Etsy Seller Interview with Bass of PrintsFarm

How PrintsFarm 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 and my friend created our first shop, in which we sold digital graphics, in 2015, but later I realized that we differed in our approach to work, and so at the end of 2019, right at the start of the awful COVID epidemic, I launched my very own shop on Etsy. I work for this shop full-time. I have a wife and a six-year-old daughter who is my greatest inspiration. I am a graduate in fine art and the history of art. It was this interest of mine that inspired me to create a shop in which I sell prints of pictures by famous artists. My work involves researching works of art and also making editorial modifications to the printed copy of the work when necessary, though without changing the essence of the artist’s creation.

Favorite items

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

I don’t have any favorite products in my shop; they’re all equal favorites of mine, but I do have some personal preferences nonetheless:

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 made my first sale around two weeks after opening my shop. The shop was new, and there weren’t all that many products in it. I think that’s actually not too bad. You might say that I've already gained a degree of experience.

Managing PrintsFarm

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’m responsible for listings and for SEO optimization, as well as for the printing and sending of the products. My wife, Cristi, helps me in my work; she’s the person in charge of answering all the clients’ queries. The two of us strive to be flexible and respond quickly to whatever situations and issues arise for us to tackle. I’ve used many applications to help me in my work, but these are the tools I employ constantly:

Alura is a truly great product that is very well integrated and easy to manage for tracking keywords and optimizing listings, as well as being extremely useful for analyzing other shops.

Vela is yet another tool for quick editing of the listings in the shop in terms of titles, content, keywords, prices, and many other important elements. It all happens with just a few clicks.

The future of PrintsFarm 

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

To continue posting more products in the shop on Etsy, while at the same time achieving a stronger presence on social media platforms in order to expand the network of sales channels. We plan to open our shop beyond the Etsy platform.

Advice for new sellers

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

To those just starting to sell on Etsy, I would like to wish them plenty of creativity and inspiration. Yes, any new venture is difficult and uncertain. Before you begin, you must have a clear idea of what you want to sell and conduct market research, and there are excellent tools available to assist you. Most important of all, you have to take your work seriously. If you just want all of this to be a hobby or to earn a little extra on the side, that idea is fine. But if you want to be independent and develop your own business, you need to dedicate yourself fully to it, persevere in your work, and not give up halfway down the line.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 2.5%