Etsy Seller Interview with Melody and Chris of VinnyandCharles

How VinnyandCharles 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?

Our store is Vinny & Charles. We're a husband and wife-run jewelry business that is passionate about making unique jewelry. After immigrating to Australia, we originally provided a jewelry-making service to other jewelers. As time went on, we realized our passion was not being fulfilled, and we longed to connect directly with the customer and also design our own unique pieces.

We mainly make engagement and wedding rings; however, many of our pieces are also gifted as anniversary and birthday presents. Many of our pieces, like our flower and leaf wedding bands, are nature-inspired, and we get immense joy from creating these special pieces for our lovely customers. All of our jewelry is manufactured and handcrafted to order by us in our studio in Western Australia. We create our pieces from start to finish in our workshop studio in Perth, Australia. Ethical and sustainable sourcing is very important to us.

Favorite items

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

We do love all of our pieces, as we appreciate the unique style that they have; however, our nature-inspired rings are definitely some of our favorites. Our daisy and leaf rings are some of our top favorites. We think these sell well as they appeal to nature lovers and also reflect our lovely customers unique spirits.

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 couple of months for us to earn our first sale. We really tried to wow those first few sales with outstanding customer service and attention to detail, from a well-made product to beautiful packaging, which we believe have now become cornerstones of our brand. We attract our customers through Etsy as well as social media advertising on various platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest). Word-of-mouth advertising is also very important for us.

Managing VinnyandCharles

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?

At this stage, it is just the two of us in the studio workshop. Chris is the jeweler and makes all of our beautiful pieces from start to finish. I take care of all the administrative and creative tasks, such as advertising, bookkeeping, order fulfillment, and customer communication management. The Etsy seller platform is very intuitive and makes our order management very easy to manage. We outsource some of our tasks, such as lifestyle photography, certain aspects of bookkeeping and accounting, and social media scheduling.

The future of VinnyandCharles

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

Our business has continued to grow steadily, and we are looking to continue this to build a brand that will be around for many years to come. We love adding new pieces to our collection, which often appeal to old and new customers alike.

Advice for new sellers

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

The first and foremost would be to get started. There are so many excuses we can give ourselves to not start that business or shop, but once you start, one of the most challenging obstacles is behind you. From there, it always helps to get friends and family to spread the word about your new business to get the ball rolling.