How HubbartsFandom 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 Hubbart’s Fandom. At first, when I decided to try selling products online, I got into drop shipping. Dropshipping is when you buy an item at wholesale, mark it up, and have it shipped straight to your customer. I chose this so that I could have time for my day job. I had my own website. It didn’t work out too well. I was not great at social media and didn’t have money to promote my website.

That’s where Etsy came in, and two big changes in my thinking happened. Etsy is for one-of-a-kind items. Dropshipping is saturated with the same products. I learned about print on demand, where I can create art and have it printed through a printing partner who ships it straight to the customer. Two, Etsy is a marketplace with tons of people already shopping! Those two things changed everything.

I started out very slowly and just worked and worked at my art. I also explored the entire world of print-on-demand partners and what products are available. Oftentimes, what I found would inspire new ideas. Now I have a network of sources ready to print every new idea I come up with on a variety of products. The best part is I get to have my day job and do what I like at night, fulfilling orders and creating more ideas.

Favorite items

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

With my shop name being Hubbart’s Fandom, it really leaves it open to many things I can create for printing, such as dinosaurs, superhero themes, Viking themes, etc. Some of the products I sell are T-shirts, watches, clocks, ring stands for phones, socks, etc. My favorite things to make are my watch and clock designs. They are very fun to do. Another thing I really have come to enjoy is personalization.

Offering personalization on products, such as cartooning faces, printing photos, and adding their text or name, has sold the best. It works really well to offer something people are fans of (Hubbart’s Fandom). My top 3 best sellers right now are my personalized superhero cartoon shirts, my dinosaur kids' watch with their names on it, and the photo print chef oven mitt!

Custom Superhero Shirt, Superhero Cartoon, Personalized Cartoon Portrait, Custom Cartoon Shirt, Superhero Gift For Dad, Comic Photo Shirt
Kids Watch, Dinosaur Watch, Boys Watch, Name Watch, Personalized Gift, Cartoon Watch, Watch for Son, Watch for Daughter, Kids Birthday Gift
Custom Oven Mitt, Oven Mitt for Men, Kitchen Mitts, Personalized Gifts, Gift for Cooking Lovers, Gift for Chef, Father’s Day Gift, For Cook

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 me several months, but I didn’t give up. I used it as an opportunity to work harder and improve. It was a lot of trial and error. I am pretty wildly creative and had to learn when it was too much. I still have to dial back to this day. You start to learn what people like and dislike. To attract customers to my shop, this goes back to why I started my Etsy journey. Offer something that no one else has or does in a way no one else is doing. I always research what other sellers are selling, and what their best sellers are, and use that to strategize my next product.

Managing HubbartsFandom

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 manage my store on my own. I work with my production partners on issues like delivery delays, new products, photos, et cetera.

I buy sample products to test and create my own mock-ups for my other designs. Sourcing new printed products and forming new partnerships. I write my own titles and product descriptions. It’s a lot of work.

I use a photo quality restore app that makes customers' pixelated photos look much better, so the print looks nice!

I use an app called Bazaart on my phone, which is a wonderful app for projects at home or on the go. I've been using it for 5 years!

Shipping and fulfillment are handled by my business partners, so I can focus on the creative end while they print it and ship it to my customers. When there are issues with delivery, I work with them on a solution, and it works out pretty well.

The future of HubbartsFandom 

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

My goal is to keep growing. Right now I have a few bestsellers and about 20 or so that sell here and there. I’d like to get to about 10 best sellers. My goal for this year is to average 10 sales a day.

Advice for new sellers

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

My advice for new Etsy shops is to not give up, be unique, and improve your craft. Start with Etsy ads with at least a dollar a day, but before you do that, Google Etsy SEO, which means what words you are putting in your product title that is going to attract interested buyers. Learn as much as you can about how you should title your listings. Once you understand how that works, you should aim for about 50 listings as soon as you can. Then list one new product a week. Also, pay attention to what others in your niche are selling and find the best sellers so you can get inspiration.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: 1200

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 40-60% after my product costs and ads

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: Usually between 1-2%

Alura Team
Alura Team

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