Etsy Seller Interview with Abby of AbbyCookIllustration

How AbbyCookIllustration 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?

Hello! I’m Abby, and I create, make, and run the Etsy shop "Abby Cook Illustration." I’m a freelance illustrator, and as well as producing commercial illustrations for a variety of clients, I was always being asked to create cards for friends and family and prints of my work for presents. Therefore, I decided to set up my own online shop and design my own range of cards, stationery, art prints, and homewares. Not only do I get to draw, paint, and design my own products, but I get to share my love of stationery, paper, color, and design with everyone. Win-Win! I’ve designed my products and collections from illustrations I’ve done in my spare time or as part of personal projects. I wanted to create products I am always looking to buy as gifts or for myself—something that was a little different from the norm.

All of the products in my shop are only made in the UK; they use recycled papers whenever possible and processes that reduce waste. Being as sustainable as possible is really important to me and the ethics of my business. This does mean it is more expensive to produce my work, but I think that cost is worth it if it means I can actively and positively be part of creating and maintaining a sustainable business. I think if you are creating products that rely on paper as their main material, getting that paper right is so important. The way it feels to the touch, the grain, the weight, how my work sits on that paper, and the way the inks settle into the grain can all affect how your work appears. All of these things have taken a long time to perfect so that when my cards, art prints, or stationery are received, it's a little piece of paper luxury.

Favorite items

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

My favorite products in my shop vary, I think, depending on what new collections I release over time. I strive for each new collection to be my best work and my new favorite thing—after all, if you, as the designer, don’t love your work, it’s not worth putting out! However, currently, I’ve got two favorites. Firstly, I love my botanical Christmas gift wrap because the pattern is a great mixture of delicate florals without being cutesy; the colors are bold, and the drawings are soft but graphic at the same time, which I really think works well with the repeat pattern.

Secondly, it has to be my range of floral notepads, particularly the "Autumn" notepad, because the colors are some of my favorites! The richness of the greens, oranges, and browns is really nice!

Both of these are always top sellers because I think the price points are good for the quality of each item and because they each have such a wide range of uses. Gift wrap doesn't have to be for wrapping presents—especially at Christmas! Think paper chains, origami, and place settings—go wild with paper crafts! Who doesn’t always need a notepad?! On your desk, by the phone, in the kitchen, or in the office, they are always useful, and they always make such lovely gifts.

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’m pretty sure I had my first sale the very next day after initially opening my shop, which was great! Whether that was luck or just a random discovery through Etsy SEO, I don’t know, but it was the confidence boost I needed for sure! Currently, I try and utilize as many ways to push customers to my Etsy as possible. Let’s face it, social media is free, so use it! Instagram, a Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter, the newsletter, and, of course, using all the tags available for each listing and giving good titles so it gets the most out of the SEO Etsy can give you.

Managing AbbyCookIllustration

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?

My shop is run solely by me; however, during busy times or when I have client work with a tight deadline, my partner does occasionally assist with making up boxes and cutting tissue paper to size to make the packing line easier. In terms of tools and apps I use for all the things needed to run my shop, these are a few of my favorites!

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom: These are very much needed to resize images, make shop banners, and edit all of the product photos.

G Suite by Google: I use Gmail, Calendar, Analytics, and Hangouts—all are great additions!

Dropbox Pro: I pay for the Pro service monthly, and it gives me 4 TB of storage! So I can upload everything I need for my shop and access it all whenever I need it! Dropbox has a great mobile app too, which is super handy, so you can edit your shop on the go if you need to.

Royal Mail Click & Drop: All of my postage labels go through this system from Royal Mail, and you can link as many Etsy shops as you need to, and all the necessary customer information comes through directly.

The future of AbbyCookIllustration

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

I would love to venture more into wholesale and be able to scale up enough to stock lovely independent shops as well as bigger retailers. I’ve also moved to another selling platform to work alongside my existing Etsy shop, so hopefully, I can capitalize on all of the work that has gone into my Etsy shop and use that to give my customers an alternative platform as well as be able to sell originals, larger scale pieces, canvas paintings, as well as custom pieces of artwork.

Advice for new sellers

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

I can’t stress the importance of good photographs enough! Take more than you think you’ll need, make sure they are well lit, and use as much natural light as possible. Think about props and how you might "style" your photos as well. Also, if it’s appropriate for your products, make use of the video feature too! Make sure you price your postage properly; think about using different couriers if it helps make postage affordable and reliable for your customers. You can choose to absorb this cost into your listing price, but be aware that this might not be the best for your profit margin!

Finally, have fun with it! Enjoy setting up your shop, adding products, and taking the time to experiment with what works and what doesn’t. I have made so many mistakes with products and price points, but I know that it is impossible to get everything right the first time. Making these mistakes and learning what my buyers like and what I like to make does take time to build.