Etsy Seller Interview with Tammy of PoshPatterns

How PoshPatterns 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 Etsy shop is Posh Patterns, and I opened it in June of 2011. Prior to selling my crochet and knitting patterns on Etsy, I was a yarn shop owner. While I had that shop, I designed and wrote a lot of patterns for shop displays and for classes. After closing my brick and mortar shop, I wanted to continue to design and found out that I could reach my target market on Etsy.

Favorite items

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

Some of my favorite designs in my shop are: The easy knit-look crochet hat. This one is my favorite because it is quick and looks similar to knit garter stitch.

The faux mini cable crochet hat. It's one of those designs that has tons of texture and looks like it could be difficult, but it’s super easy.

The knit butterfly stitch hat. I just think it's really cool. :)

The puff stitch or bean stitch crochet cowl Another easy pattern that results in a cozy, easy-to-wear accessory

All of these do well in my shop, and I think it’s probably for the same reasons that I enjoy them so much. They’re all pretty easy in terms of skill level, and they have a modern style.

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 within a day or two, which was pretty awesome! My largest source of traffic to my shop is definitely Pinterest. I also have an email newsletter list of almost 20,000 people, so when I send out an email, it brings quite a few visitors to my shops.

Managing PoshPatterns

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?

My shop is managed solely by myself.I’m a one-woman show. Like I mentioned before, I maintain an email list, so my email service provider is definitely one of my most important tools. I currently use Flodesk.

I use Tailwind for scheduling my Pinterest content and some pinning, but I always make sure to pin manually too.

Shopify is the platform that I use for my Posh Patterns website, and it has been a great addition to my Etsy shop.

For putting my patterns together and getting them ready for delivery, I use Mac Pages. Since my products are all digital downloads, I don’t use any special shipping or fulfillment services.

The future of PoshPatterns

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

My main goal is to continue to grow my business in general.

I also think about writing another book, so that might be something that the future brings. My first book was all crochet patterns, and putting that together was a super fun experience. Maybe my next one would be knitting patterns, or a combination of the two.

Advice for new sellers

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

My biggest piece of advice would be to do your best to be original and stand out from the rest. That’s how you’ll end up finding your target customers, building a following, and establishing a brand that goes with your business. You want people to remember you and your shop and to think of you first when they’re thinking about buying something within your niche.