Etsy Seller Interview with Ashley of WayfaringPrints

How WayfaringPrints 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 run Wayfaring Prints, a small business that focuses on eclectic gifts and travel essentials for wanderers. I started the business 6 and a half years ago, mere weeks before my first child was born (not sure what I was thinking there). Originally, I wanted to sell my original travel photography, but after a few months, I realized no one was really shopping on Etsy for that. I pivoted to a print-on-demand method of sales, leaning on my graphic design background to make unique designs that a partner could print on mugs, towels, and signs and ship for me directly to customers. After a successful year, I hit a snag during the holiday season when customers were itching to get their orders quicker and I had no control over the process or timing, which was really frustrating on both ends. An incredibly supportive online community led me to the sublimation process, which allowed me to bring all my products in-house and have way more control over the entire start-to-finish process. Now I produce everything in-house and have a ton of flexibility over products and designs I want to try that I think my customers will be into. 

Favorite items

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

I really love our luggage tags, coaster sets, and enamel pins. Everything sells like hotcakes except for the coasters, which I think is a real miss. They’re adorable, but I understand those aren’t really things people are swapping out all the time. The enamel pins sell well because they’re adorable and there’s a real collector vibe with those, and the luggage tags are unique, priced well, and super high quality. I love making them because it’s a chance to design something silly and fun, and I think customers really respond to that.

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?

I can’t quite remember, but I want to say a week or two. It didn’t take a long time to get a single sale, but it was a very slow process at first where I was only getting one sale every few weeks. And I know it’s crazy, but currently, all my sales are coming from Etsy searches. There is so much more I could be doing in terms of driving traffic and social media, but I worked really hard on my SEO, and currently Etsy is doing a great job of driving just enough traffic for me to handle on my own.

Managing WayfaringPrints

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?

It is just me managing everything, from concept to design to production, packing, shipping, customer service, SEO, taxes, and all of it. I have a Trello board that helps me with order production status and a google doc for tracking sale items via different methods (local sales, craft shows, Etsy, etc). Local sales are done through Square and most everything else tracks through Etsy. I do shipping and fulfillment in-house and am constantly looking for ways to streamline my process (ie, putting all my ‘thank you’ stickers in one spot so I can batch pack orders).

The future of WayfaringPrints

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

A ton! There are so many paths forward for growth that I can see, but I currently work full-time as well, so I’m not sure how much more I can sustain without outside hiring. My biggest goal right now is more automated sales, like getting set up on Amazon Handmade, or working on fewer, larger wholesale orders to increase profit. I have a thousand ideas and a handful of hours.

Advice for new sellers

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

You have to be able to get traffic to your shop, otherwise, you could have the greatest product in the world and no one would ever buy it because they don’t see it. So either get serious about outside marketing (Facebook, Instagram, word of mouth), or specific Etsy SEO tactics. All of it changes constantly, so you have to be willing to make a million tiny updates. Your photography and description are important as well, customers need to feel like you’re a legit business and you’re not just going to scam their money. If you can figure out the system, it’s a really great tool to start a small business!