Etsy Seller Interview with Ben of TrashbagArtisan

How TrashbagArtisan 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 shop is called TrashBagArtisan, the name mainly comes from the launching it as just a bit of fun, not taking it too seriously - Just a hobby with a possibility of making some extra income. I’d previously studied UX Design which had given me some good experience with tools such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, I never went down that path as a career but was always interested in design. The inspiration to start selling and designing posters honestly came from moving into my own apartment for the first time, always wary of blank walls, I looked for art and prints to fill the space and thought I could give a try at designing prints that I felt would fit my space. My products are mainly created through Adobe Illustrator and Procreate. I fulfill these orders through print-on-demand and have a great supplier I would recommend called PrintShrimp.

Favorite items

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

This is a tough question, and honestly, my answer could change on a daily basis, but I think I would have to lean towards a few products. The two ones selling well are within my disco fruit niche, which kind of kicked off visibility for my store, so while they might not always be my favorite, I owe it to them to bring in that exposure to my store.

These sold relatively well at the start, I think mainly due to there being a lack of similar designs on Etsy, and there wasn’t huge competition. Additionally, I am drawn in and love my more raw/natural style of prints I have, while these don’t sell as well, they are more designed from personal interest rather than attracting sales.

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 think my first sale came in roughly 2-3 weeks after my store launch. This was a relatively nerve-wracking time for me as I was unsure if what I was releasing would attract buyers, but luckily it did. Currently, my main source of attracting customers to my store is through Etsy Ads & SEO. I believe SEO is almost more important than running ads, and you have to find that balance between the cost of running ads and turning a profit. Recently, I have started marketing through Pinterest and Instagram, Although these are early days, I am slowly starting to see growth from these and will definitely begin to invest more into this in the future.

Managing TrashbagArtisan

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 store is solo-managed just by me. I don’t think we’ve reached the point yet where I would bring someone in to assist, but who knows what will happen in the future? Making use of the tools available to me has been a big factor in assisting this. Alura has helped massively with SEO assistance and Pinterest marketing. In terms of fulfillment, this is all done through the print-on-demand company PrintShrimp, which I could not recommend more. Comparing them to larger companies like Printify and Printful, their pricing and simplistic order-placing approach have made it so much easier to manage orders. In addition to this, they have printing locations globally, which means basically anywhere in the world, I can offer customers quick delivery of my posters and a reasonable cost.

The future of TrashbagArtisan

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

Long-term goals for the shop I have in the future are to branch out from just poster design and move more into the homeware space. I have begun designing and planning a range of quilts and blankets produced by ethical, eco-friendly suppliers. This will likely be a long-term goal, as it will require upfront capital to launch, but it is definitely on the cards.

Advice for new sellers

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

My main advice to a new seller starting an Etsy shop is to have patience. You will see videos all over social media saying that you can become a high-selling, wealthy store overnight, which for the majority of people is not true, but that does not mean you cannot eventually get there. As of writing this, I have 71 sales and have achieved Star Seller status just 3 months in. While this may not seem like a lot, it is something to be proud of considering you are competing with so many people. Additionally, I would advise sellers not to always follow the trends; go with products/designs you are genuinely passionate about and feel proud to share. You could end up creating a whole new trend yourself this way and may not have as many competitors. 

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: My average monthly revenue is approximately $500-600 but this is before taking into account production costs. I haven’t been too concerned about profit so far, as I’m mainly trying to establish myself as a brand so keeping costs low is more likely to bring in sales, gain a following, and get good reviews.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: It’s hard to say my average profit margin as this depends on the size of the poster sold, but it would be approximately 30-50%.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 1.6%