Etsy Seller Interview with Benji of flameandmoth

How flameandmoth 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?

It all started with a giveaway for my mutuals on Instagram in 2017. I wanted to do something creative and didn’t have much money to host bigger giveaways, so I made watercolor bookmarks, scanned them at home, and added quotes from my favorite books and series. I thought it was a nice and cute idea, nothing more, but my friends on Instagram encouraged me to put more effort into it and build up a small business.

My journey started in my own room at my dad's place. He helped me a lot with figuring out how to create, print, cut, and ship my bookmarks. I still remember it like it was yesterday—how I cut my first bookmark on a laminate panel. This is absolutely not the right underlay for cutting anything; do not start with this. Since then, a lot has changed. I started to work more digitally, I stopped using laminate panels as underlay, and I added new products like prints and polaroids. I was able to grow personally and professionally with the support of those around me.

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 are the ones that are personal to me, where I used pictures I took for polaroids, bookmarks, or prints where I processed something happening in my life. Art is a great way of dealing with my mental health.

Some other favorite items of mine are bookmarks for my favorite books: All for the Game, If We Were Villains, and The Song of Achilles.

The products that are my favorites but don't get sold that often are mostly fandom-unrelated, aesthetically pleasing ocean bookmarks or Milky Way bookmarks.

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, it didn’t take long for my first sale, since I already had a great community on Instagram that supported my very first steps on Etsy. They bought items and spread the word on their accounts. I think that’s one of the most important things to do to build up a business, and that’s how I’m attracting customers now as well. sharing pictures and videos on social media to reach as many people as possible.

Managing flameandmoth

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’m a one-person business and like it that way because I can be my own boss and get everything done at my own pace. To create my items, I am using my tablet and a pen. Once the bookmarks, prints, and polaroids are created, I let them print on thicker paper; since I can’t do that at home, I have to order them online. After that, everything happens at home again. I cut every item individually and prepare them for shipping. It’s important to me to show my customers that everything is handmade and made with love and effort, which is why I also created a personalized wrapping paper with a self-written message. It’s basically the cherry on top, and it makes me very proud when people ask me what book the excerpt is from.

The future of flameandmoth

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

I’d like to grow more and reach more people since my products have also changed over the last few years. I was mostly focused on fandom-related books, series, and movie products, but the last year I realized how much I like to create aesthetically pleasing things without any words. I’d like to reach an audience that also craves art like that. I want to put more effort into my social media to reach these lovely people.

Advice for new sellers

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

It can be very frustrating that nothing happens in the beginning. My advice is to not give up. Build up a community; let friends and family support you. Spreading the word seems like the most effective thing to do. And eventually, I would advise you not to compare yourself to other sellers and how much they sold in a specific time. Comparison mostly demotivates. Everyone is unique and able to create what they want to show the world.