How CherylDeeCrochet 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?
Hello! I’m Cheryl Dee Floyd of cheryldeecrochet.com. I began selling digital crochet patterns via Etsy in 2015. I had been selling the patterns on another platform, but decided I needed to branch out and I’m so glad I did. For a while, I was selling the finished crocheted objects as well as the patterns, but I soon decided I’d rather spend all my time publishing patterns and not shipping physical products.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I like all the items in my shop. Each one is like my baby because I take my time developing them. I always pay a professional editor to make sure my patterns are top-notch, and I always have them tested by a team of trusted volunteers. Over the years, my best-selling pattern has been Coco’s Flower Blanket. I published it in 2020, and it’s done extremely well since then, with 168 orders in just 3 years.
It’s a pretty simple design, but I think people like having the details on how to make an entire blanket, including yarn amounts, hook size, and suggested colors. The blanket has a definite vintage feel to it. Maybe my pretty kitty, Coco, in the photo melts people’s hearts, too.
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?
It’s been so long (since 2015) that I’m not sure how long it took to earn my first sale. I do know that, obviously, there was enough activity right at the start to keep me busy publishing more patterns in my Etsy shop. My total sales were pretty slow for the first four years, but in 2019, things really started to take off. I kept working on adding more listings, and by 2019, I had met my goal of 20 listings. Now, in 2023, I have 63 active listings. I have a blog and a YouTube channel, which I use to direct people to my Etsy shop.
Managing CherylDeeCrochet
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 my shop by myself. I just use Etsy’s help articles to figure out how to get the listings published and how to interpret the stats. I should probably spend more time learning all the ins and outs and possibilities for earning a higher return on my efforts, but I’d rather spend my time crocheting. One thing I greatly appreciate about Etsy is that I don’t have to worry much about selling to countries in the European Union and having to collect and pay the value-added tax (VAT). Etsy does all of that for me, which is a huge relief.
The future of CherylDeeCrochet
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
Since I’ve been diagnosed with leukemia, my goal is to keep my shop open as long as I can and find someone else to take it over if and when my doctors tell me I have a short time left.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
My advice is to do what you love, not so much with the idea of making a lot of money as of keeping your production standards high and sharing your passion with others.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Between $150 and $250.
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: I’m not really sure, but it’s almost 100%, since my listings are all digital.
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: Currently, its 6/1%.
