Etsy Seller Interview with Khila and Michael of Greenfrogindiashop

How Greenfrogindiashop 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?

We are Green Frog India, so that’s Khila and Michael and a host of brilliant people behind the scenes. We started on Etsy as a bit of fun in 2019, but we never really gave it much time. We had made a handful of cycle innertube products that we experimented with, and then COVID and lockdowns came, and that changed everything for us. We were both in India at the time of lockdown, with Michael guiding mountain bike trips with his company, Mountain Bike Kerala, and myself in adventure tourism and running yoga groups. Our work completely stopped, and we spent 7 months locked down in a Tea Plantation in south India, both very grateful for how lucky we were to be grounded here. But with such uncertain times, we feared our jobs might never return, so Michael experimented by upcycling more innertubes and mountain bike tires, while I saw a pile of old saris that a neighbor was about to chop up and turn into fine strips for cleaning rags. We rescued these saris, and that gave me the material to work with, and we started making upcycled sari gift bags and our beautiful bunting. Our 7 months of  plantation life also give us  an insight into the produce here so we started  helping with the harvest to make our own black pepper,  cardamom and turmeric  which began to shape our vision for the future.

Favorite items

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

My favorite has to be the sari bunting, as it takes me back to the start of our upcycling journey, while Michael loves his innertube card and coin holder. They are simple designs and have been selling well. We think this is because of their uniqueness; as with all upcycled materials, nothing is ever the same twice, so every item comes with a twist.

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 around a week to make the first sale, and we both celebrated the famous  Cha-ching sale notification, which we still enjoy as much as when we first heard it. For bringing in more potential buyers, we do use Etsy ads and Instagram, and we are exploring other ideas to showcase what we do.

Managing Greenfrogindiashop

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?

We have one foot in the U.K. and one foot in India, and friends and family help with shipping when we are not there, as well as some of our co-creators, as they are all part of the collective. We have not really used any apps or special tools, but we plan to have a good look at Instagram Shop this summer.

The future of Greenfrogindiashop 

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

We want to improve everything we do. We don’t want to take over the world; by definition, the resources we use are scarce, so our main goal as an upcycled shop is to minimize waste, be sustainable, and make the best use of everything that we have. We are looking to develop our community-based projects where some of our non-upcycled products are made and build up our Green Frog India Foundation to further empower girls from rural mountain communities in India through children’s libraries, sports, transport initiatives, and having some fun. We also wish to showcase artists and innovators who don’t have the platform that we have and let them shape their own futures, while at the same time sharing the stories of those who help make what we make, so expect more pictures and features on the faces behind the products to show in the shop soon.

Advice for new sellers

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

Create an idea or special niche that you are passionate about, preferably a concept that is unique. If there is already competition there, use your passion to strive to make your end product that little bit different, and try not to compete on price as all that hard work and inspiration needs some reward to put back into what you create. Try to treat the whole thing as a game. There are good days and many days that just look like they will never end, but keep your balance. If you believe in what you do, it will work.