So we all know about Etsy. That fantastic online marketplace that holds everything you could think of from makers, crafters, artists, and curators around the world. I love shopping on Etsy, I always find something unique that I will treasure. And since October last year I have loved selling on Etsy too!
If you are someone who makes, creates, or collects items that you want to share and sell to the world, this is the guide for you!
Why did I start an Etsy Shop?
I had been wanting to start some kind of shop where I could sell the quite frankly enormous hoard of vintage clothes, housewares, books (and everything else you can think of) that I have been collecting for about the last ten years. Yep. My attic was pretty full. My problem is that I love vintage and antiques, I’ve learned a lot about them. I went through a whole vintage phase were I wore my hair set into curls, red lip and cat eyeliner, and vintage clothes every single day.
But now I love them as a curator, a collector, and an admirer – rather than as a lifestyle vintage gal. I still can’t walk past a beautiful dress or pair of gloves without buying them – not for myself, but for the ‘archive’ as I used to call it!
I realised that it just wasn’t reasonable (or feasible) to continue keeping all of these gorgeous things in my attic. For one – they should be actively enjoyed by peopled. And secondly – my ceilings were going to fall in. But for some reason I never quite got around to selling on eBay or Etsy – mostly because I thought it would be hard, and that I didn’t have the skills for it.
What got me over these negative thoughts was a day of vintage and antique shopping with my friend. After hours of shopping, and sitting down for a well earned lunch, she gave me a dead eye stare across the table. “Seriously Isobel, why aren’t you selling your stuff? It’s better than half of what we’ve seen today.”
Funny how when someone else tells you this its more convincing than if you try and tell yourself, isn’t it?
The friend in question is a straight talking, honest, and very clever woman – so I took that comment and thought about it for a week. Then I approached one of the vintage stores we had shopped at and enquired about becoming a vendor. Within a fortnight I was the proud shop owner of Attic 1 – with sales being made to actual people
(You can imagine the excitement.)
After 2 months of selling in store I figured – why not extend my reach? I signed up for an Etsy seller account – much easier in practice than in my imagination – no surprise there. Some batches of photographs in my sunny front room, a little bit of work on my phone in front of the TV and voila! I had an Etsy store with a delightful array of vintage goodies for the world to shop around. And shop they did.
I was absolutely gobsmacked every single time my phone buzzed with the notification for another sale. It was so much more direct and instantaneous than waiting for end of the month invoices from the bricks-and-mortar shop that I was a vendor in. My new online store Attic 1 Shop was working!
What did I do next?
I paid the last of my rent to the vintage store I was selling from and closed up shop there. Etsy was the game changer. I was paying £100 per month for renting a 1×2 meter space in the vintage shop, and my maximum earnings were £85. At no point in my 4 month experiment with ‘in person’ selling did I even break even!
The cost of listing on Etsy (and the percentage of sales money that they take) is so minimal in comparison! It’s also incredibly convenient – I don’t have to transport boxes of carefully wrapped items to and from the store. And I don’t need to worry about theft, which did sadly occur at the shop. I had to invest in some packing materials, though I recycle boxes etc from work to keep it green and cheap.
What do I sell?
I sell vintage everything – from books to lingerie. I’ve noticed that for my shop at least, clothing and ‘small’ items sell much better than larger bric-a-brac style items. Though that may be just because they are what I have the most of so there’s more chance of people seeing them listed!
My particular favourites are vintage gloves, dresses, scarves and lingerie. I can’t resist a beautiful old pair of leather gloves. They are something that sold really well over November-December – I suppose they are the perfect gift for your vintage loving friend or family member. Small, easy to ship, and totally wearable immediately in the winter months!
People do talk about how Etsy is a flooded marked, and in some senses I agree. This little online shop of mine is definitely not going to replace the day job any time soon. But if you take good shots of your products, make sure what you are selling is quality, and give everything a great description then I think you’re halfway there.
How do I stock my store?
I am a lifelong fan of the jumble sale – a habit developed by my mum! When I was a kid I was collecting all of these vintage clothes to throw into my dressing up box and to play with until they fell apart. When I got older I was buying them to wear in my vintage style wardrobe. And now I buy them to save them from the bin and to share with others who love the style, the nostalgia, and the eco-friendly nature of wearing older clothes!
That being said, I will pick up items for the shop on eBay, and when I’m in a charity shop. Even when I’m shopping at other vintage and antique stores and I come across a gem they haven’t noticed. You would be stunned at the things people throw into jumble sales or ‘buy 5 for £1’ piles. Just a fortnight ago I found a vintage Aquascutum ladies coat – pale pink and so, so, so elegant. And I bought it for 50p. Yep. I was stunned too.
How do I ship it?
To keep prices low I ship everything second class. Unless a customer specifically requests a speedier delivery. I arrange my shipping costs by weight and the customer pays for shipping. I’d rather have a transparent breakdown of what I charge for the item and for the shipping than combining it into once price for the item and offering ‘free’ shipping.
But depending on your product it might be worth thinking about working the shipping price into the item price. If you know all of your items are one size/one weight you could just add that into the sale price and offer free shipping, which is definitely a lure for a lot of shoppers. Myself included!
I haven’t yet reached the point where I need my packages to be picked up from my home. It’s still easy for me to make runs to the post office every few days with packages and send them off like that. But if/when the time comes that I do end up sending out in more bulk quantities that is something I will definitely look into doing. It’s always important to keep sight of not becoming time poor. It’s worth spending some money on automation in order to free yourself up for the work only you can do.
How do I promote it?
I have set up and instagram page for my Etsy shop @attic1shop which has been moderately successful. It’s also a nice way to meet other people who love vintage, and to get inspired by others. But looking at the analytics that Etsy provides, the vast majority of my sales come from within Etsy itself. So I focus on are regular additions to the shop, even if it’s one new item every couple of days which keeps your shop up in the new items section.
I also do regular shop updates – at least 2 a week – which again has the benefit of putting you into people’s notifications. Once someone has favourited your shop then they get updated whenever you add something new.
What have I learnt?
Taking action is the only way to get results. Once I finally took the leap to sell my collection I started getting real information. Not just my imagined results of either incredible failure or wild success. Dealing with the realities of things like rent versus online listing prices gave me a true indication of my progress.
Markets may be flooded, but that means there’s a lot of people wanting what you sell. You just need to work on making yourself stand out. With quality items, good photography, and great use of the descriptions and key words you will be ahead of the crowd. And you don’t need high tech gear – I use my iPhone and my sunny front room for photographs!
Focus on the items that you have success with. If people love your earrings then make more of them! If people aren’t into prints of your floral artwork, then try showing off you animal themed work. Give things time as well though. Some of the first items I listed on Etsy didn’t sell until last month! You are waiting for the right person to come along. Keep the faith.
Times like Christmas and other holidays are key sales times. I had great sales over October-December. The majority of items purchased were gifts I think. So make sure that you have a good amount of stock available at that time of year, and list every day if you can.
Use all of your title allowance, all of the keyword space, and give things a great description. The search function also picks up on words in your description so make it keyword rich. But don’t lose sight of the fact you are talking to a customer. Make it informative, inspiring, and give it your personal touch. People love Etsy because it’s personal, unique, and they know they are buying from passionate makers, artists, designers, and curators. Show off your passion and people will respond to that!
5 simple steps to do the same
Final thoughts…
Etsy is a great place to test out your product, you can then move into developing your own website and taking it even further if you are inclined that way. For me it’s the perfect outlet for my love of vintage clothing and sharing it with people. I’ve made a great sideline income from it so far. Although it’s quiet at the moment I feel that across a year I will be happy with the amount of money I’ve made.
Do you have any creative passions that you could sell on Etsy? Have you been thinking about setting up a small online store to make money from your art, crafts, or collections? I would love to hear about your adventures in online retail. If you think my steps to success are useful, or if you want to share your own tips it would be fantastic to hear from you!
Love Isobel x
If you liked this post I think you will love 5 Steps To Planning a Great 2018!
