How byhandsusa 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?
ByHandsUSA is a purse-making supply shop. When my wife went to college as a fashion design major, she learned how to quilt, and ever since then, she has made different bags and quilts. However, I noticed that whenever she bought supplies for her crafts, she would buy them from South Korea and not the US. When I asked her about this, she told me that there weren’t any supplies in the US. So, I searched through different websites and found out that there weren’t any good-quality purse-making supplies. After some research, we decided to open our own shop to sell high-quality purse-making supplies, and now, along with the supplies, we also sell kits and patterns made by my wife. For the supplies, I made an exclusive contract with the number-one online purse-making brand in South Korea.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
Interestingly, my favorite item from the shop is different from our best-selling item. My favorite item is the yarn-dyed fabric. This fabric is very rare, and it’s hard to find in the US market. Compared to printed fabrics (which are more common on the market), yarn-dyed fabrics are thicker and heavier, which is perfect for purse making. Due to this reason, we continuously make new series of this fabric. I think the main reason this isn’t as popular is because you can’t really tell the difference by looking at pictures. You must actually touch and see the fabrics to see the difference.
Now, our best-selling item is the leather handle. Most of our handles are made with genuine leather, and they’re popular amongst our customers. They come in different sizes and shapes, so you can use them to make different bags. Also, many customers purchase these handles as replacements for the handles on their luxury bags. The following are our best-selling items for the last six months.
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?
Luckily, we got our first sale one day after opening the shop! However, it took us about 9 to 10 months to get daily sales. In order to attract customers, we take advantage of the Etsy daily ad system and also put out ads with Google Shopping. We also take advantage of the coupon system on Etsy to send out different coupons to our customers from time to time. Along with the ads, we make sure we respond ASAP whenever a customer has a question or a concern. We also make sure our product images and descriptions are perfect. Since color and size are important factors for our products, we make sure all the information in the description is correct and the images accurately show the colors.
Managing byhandsusa
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 wife is in charge of making different patterns and kits, and I’m in charge of managing the online stores. Since we have multiple stores on different websites, we use apps for email and SMS marketing. Through these apps, we can easily send ads or special offers to our customers through emails or SMS messages. Regarding shipping and fulfillment, we ship out all the orders that come in before 11 AM. Any subsequent orders are usually prepared so that they can be packed the next day.
The future of byhandsusa
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
We sell purse-making supplies that are hard to get in the US market. Since they’re hard to find, they’re a bit more expensive compared to products that can be easily found. We want to work together to open a shop that sells high-quality purse-making supplies and make them available and accessible to all quilters.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
My advice for new sellers is to just start. If you have a set idea of what kind of business you want to start, you should just start. Obviously, it’ll take some time for the business to pick up, but I think it’s better for you to start and gain more experience, rather than sitting and waiting. Also, remember to make your business unique. Uniqueness attracts attention and customers, so make sure your business stands out, and make sure you do research by looking at different businesses. Researching different stores might give you an idea of what you want to do with your business (but don’t copy others!).
byhandsusa
Total Solution for Purse Making Supplies
