How MethodPottery 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?
I'm Angela from Method Pottery, the sole owner and operator. Several years ago, I started an Etsy shop as a small business doing in-person sales in order to manage my inventory and sales taxes. I went ahead and listed everything and put in keywords, titles, and descriptions, and suddenly I was getting orders. I went with it. I started creating more pieces and adding them, all the while running an unfunded cat shelter for stray cats and fostering cats for a local organization. I made a few cat food bowls here and there, but I wasn't really committed to that as my base income. Almost four years ago, a rescue had kittens that were very sick and had special needs to fulfill. One would rush through her meal and immediately get sicker. I researched the issue and finally realized she might have a phenomenon called whisker fatigue. To help her, I designed, created, and tested these bowls. Then I realized almost all cats actually have this. So I started offering them to my customer base in a variety of colors. My most popular one is a midnight galaxy color that I created here in my home studio. I make everything here except the clay itself, which is purchased mostly here in Kentucky from a local producer, Kentucky Mudworks.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
My favorite pieces are my whisker fatigue cat food bowls, which allow me to show an intense range of creativity and color. They do actually sell pretty well.
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?
Since I set this up for an in-person sale initially, I had several sales right away but received my official first order the third day after opening my Etsy shop. I really just focus on photography and SEO, making sure that people who see my items have a reason to engage. I also have an astronomical return customer rate because I care about what my customers are looking for and treat everyone with kindness and patience, and respond quickly.
Managing MethodPottery
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?
It's just me. I only use the seller application and really focus on my listings. I ship everything myself, either the next day or the same day, unless it's a custom order. Even then, I message my customers right away to let them know what to expect and pull them into my process.
The future of MethodPottery
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
Naturally, I want growth, and growth requires advancement and new items being offered alongside my normal sellers. I believe that in order to achieve this, I really just need to keep on the current path, improving every step of the way.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Ahhh. This is a fun one. I actually have a lot of people come to me and ask this, but then they never really do anything with the information. What I tell everyone is to stay out of Etsy seller groups. Focus on your shop. Learn SEO. Take a photography class or hire someone to do it for you. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. We're still humans. Bad reviews hurt, but they're important to learn from. Last but not least, remember, every path leads to this moment. Stay creative, fresh, and innovative.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: $2000+
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: $1600+
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 2.1
