Etsy Seller Interview with Lisa of FreshEggsDaily

How FreshEggsDaily 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?

Oh my goodness! I started my shop so long ago! I’ve sold all sorts of things. I started out by selling sachets of fresh herbs from my garden. I was adding them to my chicken nesting boxes, and people who followed me on Facebook were excited to be able to purchase them. I even trademarked the name "Coop Confetti". 

Then when sales really took off, I had to switch to dried herbs that I bought wholesale from Starwest Botanicals. I bought pretty sachet bags with ribbon ties in bulk from another Etsy seller! And then I switched to Kraft bags with a clear window. I actually had to stop selling them after a few years because I was selling so many that I couldn’t keep up with demand (I’m currently looking for a manufacturing partner to bring that back!) being a one-woman shop.

Over the years, I’ve sold coffee mugs that I sourced from Vistaprint; cute Scrabble tile Christmas tree ornaments saying things like "Joy" and "Hope"; and fun things like "Quack" and "Oink." I sourced the letters and racks from Ebay and then added a pretty red or green baker's twine hanging loop (bakers twine purchased from another Etsy seller).

I’ve sold window decals (I had a vinyl designer make those for me), sets of seed packets, mini egg stamps that I bought wholesale from another Etsy seller, and even a few knitting patterns that I designed myself. I’ve sold chicken coop plans (so many followers asked how I built my first chicken coop, I ended up writing up the plans).

For a while, I was making sleep balms scented with lavender. That was pretty labor-intensive, so it was a short-lived endeavor.

Right now, I’m selling personally signed copies of my books. I’ve been selling books directly to my followers for years. It’s nice to be able to offer a signed copy with a bookmark and decal. Books make such a nice gift for the holidays.

Favorite items

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

By far, my best-selling item was the Coop Confetti dried herb blend. It makes good potpourri even for people to use in their home if they don’t have chickens. As I mentioned above, I’m working at getting the product back into production!

Right now, as far as current listings, my new cookbook is selling really well, and I have high hopes for the holiday season. It comes with a really cute fried egg bookmark that I make with an egg charm and ribbon I buy in bulk on Amazon.

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 don’t remember how long it took to make my first sale, but I think it was immediately. I was using my Facebook page primarily to drive sales right from the start. With 657,000 followers on Facebook and 116,000 on Instagram, plus more than 50,000 email subscribers, it’s fairly easy for me to drive traffic, but I still see loads of organic traffic on Etsy.

Managing FreshEggsDaily

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 do run my whole business by myself. I personally ship every package, which can be time-consuming at times, but it ensures that every box that leaves here is properly packaged and going to the correct address.

I buy tissue paper from Nashville Wraps, boxes from eBay or Amazon, and rolls and rolls of packing tape!

The future of FreshEggsDaily

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

Over the years, I’ve sold a wide array of products, and I’m always looking for something new and fun to sell. I have pivoted a bit more towards the culinary world and would love to offer some aprons, customized spice blends, and other kitchen items in the near future, as well as more books, I hope!

I have been thinking about a new digital product to offer as well. Etsy makes it so easy to sell digital items, sending the link to the buyer as soon as they send payment. Digital sales are a great passive income. Once they’re designed and uploaded, there’s nothing else to do but keep renewing that listing.

Advice for new sellers

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

I belong to several blogger groups and anytime anyone is thinking of opening a stand-alone storefront, whether it be by Shopify or Wix, etc., I advise them against it. Even with nearly 1 million followers across my social media, I could never drive the traffic on my own that Etsy drives. Similar to selling on Amazon, the SEO and organic traffic that listing on a large selling site brings would be really hard to replicate without their help.

Both sites do take a percentage of sales, but I think overall, it is a far better business plan to use Etsy as a storefront. I love how easy it is to design and update the graphics, banners, etc. The ability to run sales or coupons. And the stats are really nice as well. Not to mention the discount on shipping that Etsy offers and the ease of printing labels and tracking packages.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

I admit that my Etsy sales ebb and flow. There are times when I have loads of listings and am actively promoting them on social media, and other times, my shop sort of takes a backseat to the other things I do, like writing books, filming my TV show, etc.

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: $1287.00 (lifetime average)

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: I would say my average profit margin is about 50% before Etsy fees, packaging, and shipping. Despite being a former accountant, I don’t really track things as well as I should, I guess! When all is said and done, I would guess I have a 25-30% profit margin overall. Digital items can really push up your profit margin since there’s zero supplies, materials, or COGS.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: My lifetime conversion rate is 2.6%.