Etsy Seller Interview with Bas of Zabbez

How Zabbez 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! I am Bas den Braver, and I run Zabbez, where I design happy and colorful crochet dolls. In life, I always try to follow my heart and strive for happiness. This is also how Zabbez and my Etsy adventure started.

I got interested in a new hobby, doing crochet, and soon I knew I wanted to design dolls that I really liked. And if I could bring happiness to others too, that would be even better. And so my adventure began. Within a few weeks, I designed my first flower doll. Sunflower Sam was born. I took photos, wrote the crochet pattern, opened my Etsy store, and put the crochet pattern online for download. And then it skyrocketed. Almost immediately after posting on my social media, sales started coming in, and I knew I had made something that people liked.

In the months to follow, I made more designs and brought an entire crocheted flower fantasy world to life. People stayed enthusiastic and started asking for more designs, making requests for more flower dolls for them to crochet. It was so much fun to see my collection grow and to see so many people enjoying it and crocheting their own dolls from my patterns. The more sales Etsy brought in, the more I could focus on designing new dolls, and Zabbez became my full-time job.

Favorite items

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

As a designer, I spend a lot of time and effort working on my newest design. which, for me, automatically makes it my favorite item at that moment. Until the next design comes to life, takes its place, and then becomes my favorite.

I love happy and colorful designs. I design waterworld-themed dolls like mermaids and fish. And recently I started my Flying Friends series with elves, fairies, and birds. However, my adventure started with Sunflower Sam and the Flower Friends. They will always have a special place in my heart, and the collection is still growing. Meet Little Sunflower Sam, Gerbera Gemma, Rose Roxy, Peony Pam, and Christmas Star (Poinsettia) Kris.

I think their success comes from the flower theme and the way I made that come to life. Flowers are special. Everybody has a connection to flowers. People have favorite flowers; they also remember their mother's favorite flower; they remember the flowers from their wedding bouquet; and so on. Flowers touch people's hearts.

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?

My first sale came almost immediately after adding the item to my store and posting on my social media. It was an instant success. People liked it. A dream came true.

I am active on my socials, I regularly post on my Zabbez Facebook and Instagram with pictures of my dolls. I am so lucky to have built a following of enthusiastic crocheters that like my designs. In my Etsy shop you can buy one of my designs, download the pattern PDF and then crochet the doll yourself. People post their dolls in online crochet groups and share their makes with their friends and family and at their local yarn club meetings. So mouth to mouth does the rest. I truly believe a good product sells itself. If your design is able to touch one's heart, the love spreads.

Managing Zabbez

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?

Zabbez is a one-man business with some help from lovely people. I design, crochet, adjust, write the crochet patterns, make photos, and run my shop and social media. For testing my crochet patterns, I work with testers to make sure they are flawless. This is why I think it is such an amazing adventure that brings me a lot of joy. I get to do and enjoy every step of the process and work with lovely people.

The tools and apps I use are few and simple. I work from my laptop with Photoshop and use a professional Canon camera and a small photo booth. That’s it. Professional enough to deliver quality, simple enough to enjoy the process.

As I sell downloadable crochet patterns as a PDF, it is the Etsy website that does all the handling for me. Perfect. I have no worries—no web shops, payment modules, or physical shipping. All I have to do is help customers with the questions they have about yarns, designs, and downloading items. Etsy does the rest.

The future of Zabbez

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

I feel like every question I get I answer the same: have fun! My main goal is to have fun and enjoy myself. If, in a few years, I am still enjoying myself, my adventure is successful. Of course, I need to make a living, so hard work is needed, but I like to work hard if it brings me joy. Fun and happiness are my main drives. I am planning on making a lot more happy and colorful designs and expanding my collection. It is amazing that I make people happy for a living! And I hope to share lots more love through my designs in the future.

Advice for new sellers

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

Have fun and follow your heart! Yes, again :-) When you go on an adventure, be sure to enjoy the steps you take. Everybody does it at their own pace and in their own way.

Be thankful for your customers. It is they who make it possible for you to have this adventure. Treat them with love and as you want to be treated yourself.

The Etsy platform offers a lot of functionality for selling online. It takes away the hassle and the worry, so I can focus on what matters most. designing my dolls.

Thank you for this interview; it was a pleasure to answer your questions. I hope it will inspire others to follow their dreams. And maybe make their lives a little more happy with a cute and happy flower doll.

Bas den Braver
Zabbez