My handmade Etsy story
Seasonal Creativity
This wee offering is a look back on my time running a seasonal creativity online store via Etsy in the hope that it might be useful for folk contemplating a similar route. My Etsy store began life early in 2020 and at the time of the writing it has had 2,676 sales. I have always loved handmade especially when it comes to gifting. Although an exhibiting and teaching artist I felt that there was space in my life for an Etsy offering. Of course, I hear all the arguments about Etsy and I agree that they charge too much for their services. However, what you can’t get passed is that that is where most of the customers looking for handmade hang out. There is a lot of competition so the first task I had was to find my own space in such a huge marketplace.
As a teaching artist my passion has always been supporting other people’s creativity but alongside that is a deep rooted love of the seasons. I felt there was a wee space for me creating resources that others could use in their own creative journey. So that is how it all started. I made wee boxes of resources that would fit through people’s letterbox. From the start sales were quite good supported by a loyal following mainly on facebook. In 2019 I had run a project on the island called 52 Stitched Stories and we were stitching a postcard a week for the year. As 2020 got underway life changed for all of us with the pandemic and lockdowns and 52 Stitched Stories exploded. From a small community group it then went worldwide online with thousands of folk stitching their way through this testing time.
With this change came high demand for my resource boxes and when I look back I was in real danger of burn out trying to keep up with orders. At the same time there was lots of requests for us to start running online classes. By this stage three of us were running the project so we took Zoom head on and began offering classes as well. It was from that point that my online side of my business started to dominate as exhibition work wasn’t really an option, nor was face-to-face teaching.
Emerging out of the pandemic I realised that I didn't want to go back to face-to-face teaching and I wanted to limit my exhibition work. Somewhere along the line running an online business had bedded into my creative journey. In 2022 I began a Patreon space and then last year a paid subscription Book Arts space here on Substack. Add those two together with my Etsy and I now have an online business that I am really proud of.
That has created the broader context but let’s now dive into the Etsy offerings and the decisions I have made along the way. Please bear in mind that this is just MY journey, others will be different.
From the creative resource boxes I began to branch out following my love of handmade books. I am passionate about journaling in all forms and, despite competition being high, I gave it a go. This has been where most of my learning has been and where I think my success as an Etsy seller is based. I feel you need to get inside the head of the customer who is scrolling through endless handmade journals having put that (or similar) in the search box in Etsy. Why would they choose mine?
The anwer for me was authenticity. I needed to have an authentic voice that broke away from the white noise associated with online shopping. My authentic voice was about the process of making the journal and there, I felt, was a story worth telling. There is a complete and genuine interest in buyers to find out a bit about the maker and their story. If they are buying handmade on Etsy, rather than an easier Amazon purchase, there is a good reason for that. I am grateful for that reason so I am happy to share the story behind the journal. That goes for all my products in my store. My most recent addition are pieces I make ‘on the road’ when out and about in my studio van. There is a super wee story.
I am allergic to the term ‘niche’ as it is now so off-putting for so many. Folk feel challenged by it and that should be enough for them to try and ignore it. If I replace the word niche with story it is much softer and far easier to relate to. As a creative, what is your story? Where did that story begin and where is it heading to? I recently had an online chat with a new paid subscriber on my Substack who said she used to make books when she was a child using whatever materials she could find. That is how my story with book making began so we now have a shared story and a real and authentic connection.
Since the early resource boxes to where my Etsy store is now has been a story in itself. I have moved away from supplying endless resource boxes as my life has gone through a much needed de-cluttering stage. As I approached 60 I wanted to make my life simplier but I also wanted to gift myself the opportunity to tell one main story but tell it well. Journaling has been a life-long companion of mine and it has been an important element in my sense of wellbeing. So, I made the decision to centre my Etsy offering around that and that has proved to be a very sensible move. I write about journaling a lot here on Substack and my patrons and I work with journaling in lots of different ways and I now mainly sell journaling products in my Etsy store. The story fells well rounded and easy to understand. That is my offering.
The seasonal element has developed across time as well. I live on a small Scottish island where the seasons are very evident and they shape how I spend my time. They ground me in the natural world so I felt they were important in my story. Substack has given me the opportunity to share that story and bring seasonal and creativity into one space. My posts that mention journaling are always my most popular so I feel I have found my seat at the Substack table.
This picture doesn’t fully explain my sucess on Etsy. Remember what I said about getting inside the head of the customers? That is the aspect that I feel has driven alot of my success on a very busy platform. Customer needs and wants change all the time and as a maker I have to change with them. There are also different customers operating at completely different price points and that should be seen as an opportunity for the maker to offer a range of products at different price points and I have taken up that opportunity. If a customer is looking for a wee journal to pop in their bag they will find one in my store at a relevant price. If another customer is looking to commission a special journey they will find that option in my store as well.
Lastly, let us consider the story that travels with the journal. This is a sacred part of the wider story. I take time to package my products with care and attention to detail and always put a few extra journaling resources in the box as well. I hand write a wee thank you note and send the box on its way. The story completes itself when the reviews come in to which I make a response. If I was employed by Etsy I would be telling you just how important good reviews are and they are! Customers looking to buy handmade ONLINE need some support and they look into the reviews for that support. I know I do.
I will end, however, back where I began with the need for authenticity. If YOUR story is to be authentic those reviews should really matter to you. The time taking to wrap your product should be really important to you. The idea to make the product in the first place should be really important to you. Be your own authentic self and the savvy customers out there will spot it and become your new and, ultimately, loyal customers. My return purchasing stats are always sky high and I am really proud of that. I am going to end with a review that has just come in from a customer. I don’t think I could have received such a wonderful review if my story wasn’t authentic and real. If you are considering selling handmade online I wish you every success and I hope this offering has helped in some way. x
‘I bought this as a gift for my niece who said: 'This is the most beautiful present I've ever received!'. Fiona took the time to ask a few questions about my niece in order to personalise the journal but I didn't expect the detail she went in to and the time and thought she put into creating this unique product. Fiona sent the journal directly to my niece and sent me a 'walk-through' video going through the journal and explaining her choice. I cried. My niece cried. Everyone has cried at the detail and personalisation of this beautiful product. An exceptional gift and all for less than the price of sending flowers! I would not hesitate in recommending this as a gift or for a treat for yourself. I will definitely be buying another one!’
Until next time, Fiona x
I only now sell to the UK (not including Northern Ireland) due to post Brexit regulations and high intentational shipping fees. The link to my Etsy store is HERE.
You might also like -
I share my vision for my Substack Book Arts space HERE.
As a customer of your Etsy store and the happy recepient of some of your beautiful handmade journals, bookmarks and art, I'm so in awe of you, your business and your art. It's wonderful to hear more about your experience Fiona 💕🙏
I'm not planning to sell anything on Etsy at all but found it fascinating to read your story! I'm not surprised things have worked out well for you, your art is so unique & wonderful.