Etsy Seller Interview with Olcay of LadybugPLS

How LadybugPLS 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 Olcay Varli. I am a 36-year-old textile engineer. I met Etsy through my brother in 2014. At that time, I was only helping my older brother in my spare time. In December 2018, we became full-time friends with Etsy. I had no doubt that it would bring me luck when choosing the name Ladybug. Of course, while helping my brother, I learned some basics. For example, I had no doubt that the most beautiful photograph of your product would be expressed in the best words and that the sales chance would increase with the best description. With this information, my medical caps that I uploaded really experienced excellent sales. I took great care to keep my store active all the time. Also, you know, our world went through a very difficult and bad period called the Pandemic, and it still continues. I wish I had sold less when the pandemic happened.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
It is very difficult for me to answer this question. Because it's all my baby, I choose my scrub cap fabrics and patterns and produce them myself. Therefore, just as a parent loves their children equally, I love my babies(my scrub caps) as well. But some, of course, make me a little happier by selling a lot.

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 made my first sale four days later. But at that time, there were very few shops selling scrub caps like me. It became an incredible scrub cap seller during the pandemic period. Maybe if I enter now, I may not be able to sell as fast as when I first opened it. In fact, there are advantages to being original, not just copying what everyone else sells.

Until the pandemic period, I had a sales volume of around 4,000 if I remember correctly. My sales increased a lot during the pandemic period. Of course, both my 4 thousand sales and very fast shipping and good customer relations had a large share in this. I will give a recommendation to my friends. They really need to be patient and don't be afraid if they have the right SEO and beautiful photos. By the way, I would like to make an addition for you. I'm still in love with Alura.io. :) I run to him every time I get stuck.

It is now easier for me to attract customers to my store. Because people believe me when they see my 21200 piece sales and read my reviews.My old customers visit me a lot. I am grateful to them.

I am always interested in my store. He responds to my messages in a timely manner. I don't upset my customers. I ship fast. And I try to keep it updated by adding new products to my store.

Managing LadyBugPLS

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?

2 friends help me in my store. One of them is in Financial control and my other friend is helping me with packing and shipping. 

I am using Alura and Erank. My favorite feature of Alura, one of the utilities, is the Shop Analyzer. I really adore him. I also really trust the store optimization part. I'm not worried that warnings will always move people forward.

The future of LadybugPLS

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

I'd like to see 50,000 sales as soon as possible:) May my customers be happy. Let them comment and I will be very happy. Spiritual satisfaction is everything.

Advice for new sellers

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

Patience, patience, patience...

I would advise new store opening friends to just be patient and never fall into pessimism. Personalities who are impatient and pessimistic too soon fail with that anxiety and fear.

Research your product calmly. Choose your keywords (tags) carefully. Well, photograph. Your explanation should be compelling and story-like, but not really too lengthy. Then the patience part comes into play.