Etsy Seller Interview with Jane of JaneBuurmanHandmade

How JaneBuurmanHandmade 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 Jane from Jane Buurman Handmade, and I’m a free-motion embroidery artist. I sell mainly greeting cards printed from my original handmade designs, as well as handmade framed gifts, in my Etsy shop. We are a small family run business based near Bath, UK, born from my love of sewing. I hand-create the original artwork for our designs using paper, paint, or fabric, and then freehand stitch the detail on a sewing machine (called free-motion machine embroidery). Once completed, the designs are sent to our UK printers to be turned into lovely greeting cards.

I love being creative; it’s when I’m at my happiest. I have sewn all my life in one form or another, from my mother teaching me to sew to having a curtain-making business to then discovering free-motion embroidery. I have always loved designing and making things. I did pottery at school and was still making and selling my wares at local markets (as well as my stitched artwork) up until the first lockdown. I still have a wheel and kiln at home, but since my greeting business has taken off, I have no spare time to throw pots. I now work full-time as a greeting card designer and publisher.

I started my Etsy shop back in 2018 as a way to showcase my designs since I didn’t have a website at the time. To be honest, I didn’t really do much with my Etsy shop until the first lockdown, as I’m not great with computers and I was selling in person at artisan markets and trade shows. Once we went into lockdown, I very quickly realized Etsy was going to be my only source of income, and I set myself the task of getting to grips with it! Once we were placed under lockdown, I spent many hours re-doing my shop and product descriptions, as well as taking new photos and re-doing the tags, once I had a better understanding of what was required. I went from having a sale every couple of weeks before lockdown to 40 sales a week!

Favorite 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 in my Etsy shop are my greeting cards. The original artwork for each of my designs can take me anywhere from an hour to make and sew for a more simple design to sometimes days for a more complex design, so to be able to print and sell greeting cards from the original artwork is wonderful! The cards sell really well, as everyone loves giving and receiving cards. It’s always nice to know someone is thinking of you. Our 'Hey EWE' Sheep collection, which includes birthdays, relatives, occasions, sentiment, and Christmas, has been a huge hit. With over 100 designs in the collection, there is plenty to choose from for any occasion, and who doesn't love a sheep!

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 had my first sale within a couple of weeks of ‘going live’, but I didn’t really invest much time into the shop until we went into the first lockdown, as I’m not great with computers and I was selling in person. Once we went into lockdown, I had more time to dedicate to my Etsy shop, and that’s when I felt my shop really started. I now use a small advertising budget to promote my shop on Etsy as well as posting regularly on Facebook and Instagram. I’ve recently started using Tiktoc to promote my Etsy shop, as I saw an article on Etsy saying this was a good way to send people shopping! So, from someone who was hesitant to use technology, I'm now making videos and working on my technology on a daily basis! 

Managing JaneBuurmanHandmade

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 are a family-run business. I am the main person, as I design and make all the artwork for our greeting cards. As I said before, I’m not great with technology, so I’m lucky to be married to a guy who is a computer software designer. When he’s not doing his day job, my husband scans and prepares my artwork to be sent to our lovely printers, and he’s also brilliant at bouncing ideas off. Most of the time, it’s just me managing my Etsy shop, so I pack and fulfill all the orders myself, and I have found it much easier to use Etsy for buying the postage as it’s a real-time saver. We also have three grown children who all help with preparing and packing stock, particularly when we have large trade orders, as it’s all hands on deck!

The future of JaneBuurmanHandmade 

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

I am constantly trying to improve my Etsy shop. I re-evaluate what’s selling and pay particular attention to headings and tags, as this is how people find me. I still feel the shop is a work in progress, so there is always room to improve. I would love to eventually be able to offer personalization on my cards, but this would involve buying costly equipment, which I currently don’t have the funds for. At the moment, any customization is done by me sewing the alterations and attaching them to the printed card, which does look lovely and give it that handmade feel, but it’s very time-consuming and means I do have to charge a little extra.

Advice for new sellers

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

Photography is also hugely important for getting page visits and subsequent sales. How you present your products will be the difference between someone clicking on your listing or choosing to go elsewhere. This is your window to your shop; make it inviting and they will come in. Take time to look at other shops on Etsy and use them as inspiration. See how they present their listings and see what appeals to you and what doesn’t. What works for one person may not work or be appropriate for another. Think very carefully and take your time to fill in all the keywords on your listings, and I would recommend reading the Etsy seller guides on how to do this. It would also be worth joining some of the forums or local Etsy groups, as the people are always so supportive and helpful. Lastly, don’t expect results overnight; they may happen but they may not. I’m still a long way from where I’d like to be, but I’m learning every day. I hope you enjoy being part of this wonderful, creative community, and I wish you the best of luck.