Etsy Seller Interview with Jiyoun of JiyounHandmade

How JiyounHandmade 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?

I am making a crochet doll and selling the design as a PDF digital file on Etsy. In 2015, I stumbled across a site called Etsy. But I couldn't speak English well. In the meantime, there was a meeting with someone who saw my dolls and said that she would help me with overseas sales, but she didn't choose me. There was no contact. At the time, I had just given birth to my first daughter, and it hadn't been a few months. He must have thought that I would have a hard time working on parenting and projects. So I decided to do it myself. Language is not a problem! I thought I could do it while raising children. So, when the child was asleep, I personally visited the site and looked for information in my spare time. At the time, when I was interested in Etsy, I couldn't find much information in Korean, probably because there weren't many writers active in Korea, but I slowly researched and studied Etsy using a translator. Etsy's allowing new sellers to list a few products for free has been a huge plus for me. So, when I had free time, I changed the Korean version to an English version, converted it into a PDF file, and uploaded it.

Favorite items

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

All of them are doll friends that I made with time and effort. Everyone is precious. If you ask what's selling best, it's the Pikachu stuffed toy. Bread with Pokemon stickers became popular again in Korea last year, which stimulates nostalgia for adults and novelty for children. I enjoyed this situation where I am watching the animation I have been watching since I was young with my current children. So I made it for my children. Everyone who buys this pattern will have memories, and I think they are making dolls for themselves or for their children.

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 honestly can't remember how long it took from the time I opened the shop to the first sale. But I do remember my appearance at that time. Since this is Korea, there is a time difference, so for me, the first sale was made in the early morning after midnight, and I was surprised to hear the notification sound from Etsy. I was really happy then, and I thought I had checked it wrong in my sleep, so I checked it again in the morning when the sun rose. And I remember sending a thank-you message to the buyer.

It was when everyone was having a hard time with Corona 19 that my sales frequency suddenly increased. I was working as a part-time instructor at school for another job, but it was a time when neither adults nor children were allowed to engage in many outdoor activities. At that time, when I was depressed, my husband talked about it. 'Make a doll again. And I'm filming the process. And you're starting YouTube too! As an introvert, I struggled but eventually got started. With a new mind, I designed a new doll, made it, filmed it again, and wrote a pattern. And I uploaded it to Etsy. Some people were confused because my pattern was not a standardised pattern but a pattern with my own personality, or because the way I made it was a little unusual. Whenever they asked me questions, I tried to answer them sincerely so that I could be helpful. I think the point here is to respond to the buyer's needs as quickly as possible and sincerely.

Managing JiyounHandmade

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 am doing this alone. Design and make dolls, film the making process, take product photos, edit them, and create patterns. After making dolls, I sometimes get design confirmation from my daughters. How is it? cute?' Like this. 

I've only been selling digital files since the pandemic. So just make a purchase and download the file. Occasionally, a buyer may encounter a situation where the file is not downloaded or cannot be downloaded. In that case, I ask them for their email address or send the file to the email address listed on Etsy.

The future of JiyounHandmade

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

My goal is to receive steady love from many of you. I also have a wish for a book of my design to be published. I hope the publishers will find and read my article. 'I'm here~!!' And for my other project, I am planning an illustration with my doll design. In the future, I want to put all of these things together and display illustrations and dolls. But I think what's more important than these is my steady mind. My goal is consistency.

Advice for new sellers

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

A lot of people you don't know are watching and cheering you on. I also understand your impatience. It would be nice if you could wait slowly while doing this thing you love the most. You are a nice enough person.