How greatstuff4me 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?

Chuck and I began as a vaping supply business (MaxVaping) back in 2013. Naturally, we couldn’t use Etsy as a platform for those products. As the government began regulating the vaping industry, we decided to find a new niche. We ran across videos on laser engraving and decided to buy a laser engraver and give it a shot in September 2021. Etsy seemed the ideal place to sell custom items, and after doing some research (Alura helped quite a bit), we settled on engraved personalized glassware and cutting boards. We source most of our products from restaurant supply stores.

Favorite items

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

My favorites are the square shot glasses

Engraved Shot Glass - Personalized Engraved Square Cute Shot Glass Set. Gifts for groomsmen and gifts for bridesmaids.

Large Libbey 1-Liter Mugs

Custom Beer Mug Engraved 1-Liter 33.8oz Huge Glass Libbey Beer Mug - Personalized Retirement Gift, Birthday Gift.

Polar Camel Mugs They engrave so nicely.

Custom Coffee Tumbler - 15oz Polar Camel Tumbler Coffee Mug with Handle and Lid - Personalized Engraved Travel Mug

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?

Our first sale came pretty quickly (in days). I fortunately have an SEO and online marketing background, so I was able to leverage my skills and some Etsy tools to kickstart our sales. The largest contributor to traffic is (as you’d expect) Etsy marketing.

Managing greatstuff4me

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?

We manage the Etsy site as well as our eBay store (ebay.com/str/greatstuff4me) and website (greatstuff4me.com) using traditional desktop tools. We also use apps including Alura, eRank, Outfy, Shopify, and Nembol. We use Ship Station to help with shipping and fulfillment. I handle the software end, and Chuck handles production and fulfillment.

The future of greatstuff4me 

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

We’ve grown quite a bit very quickly and had difficulty keeping up with the Christmas rush this year. In 2023, we hope to acquire another laser engraver and begin hiring help to handle larger volumes.

Advice for new sellers

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

Do your research. Make cool stuff. Take great pictures. Use Alura and other tools to help you write effective titles and descriptions and to choose the proper tags. Price your items right, taking into consideration shipping expenses.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: $17,125 from Etsy

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 56%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 5.1%

Alura Team
Alura Team

Alura is your all-in-one platform for selling on Etsy. With more $500.000+ gross sales over four years selling on Etsy, Alura is built by experienced sellers for sellers. Start with a free account and explore all the features you need to start, run, and grow your Etsy shop.