Etsy Seller Interview with Brad of WatermarkForge

How WatermarkForge 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 came to Etsy in a roundabout way. I’m a high school English teacher by trade, and I like to write novels. About ten years ago, I was researching a character—a blacksmith—and ended up teaching myself the craft. At some point, I watched a video of someone forging a cuff bracelet and thought, "I can do that," and so I did. I began with mild steel, quickly switched to stainless (no rust), added titanium a few years later, and two years ago began doing a few designs in copper. Though I still manage to finish a novel every few years, writing has taken a backseat to blacksmithing.

To create a cuff bracelet, I begin with stock material (stainless steel, titanium, or copper in rod form) and forge it the old-fashioned way: with a coal forge, hammer, and anvil. Some of the designs require forging on different surfaces, like field stone, and some require other heated steps, like twisting. Once the design is forged, I bend the piece around a couple of sizing jigs to get the rough C shape, and then hand finishes it to the final wrist size. I then cut and grind the finials (the ends) and do whatever finishing steps—sanding or polishing—the design requires. The last step is to polish the inside of the cuff so that it will wear comfortably for life.

Favorite items

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

I tend toward the more rugged designs. Some of my favorites are those with the fieldstone texture. I like the natural look and the fact that they’re forged on stones from my own property (our house and an acre and a half were part of a working farm during the 19th and 20th centuries). As it turns out, my customers also like these designs. The stainless stone hammered cuff has been my best seller for the last few years.

The peen-hammered designs (they have that scalloped look) have also been popular. And that makes sense to me: it’s the blacksmithing that makes my designs unique, and something blacksmithed should look like it. The peen-hammered designs definitely look blacksmithed.

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?

In 2016, I listed a few designs, and it took about a week, if I remember right, to make my first sale. Interesting fact: That design turned out to be my least popular item, and I no longer offer it. You never know what your customers will choose until you put lots of options in front of them. I’m not very good with social media, so I’ve relied heavily on Etsy’s advertising. I also rely on return sales; Etsy customers are the best in the world.

Managing WatermarkForge

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 a team of one. I do it all. My shop is high-end (these cuffs aren’t cheap) and low-volume, so I can handle it. Etsy is the only tool I use for shipping and fulfillment. I’ve tried other postage apps, but Etsy is already integrated with my shop, and it’s usually cheaper.

The future of WatermarkForge

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

I’m a few years away yet from retiring from teaching, but my hope is to continue the steady growth that I’ve had and to transition into an almost full-time blacksmith and Etsy shop owner. I’ll do that until it’s no longer any fun. I’m also looking into the tooling involved in forging rings. I’ve had a number of customers inquire about it, and I think it might be a good fit with my current product offerings.

Advice for new sellers

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

I said earlier that Etsy customers are the best, and I stand by that. I worked a lot of retail jobs before becoming a teacher, so I understand how good it is here. I don’t take that for granted, and that would be my first and most important piece of advice to someone just starting up: take care of every customer. If you can establish a good relationship with each one (and it doesn’t take much: just be kind and helpful and do what you say you’ll do), then they’ll want to stick with you. A growing percentage of my sales are from repeat buyers. I would also advise newcomers to take full advantage of the latest generations of phones and take high-quality photos for their listings. Add video too. My earlier images were pretty bad, and I’m still cycling some of those out for better-quality pics.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: $3300 

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 70% 

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1.7%