Etsy Seller Interview with Stacy of MeadowMuffinGardens

How MeadowMuffinGardens 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?

Located in scenic southeastern Pennsylvania, Meadow Muffin Gardens began with many growing families desire for open space and clean living. Interest in herbal gardening was encouraged by the passion of a coworker. The education began in earnest with the realisation that a weed is just a plant for which people have no use or that is growing out of place. Aside from the environmentalist point of view, our family looked to natural alternatives for very practical reasons. Systemic Lupus Erythmetosis, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues, has been an unwelcome guest for quite some time.

Lupus patients can have a great sensitivity to the sun and have to be aware of skin protection and care. Tired of trying to decipher the ingredients of so many skin care products, I began researching how to make my own. I began with a few salves, and over time, my collection grew and could be divided into categories. Thus, Meadow Muffin Gardens went from a humorous nickname to a home business.

Knowing exactly what is in each product gives me peace of mind, and it was nice when others began to pick up on that and request things for themselves. Ingredients used are purchased from reputable, certified organic companies or grown organically in my own gardens. Shifting to natural body care gears you away from commercial hype concerning beauty and more towards trusting your own intuition. Natural skin care rewards you with the knowledge of knowing what you are putting on your body, thereby reducing the chance of skin irritation or allergic reaction.

Favorite items

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

My favourite items are moisturisers and salves. Infusing "weeds" in carrier oils such as olive or almond oil, which bring out the herbal benefits, is such an education. Making a salve using the green plantain and yarrow oils or the red St. John's Wort oil is fascinating. Observing the kitchen chemistry of getting the face creams to emulsify in a blender always amazes me. Knowing the trick to getting those body butters to have some fluff without being too greasy is only gained through trial and error.

Personally, my favourite facial creams are the Serenity Cream and the Lavish Lotion. However, the best sellers are the Wrinkle Wrath and the Rose Cream. Reasons why that is so are simply because no one wants to age, and most women just love the elegance of the rose. The best-selling salves are Plant Wisdom, with the Yarrow Salve and Black Drawing Salve following close behind. The reason being that the plants these salves utilise are just so versatile and beneficial for various skin issues.

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?

 Honestly, it took about two months before I received that first notification of a sale. It was for the rosewater facial toner. I remember how appreciative I was to that woman who saw a new shop with zero sales and no feedback and decided to give me my first boost of confidence. Once buyers noticed activity, they took the leap, and my sales began to accumulate. Certainly not overnight, but my business was born.

I use social media to spread the word, along with periodic Facebook and Google ads. I used the Etsy on Sale option, which would automatically edit the parts of my shop I wanted to display a discount. I also utilise coupon codes for perks like free shipping or as reminders for items saved in shopping carts.

I also have a blog, where I write articles of interest and include links to related products from my shop. Also, sellers have to remember that it is good to add new listings once in a while, which gives them a boost with search engines.

Managing MeadowMuffinGardens

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-person operation and desire to keep it that way. I like to be in control of my time and decisions regarding my products. I certainly do have moments when I wonder if I could still handle everything if the business grew to that point. I have a home, family, pets, and property to maintain, and I often struggle with time management and priorities.

The whole idea behind my shop is to prepare the items in small batches or make them to order since I limit the use of synthetic preservatives. My items are not intended to sit on a shelf for extended periods of time; therefore, I do not take wholesale orders.

Shipping is set for both domestic and international buyers. I try to get orders prepared, packaged, and shipped within 3–5 days. My shipping settings are fixed, and I refund overpayments in shipping costs. I found that since I often have multiple items per order, when shipping rates are calculated for me per product item, each of those costs is added together, which ends up being more than my fixed rates, which use a fee for the first item and a lesser fee for each additional item.

The future of MeadowMuffinGardens 

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

My original goal for the shop was to try to spread the word about natural body care. However, I found that in doing so, I was including too much detailed information in my product descriptions, which was against Etsy rules about FDA guidelines regarding the use of plant-based items for health benefits. So now I refer customers over to my blog or website for more detailed information on the ingredients and products themselves.

Everything I know comes either from books or experience; therefore, I am always looking for ways to improve my shop, either by adding new items or becoming better at preparing what I already have listed. I plan on continuing to plug away at all this until family obligations become too much or I simply can no longer keep up due to health issues.

Advice for new sellers

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

My advice for new sellers is to have patience. Everything takes time, from learning computer skills, organisation skills, time management, getting shop exposure with the way Google searches operate, not giving up when mistakes are made, to dealing with customers. Perhaps the hardest thing to learn is not to take things personally. Customers all have different likes, dislikes, and temperaments, so it will be impossible to please everyone. Feedback is wonderful and necessary, but don’t expect everyone to be positive, especially in our day and age of online communication. In my type of shop, where it is very subjective, I had to toughen up pretty quick. But then again, feedback is the only way I’ll ever know if there are issues that need to be addressed.