The ETSY breakdown
Story Highlights:
- Owning your own store has never been cheaper or easier, and now you can find competitively priced vintage items from anywhere in the world thanks to Etsy.
- Meet two different Etsy individuals, their shops and start-up story behind them.
- Tips for Etsy selling success.
Beginning in 2005, Etsy is an e-commerce website that gives users the ability to buy and sell pieces of art, handmade or vintage items, materials and supplies for only 20 cents a listing and 3.5% of every sale. Learn the Etsy in’s and outs through two individuals: their stories, shops and tips for success.
RAT BASKET = Stephanie Rodriguez Libanati
24-year-old Stephanie Rodriguez Libanati of Oakland, CA, sells used and vintage items in her online etsy shop: Rat Basket.
24-year-old Stephanie Rodriguez Libanati launched her online etsy shop, Rat Basket, last July selling a mix of vintage and thrift clothing and jewelry finds accumulated over the years. Fifty-four sales and five months later later, she says Rat Basket has sold over two grand all from items she’d paid mostly paid under five dollars for.
“In August I only had five sales. Then in September, 11. Last month 21, and so far for November, today is the tenth and so far I have nine. I’ve found there is a correlation between the amount of items I post and sales I get” said Libanati.
Libanati said she recently reached her 5th page of listings at her online etsy shop, Rat Basket. Her advice to new sellers, “Realize your vision and what it is you have to say about fashion and put that forward.”
Libanati got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Cal State Long Beach in 2010 and now works at a retail clothing store in San Francisco and lives in Oakland with boyfriend, 27, Erick Lopez. He said
“The girl has it all figured out. Doing what she loves and making a living. For artistic people, Etsy makes that possible.”
Dissimilar to Ebay, Esty has succeeded by serving a target demographic made up of independent businesses, artists and hobbyists. The website’s interface is informative and simple to navigate, it gives extensive advice for new sellers, and makes creating an online store, brand and business easier and cheaper for the average individual. By allowing artists to price and sell work directly, their are also able to keep their prices lower, making it better for consumer and producer overall.
The “Shop Local” feature on the Etsy homepage is a great promotional tool for creative businesses and individuals selling hand-made, unique, and one-of-a-kind type items.
ARTIST: Christina Platis
Original piece featured on 25-year-old Christina Platis’s artist portfolio website. The artist says her work mostly consists of watercolor paintings based on traditional tattoo art, as she is currently apprenticing at American Beauty Tattoo in Sunset Beach, CA.
25-year old artist Christina Platis opened her etsy shop last January after having an art show, “I realized I could sell my work.” She says she has also bought art using Etsy, and knows a friend who uses it to sell hand-made jewelry pieces and is sucessful,
“It can be rough getting your work out there. Whether it’s clothes, jewelry, or art. Make sure you have a good image for your shop, and you have to take time to make your items cohesive.” Platis said.
Artist Christina Platis uses her Etsy shop to sell original watercolor pieces and designs based around traditional tattoo art.
Platis also said that since using Etsy she has generally gotten nothing but encouragement to produce more work, “It started out slow, but after learning all the tricks and tips, I have a greater understanding of what it takes to be a successful seller, not only on Etsy, but also outside of web stores.”
Etsy’s tips for seller’s:
- Tag it up: Etsy allows you up to 15 tags per item posted, so be sure to use key words that will come up in Etsy’s search engine.
- Personalize: a simple and creative lay out can grow a shop’s credibility and audience.
- Price competitively: by knowing what other’s are selling, making it cheaper might ensure you more sales.
DIY 