Etsy Seller Interview with Tilli of LulesPiek

How LulesPiek 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 Tilli, 37 years old, and I am the owner of Lules Piek, my small handmade jewelry label. I have been creating handmade jewelry for around 15 years and have tried all kinds of materials and styles along the way. Today I mostly use silver, bronze, precious stones, enamel, resin, and polymer clay for my creations and handcraft all of my products by myself.

Funny enough, I didn’t really plan on selling on Etsy. It was more the aftermath of the German handmade marketplace "DaWanda" closing down. They led me to Etsy and told all sellers to try and sell their products on Etsy. So in late 2018, I imported all my products to Etsy but didn’t do anything with them. It was the pandemic that made me think about my Etsy shop again, and so in 2020, I dusted off the shelves of my Etsy shop and put some work into it.

Favorite items

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

I would say my favorite products are my Galaxy ear studs and my Mini ear stud sets. The ear studs are just so versatile and cute, and they really seem to be a favorite for customers as well. I have them in many colors available, and you can mix and match them too! I also really like metalwork, so my personalized bracelets for men are a favorite too. My customers love to buy my dandelion necklaces and matching ear studs; they are a favorite for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and Christmas!  A very much loved gift for children is my ladybug ear studs, the small sterling silver paw studs, and the tiny star studs.

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?

Oh, it took a few months to make my first sale. That’s why I thought Etsy wasn’t worth it. But at that time, little did I know that it takes a lot more work than slapping some products in your store and then waiting for them to sell. Today I know that I have to test things—pictures, tags, and titles—to see what works well. I try to list new items regularly and optimize my listings.

Managing LulesPiek

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 and run my business by myself. Product design, crafting, photos, fulfillment, listing, customer service, shipping, etc. are all done by me. Except for going to the post office, I get help with that from my boyfriend.  I’m very proud of doing it all by myself, but it's also a lot of work.
Here are some programs and apps that help me run my business:

• Photoshop and Lightroom for managing and editing my photos
• Dropbox and One Drive for easy access‍
• Shopify for my online shop outside of Etsy
• Mailchimp for e-mail marketing

The future of LulesPiek 

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

I would love to get more people interested in my jewelry. It really fulfills me to see people find joy and meaning in a piece I created.  Also, I would like to shift a bit in jewelry and make more demi-precious metal and stone jewelry in the future; I find a lot of joy in that at the moment.

Advice for new sellers

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

First of all, it has to be a great product. Great photos with great descriptions of great products You have to keep in mind that your customer cannot touch what he or she sees. So you have to be as descriptive as you can be. Show the item from various angles, showcase special features, etc.

Have your marketing strategy in place, your unique selling point, your ideal customer, your goal, and your message. 

Also, be nice to your customers, even if they aren’t. Answer questions kindly and swiftly. Having patience with your shop and yourself is also important. You will learn a lot along the way.