Etsy Seller Interview with Kate and Lena of Propsly

How Propsly 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, we are Kate and Lena, co-founders of Propsly.

Propsly is a Ukrainian brand of photo props for shooting newborns and older children. We offer cute hats, bodysuits, blankets, toys, and much more. All products are handmade and created from soft and high-quality materials.

Before starting Propsly, we were passionate family and newborn photographers. With more than 10 years of experience working with children, we know how difficult, time-consuming, and quite expensive it is to create the right background or find the perfect newborn pose. In our day-to-day search for ideal accessories and props, we realized that our knowledge can be helpful to others, so we decided to create our own prop store --Propsly.me-for newborn photography professionals and enthusiasts.

Since 2012, we have been customers and fans of the Etsy platform. So, when we decided to open our store, we decided to do it on Etsy right away. We founded our store in 2017. For five years now, we have been successfully selling goods all over the world.

During the existence of Propsly, we have gathered around us creative and enthusiastic people who are passionate about their work and know how to create beauty. There are more than 30 craft makers in our team for whom Propsly has created an opportunity to monetize their hobby that they love to do. Among them are teachers, doctors, architects, mothers, grandmothers, even chief accountants and top managers. The main thing that unites everyone in our team is love for what they do and the desire to do their best. The majority of Propsly products are the result of meticulous manual labor.

We are always looking for new ideas and offer more and more new products. Now, Propsly is not only about newborn props but also the very first cute little things for children, memorable souvenirs, and stylish lifestyle props for esthetic daily life.

We always look for the most tender and soft materials with natural colors. Our vision is always led by the latest trends in newborn, maternity, family, and lifestyle photography. Our goal is to find props with the best quality and look.

In our store you can find newborn backdrops, fabric wraps, blankets, and 100% merino wool handmade blankets, as well as exclusive wood baskets, stylish kids' clothes, felted and knitted toys, and accessories, among other great things. 

Favorite items

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

Personally, I really like our toys, both knit and felted.

These toys are handmade, like all of our products. The product delivers a fancy custom design with very fine details that demand delicate and precise work. We believe that these toys reflect the personalities and characteristics of babies who are cute, special, and fun.

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 I also love all of our cute outfits for the little ones: knitted berets, elegant bodysuits, and hats.

Most of these items have been bestsellers at our store since its opening. These products are great as they may be a nice addition to a newborn photoshoot and/or become the very first toy or costume in the baby’s life. Often, these things are bought not only by photographers but also by mothers. We managed to create universal products that you want to keep as a memory of the first days of a child's life.

Moreover, the bestsellers are those products that cover the specific needs of the client. As photographers, we know the needs, which is why we created specific products to help other photographers: fabric photo backgrounds, poser pillows, etc.

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?

We first opened in May 2017. A month later, we had our first order. At first, we came up with a very limited range and had around 5 items. Gradually, we added new products and expanded the range. Now we have over 340 listings. We aim at a specific and very narrow niche. We know the client's pain well and how to solve it. As we are the client’s position as photographers, we create products that we would like to use ourselves. Of course, the assortment is more driven by customer requests and different market trends that we try to follow. For example, there are some product preferences in the USA that are different from Japan and completely different from Middle Eastern countries.

We are actively developing our social networks. We always and everywhere use links to all of our social networks and our Etsy store. Hence, this is a two-way story. Everywhere, we encourage customers to subscribe and follow direct links. We are on all the popular social networks: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. From time to time, we run some promotions, giveaways, discounts, and gift offerings. In addition, photographers actively tag us in their photos, and we share the best works in our profile with the mention of the photographer’s authorship. Beautiful photographs always attract special attention. This is one of the main tools in online selling—to have a beautiful photo of both the product and its use.  

Managing Propsly

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?

At first, there were just the two of us, and we were responsible for everything: working with Etsy, communicating with customers, developing social networks, packing, and shipping orders. But we quickly began to grow and delegate responsibilities. Before the war, we had 9 people in the office team in addition to the craftsmen (we have more than 30 people in the craftsman team). We have people in charge of client service, packaging and shipping, social media, account management, manufacturing, and product creation. We have always had high standards for product quality and service. Therefore, we try to complete everything on time or even earlier in order to please the client.

The future of Propsly 

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

We are a Ukrainian brand, and after February 24, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine, our views and goals have changed radically. However, the main focus remained inviolable-the support and development of business in Ukraine. We see our social responsibility in the support, development, and creation of opportunities for craftsmen to earn money on their favorite hobbies as well as increase the value of handmade work in the world.

Advice for new sellers

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

The first and most important thing I would like to draw attention to is that Etsy is a platform about and for people. Therefore, be prepared to communicate with customers; be ready to meet them halfway; create custom orders; clarify wishes and ask for reviews; and be willing to offer them special personal coupons with discounts to consequently turn customers into your own brand ambassadors. This is a must if you want to succeed on ETSY.

We have an example of our own story. We tracked every like or interaction on a product at the start of the journey.We wrote a thank-you note to our customers right away and communicated with them to make sure they were satisfied. We offered a discount for the initial order with us. At one point, a client from Japan answered us, thanked us for the offered discount, and made one of the largest purchases at that time.

What is most interesting is that the client turned out to be one of the leading photographers in Japan, who regularly held his master classes and shared information on where and what props he bought. Thus, thanks to one message, we got fantastic references in Japan. To this day, Japan brings some of the largest customers to our store. Communication and friendship with customers are key success factors.