Etsy Seller Interview with Alyssa of theCopperPoppy

How theCopperPoppy 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 started The Copper Poppy back in February 2010 after a search for custom pet tags that had a unique, artisanal feel. I headed over to Etsy to search for options, but I really didn’t find what I was looking for, so I decided to make them myself. Etsy was fairly young then, and I started out with just a few competitors—that would quickly change, of course, both as Etsy and the craft of hand stamping exploded in the years to follow.

My shop truly started as a hobby and an escape from a corporate job I was miserable at, and it truly became my passion as I started spending more and more time on it. My husband and I moved from Chicago to New Hampshire in October 2010, just 8 months after my shop opened, and I decided to see if I could make my shop a full-time job, which I've done ever since.

When I started my business, I purchased all the materials right on Etsy—stamps, metal blanks, finishing products, etc. Now, I have sheet metal sent to my parents, who cut it into shapes and ship them to me on demand. Each piece is still hand stamped by me, letter by letter, and finished by hand in my home here in New England. I should also credit my husband for helping finish or package items during busy times. All my materials and most of my packaging are sourced here in the USA.

Favorite items

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

I have so many favorites for so many different reasons! One of my favorite pet tags is the "Stormy" tag in brass, which I designed with a longtime customer, now a brand ambassador, for one of her rescue pups. She always trusts me on designs but gives me ideas, and we come up with such fun pieces together:

I love my line of Tally Mark keepsakes; these are popular with couples celebrating bronze (8th, 19th) or copper (7th) anniversaries. They’re fun to make and customize, and I love that they’re an updated, fresh spin on the "traditional" anniversary gifts.

My puppy proposal tags are also one of my favorites in the shop. Having my work at the forefront of such a pivotal life moment feels both wonderful and humbling.

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 received my first order 10 days after uploading my first listing. I received 1-2 orders a week for awhile, and then 3-5 per week, and it got steadier from there. Back then, Etsy set up search results for recency vs. relevancy, so it was super important to be posting and uploading new pieces constantly. This strategy doesn't really work much anymore, so it’s really important to continually educate yourself on how Etsy is structuring their search results.

On Etsy, 60–70% of my orders come from Etsy search (Etsy brings the orders), and 30–40% are brought by me (social media, ads, direct links). Since opening my shop website back in 2016, I’ve really made a concerted effort to drive my social media (FB, IG) traffic to my website as a way to diversify my business. Due to the power of their search and customer base, Etsy still provides the bulk of my income, but my website is still a critical part of my business.

Managing theCopperPoppy

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 still run my shop by myself, taking orders and fulfilling them, providing customer service, working with wholesale clients, taking shop photos, creating listings, managing social media, and creating content. It can be exhausting sometimes! I’ve toyed with finding someone to help me during busy swings or with social media management, but the right person or opportunity hasn’t quite presented itself yet, so I’m forging on solo for now. I don’t really use any apps or tools for my shop, save for Shipstation, which gives me a significantly better rate on international shipping. I also feel like a dinosaur in saying that I manage my shop completely from my laptop and rarely (if ever) use the Sell on Etsy app.

The future of theCopperPoppy

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

I’m a creative and driven person by nature, so I always have dozens of ideas bouncing around in my head about new things to create, new techniques to try, and new opportunities to pursue with local brick and mortar shops, wholesale or drop-shipping companies, or other organizations that I can partner with... How much time I have to dedicate to each of those things is another story! I am also very cognizant of the fact that social media is a critical way to get customers interested in your brand and not just your products. Weaving my life and my story into my brand has always been something I work on sharing and balancing, as that personal side of the business is really compelling to customers.

I am currently working with Brand Ambassadors for my line of pet tags, and it will be really interesting to see how that pays off in regards to sales. The relationships have been really fun so far, and I need to remember that these things aren’t built overnight and take months and months of engagement and effort to reap the rewards.

Advice for new sellers

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

There are so many more resources now than when I started! New sellers can get lost in the volumes of information Etsy provides, so be sure you do your homework!

If I were a new seller, I’d start by finding a few successful competitor shops and really studying them—making notes about what you like, what they do "right" (photos, listing text, brand look and feel, etc.), and by all means, don’t copy them, but get inspired to put your own twist on what you admire. Perhaps start your pricing a bit lower to get competitive, and then gradually inch it up as sales take off. Don't underprice, though; buyers have a strong sense that rock-bottom pricing equals low quality, especially now that Etsy resembles Amazon and eBay.

Work on your photography. Get familiar with editing. Excellent photography is essential, as are excellent SEO and product titles.Most buyers shop on mobile these days, and most come to your shop directly through a listing (vs. "finding" it), so your listing photo and title are the keys to your sale. Etsy has really hidden most of the listing text on mobile views, so it’s really important that critical information (size, color, dimensions, material, or whatever is critical to your product) is clear to buyers.

I always advocate that sellers go back into their shops often with a fresh set of "customer’s eyes." What do you see? What is confusing? What needs improving or clarifying? How are your competitors doing this better than you? Even better if you can find an objective, knowledgeable friend to provide you with honest feedback.

Remember that sales breed sales on Etsy—their algorithm is looking for items that sell well and consistently. If you’re new, run all your sales through Etsy, even to family members and friends. Build up your sales count, positive reviews, favorites, and views. Engage in social media to draw attention to your store. These views, converted into sales, are what help your products get seen by even more people.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 8.3%