Etsy Seller Interview with Greta of GretasCollectibles

How GretasCollectibles 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?

Hi, I’m Greta Anthony. I've been a clay artist for the better part of 40 years now. My Etsy shop is gretascollectibles.etsy.com. Before 2020, I made my living doing art and craft shows. Of course, with the pandemic, they were all shut down. I asked for and received help from my very good friend Susan Sorrentino, who has been a successful Etsy seller for many years. She helped me set up my shop and gave me some good advice on titles and tag words, so thank you, Susan. As to what to sell, that's a no-brainer for me. I’ve always loved clay, ever since my high school art teacher introduced me to it. That was way back in the 1970s, when there was actual funding for the arts. I lean towards hand-building, and I’ve tried to throw on the wheel. Let’s just say the results weren’t pretty and leave it at that. Most of my pieces start out as pinch pots that I add on to when I sculpt my whimsical creations. A few start out as slabs, such as the fairy houses and tall wizards. 98% of my work is high-fired to a temperature of around 2167 degrees Fahrenheit, or cone 5 in pottery terms. A select few are low-fired to cone 06: the watering spikes and the water sensor worm "Sguirmie."

At first, it was difficult to find a source for clay that would ship at a reasonable price. I was so used to picking up a load of clay as we drove back from a show. There are only a few major clay brands: Laguna, Standard, Highwater, and Kentucky Mudworks. I use a few from each brand, so finding a distributor that had all the clay I wanted at good shipping rates took some time. I finally found Krueger Pottery; they will ship out 25–50 pounds of clay in USPS flat-rate boxes. Krueger also has a very nice variety of clay and wonderful customer service. I’m so happy I found them. The rest of my supplies—paint, paintbrushes, glaze, and clear spray—I mostly get online from Amazon or Walmart. I know big online retailers irritate me, but they are a necessary evil. Since I create and sell incense burners, I include incense in my listings. which I get from a small business called Alex Incense. It’s a wonderful product made from natural charcoal. Alex makes my incense when I order it, so it’s always fresh and smells divine. I love getting a shipment from him; the aroma alone is heavenly.

Favourite items

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

I have to say my favorite items to create are my Mini Monsters, with the Voodoo Dolls a close second. They make me smile when I create them. Some of them downright make me laugh out loud. I love some of their cheeky smiles and crazy expressions.

Of the mini monsters, this little blue-eyed cyclops has been popular this year. He’s made with my favorite clay, Laguna #wc606. It has these marvelous speckles when fired. He’ll smoke from his nose and ears.

I absolutely adore this voodoo doll; his cheeky grin and posable head really tickle me. This little guy came to me in a dream, so I had to give him life. He’s made from Standard 112 clay. A wonderful toasty tan clay that is a joy to work with. He’ll smoke from his eyes, which is so funny.

At the moment, garden items are the top sellers in my shop, with spring right around the corner. I really enjoy making things for the garden, especially my Audrey plant buddy. She puts a smile on my face every time.

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 made my first Etsy sale two days after I opened my shop. Of course, it took about 2 weeks for the payment to go through. I was very pleasantly surprised with how quickly I made that sale.
I currently promote my shop on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Of the 4, when I pay for an ad, I get the most traction from TikTok, with Instagram coming in second.
I also have a lot of repeat customers. I offer a 15% discount when they come back and spend $30 or more in my shop. There’s also a 10% discount available when they sign up for my email list. That’s set up through MailChimp.
Through Etsy’s offsite advertising program, I’ve also gained a few loyal customers. I know Etsy charges 15% for advertising at first, but with this program, I reach so many new customers who would never have heard of my Etsy shop otherwise.

Managing GretasCollectibles

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’m a one-woman operation; I tried to teach my husband how to work in clay and help make my pieces. The bad news is that he was terrible at it. The good news is that our marriage survived. I ship through Pirate Ship except for international orders; those I ship through Etsy, which is less hassle. A handwritten thank-you card is included with each order, as is a small sample of incense if I’m shipping out an incense burner. No glitter or fancy packaging I’m of the belief that practical, safe packaging is better than pretty packaging. I try to ship orders within 3 days of receiving them. I recently moved across the country, so my shipping times are a bit delayed until my new studio is up and running. I changed all my shipping supplies to be eco-friendly. Biodegradable packing peanuts, biodegradable polybags, honeycomb paper instead of bubble wrap, paper tape, and paper to fill the void I also changed my cellophane incense bags to wax-lined paper bags. So much less guilt when shipping my orders.

The future of GretasCollectibles

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

My goals are simple: to keep making a profit and to still love what I make for many years to come. Oh, and for the Chinese to stop copying me, that would be really awesome. When I was a child, my one life goal was to make a living with my art. I’m happy to say my life goal was achieved.

Advice for new sellers

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

So for new sellers, I would say take good photos. You can use your cell phone; just make sure it has a good camera. I bought a used Pixel 3 for less than $200 just for product photos. Remember, anything you spend on your business is tax deductible.

Google Photos has really good photo editing options, and it’s free. You can also do extensive video editing with the Google Photos app.

Use all ten photos that Etsy allows and upload a video. Customers will look at the photos before they read the description. If you don’t have 10 photos to use, place an information graphic in the last 

Fill out your policies and shop information; remember, you’re selling yourself as well as your product. If customers like you, they’ll most likely buy from you.

Update your shop announcement on a regular basis; this shows Etsy that you’re invested in your shop and serious about making it work.

Do your due diligence and make sure you’re not liable for copyright infringement. So many things are now in the public domain. Don’t take the risk of getting an infringement strike from Etsy.

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 averages anywhere between $2500 and $3000.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: It’s about 65%, depending on whether it’s an offsite ad or not.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: My average conversion rate is 1.7%. I have niche items, so I can have a lower rate and still make a profit.