Etsy Seller Interview with Natalia of nataliasavastanoart

How nataliasavastanoart 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 set up my Etsy shop in 2013 because in 2010 I started learning how to make beaded creations, and I thought it would be a great idea to share some of my projects with other people who wanted to learn how to make beaded creations, too. So I decided to make some patterns of my projects and sell them on Etsy. The process of making is really long and complicated, and for that reason, I have only made about 50 patterns for my shop. Put simply, I plan to make two more this year! Let’s see…

Favorite items

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

My favorite products listed in my Etsy shop are my sunflower pendant, my Venice Heart, Nefertari, Blue Drop 2.0, and Jupiter Earrings. The sunflower pattern was published in 2021, and it went so well. It is super realistic, and I love it so much, as do other people! I have sold so many copies of this pattern and also of the Venice Heart pattern. It was made for Valentine’s Day and inspired by one of the most beautiful towns in the world, Venice.

Nefertari is an evergreen. A lot of people love this necklace inspired by Egyptian culture, and I love this culture too. I have made so many beaded creations inspired by Egypt. The ice Nefertari necklace took part in a contest in the United States too, and it was a finalist.

Blue Drop 2.0 is a pair of earrings I made with one of my favorite techniques, cubic raw, and I think this was one of the very first patterns I published on Etsy.

A pattern I am very fond of is Jupiter earrings. This pattern was made years ago; it was also published in a beading magazine, and I was very proud of it.

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?

After almost 10 years, people know I am a professional beader and look for my name in the search bar on Etsy. But at the beginning, I published my patterns and designs in some of the most popular beading groups on social media.

Managing nataliasavastanoart 

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 sell only digital files, so I don’t have the problem of shipping and fulfillment. It's very simple to run a shop with digital files because you can upload them to Etsy's product page and people can download them after payment... even if a lot of people don't know how to download them, so I send them the files via email or the Etsy message box. I am the only person who manages the shop, and the only thing that drives me crazy is customer service.

The future of nataliasavastanoart  

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

I hope to reach 3000 sales this year and improve my pattern catalog with one or two new patterns. Maybe! I really hope so.

Advice for new sellers

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

You need to have patience; you must be constant and take care of your shop like a child. You have to manage it every day, and you will see that you will have a lot of sales and satisfaction! Thank you so much for this amazing interview! It was really a pleasure to answer your questions.