Etsy Seller Interview with Gerti of Treasurebox

How GertiesTreasureBox 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?

My name is Gertie and I am the owner of the Etsy shop ‘Gertie’s Treasure Box’, in which I sell handmade and personalised accessories, mainly keyrings. It started when a few years ago I was looking to find an idea for a small business to make some additional money. At first, I began by simply buying some stuff things from China and selling it, however I soon realised that people prefer and like to buy personalised things, therefore I decided to do some research and that’s how I discovered hand stamping (I’d never heard of such a thing before) and I fell in love with it. To begin with, I started selling my things locally, through Facebook, and then in 2016 I opened my shop on Etsy. I was really surprised by the fact that something that was meant to earn me just some additional money became my full-time job so quickly.

Favorite items

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

My favourite series of products are the keychains with birthstones. They are selling very well, and I reckon it’s because they are unique, personal, and creative. This is the reason that they are my favourite, 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?  

My first sale happened around a month after I opened my shop, and it was very exciting for me. It felt like the start of a new beginning. To this day, even though it’s been a few years since my first sale, I still get the same feeling of excitement every time I hear the ‘ker-ching!’ sound from my phone. At this moment, I have many loyal customers who recommend my products to others. I also use Etsy Ads and constantly update my listings to ensure that they are using the most up-to-date recommendations for SEO.

Managing GertiesTreasureBox

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?‍

At first, it was just me working at the shop. However, for about 2 years now, my husband has been helping me, and he quit his previous job for it, as I wouldn’t have been able to do it all alone. So far, it has been very worth it. Packing the products takes the most time, and usually, this is what my unstoppable husband does. I do the hand stamping, assembling, and communicating with clients. When it comes to shipping, I use Royal Mail; I have a business account with them connected to Etsy and a label printer, which really speeds up the packing process. Thanks to this, I don’t have to stand in the queue at the post office; I just leave the parcels at our local delivery office instead.

The future of GertiesTreasureBox 

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

I would like to bring in new and creative products to my shop, but something like this can be rather tough due to lots of orders and the fact that the whole process of creating my products can be very time-consuming. Despite this, though, I am working on new ideas as I enjoy catering to my lovely customers’ wants.

Advice for new sellers

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

Never stop moving forwards; bring in and develop new products; take good-quality photos in order to attract customers; listen to your clients; don’t pay attention to competition; and try to stay original. Never give up.