Etsy Seller Interview with Dan of inkedupmerch

How inkedupmerch 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?

Hello! My Etsy shop is Inked Up Merchandise, aka Inked Up Merch. I started my business more than 15 years ago, originally doing merchandise for bands on a local and national scale. Quickly, I changed directions and started offering my embroidery and screen printing services to all sorts of businesses, schools, and others while still doing the band merch thing. As a huge fan of horror films, I decided to open an Etsy shop in 2012 to offer more unique items for fellow horror fans aside from the usual screen-printed t-shirts. I noticed there wasn’t a lot of headwear, in particular beanies. I started with those and went on to baseball caps. It’s now grown into patches, bags, and many other items that I make in-house.

Favorite items

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

My favourite item, I would have to say, is this Camp Crystal Lake-inspired knapsack. There are some other similar backpacks like this, but none that really capture the retro feel as well as the ones I create, which is why I think they do fairly well. I wanted the customer to feel like they were getting a knapsack that you would get back in the 80s and, at the same time, a sturdy and usable day/hiking bag.

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?

Hmmm, I‘d say within the first week or two is when I made my first sale. I currently try to keep customers up-to-date by having them follow me on social media, mainly Instagram. It’s tough with all the politics and algorithms of social media, but it seems to work to a degree. I’m currently working on creating a mailing list.

Managing inkedupmerch

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?

It is only me, for the most part, running the show. I use Stamps.com for my shipping; it’s been love at first sight. I started with Stamps.com and have stuck with them. Sure, there have been some days where Stamps.com has had some technical issues, but their customer service is fantastic!

The future of inkedupmerch

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

Just keep pumping out new designs and items that may not be found in other online horror-themed shops. Keeping it fresh is key.

Advice for new sellers

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

Do YOUR HOMEWORK! Make sure you know what you’re getting into and what your initial overhead will be. Do not cut corners when getting involved in what you want to do! , Are you entering an oversaturated market? If so, how can your business stand out? Make friends; don’t burn bridges. Is there a fellow shop doing the same thing as you? They’re not the enemy; get involved in the community.