Etsy Seller Interview with Ket and Max of WOODGRAWshop

How WOODGRAWshop 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?

Hello. Our names are Max and Ket. We are from Kyiv, Ukraine. We are a married couple and the owners and creators of a business and brand called Woodgraw. Our company produces the best wooden and stone phone cases. which will last you a very long time. We provide a 1-year warranty for all our cases. You will change your phone to a new model faster than our case breaks.

Our company employs five people:
Max: creator, production manager, control of all production processes, and product quality.
Ket: creator, designer, photographer, brand manager.
Denis is a maker and CNC operator.
Sergey, the maker
Andrey is the maker.

We founded our company in 2015. We were motivated by a simple formula: start producing a product that everyone needs but that no one else is producing. We are fans of natural materials and would like the product to be natural. Therefore, I used wood and stone as a basis for my work. This is how we came to use wood and stone phone cases. Every person has a phone, and naturally, he needs a case. In 2015, there was very little competition in the wooden and stone case segments. We knew about Etsy and opened our store on this marketplace. The first sale was in the US. It was an unforgettable feeling of delight and joy when we heard the "cha-ching" sound of the sale on Etsy. At that time, we did not yet have our own production and all the necessary equipment. We went to other workshops, and using their equipment, we produced and sent our first orders. Our business started to grow. Over time, we built our own production and began to scale our business.

Naturally, all this was not easy. We learned from our own mistakes, which we made due to our inexperience and ignorance of all the intricacies of business. But we did not deviate from our path; we continued to learn and improve our production and the final product. We currently sell our phone cases in our home country and around the world. Woodgraw.com is our website. We also sell on the Etsy and eBay marketplaces.

Favorite items

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

We have two of the most popular and favorite products. This is proven by the fact that these products are bestsellers on Etsy.

Natural wood case, mountain design: made of 4 types of natural wood (walnut, maple, sapele, and wenge).This design is beautiful, concise, and reminiscent of your trip to the mountains. The scent of the natural wood, when touched, momentarily gives you the sensation of being in touch with wild nature.

Natural stone cases are beautiful, stylish, and sturdy. This case is perfect for both men and women. The natural beauty of the stone and its unique pattern will undoubtedly delight you and everyone around you when looking at your new case.
The stone does not absorb dirt, moisture, or odors. It will always remain original. You can choose from three types of stone that you like. Each piece of stone has a unique pattern. You can be absolutely sure that your case is the only one in the world and that no one else has one like it.In our case, this is not mass factory stamping.
These are handmade goods with very high quality control. Each case is done especially for you, taking into account all your wishes; personalization and customization of your case are also possible.

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 opening the store on Etsy, the first sale occurred during the first week of our work. We actively use internal and external advertising provided by Esty itself. constantly analyzing it and correcting it according to new trends and customer requests. At some point, we increase or decrease the advertising budget based on seasonality or customer demand.

We are constantly working on improving our listings. We correct and improve tags and SEO optimization.

We are active on social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. This also results in an influx of new customers.

One of the most important is the content of your product. We are constantly striving to improve the photo or video and devote a significant amount of time and effort to this.

Managing WOODGRAWshop

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?

We manage our store personally. We consider this very important. because it is important for us to communicate with and understand the buyer.What they want and what we can do for them is better.

We do not use applications to manage our Etsy store. The internal menu and its embedded functions are enough for us.

Our company employs five people. Each of us is a professional and does his job. The production time for any order is 1-3 days. The capacity of our production allows us to cope with a large number of orders, as well as wholesale and corporate orders.

We provide two types of shipping worldwide. Standard delivery is carried out with the help of the Ukrainian postal service. 8–25 days worldwide. Express delivery is carried out using the UPS postal service. 5-8 days worldwide.

The future of WOODGRAWshop 

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

Our main goal is to continue to enjoy our work and receive positive feedback from our customers. We always strive to expand and scale our business.

In the future, we will expand the range of our cases and expand the assortment with other products that will be invented by us and have no analogues. There is a lot of work, joy, and difficulties ahead. But the main thing is to move forward and not stop there.

Advice for new sellers

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

Our main advice to new sellers and producers is: "Make and sell what you love." First of all, you must love what you do and enjoy your work. Your value shouldn't be making money. The money will come by itself as a reward for your good work.

Our advice about choosing a product and selling it. You can either invent your own product or improve one that is already on the market. Your product should solve or save the buyer from one or more problems. Make his life easier. After all, human laziness is the main engine of progress. We all want the inventions around us to make our lives easier. Think about the challenges you face in everyday life and how your product can relieve you of them. So you will come up with a product that you will be able to produce and sell. 

For example, One of the manufacturers of suitcases and luggage bags once realized that it is difficult for all people to carry them in their hands because it is very difficult. He devised a solution to this problem by screwing the suitcase's wheels to it, allowing you to roll it rather than carry it. This invention has fundamentally changed the entire market for suitcases and luggage bags. The inventor earned a lot of money for this idea. His goal was to solve the problems of many people, and the money came to him as a consequence of his good work.

 If you are planning to sell online, Then your main tool for successful sales is a photo and video of your product. After all, the buyer cannot feel, touch, or test your product through the screen of his smartphone. But your photos and videos should convey this to him as much as possible. No matter how good your product is, without good photos or videos, the buyer will simply pass it by. Spend a lot of time and effort shooting photos and videos. You should not just show your product, but show how it will help the buyer solve this or that problem. Also, do not forget a good and correct description of your product.

When everything is finished, you will require a properly designed and configured advertising company.so that she would not only spend your advertising budget but also profit you. We hope our advice will help you succeed in your business. Good luck with your sales!