Etsy Seller Interview with Candice of CatoriCollection

How CatoriCollection  got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

As a registered metaphysician, certified crystal healer, and qualified psychotherapist, I brought Catori Collection to life after being passionately driven by my love for crystals, my own spiritual journey, and my purpose here in this life to heal others. I initially started selling items for Catori Collection on Instagram in April 2017, which solely consisted of beaded crystal bracelets that I learned to create on my own. By October of the same year, I decided to venture into the Etsy Marketplace, selling crystal bracelets and a very small variety of items such as sage and small tumbled crystals. Truthfully, I was nervous about opening a shop on a bigger selling platform like Etsy, but I knew that in order to reach a wider audience, I needed to take a leap of faith and trust what my intuition was guiding me to do. I remember saying to myself, "Well, if it does not work out, then I can simply close the shop." Needless to say, that did not happen, and Catori Collection has grown tremendously year after year and continues to do so.

Items in the Catori Collection shop now consist of a wide range of crystals, smudge, tarot, and witchcraft supplies, spiritual books and homeware, singing bowls, and so much more. I also offer online gift cards and one-on-one crystal consultations via my website, www.catoricollection.co.uk, which I run alongside my Etsy store. I ethically source my items from all over the world, such as Indonesia, Africa, China, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK, to name a few. In doing so, I have developed fantastic business relationships with people who align with my vision for Catori Collection.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

Ooooh, this is such a tough question to answer! All the items are my personal favorites, and that is because I usually handpick them myself, whether virtually or in person. I often connect with items and hope that my customers will too. To give you an idea of a customer favorite, the mini crystal phalluses are the best-selling item. They are, by far, the most popular item, and I often sell out of them. As of writing this, on Etsy alone, they have sold well over 400 times, have been tagged nearly 1,200 times as "customer favorites," and have been viewed 16,704 times. I believe that they are a favorite because they are cute and quirky and make a great gift for hen-dos, bridal parties, and as a cheeky present for friends or family members.

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

I had my first sale within a week of opening my Etsy shop. I will never forget how excited and nervous I was at the same time. It was an international order from Latvia for three large bundles of white sage smudge sticks. From then on, the floodgates opened, and I have not stopped since. I currently attract customers from social media and send them to my own website, but I have a lot of faithful Etsy customers who have been with me from the very beginning and solely buy from my Etsy shop. I use the Etsy seller app, Etsy marketing tools to keep customers coming back by sending coupons and running sales, and Etsy ads via Google (this helps to bring new customers to the shop). I will say that attracting customers is one aspect of running a business, but keeping them is another. Therefore, it is important to me that I communicate with customers, whether that is via thank you cards inside of orders, online newsletters, chatting with them through direct messaging, chatting in the comments on social media, or in person when doing events. My intention has always been to make sure that Catori Collection isn’t a faceless business. I want customers to know who they are buying from—this makes it even more special!

Managing CatoriCollection 

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

I manage the Catori Collection from home. As mentioned earlier, as well as selling on Etsy, I have my own website, and I also attend a lot of events and markets so that people can choose items from the shop in person. Managing online sales and fulfilling them, doing post office drops, photography, marketing, customer relations, and order fulfillment are all done by me. I do all this while running a busy full-time private psychotherapy practice, so time management has always been a key component, right from the very beginning. So, to make things a bit easier on myself, I use tools and apps such as the Etsy Sellers app to send dispatch notifications, tracking numbers, or to communicate with customers; the Canva Pro app for promotional marketing; my website newsletter; the Post Office Drop and Go service for shipping; the QuickBooks app for bookkeeping; the PayPal Business app; and my mobile phone for taking photos. When I sell in person at events, I have family members who come along to help me.

The future of CatoriCollection  

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

The dream goal is for Catori Collection to have a physical location (or many!) as well as continue to sell online. The growth of the shop since 2017 has been outstanding, and I want to be able to continue doing what I absolutely love!

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

My advice for new sellers would be to stay committed to and trust the process of running their business. Time management, patience, people skills, dedication, and keeping up with trends in your specialty will go a long way toward keeping your business going in the direction that you want. Be mindful of weeks (or months) where sales may be slow, but do not let that deter you. Instead, use this time to reset and recharge your own batteries. Self-care will be of the utmost importance throughout your journey. As much as you are investing in the business, make sure to invest back in yourself. Success comes with time, but it also comes with awareness, being flexible and consistent, learning new ways of conducting business, and being open to welcoming the hurdles that may arise.