How Hookloopsarah 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?

I opened my Etsy shop in 2015. I don’t remember how I came upon Etsy, but I had been crocheting since 2012, and it was a natural progression for me to start selling what I crocheted instead of constantly gifting my items to family and friends. I am an autodidact; I taught myself to crochet through books and video tutorials. My passion for this craft was so big that I "voraciously" learned and tried every technique, from amigurumis to granny squares, through knitting and knooking, until I specialized in Tunisian crochet. I started selling a bit of everything on my Etsy shop, adding crochet and Tunisian crochet patterns later on, which now represent a big part of my sales.

Favorite items

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

As soon as I started writing crochet patterns and selling them on Etsy, they became my favorite listings. The reason is simple: through patterns, I share my knowledge, which is something I love. Also, once you write a pattern, your work ends there; you don’t have to worry about producing or shipping, and there are no added costs. My success on Etsy started with a spiral design in Tunisian crochet. I took a picture of a work in progress that became viral on all social media, so its pattern naturally sold very well over time.

SCHEMA tovaglietta spirale uncinetto tunisino sottopiatto tondo decoro tavola viola verde design lana arredo casa regalo inaugurazione INGL.
SCHEMA per Tappeto a Uncinetto Tunisino a Spirale. Tutorial Disegno a Vortice. Colori Filato sfumato, effetto gradiente. Regalo Fai da te

I also sell physical products in my shop. I had quite some success by selling custom-made crochet armrests and doorknob covers, such as these:

CUSTOM Sofa Arm Rest Covers
Coprimaniglia uncinetto

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 had my first sale on Etsy six months after opening my shop. I remember how desperate I was at first because I wasn't selling anything; I used to whine and yammer in all of the Etsy support groups I was a member of!My first sale was an amigurumi cat, which I still sell in my shop. After that, I started selling very slowly but constantly; I still hadn’t introduced crochet patterns in my shop. I sold only seven items in my first selling year on Etsy, which became 77 in the second year, growing and growing in the following years (also thanks to pattern selling). I now make over 800 sales per year. I obtain most of my views through social media (mostly Pinterest and YouTube) and from my blog.

Managing Hookloopsarah

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?

From the very beginning, I dedicated a great deal of time to thoroughly studying the Etsy seller handbook and applying its rules to my shop. What really helped me at the beginning and through the years were the Etsy support groups I found on Facebook. Because of those groups, you can meet other Etsy sellers and form real friendships, which is especially important when you're struggling to find your niche and target customers. I dedicated each and every day to showing my products on social media, using specific selling groups on Facebook, curating my Instagram feed, and creating Pinterest boards. I also put in a lot of time learning about Etsy's algorithm and how various social media platforms worked. I did use some specific apps and tools at the beginning, such as Marmalead, GetVela, and Spacefem. Nowadays, my efforts are minimal: I concentrate on new designs and patterns, showing my WIPs on Instagram (@hookloopsarah) and Pinterest, and curating my YouTube channel Hookloopsarah Crochet with regular video tutorials.

The future of Hookloopsarah

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

My goal for my Etsy shop is... to continue selling more patterns there so that I can eventually stop selling products. I love selling custom-made items, but it implies some business risks, too: having to fully meet customers’ expectations and having to depend on expensive, not 100% reliable shipping services.

Advice for new sellers

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

The best pieces of advice I can give to a new Etsy seller are to a) read the seller handbook and apply its rules; b) be prepared to put a lot of effort into showing your product on social media by publishing content regularly; c) find a product niche and get known for it; for me, it was Tunisian crochet and crochet armrest covers. Finally, if you like what you do, don’t give up!

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

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1%

Alura Team
Alura Team

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