Etsy Seller Interview with Alice of RolfeAndWillsDesign

How RolfeAndWillsDesign 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’m Alice Rolfe from Rolfe & Wills (rolfeandwillsdesigns on Etsy). I and a friend started RAW around 11 years ago. After 6 months, my friend left the business to start her family, and I’ve been running it solo ever since. A fellow maker at a market suggested Etsy; it seemed like a no-brainer, so I started uploading my products as I made them. At this time, I was screen-printing my designs on anything fabric. Sourcing organic cotton was already fairly easy to back then; a quick Google search introduced me to British companies selling blank tea towels, cushion covers, clothing, etc.

Favorite items

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

After a while, I started to print on mugs; they quickly became the most popular item, so I figured I needed to focus on them. I found a British company making a hearty-sized bone china mug with a thin rim that was different enough from the standard mug to stand out. People are particular about their mugs! And I felt I’d found the perfect size. My favorite, though, is my enamel mugs. I love to camp out. Any time in nature is so beneficial for me, so I really love using my enamel mugs when out and about. A lot of my friends have my enamel mugs too, so it’s great seeing them use them too!

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?

To be honest, my memory is a bit foggy. I think my first sale was in a few days because I had a super supportive friend who loved the designs and bought loads of my products as gifts! I’m sure this helped my algorithm get things off the ground. Now I don’t do too much. I have a lot of the automatic emails on, so they get little discounts if they buy again or if they have favored my product and shop. Occasionally, I pay for advertising on Etsy. I'm a little lazy and don’t always check to see if it’s made much difference, but I'm happy with the amount I get now. I also bought a package where someone went through all my listings and made notes on what I should add or change. This was really helpful, as there is often contradicting advice among the makers.

Managing RolfeAndWillsDesign 

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?

Currently, it’s just me. I’ve trained up my niece and a friend for when I take a holiday, but my routine is to check my various website listings every morning, pick and pack while listening to music or a podcast, then get on with the rest of running a business before dropping all my web orders off to the post office before it closes. Etsy has recently brought in the star seller badge, which means I have to buy my postage through them. It’s all integrated, so it’s quite convenient. I fight with my postage printed a lot, but it’s worth it in the end.

The future of RolfeAndWillsDesign  

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

I’d always like more sales. It ticks over, which is fine, but I think a few more a day would be even better.

Advice for new sellers

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

Photography is everything.
Don’t copy anyone else; be original!
Don’t be lazy with your descriptions (I’m guilty of that!).
Keep looking back and making improvements as often as you can.
And be ready! Post in good time for their order, not at the last minute. The more organized you are, the less stressful it is.