[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message]Niche : Jewelry and Accessories
Shop link : https://www.etsy.com/shop/CravenCoFineJewelry
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/craven_co_style[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Tell us something about yourself, how did you get started, do you consider yourself a crafter, maker, artist…
Enthusiastic and passionate I grew up admiring the beauty all around, born and raised with European culture I always felt smitten with Grandma’s jewelry, beautiful pieces bought on her trips to the Old Continent. Early in my life, I became the recipient of several of them to only grow my love and passion for one of kind pieces with a story that spoke to me and are beyond special.
How did you discover Etsy? Did you have any previous experience in selling handmade products? Why did you start selling online?
I discovered Etsy by following some business on IG and while I was researching platforms for my business idea Etsy seemed to offer the most affordable and friendly user option. I had no previous experience and really think more and more people look at everything they are willing to buy online.
What products do you sell, what type of materials are used in your creations, how do you design your products, what makes your products stand out?
I do sell Vintage Fine Jewelry. Each piece has usually been loved and passed along what brings a beautiful sense of belonging and history. If you think what each piece might have witnessed is fascinating!
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How was your experience in learning to craft, are you self-taught or did you have a mentor, how long did it take for you to be satisfied with your creations?
I had to learn many things in order to obtain pieces that have good quality standards and at the same time are unique and different from any other. Is a constant learning process and will definitely feel more and more comfortable as time pass?
What was your original goal when you opened up an Etsy shop? What impacted your decision to start selling online? Do you consider online selling as a side-job, full-time job, or extra income to pay for your hobby?
Until recently admiring and collecting fine jewelry was just my personal affair, as my collection grew larger is that I decided to share my passion of collecting Fine Jewelry pieces with others. Ultimately my gold is passing along special finds and great value at below retail pricing. My online selling job, for now, is a side job intended to become a full-time job
Did you have any fears or reservations before opening up your Etsy shop? Were you worried about profitability or product competitiveness? What are some concerns and questions you had before you got started? How did you overcome them?
I didn’t have any fears nor reservations before opening, those came to me as I had my shop already open and realized there are many options and getting the visibility a new business needs is not easy to obtain, and these probably will be a challenge for some time.
How long did it take for you to get your first sale? Did you ever think you would make a lot of sales in the first year? What was the goal you were hoping for? How many sales an average you get per week?
I had my first sale on day 5, what actually came pretty handy as I was starting to feel a little worry about many views but not sales.
I’d love to have my shop pretty active and have at least a sale a week in the first month and keep increasing sales with time to hopefully one a day.
Do you have a job outside Etsy? If not, are you able to commit full-time to online selling? How does your typical day look like? How do you manage time?
I do have three days a week job and I am doing my best to work on my Etsy business full time too. I do spend almost all day at my desk and manage to do everything that needs to be done. Also, takes a lot of time to get proper imagery, videos, and description.
How does your manufacturing process look like for e.g. your best selling product? Do you create products ahead of the orders? Do you customize your products, if so how? What are the tools that you are using in the manufacturing process?
I don’t manufacture my products so can’t properly address this point.
What is the biggest impact on the profitability of your shop? How expensive are the materials you use? How do you price your products?
I like to have a profit on every item, I like to offer free shipping and here and there will throw a 24-hour sale for selected items.
What inspires you when you’re creating? How do you get ideas for new products? What are some methods or tools you use to get creative?
Again in my case I search and look all over the place for interesting, beautiful, and good quality vintage fine jewelry
Do you ship your product internationally? How do you handle postage pricing? What is the average time it takes from the order to the delivery? Do you use free shipping? If so, why? How do you package your products?
I had not had any international sales yet, planning on having customers paying for international shipping and customs fees when the time comes. I do offer free shipping on all domestic orders. Each piece comes in a jewelry box designed to proper the piece, with a nice bow-tie ribbon
Are you worried about competitors? Does it impact your business in any way? If there are a lot of similar products, how do you make your own stand out?
Yes, definitely there are much other businesses on Etsy selling vintage jewelry, I believe there are buyers for everything and is just a matter of doing your best that will keep bringing new clients and being truthful on your listings will make these to return.
How do you deal with disputes or bad ratings/feedback? How do you manage presale and post-sale communication and customer satisfaction?
I had no bad experiences yet, it is my style to always have a happy customer, no matter what, if the piece they bought is not what they wanted once they receive it, is better to work with them and change their unhappy experience into a good one. Bad reviews are probably the worst for new business and you want to avoid having any.
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Has selling on Etsy changed your life in any way? If so, how? Did you ever think you would get this far with your shop? Have you ever been stressed about dealing with customers and manufacturing products? How did you deal with that?
Honestly, it has not been that long yet so can’t tell, I truly hope Etsy changes my life and bring the freedom I am looking for with this business.
How important is social media for your shop? What are some common tactics you use to promote your products? Do you spend money on ads outside of Etsy? How do you generate excitement/hype around your products?
As a new business, I am pushing through FB and IG every day for exposure. I do at least 2 posts a day showcasing a piece with one or two pics and a video. Definitely has been driving people to the site.
What are some things you don’t like about Etsy? If you could talk to the CEO of Etsy what recommendations would you tell him to improve sellers and customer satisfaction?
Probably would be great to have a New Business section and a little more help for that new business product to be at the top of the search, these will really encourage new business and also elevate the success rate for them to really stay engaged.
What are some things you did to set your shop for success on Etsy? What is one lesson you learned the hard way?
Learning still, every day seems like… now what should I do? What should I do to drive those site visitors to become clients? How to keep my product on the front of Etsy searchers? We’ll see…
What piece of advice would you give to new or established sellers or those considering selling on Etsy? How can they avoid beginner mistakes?
I am still a beginner so would love to get feedback from those that been selling for quite some time…
Anything you wish to add, feel free to do so here. We value your opinion
Thank you for reaching out and hopefully taking the time to address as better as I could your survey will help my new business to get exposure and drive sales.
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