How GreylingPost 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! I’m Mia, the illustrator, and owner of the Etsy shop Greyling Post .We sell illustrated collaged cards, prints, personalized prints, and t-shirts, all in the themes of friendship, family, love, and adventure. It was in 2016, when I opened my shop with just a few cards and prints, that I thought the adventure theme might work. It ticked along slowly without me really adding many more products or doing anything personalized. Back then, I had a full-time job managing a bar, so the Etsy shop wasn’t my priority. It was only in late 2019 that a customer messaged me, asking whether I could edit one of the prints to make the characters look like her and her husband. It was a bit of a lightbulb moment.
I create the bits and pieces by hand using traditional collage techniques: the characters and the main body of the backgrounds of the prints, then I scan everything in. I like how the characters look to cut out, and you can see the layers in the artwork. It’s then that we can use those as bases to add customer requirements over the top, and we add them digitally.
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 definitely the personalized family adventure prints. They are bestsellers, and they are the most fun to make! We can heavily personalize the artwork, even down to a certain "patch" on a character's backpack, matching a hairstyle to a photo of the person, or adding a baby elephant in a top hat. Whatever is special to the customer, we will make it! We go above and beyond with that element of the service we offer. It's an honor to be able to create something as a keepsake for a family or couple to cherish a memory. or to celebrate an important holiday or achievement. Some people ask to add family members or pets who have passed away. We feel so honored to be able to bring families back together in this way, which customers have said has brought them much comfort. People say they are good gifts for a wedding or engagement—for those who are hard to buy for and those who already have everything!
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?
Because it was so long ago now, I have no idea when my first sale was. It was probably a card; I was doing more cards back then. I attract customers by paying for Etsy marketing! I used to do a lot of social media, but not so much anymore as I don’t enjoy it. I try to upload a new item every week to keep the shop fresh. I spend a lot of time on Etsy exploring and liking other makers' items, and I think that helps. I buy all my gifts from Etsy!
Managing GreylingPost
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?
It’s me and my wonderful assistant, Oksana. She is from Poland. Oksana helps with the personalized orders, as it’s all done digitally in Photoshop (after all the originals have been made by hand). We use drop-shipping companies to fulfill the print order when the customer has given the final OK on their proof. Or we email them the finished file if they’re just getting the digital copy. I have a stock room here at home or at my studio with the non-personalized cards and prints that I pack myself and post out using Royal Mail.
The future of GreylingPost
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
I hope to create a different line of artwork that will perhaps appeal to a different audience. Non-adventurous types. I’m going to make more downloads. illustrations and fonts, to create a bit more disposable income along with the artworks that need to be worked on.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Have patience. It takes a while for sales to happen because you won’t be in the algorithm yet. Plus, it takes some time, for example, to upload a listing with its photos and description. Try to make your descriptions similar if you can, then you can just "copy" the listing and change the photos and certain keywords to save you time. Have at least 50 items ready to begin. Have lots of keywords in your "title." Once all is ready, start advertising on social media and pay for Etsy marketing at $1 per day. You will be paying for your shop for the first few months, so beware. Good photos of your items are crucial. Get some professionally done or buy some mock-ups from Etsy to place your designs on. The GoodNaturedPrintShop is ideal for mock-ups of rustic, organic types. Their new mockups will be live this week.
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Depending on the time of year, for example, in July/August (wedding season) and November (Christmas orders), the shop can take 8 to 10K a month. Usually it’s 4 to 6K a month. These numbers only started in 2020, when real-life shops closed. Before this, in 2016–2019, I think I was making about £400–£700 a month. 2022 has not been as profitable as 2021. due to the coronavirus, I think, and many more Etsy shops opening. The competition is fierce!
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: Again, it varies due to the time of year, but as a whole, we’re working with a 50% profit margin.
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: For this year 2023, so far my conversion rate is 2.5%. I’m going to try to improve this.
GreylingPost
Unique and uplifting collaged cards and prints.
