Etsy Seller Interview with Rachel of RunningCardsUK

How RunningCardsUK 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?

Hello, I’m Rachel, the creator of Running Cards UK. I’m an avid runner, and when I took part in special races, particularly marathons, people would often send me good luck or running cards. However, they were often just generic cards or with other sports, such as ‘tennis," crossed out and replaced by ‘running’. It seemed like there was a gap in the market, and with recreational running growing significantly, it seemed like a great area to get into. When I was made redundant from my job in the middle of 2017, I had plenty of spare time and a bit of extra cash to investigate the space and create my own running cards.

I started with just 12 card designs that I created myself using the program EazyDraw. I researched quality printers, and it took a year of trying three different suppliers until I found the one I use now. From the start, I knew I wanted to be as environmentally friendly as possible, so I used recycled card for all my designs. As soon as recycled envelopes became available, I started using them, and I always gave buyers the option to order without the cellophane wrapper. More recently, the potato starch cellophane wrappers have become more reliable, so I now only use them. It costs me a little more, but I know buyers are so eco-conscious these days.

I now have 36 card designs and have expanded the range to include gifts such as mugs, water bottles, prints, and notebooks. Each range has involved a lot of research into suppliers as well as some market research. Nothing extensive, just listening to buyer feedback and soliciting opinions from friends and social media followers. Finally, you always need to create a few prototypes to ensure quality before launching the product.

Favorite items

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

A lot of items in my shop specifically relate to marathon running. It’s such an achievement, and non-runners really like to celebrate it too. My busiest time of year is around the London Marathon in April. I have five different card designs dedicated to the marathon, and one of my first designs is still my favorite and one of my best sellers. It says, ‘Only 1% of the population has run a marathon. That makes you very special’.

Also from my marathon collection is my favorite mug: "This mug has run a marathon." It always gets lots of laughs.

I launched it in red, and shortly afterwards I produced a version in blue in response to requests from buyers.

But my items aren’t only about marathons! I love my notebook range, which are popular stocking fillers for buyers. Like everything else in my shop, they all contain witty and/or positive running mantras.

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 came through in just a day. I was delighted! I had to run out and buy some shipping envelopes, as I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. I set up my shop and did a big social media blast. I encouraged all my friends to click on the link and share it on their own social feeds. I sent the shop link to every running-related magazine and website I could think of, and some of them did provide me with some articles and coverage.

In the early days of my shop, I spent a lot of time looking at other Etsy listings and kept updating the copy on my listings to better reflect what I was selling and who I was selling to. This includes tags and photography. I started with some pretty simple photos taken on my iPhone but have since replaced them with slightly better photos touched up in Pixelstyle photo editing software. I think buyers really like to see lots of photos of each item, so it’s important to take them from different angles.

I use Canva to create social media posts and videos using photos of my items. It’s the only software that I actually pay for, as I think it’s really good value and I use it a lot. I have even used it to design some of my most recent items.

I take a lot of pride in my five-star reviews and ensure that I respond to every query as soon as possible and always hit my shipping deadline. If I am at all worried, I take an item off sale in case I make a sale I can’t fulfill. I have a few repeat buyers, and I’m sure this top-level customer service approach helps.

Managing RunningCardsUK

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?

My shop is entirely me—well, almost! I am working full-time in a completely different industry, and occasionally I have to go on business trips and can’t look after my shop. My wonderful partner will help me dispatch items that sell, and I manage the digital aspects, including the shipping label, from afar.

I use Etsy postage for my international shipping, but for UK domestic shipping, I use old-fashioned stamps. I buy a year’s worth at the end of the financial year in March before the price goes up. This can often save me 5p per sale on shipping, which really adds up. For my gifts, I use Parcel2Go, as they always find the cheapest deals on couriers. I have also researched carefully where to source my envelopes and shipping supplies, buying most of them from eBay. Buying in bulk is always cheaper, but I have to balance that with storage space.

The future of RunningCardsUK 

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

My shop is in a good place now, and it’s pretty low-maintenance. I have a busy full-time job, so that works for me right now. I have a few items that sell really well, and quite a lot of items in my shop rarely sell. When I have more time, I will devote some energy to improving those listings and replacing the photos. I haven’t launched a new product for a while, so I’d like to do that in the next year or so.

Advice for new sellers

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

Go for it! You learn as you go along, so be prepared to fail. Look at other shops and keep trying things out. If something works, figure out why and do it again—or in a different color! Good luck.