ve been running my Etsy page, https://www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeByKrys, since early February 2016. So far, my shop offers a variety of customizable hand painted mugs and handmade rope bracelets. In the future I plan on expanding and offering more jewelry and handmade gifts.
Ever since I heard of Etsy I thought that the platform was very cute, but I didn’t know too much about it when I started. Since I launched my page, I’ve realized that I have a lot more learning to do about Etsy and e-commerce in general if I want my page to be a success.
Here’s a little more about my story and some of the lessons I’ve learned from running an Etsy shop so far:
My Etsy Story
I never thought that I would become an Etsy seller, but I’ve always loved crafts and artsy things. I recently found myself on Pinterest a lot and started trying some cute DIY projects. Getting back into it was fun! I realized that I love working with my hands and creating things for others to enjoy.
Some of the things I’ve made were for myself, others were gifts. A friend suggested that I start an Etsy page and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to share my creations with more people. I saw a post online about a 19-year-old girl who made $100k on Etsy for school, and figured it might help me with my own student loans.
Now I know that it’s going to take more than putting up a handful of listings and posting a few times on social media to get sales. To do well on Etsy you need to stand out, you need to be compelling, and you need to be consistent … all things that I’m working on now.
Lessons I’ve Learned So Far
Signing up and posting listings is easy, getting it right can be hard
The Etsy signup process was simple and fast, no complaints there. Etsy even has an app for shop owners that lets you post listings, view orders, and manage social media for your shop all from your mobile device! Posting listings is pretty easy too, all you have to do is answer a few easy questions, fill in your item information, and upload some high quality pictures.
Then it came to things like calculating shipping. I realized I would need a scale to weigh out my finished products in their packages and that I would have to use shipping calculators to figure out my costs. That was probably the longest part of the whole process so far.
Of course, you want to set your prices and shipping costs as realistically as possible. If you’re a small business just starting out like me (or any business for that matter), you don’t want to be spending more than you make. I quickly learned that shipping in Canada is quite expensive compared to the States, which is a challenge for a lot of Canadian Etsy shop owners.
Don’t underestimate the support of friends, family, and offline orders
Despite the fact that it’s been two months and I haven’t received any orders from my actual Etsy page, the support I’ve received from friends and family has made this process totally worth it. This includes starting my blog and putting myself out there a little bit more on social media.
I’ve loved sharing my handmade creations with the people I love, and hearing what they think of my Etsy shop. Hopefully by posting pictures of orders I’ve done, other people who come across my shop will see that it is legitimate. I’m excited to get experience actually shipping out orders to new customers!
Be ready to learn and work for it if you want to succeed
I’m not going to lie, a small part of me thought that I would put up my Etsy page and start getting orders right away. That was definitely not the case and I feel a bit silly admitting it now. Starting an Etsy page and actually profiting from it takes a lot of work. Just like any other crowdfunding, entrepreneurial, or artistic venture, I’m going to need to put in a lot more time and effort to see results.
Luckily, Etsy gives you a lot of useful tools and information to help new shop owners learn the ropes. They also have some basic statistics tools that are pretty useful.
It may not be much but I’m proud of my 250+ views. I’ve been easing myself into all of this because at first I thought of it as more of a hobby. If I want this to go somewhere I’m going to have to see what my page is missing and work to improve it.
Etsy has a great community of makers
Like I mentioned, I’ve only been on Etsy for a couple of months. Every time I post new updates on Twitter and Instagram, other Etsy shops like my posts, comment, and follow me. Seeing interest from other shop owners has been really encouraging and I’m excited to meet other people who are using Etsy to create and do the things they love. I’ve had a lot of fun exploring other shops and have even bought items from Etsy since I became a shop owner.
Conclusion
Clearly I have a lot to learn, but I’m super excited to see where this goes and to share my journey with you all. So far I’ve learned a few valuable lessons and in the next few months I’m going to be digging a little deeper into what it means to run a successful Etsy operation. Stay tuned, and please share my page with anyone you think might be interested!
Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or feedback on my shop below!
This post was originally published on by blog: https://krystinetherriault.wordpress.com/
Ever since I heard of Etsy I thought that the platform was very cute, but I didn’t know too much about it when I started. Since I launched my page, I’ve realized that I have a lot more learning to do about Etsy and e-commerce in general if I want my page to be a success.
Here’s a little more about my story and some of the lessons I’ve learned from running an Etsy shop so far:
My Etsy Story
I never thought that I would become an Etsy seller, but I’ve always loved crafts and artsy things. I recently found myself on Pinterest a lot and started trying some cute DIY projects. Getting back into it was fun! I realized that I love working with my hands and creating things for others to enjoy.
Some of the things I’ve made were for myself, others were gifts. A friend suggested that I start an Etsy page and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to share my creations with more people. I saw a post online about a 19-year-old girl who made $100k on Etsy for school, and figured it might help me with my own student loans.
Now I know that it’s going to take more than putting up a handful of listings and posting a few times on social media to get sales. To do well on Etsy you need to stand out, you need to be compelling, and you need to be consistent … all things that I’m working on now.
Lessons I’ve Learned So Far
Signing up and posting listings is easy, getting it right can be hard
The Etsy signup process was simple and fast, no complaints there. Etsy even has an app for shop owners that lets you post listings, view orders, and manage social media for your shop all from your mobile device! Posting listings is pretty easy too, all you have to do is answer a few easy questions, fill in your item information, and upload some high quality pictures.
Then it came to things like calculating shipping. I realized I would need a scale to weigh out my finished products in their packages and that I would have to use shipping calculators to figure out my costs. That was probably the longest part of the whole process so far.
Of course, you want to set your prices and shipping costs as realistically as possible. If you’re a small business just starting out like me (or any business for that matter), you don’t want to be spending more than you make. I quickly learned that shipping in Canada is quite expensive compared to the States, which is a challenge for a lot of Canadian Etsy shop owners.
Don’t underestimate the support of friends, family, and offline orders
Despite the fact that it’s been two months and I haven’t received any orders from my actual Etsy page, the support I’ve received from friends and family has made this process totally worth it. This includes starting my blog and putting myself out there a little bit more on social media.
I’ve loved sharing my handmade creations with the people I love, and hearing what they think of my Etsy shop. Hopefully by posting pictures of orders I’ve done, other people who come across my shop will see that it is legitimate. I’m excited to get experience actually shipping out orders to new customers!
Be ready to learn and work for it if you want to succeed
I’m not going to lie, a small part of me thought that I would put up my Etsy page and start getting orders right away. That was definitely not the case and I feel a bit silly admitting it now. Starting an Etsy page and actually profiting from it takes a lot of work. Just like any other crowdfunding, entrepreneurial, or artistic venture, I’m going to need to put in a lot more time and effort to see results.
Luckily, Etsy gives you a lot of useful tools and information to help new shop owners learn the ropes. They also have some basic statistics tools that are pretty useful.
It may not be much but I’m proud of my 250+ views. I’ve been easing myself into all of this because at first I thought of it as more of a hobby. If I want this to go somewhere I’m going to have to see what my page is missing and work to improve it.
Etsy has a great community of makers
Like I mentioned, I’ve only been on Etsy for a couple of months. Every time I post new updates on Twitter and Instagram, other Etsy shops like my posts, comment, and follow me. Seeing interest from other shop owners has been really encouraging and I’m excited to meet other people who are using Etsy to create and do the things they love. I’ve had a lot of fun exploring other shops and have even bought items from Etsy since I became a shop owner.
Conclusion
Clearly I have a lot to learn, but I’m super excited to see where this goes and to share my journey with you all. So far I’ve learned a few valuable lessons and in the next few months I’m going to be digging a little deeper into what it means to run a successful Etsy operation. Stay tuned, and please share my page with anyone you think might be interested!
Feel free to leave any questions, comments, or feedback on my shop below!
This post was originally published on by blog: https://krystinetherriault.wordpress.com/
I'm sure the most popular shops do more advertising and PR!