Etsy Seller Interview with Sharlene of SRobertsonDesigns

How SRobertsonDesigns 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?

My Etsy shop is named after me and is called "SRobertsonDesigns" I began selling on Etsy in 2016. At that time, I was working a full-time corporate job at the Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. I studied fashion and loved making jewelry on the side as a hobby. I ended up with so many jewelry pieces that I couldn’t wear them all myself and thought it would be a good idea to try and sell them. So, my Etsy store was born, and I slowly started adding listings of my jewelry pieces. It was just a hobby at the time, so I would rarely put effort into my Etsy store. Between 2016 and  2020, I only sold 13 pieces. In 2019, I decided to quit my job and pursue my business full time, so I could put more effort into it instead of just giving it time here and there. After moving back home to Canada in September 2019, I took a couple of months to regroup and officially started working on my business full time in January 2020.

Initially I only made and sold jewelry, but then one of my friends, who’s allergic to most metals and can’t wear jewelry, moved to a new apartment and wanted me to make a wall hanging for her. I had never worked on something like this but was up for the challenge. After going through some inspo images, I came up with an eye-catching wall hanging design for her, which she loved. I realized that more people might like a wall hanging like that, so I listed it in my Etsy store. It took a couple of months, but slowly the orders started coming in. I discovered resin while experimenting with different materials. I loved its versatility in making wall hangings, so now it’s the main material I use to make all my products.

I make all my products by hand, since I love creating things. I buy different molds, which I pour resin into to make the items. All the eye-shaped molds I used were designed by me.

Favorite items

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

The favorite items in my shop right now are my floral mirrors, silver eye wall hangings, and booty planters. All of the items sell quite well for me, but my best-selling item is definitely the silver eye wall hanging. It is an original design by me that cannot be found anywhere else, and I think that’s why it sells so well. The silver color is also a neutral tone that goes with most people’s home decor.

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?

It took a while for my first sale to come in. I started my Etsy store at the end of 2016, and I got my first sale in November 2017. It’s definitely difficult in the beginning to get your shop noticed on Etsy. I was also putting very little effort in, so I think it took longer. I noticed that after I hit my 100th sale, things started picking up more on Etsy. My items started getting more views and favorites, which would lead to more sales. Nowadays, I don’t have to do too much to attract people on Etsy since my shop has a good amount of reviews and sales. I try to add new products to my store every couple of weeks. I've heard that makes Etsy’s algorithm promote your store more widely.

Managing SRobertsonDesigns

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 am the only one who manages my shop. I don’t really use any apps outside of Etsy to run my Etsy store. I use the Etsy seller platform online and their mobile app to make all the changes I need to. I’m based in Canada, so I use the shipping company Chitchats to ship my items out. I package everything myself and drop them off at the shipping office.

The future of SRobertsonDesigns

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

I would love to hit the 5,000-sale mark in the near future. Sales have been a little slower this year, and I attribute that to how the economy is doing. I feel like people are not spending as much, but I’m hoping it picks up as the year goes on.

Advice for new sellers

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

I would say the main thing is to keep at it and not lose hope. Getting those initial sales will be difficult. You will have to heavily promote and market yourself through social media, but once you hit the 100-sale mark, you should see momentum. And try to keep adding new products and updating your shop. If you see a product selling, make more variations of it.