Etsy Seller Interview with Nelly of HandmadebyNellyandCo

How HandmadebyNellyandCo 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 Etsy shop is called HandmadebyNellyandCo, and I sell things with your favorite dog breed on them! This started as Christmas baubles but now includes mailboxes, mugs, and more! It all started with my small brick-and-mortar shop, "Dog Store."I wanted to sell dog-themed Christmas ornaments in this shop but couldn’t source any I liked, so I decided to have a go at creating some of my own! Putting these baubles on an Etsy page was just a "see what happens" type of thing, but in the end, my Etsy sales saved my little shop during the pandemic when it had to close!

For my baubles, I source the glass and box with my logo on them from a company in China and ship over a few thousand each year. I have developed a good relationship with a seller I trust, so it works well. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but you can find reputable people using the right channels, and you can even pay to have your items "inspected" by an outside provider before shipment. I source everything else from the UK. I create the images for the baubles on Photoshop and decorate each bauble by hand.

Favorite items

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

My favorite items are the personalized photograph ornaments. They are my favorite because I get to see a photo of everyone’s pets, and it’s just so sweet. I often hear stories from customers about their pets, and it makes me smile. Sometimes they are for beloved animals that have passed, which always makes me emotional, but when I hear about how much the recipient loves it, it’s so rewarding. I think they sell well because they are a posher version of the photograph in a bauble you often see in budget stores where you slide the image in yourself. It's a great gift, but it's often let down by its cheap appearance. My ones are delicate glass, photoshopped individually to remove the background, and put in a lovely gift box!

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?

Not long at all! a few days, I think. I was surprised! It got me excited, though, and I began to put in even more effort, motivated to make more sales. I currently use social media (Facebook and Instagram) and Etsy ads. I also make use of the Etsy campaigns and send people vouchers and coupon codes to their emails. I do get a lot of returning customers, so I make sure they remember me by sending lovely cards in the boxes and making sure I personally message every customer.

Managing HandmadebyNellyandCo

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?

Largely, it’s just me throughout the year. At Christmas, I hire a temp to help keep on top of the orders. Shipping and fulfillment are purchased through Etsy as it’s the easiest way, being linked directly with the Royal Mail. This year (2022), I integrated the shop into Evri to avoid some of the postal strikes, which is always a handy backup! Tools-wise, to be honest, I largely rely on Etsy! It’s a fantastic marketplace with all the tools you need to analyze your sales and keep on top of the latest algorithm requirements to allow your items to be seen.

The future of HandmadebyNellyandCo 

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

Primarily, I would like to be able to make the same number of sales I make in November and December throughout the year. This would then allow me to work on my Etsy shop as a full-time job and employ a member of staff! So I need to work on other items that aren’t just Christmas-based. I’m currently selling mailboxes with dog silhouettes on them, which seem to be doing very well, so I’m going to focus on that in 2023 and see where things take me from there.

Advice for new sellers

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

To get those listings seen on such a popular marketplace, it's all about the algorithm. I’d say you need to attract a niche market within whatever it is you want to create; "air freshener" or "handmade candle," for example, is going to be tough as there are so many listings with those terms. Aim for something specific; "French Bulldog Air Freshener," for example, would likely work much better!

Secondly, do what Etsy tells you! They don’t hide the tricks of getting it right; in fact, they try really hard to help with articles and help guides. For it to be successful, you do need to work on it all the time, and it isn’t as easy as popping a couple of things on a page and hoping for the best. Etsy likes to see movement on your page—not just views, but you adding products, adjusting things, getting reviews, etc.! It’s tough when you are doing it alongside a full-time job, but it's so worth it to have a successful small side business.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Out of season, around £500 per month At Christmas, about £4k a month (November and December).

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 75% 

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 5.2%