How Gifansy 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?
I have been doing handicrafts since childhood, but as an adult, it faded into the background. Then one day I lost my job. Since I am not a person who can just sit around doing nothing, I started knitting and making other crafts from jute to keep myself busy. These crafts were popular among my acquaintances and friends, and I decided to try to sell my products outside of my country. An acquaintance recommended Etsy, but at the same time, it was said that everything there is very complicated and the possibility of a sale is very low. At first, I was selling knitwear. Afterward, I designed a sponge made out of jute. Then I added ties for curtains to the list as well. And it worked; every month I received more and more orders. And about a year later, on Mother's Day, one of my friends asked me to make a set: a sponge and handmade soap. I ordered soap from a different master and said, I will never make soap myself! If only I knew how wrong I was. After a couple of months, the soap supplier started to be late with the production of orders. Then I decided to try making soap myself and fell in love with this process. I collected information about soap making bit by bit on the Internet, experimented a lot, and talked with clients. I wanted to differ from others, so I learned how to make silicone soap molds. And now, for more than 5 years, I have been creating a unique handmade author's soap.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I do not have one favorite product because I love everything that I create. If I don't like a product, then I can't and won't sell it. But if I have to choose what I'm most proud of, then I choose flowers made out of soap. This type of soapmaking has never ceased to amaze me for many years now. I have gift boxes with soap flowers in my store and plan to develop this direction. For example, this is a lovely, delicate set of Clarkias with a white kitten:
These products sell well, but fake food soap sells better. It's unusual, interesting, and fun. For example, the most popular biscuit cake:
Or the double waffle:
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 took about 3 months from the opening of the store until the first sale. At the moment, I mainly use free promotion methods for my store: posts on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Sometimes I run ads on Instagram or promote a product using Etsy Add; I also actively use the Etsy coupon system (Abandoned Basket, Thank You). I sometimes run sales in my Etsy shop as well.
Managing Gifansy
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?
Yes, I run my Etsy store on my own. In addition to the store on Etsy, I also have a main job. I work as a financial analyst Monday – Friday from 9 AM till 6 PM. How do I manage everything? My analytical mindset helps me. I plan my work, make product preparations and optimize my work and processes as much as possible, so that I can do as much as possible in a short period of time. And it brings its results. I started doing handicrafts business in 2015 and there hasn’t been a single order that wouldn’t have been sent out on time.
The future of Gifansy
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
The immediate goal for my store is 2000 sales. The long-term goal is to raise the level of sales to 100 sales per month so that I could quit my main job and focus entirely on the business and store.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: It depends on the season. Approximately 100 to 1500 EUR per month.
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: It depends on the item and the season. Average 15% - 20%
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: Average 1,5% - 1,8%
