How Luxris 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 there! My name’s Lux, aka Luxris on Etsy, and I started my store back in 2019. I noticed is a lot of artists I follow were making their own merch and selling it both online and at conventions, and I was inspired to give it a go myself. It was something I’d been wanting to try for a while, and I was a little scared to get started because I really had no idea what I was doing, but eventually I just took the leap!
The biggest inspiration for my art comes from pop culture, so most of what I create and sell is inspired by my favorite movies, shows, video games, and music. I enjoy making things for the more niche media that I’m into, which might have a smaller fanbase, but in my experience, that’s the kind of thing that tends to sell the best because official merchandise can be harder to come by. That said, I do also like to look at what’s most popular and try to keep up with current trends!
I create all my designs using Procreate and Photoshop, and I use external companies to produce the final products. For my stickers, pins, and badges, I use Zap! Creatives. They’re a fantastic UK-based company, very affordable and reliable, and their onsite guides make it super easy to set up your artwork for production. They also strive to use eco-friendly materials and production methods where possible, which is something that’s very important to me.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
My favorite item currently in my shop is probably my Ghostbusters-inspired pin set! I enjoy making sure every aspect of my products looks really fun and appealing—this goes not just for the actual product but for any packaging as well. In this case, I put a lot of time into designing the backing card to keep it on theme with the pins! This item debuted in my store back in 2021, and I’m still incredibly proud of it. It’s continually been one of my most popular products, which I think is due to the fact that it’s inspired by a franchise that is very widely loved by a lot of people and has a nostalgic factor to it. I also tried to put my own spin on the characters to make it a unique product, which I think is appealing to a lot of people.
I’m also very proud of my button badges inspired by TRON (1982)! This is one of those more niche pieces of media that is a bit lacking in the merchandise department, so I wanted to show it some love. It’s one of my favorite franchises, and I hoped I would be able to make some other fans happy with these simple but effective buttons.
While these may not have sold quite as much as my other products inspired by more mainstream media, they have been more popular than I expected! I think this is due to a combination of people’s nostalgia for the films and the fact that official merchandise is quite scarce.
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 already had a presence on social media before launching my store, so I actually made a few sales rather quickly after sharing my first products on my pages. The key to attracting customers is really to just share your products on social media as often as possible! Whenever you add a new product, do a restock, or run a sale, make sure to post about it and use any relevant hashtags. One thing that’s great about Etsy is that it also has a fantastic search function. It’s super easy for customers to come across your products while they’re browsing the site or even just on Google. So make sure to use as many tags as you can on your listings to get them seen!
Managing Luxris
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-man band when it comes to managing my store. I design all my products, format them for production, manage my social media, and package and ship everything myself. I also make sure I keep on top of all the "boring" stuff, like finances and keeping records of any purchases I make for my shop.
I’m based in the UK, so I use Royal Mail’s click-and-drop service to ship orders. It links to my Etsy, which makes it incredibly easy to manage everything, and I can just drop my parcels in a postbox when I’m done.
About 2 years ago, I invested in a 6x4 thermal label printer, and I cannot recommend it enough to other sellers. It’s made my life so much easier and speeds up the process of packing orders. It may be a bit of an investment, but it’s absolutely worth it in the long run! I tend to buy all my packaging materials from eBay in bulk, as it’s very cost-effective and easy.
The future of Luxris
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
For me, I don’t think I’d ever see Etsy becoming a full-time job, but that’s a personal choice. I enjoy it being something I manage on the side of my art career, and I’m very happy with that! That said, I would love to continue to grow my audience and expand my range of products even further. I have a lot of ideas that I would love to make a reality, including trying out some new things like acrylic charms and enamel pins.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Don’t overdo it with products! Start out with a small quantity and see how you get along. If they sell well, then you can start producing more without worrying about them not selling.
Take your time putting together your product listings. Make sure to include as many details as possible and use all the available tags; this helps your stuff get seen by people browsing Etsy. When you’re photographing your products, don’t worry if you don’t have a super fancy camera setup or lights either. Most smartphones these days have excellent cameras; all you need is a lot of natural light and a plain background!
I recommend spending some time thinking about how you’re going to package your products, too! It’s not a necessity, of course, but it adds another level of personality to your orders. You could add handwritten thank-you notes, make some freebies to throw in with people’s orders (stickers are always fun), include a discount code to encourage customers to come back, etc. It adds to your customer’s experience when they receive their order.
Running a store comes with all kinds of trial and error. It’s important to push the boat out and try new things, even if you’re scared because it’s something you’ve never done before. Some things may not work out the way you planned, and that’s ok, but it may also open up new opportunities and ideas that you may have never considered previously. Be patient and persistent! To quote Doc Brown, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
