Etsy Seller Interview with Melissa of Melspridejewellery

How Melspridejewellery 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 am the owner of Melspridejewellery. I began making jewelry in 2010. I had always dabbled in crafty things, such as knitting and cross stitch, but it just didn't feel like me, so when I lost my mother in 2010, I found myself trying jewellery making. I started off making a lot of beaded jewelry. 

At the time, I had a full-time job, so it was just a hobby to begin with, but the more I did it, the more I fell in love and enjoyed it more and more. I started properly selling my beaded jewellery and it is such an amazing feeling when you put your heart and soul into a piece of work and people feel the same love and want to purchase it. I found that as time went on, I was then blessed with a beautiful baby boy and my shop was doing so well I could completely give up my full time job, which I then went to part after having my babies and it was the best thing I did. 

My husband was and still is fully supportive. I even have him roped in helping now but when I first started properly, after having a daughter  my beaded jewellery wasn't doing as well as I hoped, so I then took my business to selling charm jewellery and then to keyrings and found for me it was a better market than beaded. But I put many many hours of research, social media, and looking at after sellers to see what I could do better , what I might be missing. A big thing I did when I first started was join Facebook groups and post religiously there and ask for other people's feedback on my shop. I branched out to build my brand on Instagram, Pinterest, and now TikTok and my own website, but most of all, I have passion and drive for what I sell.

I sell earrings, necklaces, and some bracelets, but in time I will build more on my bracelets and keyrings. I source all my stock from all over. I'm like a magpie. I love shining things lol also big and bold items. I like to be different but also want to appeal to everyone's taste as best I can. I love nothing more than making new pieces and packing customers' orders. Each order is special to me, and I want to give my best in customer service.

Favorite items

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

I am probably biased, but I love all my items, but a few I do love are my rat earrings, pirate ship necklace, swimmers, sword

I love the details on them. How they stand out, how life-like they look, and all my items relate to me somehow, either in what I like or my hobbies, or maybe something I'm going through.

I find all my items go through stages. One moment my knives are flying out or my graduation keyrings. At one point I felt for months I was just making pinky promise keyrings. I think for me, advertising is the key to getting yourself out there.

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?  

My first sale when I started selling beaded jewellery was a couple of months ago, but at that point I couldn't put my all in due to working full time. For me, adding new products regularly and advertising constantly is enough.

Managing Melspridejewellery 

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?

So it is mainly me but my husband helps me pack orders, especially over Christmas/busy occasions. I have a routine with what days I do things and at what point in the day I do things I use Etsy search a lot when putting new items up to see top tags. I get all my orders out asap because of the volume of orders I do a week. A label printer is a god send. Gone are the days I would have a sore hand after writing names and addresses out. Such a time saver. I am currently changing my packaging, so it's a bit slower going to get boxes made up. 

The future of PickslaysWoodworking

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

I plan to keep growing and build my website, to eventually be able to hire someone to help me. I also want to get my eBay selling up and just generally keep building my customer base to make the best of melspridejewellery.

Advice for new sellers

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

Follow your dreams and never give up. At times it can be rough and hard, and you might feel like giving up, but keep pushing and you'll see the rewards. You never stop learning and although times are hard for everyone right now, don't let it dampen your spirit. If you believe in your product, it will succeed. It may take time, but good things will come. Also, get your brand out there! Share on social media like crazy and just give your customers the best experience you can.