Etsy Seller Interview with Britt of BasicallyBritt

How BasicallyBritt 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?

Hi! My name is Britt, owner and founder of Basically Britt, and I started my Etsy journey back in 2019 when I uploaded my first ever bookmark. Back in 2015, I decided to start making YouTube videos about books (these videos are more commonly known as "BookTube" videos!). And because drawing and illustrating have always been passions of mine, I thought it would be fun to design a bookmark because I thought it would be something my YouTube viewers would be interested in possibly buying, and luckily I was right! Many viewers on YouTube were really excited about the bookmark and asked me to design even more products that I could sell in my Etsy shop. I was incredibly grateful and inspired to design even more products, so I continued with more bookmarks and later on decided to add stickers and tote bags to the shop as well. Right now, I sell nearly 10 different types of products!

I always come up with product and design ideas from everything I see around me, for example, autumn leaves, the night sky, nice bookshelves in a cute coffee shop, beautiful flowers in a flower shop, Pinterest, etc. I always make sure that all my designs are something that I personally have a passion for or find very beautiful. I design everything myself, but unfortunately I don’t have the capacity or skill to manufacture every product by hand. That is why I get most of my products printed and/or made at various different print shops in the Netherlands, where I’m based. I always like the idea that all the products are manufactured in the Netherlands! The only products I make myself are all the stickers and sticker sheets. I have a Silhouette Cameo 3 cutting machine that allows me to create sticker sheets, and over the years, I’m sure I’ve made thousands! That machine is still going strong!

Favorite items

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

My favorite items in my shop are definitely the foiled book stack bookmarks. Especially the beige one because it reminds me of autumn, which is my favorite season! I’ve designed these bookmarks in multiple colors, and they’re always one of my bestsellers. I’ve noticed that customers really like to collect the entire set, so every time I release new colors, they order them as well.

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 was very fortunate that by the time I opened my Etsy shop, I had already gained some followers on YouTube, so when I uploaded my first bookmark and posted it on YouTube, I immediately got my first couple of sales. Right now, I still attract around half of my customers through social media (YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Goodreads). I also run occasional sales to get a boost in customers. These sales are usually based around the seasons and/or holidays.

Managing BasicallyBritt

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 still run the shop all by myself! I always have 2 shipping days per week (Tuesday and Friday), so I make sure that I start packing those orders by Monday and Thursday. The only thing I don’t do myself is everything that has to do with accounting. I’ve hired an accountant to make sure everything regarding income and taxes is done correctly.

Over the years, I’ve definitely learned about what works well and what doesn't, and the next few apps have really helped me out:

Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop: these apps are amazing for editing photos and making sure the colors match the products and the dimensions of the photos are correct.

Procreate: This is the app that I use to illustrate all my designs. Getting an iPad was definitely a big investment, but it was so incredibly worth it because I’ve designed over 100 items using Procreate, and it’s the best app to use, in my opinion! It has so many different options, and whenever you have something in mind, there is always a way to achieve that on Procreate.

Excel: Maybe this is a bit old school, but Excel is still my go-to when it comes to preparing all the accounting and expense tracking documents that I can send over to my accountant.

As far as shipping and fulfillment go, I use PostNL, which is the Dutch postal service, for domestic and international shipping. I create the shipping labels using their own software, which unfortunately means I have to manually import all the addresses for the labels, but since I’ve been doing Etsy for years, it’s now going incredibly fast, and I can almost do it with my eyes closed. It’s a lot of copying and pasting, but I like to watch a cozy Netflix show while doing that, so it’s not too bad!

The future of BasicallyBritt

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

My goal for the future of Basically Britt is definitely to design even more new item categories, such as reading journals, keychains, and book sleeves. I’m always thinking about new possibilities, but investing in these new types of products can be expensive, so it always takes a few months from start to finish to actually get these products in my shop.

Advice for new sellers

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

I think one of the most important factors for successful products on Etsy is good listing photos! It’s the first thing that potential customers see, so you want to make sure the photos are clear and really convey the essence of the products you’re selling. It definitely took me some time to find the type of photography style I liked, but don’t give up and keep trying new things until you find the style that works for you!

If you plan on selling more products, I think it’s smart to start out with at least five listings. This way, it’s easier for customers to find your listings on Etsy, and if they check out your shop, they’ll see you have more products!

Finally, don’t give up or feel disheartened when you’re not getting as many sales as you’ve hoped. Take another look at the Etsy keywords, change some titles and/or listing photos, and do some extra research into your key audiences to find out what they like and how you can attract them.

Good luck and enjoy!