Etsy Seller Interview with Lilia of LilikSha

How LilikSha 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 name is Lilia Shaevitch. The name of my Etsy shop, LilikSha, originated from the combination of both my first and last names. In my shop, I sell crochet patterns (amigurumi) for toys and dolls. I began creating my own unique crochet patterns in 2005. By 2008, I had created about 25 patterns of my own. At that time, I began searching for a website platform to start selling these patterns. I came across Etsy and opened a store for my products. As soon as I opened my store, I began selling my patterns daily, and I was very happy with the success of my store. Back then, I had to send each individual file of a pattern to each customer that purchased it. Since then, Etsy has significantly simplified their services, and my customers can now download my purchased patterns from the Etsy website itself.

Favorite items

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

My favourite products are my Winnie the Pooh and Friends amigurumi pattern, my Dragon Crochet  amigurumi pattern, and my Snowman Crochet amigurumi pattern. These products are also some of my top sellers. I think they are my most popular products because they are extremely cute and are our most common cultural icons.

I have many customers tell me that my patterns are easy to follow. I also try to introduce new techniques for crocheting so that my customers can learn something new or how to simplify a pattern. Many customers are also happy with the quality of the images or photographs that I provide, which really helps them follow along.

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 started getting traffic to my shop as soon as it was opened and began to sell my products almost right away. I attract customers to my Etsy shop with hashtags. I regularly offer discounts on some of my patterns, which also encourages people to buy them sooner rather than later. I never used any additional significant advertisements. I typically have more traffic in my shop right before the holidays, mostly before Christmas, as many people are searching for gifts for their loved ones. I also noticed much more traffic to my shop during the pandemic, when people were isolated at home.

Managing LilikSha

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 shop on my own. My orders are fulfilled automatically. When a customer buys a crochet pattern from my shop, they are able to automatically download the pattern as soon as the purchase is made.

The future of LilikSha

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

My goal for my shop is to continue to provide customers with unique and high-quality patterns. I always strive to make my patterns easy for beginners to learn and for more advanced crocheters to learn new techniques. My goal is also to make crocheting interesting for the younger generations and to introduce it to them as a fun hobby.

Advice for new sellers

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

Quality photography and video are very important for selling my products. If you’re planning on opening your own shop and you are not skilled in this, I recommend you take an online course to improve these skills. It’s also very important to use popular search terms for your product when you list it for sale. Nowadays, people attract many customers to their pages through a combination of social media and SEO, and while these strategies are very helpful for driving growth, I have never utilised them.

The growth of my shop happened through trial and error over many years, so I recommend not being afraid to try new things. For example, I notice a large number of sales when I introduce short-term discounts on certain patterns. Also, having had this shop for so many years before social media, I developed a loyal customer base that has been with me for many years and who also drives traffic to my shop through word of mouth. Your reputation is very important for this. New customers can determine the value of your product and your reputation through the number and quality of your reviews. The higher the number of good reviews, the higher the likelihood that someone will buy your product compared to your competition, so I always ask my customers to leave a positive review if they are happy with the product, and I recommend you do the same. Customer feedback is invaluable. These things have helped guide me in the right direction to improve my shop and my products. Don’t forget that this is a learning process and to enjoy it as it comes.