Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
The Beginnings of the Etsy Chapter
I’M STARTING AN ETSY SHOP! I’ve been saying that I wanted to open an Etsy shop since I started this blog back in August of 2011. I have yet to do so after a year in a half… but that’s all going to change! I’ve decided to finally plunge into Etsy land and get my shop rolling. I’m going to start out selling wreaths, and then ease my way into other things like prints and graphic/web design services. I’m looking at a launch date of March 2013, since I have loads of work to do beforehand.
I started off by brainstorming which wreaths I want to make for the shop. I’m going to launch the shop with 6-12 pre-wreaths. Eventually, I will add custom wreath options, but with my current schedule and space in our apartment, I can’t do so right away. But I already thought of six new designs, one that you’ve seen before. I’m really excited about them though! I want one of each for myself!
I actually used a $50 gift card from my Parent’s that I received for Christmas to start off the little shop business. Michael’s was having a sale on felt (buy 1, get 1 50% off) and on ribbon (buy 2, get 1 free) so it was the PERFECT time for me to stock on on supplies. (I still need to find some discounted wreath forms though, or just go into Michael’s everyday and buy 1 form, with a 40% off coupon). I ended up buying a TON of felt, six different kinds of ribbon, glitter, glitter adhesive and a letter “L” for a monogram wreath.
Because of all of the felt I bought, my receipt was HUGE! It was as tall as I am, and even the cashier said, “That’s some receipt!” I also learned while at the register that I can’t say “wreath” normally. She asked what I needed all of the felt for, and I stumbled over the word wreath twice. *facepalm*. I blame my PA Dutchness. The best part about the whole thing though was that I still have $5 and some change left on my gift card after all of that.
Now the labor intensive work begins. It’s time to cut up all of this felt into circles, triangles and whatever else I need. I got about 10 sheets of white felt done while Travis was cooking dinner, but I have a long way to go!
Any tips from fellow Etsy shop owners are MORE than welcome! Advice on shipping costs and methods as well! No idea where I’m going to find boxes, since I dont’ think the large flat rate USPS boxes will be big enough.
Posted on May 18, 2013 - 25 comments
Filed Under: My Life
25 Comments
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January 9, 2013 at 11:11 am
Good luck with your new shop. These are exciting times for you! It’s going to be great.
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January 9, 2013 at 11:11 am
This is fantastic! Good for you. I wish you all the best!
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January 9th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Thanks Amy!
January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I’m so proud of you for following your dreams! I can’t wait to see some of the wreaths when they’re done!
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January 9th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Aw, thanks Ashley! :D
January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Good luck with your shop!!! I can’t wait to see all of the wreath designs!
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January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
So exciting! I recently read this whole series on Gussy Sews the ins and outs of Etsy: http://www.gussysews.com/2012/11/handmade-business-in-31-days-series-recap/
I also got this book out of the library: http://www.amazon.com/Grow-Your-Handmade-Business-Chapin/dp/1603429891 – I’m not that far into it but it says some useful stuff.
I wonder if there’s a place you could source cheap hat boxes for postage?
It’s all so exciting!
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January 9th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
I used wired ribbon for the first time wrapping Christmas presents this year and I fell in love!
January 9th, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for the links Annabel!
January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Love your blog header and good luck with your Etsy shop! That’s awesome!
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January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
That’s awesome!! I’ve thought about starting an Etsy shop but I have yet to take the plunge. Maybe 2013 will be the year to do so.
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January 9, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Good Luck! And that is one heck of a recipe!
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January 9, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Awesome!! Good luck!
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January 9, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Good luck with your new shop…that’s terrific that you are finally taking the plunge! I wish you much success! :)
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January 9, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Good luck lady! When you’re up and running you’re more than welcome to a free ad space on my blog :D
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January 9th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
You are awesome! <3
January 9, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Yay! I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to follow along! You are going to do great! Can’t wait to see the new designs.
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January 9th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
ps- I like the new header : )
January 9, 2013 at 2:14 pm
You know I’m your biggest cheerleader about this! :) I’ve only said “yay” to you about a million times since the subject came up… haha
Definitely don’t use the flat rate boxes – they’re way more expensive than regular priority shipping if your items aren’t heavy. And be sure to bring a packed wreath to the post office to figure out shipping costs before you list them on Etsy. I didn’t do that when I sold painted glasses, and was grossly undercharging for shipping and it hurt!
I can’t wait to see the wreaths you come up with!
PS – I totally can’t say “wreaths” either. I also can’t say “February”. haha
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January 9, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Yay! So happy to hear you are opening an Etsy store! My tip is don’t skimp on shipping prices and find a local place that will give you discounts on recycled packaging. Shipping eats away at your profits big time if you aren’t careful!
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January 9, 2013 at 4:16 pm
I am so excited that you are opening your own Etsy shop. Etsy offers a lot of great advice on listing, photographing, and marketing. I agree with one of the previous comments… don’t skimp. People like quality and it sales.
In my Etsy shop Color Created Family I am in the process of upgrading a lot of my materials and adding to the existing. Also, don’t worry about what others are selling the same product for. List it for who you want your target clientele to be and what it costs you to make (including labor). Don’t give away your services to make a sale.
One cool perk that I have noticed about my Etsy shop is that it has generated lots of business off of Etsy too. So much so that I didn’t even need to advertise on Etsy during December because I was so busy filling orders. Finally, marketing is key… just like blogging. If only I had time to do a better job at that. Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter are huge generators of traffic.
I know you will do great! Have fun!
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January 9, 2013 at 10:22 pm
wooohoo good luck!!
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January 10, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Good luck! I’m excited to see how it goes!
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January 14, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Congrats! I’m so excited for you :)
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January 15, 2013 at 9:21 pm
Whoohoo you go girl!! Good luck with your new shop!! How exciting!!
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