How Hungaryantiques 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?

My name is Krisztina Mogyorósi Bessenyeine.Hungaryantiques owner. My husband founded our shop on Etsy in 2016. At first, only my husband started selling on the site, but over time it grew into a family business. Today, our whole family takes part in the development of the store. We offer our customers from all corners of the world a constantly expanding product range according to their needs.

Our main profile is antiques, including old objects found in Hungary and used from the 1910s to the 1980s. Our product range, which includes all the old treasures of the Carpathian Basin, is so widespread that today we supply the markets of almost every continent to satisfy the needs of our international customers. Our customers have already included a French fashion company, an American film industry company, and a luxury hotel in the Middle East. There are nearly 500 varied and sometimes very rare products in our Etsy shop. By 2022, our store's turnover had reached 100,000 euros, which we are very proud of.

One of our most popular products is the enameled baby bathtub from the 1960s and the galvanized washing tub, which was also popular in Hungary in the 1960s. Our customers use these products in the most varied ways in their homes, for example as drink holders, flower stands, and interior decoration, but they have also bought these products from us for weddings and garden parties, and we have always received very positive feedback and our products have been a resounding success.

46,45" long Rustic Galvanized wash tub with stand, farmhouse sink, Zinc Laundry Basin, utility sink, kitchen bath sink, soaking tub
White Rustic European Bathroom Enameled Porcelain Baby Bathtub with stand, farmhouse sink, laundry basin, bathroom sink, Outdoor Plant Stand

We run regular sales in our store and ship all products worldwide for free. Last year, we started providing humanitarian aid with a certain percentage of the store's income. Last year, we were trying to help the victims of the Ukrainian war, and this year, we are trying to help sick children in Hungary through a fundraiser. We consider it important to help others.

Favorite items

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

Our favorite product is the enameled wall-mounted sink, as well as a wall-mounted sink made of plastic. These products are the most sought-after and are first-rate both in terms of aesthetics and quality. Our customers like to install these products in their homes, laundry rooms, country houses, and barns. We also use this practical sink in our home.

Black Farmhouse wall mounted kitchen sink, Laundry sink, Bathroom enamelware sink basin, Bathroom sink, bathroom decor, wall mount sink
Plastic Black Utility sink, bathroom vanity with sink, vintage Farmhouse wall mount kitchen sink, Laundry sink, Bathroom sink basin, küche

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?

According to my memories, the first sale took place two weeks after the store's opening. An enameled children's bathtub was purchased. Currently, customers are sourced directly from Etsy and Facebook. We have been employing a professional marketing team for 2 years, whose task is to manage the ads running on Facebook.

Managing Hungaryantiques 

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?

For about two years, my husband ran Hungary Antiques as an individual entrepreneur, first as a side job, then as a full-time employee. By 2018, we had developed to the point where he could no longer operate it alone, and over the past year, the business has expanded with me and my father-in-law György, and our 16-year-old son Bence also helps out.

My husband's task is to search for the products, packaging, logistics, and delivery of the products to our warehouse.
My father-in-law inspects, repairs, and renovates the products.
My job is to photograph the products, upload them to the store, edit the page, handle invoicing, and maintain contact with customers and the company's accountant.
As for the boy, in addition to studying at school, if time allows, he helps in the business, which he loves more and more.

We consider it important to protect our environment, which is why we use recycled packaging material for packaging.

Adobe Lightroom: The program is used to edit photos. Lightroom offers the ability to copy edits between multiple photos, which saves a lot of time after the shoot and makes quick product uploads more efficient.

Billing: Billingo is a Hungarian invoicing program; products are invoiced with its help, and since it is connected to my accountant, it is a huge help because my accountant sees all invoices immediately.

Hungarian Post and DHL package delivery program: We have been in contract with the two delivery companies for years.

With the help of their programs, we can easily and quickly upload the data of our packages, and most importantly, their tracking numbers can be tracked worldwide. Both delivery companies provide us with fast, accurate delivery, which means a maximum delivery time of 1 week to any country in the world.

The future of Hungaryantiques  

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

We want to achieve even greater progress on Etsy, and we would love to have even more satisfied customers. To this end, we are constantly trying to expand our offer and find special, unique items that can be real treasures for our customers' homes.

Advice for new sellers

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

I think quality photography is extremely important to selling your products, so if it's not your forte right now, consider taking an online course to improve your skills and/or hiring someone to help you make your products look good in your ad photos! Take the time to fill in all the keywords on your listing and read the Etsy seller guides for best practices for effective marketing! When you're starting out, don't be afraid to try new things! You may need to change direction as you learn from yourself and your customers and experience the magical combination of what sells and what you actually love to make. Finally, don't expect immediate results; it took me nearly three years to work on this full-time. I am grateful for the pace of our growth because it has allowed us to learn and grow. Each new challenge brings its own results over time, and all the work invested, which we do with dedication, conscientiousness, and joy, pays off over time.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: 9000 euro

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 150-200%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1.4

Alura Team
Alura Team

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