Etsy Seller Interview with Kim of Kimposed

How Kimposed 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 a first-generation Vietnamese-American (my parents immigrated to the US after the War as refugees) and an independent watercolorist and gouache illustrator. I was always an art nerd growing up, and I have historically been a doodler as a creative outlet. I had been working in the marketing and advertising world for most of my early career and did not have many opportunities to be creative. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realised I missed my connection with my craft and picked up watercolour and calligraphy as a creative outlet. After a few months, I started my journey on Etsy and Instagram in 2016 as a way to promote my work online.

I had no idea what I was doing but was willing to put in the time, effort, and frustration to make things work. I’ve tested custom commissions, digital products, selling stickers, my art prints, apparel, and more. Some products I make and ship myself, and some I dropship. It took a lot of trial and error to figure out what was worth taking in-house versus partnering with a manufacturer, but Etsy was always a great testing ground for both.

Favorite items

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

My favourite types of products vary over time, but one product line that has consistently been successful for my brand is my line of animal and plant stickers! Since they are low-cost for both myself and my end customer, they are a great testing ground to see if it’s worth pursuing larger volumes for wholesale stores and more. I hand illustrate all of the imagery reproduced in my stickers, so it’s always fun to see how my customers are responding to my designs. Best Sellers:

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 a few weeks for me to generate my first sale. I experimented with updating my descriptions and product listing titles to improve SEO, tags, Etsy Ads, and pricing in order to get my first sale. Every time I add a new product to my store, I go through this experimentation process all over again to improve visits and conversion rates.

Managing Kimposed

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 a one-woman show! For the most part, I use the native Etsy tools to run my store. I ship all of my own greeting cards, wrapping paper, and stickers. For my apparel listings, I use Printful since those products are made-to-order and I’m not stuck with inventory that I may or may not sell through (plus it saves so much space). Although I take lower margins on these products, they manufacture and ship them on my behalf, and they basically do all of the heavy lifting for me!

The future of Kimposed 

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

I use my shop as a testing ground for new products, so I wish to continue this trajectory as I experiment with new lines from clothing to accessories to other stationery-related products.

Advice for new sellers

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

Don’t let fear prevent you from getting started! What you put on your store isn’t set in stone, and don’t get discouraged if it takes some time for you to get some traction.