Etsy Seller Interview with Edit of MontessoriEdited

How MontessoriEdited 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 Edit, a qualified Montessori guide, Early Years teacher, English teacher, mother, and the founder of Montessori Edited, which is an online shop selling DIY Montessori materials for the tiniest of us. When I got pregnant, I spent hours and hours on the internet trying to find affordable Montessori materials that I could use with my baby. I soon realized that everything was really expensive. As most new parents are aware, having a baby can already be expensive, so I decided to make everything myself to save money. It also made me aware that there’s not much information out there about Montessori materials for babies. So many people buy these costly materials but don’t have the knowledge to use them to their full potential! That’s when Montessori Edited was born! First, it was only a blog (www.montessoriedited.com), where I dedicated a whole blog post to every single Montessori baby product. Later, I opened up my DIY shop on Etsy. My mission is to make educational but affordable DIY baby toy kits and to give the gift of giving—the opportunity of making something for your baby with your own two hands.

Favorite items

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

I can proudly say that I have three items that regularly get the bestseller badge on Etsy. One of them is the DIY kit for the very first Montessori baby mobile that you can use with your newborn from day one, the black and white Munari mobile:

The elements of this mobile have very specific measurements, which can make or break it. In my DIY kits, the elements are already cut out according to these measurements, so all you have to do is stick them together and hang them up on a stick. Easy! The DIY Montessori Mobile Set is definitely my most popular item. It has the resources for all the very well-known Montessori baby mobiles. If you were to gather all the resources by yourself, it would not only take a long time but would also be very expensive! While if you bought everything in a pack, you’d probably have to buy multiple items and whole bottles of paint, which you might not use any more. Everything in the DIY kit is exactly the right amount to make the mobiles and nothing more. The price is also very competitive. The four DIY kits cost nearly the same as one already assembled Montessori mobile in other stores. It’s a clear bargain!

Last but not least, the third most popular and a regular bestseller in my shop is the Swallows mobile DIY kit. Even if you’re not into Montessori, you’ll still be mesmerized by this lovely baby mobile. It’s so pretty! Not only babies, but adults love it as well!

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?

It took a couple of months to make my first sale. After that, I had a couple of orders a month, and then about 3–4 months later, I had a steady income from my Etsy shop. In the last three years, I have been improving my products using customer feedback, adding more details to the instruction guides, making tutorial videos, writing more information on my blog, adding new items, etc. There’s always lots to be done, but every step helps to attract more customers. I also have accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, where I actively post not only about my products but also about the Montessori method.

Managing MontessoriEdited

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?

I am a full-time entrepreneur, so it’s mostly only me who manages my shop. I have a very good friend who helps me with my crocheted products, such as the crochet Gobbi mobile.Noelia learned to crochet from her mother, who learned to crochet from her mother. She has the knowledge of three generations between her fingers. This is what my customers can give their babies when they buy crochet toys from my shop.

I believe short processing times are essential, so I go to the post office almost every day. Thanks to this, I know each person who works there. They look after my packages and ensure that everything is delivered on time.I am very grateful for my post office team! I feel like every step I took in my Etsy journey was hard-earned. I learned a tremendous amount along the way and keep learning every day! It is very rewarding to know that my work is appreciated by my customers.

The future of MontessoriEdited

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

At the moment, I am working on making a digital version of the mobile templates. This way, people can instantly grab the instructions, and if they already have a lot of arts and crafts materials at home, they can save even more by using their own resources instead of getting them from me.

Advice for new sellers

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

I would advise new sellers to go for it; don’t wait until the shop is "perfect." Just get it started, and you can tweak it along the way. Listen to your customers. Yes, negative feedback always feels like a punch in the gut, but listen to the problem and use it to improve your product. Finally, take care of yourself. Don’t make the mistake of working 24/7. You are more important than your business. Self-care is essential when you’re an entrepreneur.