Celebrating Seven Years and 23,000 Sales on Etsy!!!

This month marks my 7 year anniversary on Etsy and 23,000 sales!!! When I think about how it all started back in 2012, it is almost inconceivable that I would be where I am today. When I started selling back in March of 2012, I started selling handmade (literally) greeting cards and calendars. My cards were pretty but very time consuming. Needless to say, that didn't last long. Today I sell prints and canvas art, framed and unframed and yes, I still sell calendars. My specialty is custom wedding designs. With almost 2 million sellers on Etsy today, I am pleased to announce that I am in the top 1% and I owe it all to you - my customers!!!

I gave up my day job (I taught Interior Design) in December and now devote all my time to my shop. I have one employee (my daughter) and am considering hiring one more before the 2019 holiday season hits. So yes I’m grateful, very grateful.

If you are thinking about opening a shop on Etsy, here are my top tips for new sellers:

1. Be patient. Don't expect that first sale to happen overnight. My first sale took 2 months and sales were slow for a bit.

2. Keep relevant. List new items often to keep your shop fresh.

3. Offer excellent customer service. Answer questions quickly! Customers are shopping around and often the one who answers their question first gets the sale.

4. Be open to suggestions. Learn from friends and customers. Some of my best designs come from customer requests. Read your reviews (yes even the bad ones) and learn from them too.

5. Find your niche. Mine is wedding and anniversary art. I haven't given up on my quotes and children's designs but my wedding designs are my best sellers.

6. Social Media. Connect your shop to your social media accounts. Let your followers know when you have new items for sale.

7. Work hard and enjoy each stop along the journey.

I’ll have some more business tips in the days to come so be sure to sign up below so you don’t miss anything!

SIGN UP BELOW AND WIN A FREE CALENDAR!!!

To celebrate seven years, I am going to be giving away one of my 2019 calendars. So sign up below for your chance to win. All customers who sign up during the first two weeks in March will be eligible to win.