[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message bb_tab_container=””]Niche : Personalized Design
Shop link : https://www.etsy.com/shop/USALeatherShop
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/usaleathershop[/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…
Hello. My name is Scott and I am the owner of USA LEATHER SHOP. In fact, I am a civil engineer and I was working as a construction project engineer and managing construction projects. One of my colleagues was making handmade leather goods and selling them online as a part-time job. He recommended I do this business as a side job as well and my own business journey started with this story. I have started to do leather products and sell online. My shop sales exceeded my expectations and I have decided to focus on this business and bring a new team together. Then, I suddenly took a sharp decision and resign from my job and opened my own leather company. Now, I sell leather products both in retail and wholesale internationally.
How did you discover Etsy? Did you have any previous experience in selling handmade products? Why did you start selling online?
Since my friend was selling them on Etsy, I have started to sell on Etsy as well. I didn’t have any previous online selling experience.
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 sell only handmade leather products. I always choose the best quality leathers in the market. When you sell something really worth the money that customer paid for it, you see the result at the end. Customers always appreciate the good quality workmanship and excellent customer service.
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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
My friend was my mentor and he thought me all the process. I have also attended some leather products making classes. I am self-taught person, but having a mentor is really affect your overall performance.
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?
I have started selling as a side-job and my goal was to get some additional income. If you sell quality product and provide excellent customer service, you will see the result.
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 had fears on advertisement expenses. Yes, they took most of your profits but if you want to sell your products well, you should bear it.
How long did it take for you to get your first sale? Did you ever thought you would make a lot of sales in the first year? What was a goal you were hoping for? How many sales an average you get per week?
I did my sale immediately. I was not expecting to grow that fast. Definitely, the quality of the products affected the sales performance.
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 only do online business as a full time job because it takes all of my time.
How does your manufacturing process looks 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 tools that you are using in manufacturing process?
My team always keep doing the production and we keep these products in our stocks. So, it makes us to ship these items asap when we sell them.
What is the biggest impact on profitability of your shop? How expensive are the materials you use? How do you price your products?
Leather is an expensive material. Workmanship, advertisement costs etc. all have similar expenses. So, you should calculate your total expense and sell your products accordingly.
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?
There are a lot of makers in the market. You can follow them and get inspired from their works. My team has a designer and we make our own designs.
Do you ship your product internationally? How do you handle postage pricing? What is average time it takes from the order to the delivery? Do you use free shipping? If so, why? How do you package your products?
Yes we ship internationally but it is a little difficult to track the shipment for international shipments. Nowadays, I am thinking to stop selling internationally.
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?
I am not worried about the competitors. If you can do your best work, you will keep getting new sales from your previous customers. I always improve myself and improve the quality of my products.
How do you deal with disputes or bad rating/feedback? How do you manage presale and post sale communication and customer satisfaction?
I always try to solve the problems immediately. In fact, I didn’t get too much complain or negative feedback, because good products always bring you positive feedback.
Has selling on Etsy changed your life in any way? If so, how? Did you ever thought you would get this far with your shop? Have you ever been stressed dealing with customers and manufacturing products? How did you deal with that?
When you do your own job, you definitely spend more time to it, but you see the result at the end. Etsy made me more busy person.
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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?
I didn’t have time to focus on social media but it is really important to get traffic. I will spend more time for it soon.
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 customers satisfaction?
I don’t have anything to say negative about Etsy. My experiences were positive with Etsy all the time.
What are some things you did to set your shop for success on Etsy? What is one lesson you learned the hard way?
Whatever you do, always try to sell best quality products. Stay away from cheap materials. Also, always provide excellent customer service experience.
What piece of advice would you give to new or established sellers or those considering to sell on Etsy? How can they avoid beginners mistakes?
Whatever you do, always try to sell best quality products. Stay away from cheap materials. Also, always provide excellent customer service experience.
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