Ep 167 | POD or DTF Etsy Shop: What’s the better fit for you? --with Dori Schmidt

Summary

Episode Summary: Ep 167 | POD or DTF Etsy Shop: What’s the Better Fit for You? --with Dori Schmidt

Podcast Title: How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Host: Lizzie Smiley
Guest: Dori Schmidt
Release Date: February 6, 2025

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I. Introduction

In Episode 167 of "How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy," Lizzie Smiley welcomes her longtime collaborator and Etsy expert, Dori Schmidt. The episode delves into the comparative advantages of Print on Demand (POD) versus Direct to Film (DTF) methods for Etsy sellers, providing valuable insights for both new and seasoned entrepreneurs looking to optimize their Etsy shops.

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II. Introducing Dori Schmidt

Lizzie introduces Dori as a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a rich background in interior design, architecture, and graphic design. Dori’s journey into entrepreneurship began in middle school and evolved significantly after a layoff during the 2007 housing market crash, leading her to launch a successful baby clothing company on Etsy. Today, Dori manages multiple online businesses, including a thriving DTF enterprise, and coaches aspiring sellers with actionable e-commerce strategies.

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III. Overview of POD and DTF

The central discussion revolves around comparing Print on Demand (POD) and Direct to Film (DTF) as viable methods for Etsy shop operations. Lizzie poses the fundamental question: “In your opinion, what makes DTF a better approach than print on demand?” ([06:08]).

Dori’s Explanation of DTF:

Dori explains that DTF stands for Direct to Film, a printing method involving specific inks and powders applied to transfers, which are then heat-pressed onto various products. She differentiates between DTF for soft goods and UV DTF for hard goods, emphasizing the versatility of DTF in handling diverse materials like metal, glass, and wood.

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IV. DTF Benefits over POD

Dori outlines several key advantages of DTF over traditional POD:

1. Higher Profit Margins ([06:29] – [09:06]):

   • DTF offers significantly larger profit margins compared to POD. While POD products typically see margins around 30-50%, Dori reports achieving 70-80% margins in her Shopify store.
   • “I'm looking at an average print on demand product in the 30%, you know, margin really realistically...” – Dori ([07:50])

2. Improved Quality Control ([09:08] – [11:37]):

   • With DTF, sellers have complete control over the production process, reducing quality issues common with third-party POD providers.
   • Dori shares her experience of maintaining high-quality standards, resulting in minimal negative reviews despite high sales volumes.

3. Enhanced Creative Control ([11:37] – [12:30]):

   • DTF allows for unlimited placement and sizing of designs on products, enabling unique and creative customization that POD platforms restrict.
   • “With DTF, I can do as big a print as I want. I can do it up here. I can do it on the sleeve...” – Dori ([11:37])

4. Faster Turnaround Times ([12:30] – [14:22]):

   • DTF enables same-day production and shipping, especially when inventory and DTF prints are on hand, contrasting with the ongoing management required in POD.

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V. How to Implement DTF on Etsy

Dori provides a step-by-step overview of integrating DTF into an Etsy shop:

1. Listing Creation ([18:22] – [19:17]):

   • Incorporate videos into Etsy listings to showcase the production process, enhancing customer trust and engagement.
   • “I also put a video in there too, because we all know, like, with Etsy, you're gonna get, you know, even more view and conversions with videos.” – Dori ([18:22])

2. Order Fulfillment ([19:17] – [21:16]):

   • Upon receiving an order, Dori uses a heat press to apply the DTF transfer to the chosen product, ensuring quick and efficient processing.
   • “I can get stuff out same day anyway.” – Dori ([19:51])

3. Quality Assurance:

   • Dori emphasizes the importance of sampling and quality checks to maintain high standards before scaling production.

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VI. Equipment Needed for DTF

Lizzie and Dori discuss the essential equipment required for DTF operations:

1. Heat Presses ([32:43] – [35:38]):

   • A reliable heat press is crucial for applying DTF transfers. Dori recommends brands like Better Sub, highlighting features such as a slide-out drawer to enhance safety and efficiency.
   • “All you need is a heat press.” – Dori ([32:55])
   • “Better Sub is good and that way you can get them on Amazon...” – Dori ([34:44])

2. Supplementary Tools:

   • Hat presses for customizing apparel like trucker hats.
   • “Do it right, submit it, and you’re set.” – Dori ([36:16])

3. Suppliers and Local Printers ([20:02] – [21:16]):

   • Dori advises against purchasing expensive DTF printers due to high costs and maintenance. Instead, she recommends partnering with local DTF printers who offer reliable services.

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VII. Common Mistakes New Sellers Make

Dori identifies several pitfalls that hinder Etsy sellers from achieving sales success:

1. Lack of Data-Driven Decisions ([41:56] – [43:05]):

   • Sellers often focus solely on creating products they love without considering market demand. Integrating personal passion with trending, high-demand niches is essential.
   • “People are too busy making what they want to make and they're not making data-driven decisions.” – Dori ([41:56])

2. Poor SEO Practices ([43:05] – [45:00]):

   • Incorrect or non-optimized SEO can render listings invisible. Dori emphasizes the importance of using tools like Erank and Everbee to inform SEO strategies.
   • “They have all the wrong SEO in their titles. They just have. They have. No, I just did a shop audit...” – Dori ([43:30])

3. Overcomplicating Designs ([43:18] – [44:48]):

   • Simplicity can often lead to better sales. Complex designs are not always necessary; clear, straightforward designs can perform exceptionally well.
   • “A lot of my good selling things are some of the simplest things.” – Dori ([43:30])

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VIII. Resources and Courses Offered

Both hosts promote their educational resources designed to support Etsy sellers:

1. Lizzie’s Courses and Workshops:

   • Six Figure Secrets to Getting Started on Etsy: A beginner course covering demand analysis, trend utilization, shop setup, and SEO strategies.
   • Live Etsy SEO Workshop: Scheduled for February 27th, offering an SEO overview, algorithm insights, and live shop audits. (Announcement at [04:10] – [05:00])

2. Dori’s Educational Offerings:

   • DTF Domination Course: Comprehensive training on DTF methods and Etsy integration.
   • POD University Course: Focused on print on demand strategies for Etsy.
   • Shop Audits: Affordable video feedback audits providing actionable insights to optimize Etsy shops.

3. Combined Offerings:

   • Enrolling in POD University grants free access to DTF Domination, allowing sellers to explore both avenues for maximizing their Etsy shop potential.

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IX. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Lizzie and Dori expressing their enthusiasm for future collaborations and reiterating the importance of leveraging DTF for Etsy success. They encourage listeners to utilize the provided resources, engage with their content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and apply the discussed strategies to elevate their Etsy businesses.

Notable Closing Quotes:

• “Stay in your lane for now... We're absolutely doing it again, if you're willing.” – Lizzie & Dori ([52:34])
• “Go make something awesome. Bye y'all.” – Lizzie ([54:00])

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Key Takeaways:

• DTF vs. POD: DTF offers higher profit margins, better quality control, greater creative flexibility, and faster turnaround times compared to traditional POD methods.
• Implementation: Successful DTF integration on Etsy requires the right equipment (primarily heat presses), partnering with reliable DTF printers, and incorporating multimedia elements like videos into listings.
• SEO and Data-Driven Strategies: Utilizing tools like Erank and Everbee is crucial for optimizing Etsy listings and ensuring they reach the target audience.
• Educational Resources: Leveraging courses and shop audits can accelerate learning curves and help sellers avoid common pitfalls.
• Community and Collaboration: Engaging with platforms like TikTok and participating in Etsy-focused communities can enhance visibility and sales performance.

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Resources Mentioned:

• Lizzie Smiley’s Offerings:

  • How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
  • Six Figure Secrets to Getting Started on Etsy (Course)
  • Live Etsy SEO Workshop (February 27th)

• Dori Schmidt’s Offerings:

  • Your Etsy Bestie
  • DTF Domination Course
  • POD University Course
  • Shop Audits

• SEO Tools:

  • Erank (Used by Dori)
  • Everbee (Used by Lizzie)

• Equipment Recommendations:

  • Better Sub Heat Press: Recommended for reliability and safety features.
  • DelClynee Heat Press: Alternative option mentioned for specific needs.

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Listener Action Points:

1. Evaluate Your Production Method: Consider switching to DTF if seeking higher profit margins and better quality control.
2. Optimize Your Listings: Use SEO tools like Erank or Everbee to fine-tune your Etsy listings for better visibility.
3. Invest in Quality Equipment: Start with a reliable heat press from recommended brands to ensure consistent product quality.
4. Leverage Educational Resources: Enroll in courses like Six Figure Secrets or DTF Domination to gain comprehensive knowledge and actionable strategies.
5. Engage with the Community: Follow Lizzie and Dori on their respective social media platforms for ongoing tips, trends, and support.

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This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for Etsy sellers contemplating the transition from traditional Print on Demand to the more lucrative and flexible Direct to Film method, backed by expert insights from Dori Schmidt and actionable advice from Lizzie Smiley.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate the life they dream about. If you want to launch, grow, pivot or scale your Etsy shop, or you've always wanted to develop the mindset and skills to run your own business, then I'm your girl. I've had that entrepreneurial spirit going strong since my very first lemonade stand and now I'm a work at home mama with multiple online companies and a full time Etsy shop. All while being present with my kids for the everyday chaos and most important milestones. On this podcast we'll talk about all things business, mindset, Etsy, creativity, dazzling our customers, and so much more. There's plenty of room at this table for you, so scooch on in and let's go. I'm holding nothing back. Welcome to how to sell your stuff on Etsy. I'm so glad you're here. Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. We have such a fresh, fresh, fun new conversation this week on a subject we've just never talked about before, which is dtf. And you will find out what that means here soon. If you are on TikTok, you probably already know your Etsy bestie who is Dory, who's going to be here on the show today and I'm really excited for you to meet. She and I are both real high energy. It's such a fun talk. I feel like we go down all of the best rabbit holes without going too crazy off topic. I'm actually really proud of us. This was just a great conversation and I'm so excited for you to just cozy up to the fireplace with us and chat. Dori is a multi passionate entrepreneur with a knack for turning creativity into thriving businesses. With a background in interior design, architecture and graphic design, she discovered her entrepreneurial spirit early on, relatable with her first entrepreneurial endeavor beginning in the hallways of her middle school flipping lollipops for a profit gangster. She's been addicted to business and the entrepreneurial life ever since. In 2007, life threw a curveball when the housing market crash led to a layoff from her interior design job. But instead of backing down, Dori leaned into resilience and creativity, launching a baby clothing company on Etsy. That decision sparked yet another love affair with entrepreneurship and she never looked back. Today, Dori runs multiple successful online businesses, including a Print on Demand and Press On Demand DTF Enterprise that blends creativity and profitability. As an Etsy and e commerce expert and coach, she now helps aspiring sellers turn their ideas into income by sharing actionable strategies for standing out in competitive markets. Whether it's helping others embrace their potential or scaling their own ventures, Dori is all about combining passion and strategy to create a life of freedom, creativity and impact. Let's dig in you guys. Please help me welcome Dory to the podcast. Sorry guys, I gotta cut in with one last minute announcement. As many of you know, last month I opened up some shop audits on my Instagram. By the way, follow otosellyourstuff. It's where I announce all kinds of things. I can't necessarily just blast here to thousands of you or put out on my email list, but if you follow on Instagra you kind of get the intel. So I did. I tested some shop audits because I have discontinued the one on one coaching and I'm going to take them on as as my schedule allows. I'm so swamped but I'll announce them on my stories when I open them up. However, so many of you been reaching out for some one on one help and specifically new shop owners or people who are thinking about it really want to learn SEO. So I'm going to do a live Etsy SEO workshop on February 27th. It's a Thursday from 7 to 8:30pm Central Time and if get onto that live call, if you if you join us for that call, you will not only get an SEO overview, I will teach you everything from how the algorithm works, how to find good SEO, why it matters, where to put it on your listing, all of the things, all of my secrets. And then I'm going to do a 30 minute Q&A and I'll do as many shop audits as I can on that call. It will not be available for sale after this one. This is a little different. It's going to be just you will get a replay but you will not be able to sign up for this after the fact. So even if you can't come live, if you need some SEO help, this is a great workshop to add. The link is going to be in the show notes. Grab it now. There's early bird pricing. It will go up on February 14th. But if you need help, if you want a one on one kind of shop audit situation, you have some questions you want to ask me personally or you really know you need help with SEO. By the way, if you don't know you need help with SEO, if you are not getting views on your listings, that's an SEO problem. A hundred percent of the time. No views means SEO. Then you are going to want to join me for this workshop, and I'll see some of you there. Now back to the podcast. Yay, Dory. Hi. Welcome to the podcast.

[B]

Hi, Lizzy. How are you? I'm so happy to be here.

[A]

I have to tell you, you've been, like, the highlight of my calendar. I've been looking forward to this for a while. Well, and I'm not a big, like, consumer of other people's content, but I'm obviously, I've been super aware of who you are, and we've DMed for, like, years now. But every time I do see a video of yours, I just get this big smile. I'm like, that's my squirrel energy. That's my, like, my ADHD bestie over there.

[B]

I originally thought when we were talking about doing a podcast, you know, episode together, I thought, oh, my God, I don't know if the people are gonna have enough time in the world to get through this. Between your ADD thoughts and my ADD thoughts, I'm like, I hope Lizzie has, like, five hours to sit out for this.

[A]

You know what, though? What's so interesting is I do think our people listen to this because, as you know, I go off on tangents all the time, and I worry. I'm sure some people, like, leave the podcast over it, but typically those episodes like, oh, who, Gold City Ventures, and why is his name Escaping Cody and Preston Cox, like, they're like us, you know, and it's like. And people love it. I get the most compliments about it. So I think we're gonna be good. Dory. We may have to, like, make this a thing.

[B]

And, I mean, that's where some of the best, like, golden, you know, nuggets of info come from. Was kind of off scripted, so.

[A]

And, like, we're both here to really, like, serve, you know, But I think just like, I would say with someone's Etsy shop, yeah, you're there to serve the customer, and they should be your number one thought. But if you're not having fun, then what's the point? And so at the end of the day, you and I are having fun, Dory, and everyone else can just hang out with us if they want to tolerate our fun.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

Okay, well, I gotta come at you with, like, the ultimate question about dtf, which some people are like, what is that? I promise you, they could play. I just want to start, though. I want to start with like the bottom line, which is in your opinion, what makes DTF a better approach than print on demand? Like, why do you choose to spend your time making your products rather than just all print on demand?

[B]

There's a few big reasons. One of the biggest is profit margins. So profit margins are quite a bit larger than print on demand. Now someone's gonna, you know, listen to this and argue, well, yeah, because like, you're labor. Yeah. But what people don't know or don't understand is that to make your own products with DTF is so fast and so easy and there's such a low barrier to entry as far as, you know, cost of goods to get started. It's really not that big of a deal. Like, even when I am really, really busy and I have, I mean, put it this way, it takes on average 7 seconds, 7, 10 seconds to press a shirt, let's say, and then you repress it for a few seconds, but let's call it 15 seconds per shirt. So do the math. You can do, you know, 50 whatever shirts in an hour and be. I, I could, If I had 50 orders come in in one day, I could literally work for an hour, hour and a half in the morning and be done for the rest of the day. So my point is, is like print on demand really, honestly takes kind of same amount of work. It's just a different kind of work because you're in your Etsy shop constantly, you know, updating things and doing, making designs and all that. But your profit margins that you would see with print on Demand, you know, as we all know, are, you know, 30, 50% somewhere in there. 50%, 60% if you're really, if you have a really good, you know, profitable.

[A]

Super rare.

[B]

Yeah, no, rare. So I mean, you're looking at an average print on demand product in the 30%, you know, margin really realistically, you know, when all of your fees and all that stuff are taken out with dtf. My profit margins on my Shopify site, for instance, I mean, they tell me what my profit margins are when I put in my cost per goods and then, you know, my retail and I have 70 to 80% profit margins in my Shopify store.

[A]

So that's insane.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. And you know, it depends on the product. There are some products where you can have like a T shirt, so for instance, a comfort colors, T shirt on, you know, and print on demand through print a fire, you know, whatever the print provider is. And again, depending on whether you have like Printify premium or Not. I mean, you're looking at maybe $15, let's say, you know, for your cost put into that. Well, I can buy that comfort color shirt for, you know, $5 and I can transfer on it. That cost me like a one or two dollars, and I can sell it. I sell them all day long for 32 to 36 dollars on my site. So hats are another huge thing. Profit for hats, like trucker hats, stuff like that. So anyway, profitability. I'll stay on track here because profitability.

[A]

No, you are. I'm eating it up.

[B]

Profitability is. Is one thing. So profit margins would be number one. Quality control would be a huge number two because, you know, as good as are, you know, Printify, printful, whoever you use, as good as they are, they are not you. And they have employees. And. And ultimately there are quality issues, placement issues, you know, quality issues. As far as the print goes, all that. With dtf, there's zero quality issues because if you have a quality DTF supplier, which I do, and they happen to be local, so I can literally drive there and pick up my DTF prints same day if I want to. I'm in control of everything that goes out. And I tell you, like, when I started my TikTok shop, I started one year ago in January of 2024, and I sold over $50,000 last year in just TikTok shop. And Lizzie. The crazier part to all of this is that one single shirt was responsible for over a thousand of those 2000 sales. One single design. So, yeah, I'm tired of making that T shirt. But that's okay. It paid my bill. And my. My point to that is that I. So I now have, you know, over 2,000 sales in my TikTok shop that, you know, brought in over $50,000 in revenue. But I have literally one bad review. And that one bad review came way early on when I was learning there was a learning curve. And it was completely my fault. I forgot to, like, pre press the shirt before I press the transfer on. And long story short, they washed it and it started peeling. But I never did that again and I never had a bad review again. So control is. Is a huge one. The two other biggest things would be the creative control over it, essentially, because, you know, with print on demand, we have certain areas, print areas and stuff that we have to stay within. With etf, I can do as big a print as I want. I can do it up here. I can do it on the sleeve, I can do it on the back. I can do it in the armpit. It doesn't matter. I can do it anywhere. So your creative control is there are endless possibilities there. And then, I mean you can argue my last thing would be turnaround time can be faster, but that really just depends on your resources. So I happen to have inventory. Yeah, I. Behind, behind the screen here is my wall of shirts and sweatshirts that I was hiding.

[A]

I'm sad I don't get to see that actually. Then all the colors behind you, I.

[B]

Can pull it down. You can see it. I was just doing that for sake of your podcast so it didn't look like a crazy mess going on behind there. But I can when I get orders in. So it's funny because I'll get orders either through Etsy or TikTok Shop or my website. I'm sitting there at the computer working, the order comes in. I'm already making stuff, right. So I make it and I like ship it out in like 10 minutes and I get an email from something. They're like, I just placed an order and like it already says it shipped. Is that true? And I'm like, oh yeah. Like I'm literally just sitting here like making them. It's like this open 24 hours shop that I can just, you know, make stuff at the drop of a dime. So you know, I can get stuff out same day anyway. Those, those would be like the top, top things, you know, benefits of DTF and you know, making it yourself versus print on demand.

[A]

That complete. Like I asked that question for myself too and that completely exceeded my expectations. Dory, I, I would never would have guessed profit margins because once you factor in labor. But I had no appreciation for how fast it can be.

[B]

Yeah. So the, that's the thing is people are like, well yeah, but you're making it. I'm like, yeah, but I'm working an hour a day. And yes everyone, if you're doing your Etsy shop right, you're working an hour a day in your Etsy shop too. Right.

[A]

You know, so the only real downside would be inventory, which you know, as someone for I had like a mock up shop for a while and for as someone who like bought all of the shirts to take pictures of it was it's not that expensive. I think I got like, I don't know, 50 shirts for 200 bucks.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Kind of thing like something crazy. It was not bad at all. It was not. It's the storing of it. But that would be, that would be the hardest part.

[B]

It is, but that's one of the things I have a module in my DTF Domin Domination course. I have a module that teaches students how to get started with it slowly without getting overwhelmed because I left out because I have a warehouse within 30 minutes and I have a DTF printer, you know, supplier within 30 minutes. I can get everything I need same day. But you know, even if you're in the boonies, I give them all of my resources inside. So worst case scenario, as long as they learn the timing of their resources, they know that that's their maximum turnaround time. And most of them you're talking like even if you're out in the kind of the boonies, I would still say your turnaround time, you know, for shirts or like blanks or anything like that. It depends where you're ordering from. You know, you're only talking these days, a couple of days maybe. And there's even, there's even places I want to say it's Jiffy Shirts.

[A]

Yeah, I ordered from them. They're great. Actually it was pretty fast.

[B]

That have like a membership where if you pay like 29 or something stupid low, they guarantee next day delivery or something. So there's, there's ways around it. There's ways around it. And then like my DTF people that print mine, yes, I can drive there and I can go pick them up same day. But they also have 24 hour turnarounds. So anyone you know who's ordering DTF prints from them, they will ship out within 24 hours. So. And you can select your shipping method if you want it to come quickly.

[A]

I think like post pandemic supply issues are nothing like they were. I mean in 2020 it was a nightmare at times even making. We couldn't get wood for the signs, we couldn't get chalk, paint. It was a whole thing these days.

[B]

20 times the cost after that. Yeah.

[A]

You know what is the hardest thing for me these days to get is shipping boxes because we need a special, a special size for our like engraved boxes. Dory I want it. There's so many. It's beginning of the year. There's so many new people coming to Etsy and listening. So I do want to break this down. I want to kind of back up a little bit after going at you with that question. Most people I think now kind of know what Print on Demand is where you upload the design to somewhere like Printify and then they print the product and ship it for you. But what like I can't even. What does DTF stand for and how like walk Us through the process. How do you sell DTF on Etsy? Like in a, you know, in just like a short synopsis.

[B]

Yeah, DTF stands for direct to film, and essentially all. Direct to film. Yes, it's direct to film. And it's the printing method that is used. So they're. They're using specific inks and powders on the transfers.

[A]

So, like, oh, you guys need to watch on YouTube. She's gonna show. Hold up an example if you want to see. Just go watch on YouTube.

[B]

So they look like this cute. And, you know, it's print on the back. It has white. It's kind of like direct to garment printing. They do the white, you know, ink first, and then they lay the colors over it. But it's printing direct to film. And then this goes on your, you know, shirt and your heat press, and you press it on. So there's actually two types. There's dtf, which is for soft goods, and then there's UV dtf, which is for hard goods. And of course, I don't have anything within reach at the moment, but UV DTF would be used for any of your hard surfaces. And this is why it's so amazing. You can do DTF or UV DTF on, like, make anything metal, glass, wood. I. I make Libby cups and tumblers and keychains. And there's so much fun stuff you can do with it. It's really crazy. So DTF is direct to film. Let's see. What was the second part of that? That.

[A]

Well, let me ask this real quick. Is it different from vinyl?

[B]

Yes. Yeah, it is. So vinyl. Vinyl is now definitely, like, you know.

[A]

As they're phasing out.

[B]

Right. Five minutes ago.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

I mean, there are still many, many successful crafters using vinyl and Cricut. And they're, you know, I. I can't speak to the quality of their stuff, but I'll tell you, vinyl, now, it will eventually typically stretch, crack, peel. It doesn't have the longevity of dtf. And for those of you who are watching this, that you have done vinyl and Lizzie, I know you've done. You've done it with your signs, right?

[A]

Reverse. We would make stencils. We would use the cut. We had that kind of cutter, and we made stencils to paint.

[B]

Okay, well, with. With vinyl, there's a thing called weeding where you have to. So if you know what. Weeding it. Weeding is very tedious and it's obnoxious. So, like, there's no such. Nobody's got time for that. So there are people who do that. Typically, it's a smaller base, you know, at home. Crafty mom who has a little side business. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But my opinion would be, once you've discovered DTF white in the world, would you ever go back to vinyl? For sure. Yeah.

[A]

So, okay, so. So the other thing I had said was, like, walk us through how so, like, you put a listing on Etsy.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

And then how do you make this product? Like, what would the steps be? Someone orders it. You know, you put a T shirt with a. Your design on it.

[B]

Yeah, I usually will also put a video in there too, because we all know, like, with Etsy, you're gonna get, you know, even more view and conversions with videos. So I try to make a video. Every time I make a product, a version of one of my shirts or my hats or something, I try to make a video of it and upload that into my Etsy listings too, so they can truly see that, like, it's me making it. But my process is in the morning, I walk in my room, I turn on my heat press and my hat press, which is right there, and wait for it to heat up for a few minutes. Look at my orders. Order comes into Etsy, and it's like, you know, this shirt on, this color and this size. I go behind this mysterious wall back there and I pick up that shirt or that sweatshirt and I. I have a. I'll tilt my camera over this.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Oh, those are all of the. Okay, the prints, the DTF prints.

[B]

These are all the DTF prints that I have kind of neatly organized and stored there. Yeah, I have a visual memory, so it's like I know right where each one is just from grabbing it a million times. Yeah. And I put the T shirt on the heat press and I press it for a few seconds and peel off the transfer, press it again to really just, you know, get. Make sure it's really adhered and pack. Just. I have all my packing stuff right here ready to go. I pack everything, label it, and. And then ship it out.

[A]

You mentioned you have a DTF printer. So those actual designs, you're making the design and then you're what, sending a PNG to somebody to make it for you? Or can someone get that printer in their house? Can they have that piece as well or.

[B]

I do not recommend it. Okay, so there's sublimation. Yeah, there's sublimation and then there's dtf. You can get a sublimation printer, much less expensive than you can get DTF printer. And you can even like convert printers, regular printers to sublimation and so on and so forth. But we're not going to even talk about sublimation because sublimation is very similar. For those that are listening and don't know, it's very similar. But there are a lot of limitations with sublimation. But it's essentially the same thing. It's a transfer that you heat press on something with dtf. No, I do not recommend printing your own. The machines are large, very expensive and you're talking about a headache with maintenance and supplies and a headache I would never in a million years. And one of the questions I always get about my DTF course is do I have to buy a DTF printer? And I'm like girl, do you think I would put you in a, you know, course that's 197 or whatever it is at the time, you know, and make you buy a three thousand dollar printer?

[A]

No.

[B]

So I, like I said, I give my resources inside the course. But I also tell students, you know, if you live, chances are DTF is so big now that chances are you can probably find your own local printer that you can have that relationship with that. I do. So I.

[A]

Would you like go to, Would you like search DTF printer? Is that what I would search?

[B]

So yeah, I, I think when I found.

[A]

Yeah, nearby.

[B]

Yeah, DTF printing nearby. There you go. And my. So the people that print mine, they used to be into screen printing and embroidery. Embroidery. But you'll find out that, but they're, they know that the market is moving in different directions now and a lot of the screen printers and embroidery have either quit doing that or have added on DTF to what they offer. So in my case they've pretty much stopped doing embroidery and a lot of the screen printing and they only offer DTF and UV DTF printing services now. So that's all they do.

[A]

Are you a print on demand or digital product Etsy seller who's tight on time or still learning all of the Etsy secrets? I totally remember the days of having no idea what product to create next before I learned how to make those informed decisions so I can really identify with where you're at. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be to just create listing after listing and see little to no results. You wonder what you're doing wrong and just. You just want someone to tell you what to create that's actually going to sell. Where are those opportunities? So Let me give you a leg up with my weekly trends and opportunities report. You just join my membership and every Monday I'm going to send you an email with a list of exactly what is trending right now with a video tutorial showing you how I found those trends and how to apply them in your shop. We're taking guesswork and time, extensive time off of your table. I'm also going to send you five print on demand and digital product opportunities that are growing in demand right now. Helping new shops make sales and still have very low saturation in the marketplace place so your tight schedule, your newbie status doesn't have to hold you back anymore. I'm going to help you earn while you learn. You can grab my free demo to start and see an example of what the weekly trends and opportunities email looks like right from the show Notes, see what you're going to get and I will see you on the inside soon. So then the only thing you have to buy, you obviously have to have canva or something to create the design in. Yeah, you're sending the printer, your files to actually create the sticky thing for you to put on the shirt.

[B]

Yeah. So there's two ways you can buy transfers. You can buy them as single transfers just like this and they're pre cut to whatever size your design is. Or you can buy a gang sheet which is again there, it's out of reach at the moment. But a gang sheet is just a very long continuous roll of transfers and you can just tetris all your PNGs on the gang sheet however you want. That way when you're printing as much as or you know, making as much as I am, it cuts your cost down because a single DTF transfer, if you're just printing like one or two or five at a time or something, this might cost you, you know, four, five dollars a piece which obviously that would add a lot to your bottom line for your pro your eat into your profit margins. So on a gang sheet I print 240 inch long. I print basically 12ft long gang sheets at a time and they have hundreds of prints on them. So I can get my cost down to, you know, a$ish. It depends on the size of the design but so you can do you upload your png, they have what's on their website, it's called a ganger and essentially you just drag and drop your PNGs in there and you can scale it up and down and twist it all around and fit as many, you know, images as you can on that sheet and make sure they're not overlapping and all of that. And. And then you submit it. And then, you know, I get a text like your order's ready, and I go pick it up.

[A]

What was impressive too, about that design you held up is it almost looks. Looked like it was iridescent, like at. In places. So can you. You can get like an ombre effect. Could you get like.

[B]

So this is ombre with the color, but.

[A]

Right. Yeah, it's cool.

[B]

Yeah. It's not see through because, you know, we have white on the back. Right. That's the other. Okay. So you're glitter.

[A]

Can you do glitter?

[B]

There are versions of DTF with glitter. Yeah. It depends on your printer and what they offer. They can. They can have, yeah, foil options, the metallic options, glitter options, things like that. Yeah. I don't personally use anything with glitter because it just. My brand is not glitter at all.

[A]

No, it's not.

[B]

No. The other amazing thing about it, I'm gonna grab this one for instance. The color and the accuracy is just so. Yeah, the colors are beautiful. There is no limitation. So we talked about sublimation for a, you know, briefly, for a minute. But there's no limitations with DTF on what kind fabric you can put it on and what color can go on what. It's just. It's so versatile. It's like, I don't know why anyone would use anything else so dory. And there's no setup fees. You know, like with screen printing, there's a setup fee because it's a pain in the butt to like burn the screen and you have all these messy inks and all of that. Of course they're going to charge you to set that up, especially if you're making, you know. And then what are you going to do? You. You launch a design and you pay for the setup fee, and then you end up not selling it and whatever. So with this, I mean, I tell my students, start off with, you know, one. I only carry comfort color shirts. That's it. And I use. I do Gilden sweatshirts right now. And considering. I'm considering changing to the Sponge. The Bella sponge fleece because they're so nice and comfy.

[A]

Wait, what? I don't even know about this yet. I need to get one immediately. Bella has a good sweatshirt.

[B]

They have a good. It's called sponge fleece. I'm forgetting the. The sponge fleece. The numb. You know, like the SKU number that they call it. But. But they have a hoodie and a regular sweatshirt. It's called a sponge fleece and it's.

[A]

I'm gonna order one from you. Oh, you don't have them yet? Do you have them yet?

[B]

You can honestly, you can just order one like regular price from Amazon. They have on Amazon for like 20 something bucks. The only reason I haven't made the jump right yet is number one, I have some stock of Gildan to move through this season.

[A]

I do love the Gildan cruise.

[B]

I do. Yeah. I mean, I. I don't know if I'm gonna switch yet. It's really tough. All in cost, you know, for what I have in a Gildan sweatshirt and versus what I charge for it, I'm like, I can't really, honestly, I feel like I can't charge that much more for the Bella. And the Bella is twice as much as the Gilda and 18.

[A]

Okay. So there's. Yeah, See, this is part of the, the inventory. Do you know if Printify has these yet? The sponge fleece?

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

I just order one of my own. That's amazing.

[B]

Then. Okay, Pretty sure they do. And now I'm like, yeah, I'm pretty sure they do. If not, just like I said, order one for you. I ordered three for myself. They're probably in my mailbox right now from Amazon. Just because, like when I order, I'm not ready to order them for my business yet. And I just want some for my own. That they're so light. So I hate hoodies because they always go like this and pull back and I'm always doing this and it drives me nuts.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Well, my husband came home from a bourbon whiskey trail trip in Kentucky with his best friend.

[A]

Man after my own heart.

[B]

And he brought me a sweatshirt from Castle Key and he was. I. I'm like, okay. But it was a hoodie. And I'm like, oh, God, I'm gonna hate this. Whatever. And I put it on. I'm like, this is my new favorite sweatshirt. Well, they had branded it there, so I didn't know what brand it was, but I have connections. So I got him, I like one of my Facebook groups. And I'm like, girls, tell me, what sweatshirt is this? And I gave them a close up and they're like, oh, that looks like the. And sure enough, it was the Bella. And so there you go. It does. It's so lightweight and spongy. It doesn't. The hoodie doesn't pull back. It's so lightweight and fluffy. The Gildan are not. The Gildan are good, but they're not nearly as soft. Wow. They're. They're a great all around budget friendly sweatshirt for sure. But if you want to kick it up a notch, I'm loving the Bella sponge fleece. I love comfort colors tees. I don't love their sweatshirts. Just. They're not.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I agree.

[B]

Yeah. I love the look of that washed vintage stuff for the 1566 and all that and the 1466, but they're not soft enough for me, so. Yeah.

[A]

Anyway, literally. Literally, I'm gonna be like, bye, Dory orders.

[B]

Even my mom, who's like way past into past and into menopause, who is like, hot flashing all the time, was like, buying one of the sweatshirts because she. She felt it on me and she was like, oh, my God, I want it. I want one of those. And I'm like, mom, the lightweight sounds.

[A]

Good for us Southern girls. Like, we need that. We can't have the. The bulky. Wait, Dory, I. You may already know this, but I have to. We have. I'm sorry. I'm going off script, as I always do. No, I. I know, I know. I'm sure you're shocked. I just interviewed the other day. It will have aired before this episode. One of the top sellers on the new platform, Michael's Maker Place. Have you explored this at all yet?

[B]

So I got invited to. Yeah, they. They reached out to me and I got invited to the Maker's Place. And Lizzy, I was so proud of myself.

[A]

Did you say no because you say yes to everything?

[B]

Exactly. I was like, you know, I'm like, oh, I had such FOMO because I'm like, you know, people are getting sick of Etsy that, you know, they're going to be looking for other platforms.

[A]

Oh, yeah. I'm like, I'm doing it.

[B]

Oh, are you?

[A]

I was like, I'm doing it, girl.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Physical products, you and me, we need to be there. Like people. You and me, we will be two squirrels in a. I know. You know what? Here, I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what. So first of all. First of all, she's making as much on Maker Place as she is on Etsy because the fees are way cheaper. And they're sent. They're doing off site ads for free. So they are sending ridiculous traffic from Google and they're sending emails to their entire list. But more importantly than that, they need experts. So you and me, kid, yeah, we could be there. We could be their OGs. I know, I'm sorry. But here's what I'll tell you.

[B]

What?

[A]

I'll tell you what. Stay in your lane for now. I'm doing totally different products. I'm doing engraved boxes. Let me go check it out. And I will be in your Marco Polo all the time telling you what's happening, and we'll go from there.

[B]

Did you start the story yet or you're just, like, starting to set it up?

[A]

I'm just starting this. So, like, this is our episode is going to air weeks after that interview. But by the time this airs, I will have started the shop. I'm start. I'm relaunching my physical product, Etsy shop first. Then I'm doing that because their customer service is spectacular and I'm in direct contact with two of the executives, and that means I can advocate for our sellers who have problems. It's a whole different thing than Etsy where I'm just like, I, I'm an expert and I wish I could do something, but literally no one will respond to me at Etsy. You know what I mean? Like, I've got no pull. I'm like, I can have pull. This gives me so much power for my sellers. So, okay, I went down the rabbit hole. I put a bug in your ear. I am not trying. I really get it. Doing too many things.

[B]

I really get it out to me months ago and I politely declined because I was just like, too much, too much. I don't have another hand to put in another jar.

[A]

You follow your gut on that. You follow your gut. But I was, I will tell you, I was shocked at the success this seller is having on makerplace. I thought it was going to be like, I was really excited about Go Imagine. I still think it's a great platform. I think Go Imagine is a platform where you have to send your own traffic. So if you're good to do social media and everything, go kill it on Go Imagine. They're trying to grow. Michael's is entirely different because they, they're Michaels.

[B]

Yeah. And I, I, I, I need more things that I'm not having to drive my. I have enough things that I need to drive my own traffic. I don't know.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so, okay, fine, I've done it. I put it there. I respect whatever boundary you need. I do want to ask you so back on, back on script. I want to ask you so it sounds like the only thing we have to have for dtf. I always want to say, I also, I always want the T to be transfer. Is it transferred direct to film? Direct to film.

[B]

Direct to film.

[A]

I'M never going to get that ever. It for the forever. I'm going to say direct transfer format or something ridiculous. I need to know though, what machine do we need? We don't. Someone else is going to print the designs for us.

[B]

Press. Yeah.

[A]

What machine do we need?

[B]

What is the press? All you need is a heat press. So the funny thing is. Yeah, the funny thing is, is my heat press, my computer that I'm talking to you on right now is sitting on top of my heat press.

[A]

Stop it. To give you the perfect elevation.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

The way I am. Oh, my gosh. Is it pink?

[B]

Yes, it's pink. And I have a matching hat press in aqua and I have another pink one as a backup. Okay.

[A]

So it's different depending on the type of product you want to do. And then the UV one would be a different product as well. Right? A different type of product.

[B]

Uv, you just pe. You push it on with your fingers and peel it off. You don't need. You don't press it, you don't supplement. No, it's literally.

[A]

That would be the cheapest. You could do phys. You could do hard products and you wouldn't need anything other than the prints.

[B]

See how it's clear so you. There, it's two layers. So you peel it off, you put it on your product and you smooth it out and make sure you get all the bubbles out and then you peel it off and boom, you have your.

[A]

No, you just cracked this whole thing. This is for people who don't have the money to get started. Yeah, they can do that. And that is utterly insane.

[B]

Even if Lizzie. I mean my heat press brand new was. Was 300, but I, I bought like a. Not a. Not a crazy expensive one.

[A]

Yeah. What's a good brand? A good starter brand?

[B]

Well, so on Amazon I have. I would say better sub is 1, which is what I have. I have better sub the 15 by 15. The slide out drawer is a must and that's what can drive your cost up just a little bit because otherwise you're going to burn your knuckles constantly. You definitely want the slide out drawer. Fancier Studios has one on Amazon and Heat Press Nation has a lot too. But he, you know, you're going to be paying more for Heat Press Nation. But my point is, is that like I went. I spent more than I even needed to really. But you can get. You can find these all day long on Facebook Marketplace. Like use for like 50 bucks. So that's.

[A]

Look for the better sub brand would be ideal.

[B]

Yeah. Look Better sub Is good and that way you can get them on Amazon and that way if you have any problems, like I happened to have a problem with one of my first ones and I got a new one replacement easy. No problem because it was, you know, Amazon. So yeah, better sub is, is pretty well known for, for theirs. Especially when you're just starting off if you're talking to like the big league people that do this, like. Yeah, I mean I am one of the people that doesn't but I, my point is is I am one of those people and I do not need and do not use an expensive key press. Mine Brand new is $300. You can get in to doing this for you know, 100, $150 easily. Especially on Facebook Marketplace.

[A]

I'm so excited. I'm probably going to do it. I don't have the time to double the nanny's time from Amazon. Okay. The hat thing, you've got my attention because I feel like hats are trucker hats are so hot right now.

[B]

Oh my gosh. Yes. I just put like it's not this one but it's similar in, in my.

[A]

Shop and that green is ridiculous.

[B]

Yeah. So this green was, is doing really well and it has like a gold chain on it and stuff. But anyway I put a one of a version in my Etsy shop and I've sold like I don't know, 15 of them in the last like two weeks. It's crazy. And yeah, those are patches so you can do DTF on hats but I also have 5 million embroidered patches that I that I can put on them too. And it's the easiest, fastest thing. It's so easy and it's.

[A]

So is it the same tool? It's the same tool for that.

[B]

Yeah. The hat, what is that called?

[A]

How do you know? Well you just call it a hat hot press.

[B]

And that, Sorry, that also is from Amazon. It was like 120 bucks.

[A]

And is there. Okay. So the reason I keep asking the brands is when we just bought our laser engraver, you know there's like the really known, well known brands which of course are escaping. Oh Thunder is like the really good high end one. And then what's the typical laser engraver brand? Say it again. Yeah, the X tool. But when I went on Facebook Marketplace there were a bunch of like for sale that were off brands and I didn't want to have a bunch of tech issues. Like that's why I'm so, I don't want to, to send someone down this rabbit hole because I know people are Excited. Because if I'm ready to go start another one of these businesses, then other people are too. Is it the same brand?

[B]

Michael's Place. I'll get you started in dtf.

[A]

Yes, girl. And then we're. You know what? We will. We need to take a. Take a vacation together. Let's go to like Cabo or something and we'll write it off.

[B]

Etsy's like Etsy gurus retreat. Like, where we all just go like that would.

[A]

I have been trying. Everyone's trying to get pregnant. I. I have been trying to. I. Yeah, you and me. It's gonn join me. It's gonna be fine. I knew we could do two be so fun. What if we did like a. What if we did like a Etsy seller retreat? And like, we could go hang out on the beach and stuff. But be like, anyone listening? Like, if you want to come, here's the resort. We could do a whole.

[B]

We could have with that for sure.

[A]

Absolutely. And I'll just like get to hang out. Okay. Hat press though. Same brands. Do we look for the same brands? Better stub Fancier.

[B]

No. So this is. No, it's a different brand. I can't even pronounce it. So I'll spell it. It. It's okay. D E, L, C L Y N E, E. Exactly.

[A]

That's not even a word. D E L C L Y N E E. Del.

[B]

Clean, I guess is how you say that.

[A]

Wow. I mean, well, it's probably like, it's probably foreign made, which is fine.

[B]

100 so. And it's been awesome. I did learn my lesson one day when I had 40 something tick tock shop or Tick Tock Shop orders to get out my better sub that I originally told you I had issues with. At one point the heating element just like decided literally just not one day. And I was like, I have to get these orders out. So my transfer people who are. They're literally like my family now. They're like my mom and dad. They're an older couple who never had children. And I called her. I'm like, rebecca, do you have an extra heat press? And she's like, yeah, come pick it up. So I brought home their. A little side heat press they had and I finished my orders. But better sub was really good. I got a replacement, no problem. But it took, you know, a few days to get it. But anyway, now I have two of everything because I have a backup.

[A]

Are you brand new to Etsy, about to get started or struggling a bit to find your groove? What I'm about to say is just for you, okay, I can completely relate to where you're at because I think I can help you achieve success faster. When I first started my Etsy shop, it was not one of those success stories that we hear on, you know, on the big YouTube channels, even on this podcast where I just had crazy success and it took off right away. I all but failed for my first six months, just like a lot of new sellers. And so it's very relatable. And the issue for me was I didn't understand demand for one, I didn't understand SEO. I was way too broad in my search terms and I didn't know how to position my product so that customers just couldn't help but click add to cart. And so once I learned those things, I went from making about $25 a month in sales to $6,000 a month and up. And in the holidays, I would even have $13,000 months, like at my shop's peak. And the thing about me, if you've been here for a minute, you already know this. I'm a terrible gatekeeper, okay? When I figure something out, when I crack a code, when I get excited, I cannot help but tell everybody who wants to listen. It's like either my, my best asset or my toxic trait. I can't decide. But I put everything that you need to know to fill that beginner knowledge gap into a low ticket, just under three hours beginner course that I have called Six figure secrets to getting started on Etsy. In it, I'm teaching you how to find what's in demand for your niche, how to find and use trends, how to start your shop. If you're worried about that part. SEO strategy to find the micro niches where the opportunity is, how to understand the Etsy algorithm, and a ton more. The whole thing is bite sized videos. Not long form, just small bite sized videos, zero fluff and to the point. You could get the course today, go through the less than three hours over the next couple days, launch your shop this weekend and have sales coming in as soon as Sunday. So let's get you the few missing pieces of the Etsy success puzzle, those little tweaks you need to make so you can start making the sales that you deserve. Because I have never been more convinced that there is room at this table on Etsy for everyone. And the opportunity is so ripe right now. I am in the numbers in the data every day and my mind just keeps expanding on the possibilities. Okay, so. So as a special treat, use the code save50 to save $50 on the six figure secrets course today. That's $50 off with a coupon. Save 50. And by all means DM me or shoot me an email when those sales start popping because I want to celebrate with you. Okay. Literally. I freaking love talking to you. We could talk forever, Lindsey. No, I did too. I knew the second we would actually get to be live together, it was going to be game, set, match, and we're going to be able to do so many collabs and things together. Let's go ahead and. Because we got to wrap up here. What do you think is more important to talk about big mistakes that you see sellers making that don't make them sales or like. Yeah, let's do that one. Because I feel like we always talk tips for new people. We've covered a lot of that. Tell me when people are making mistakes. I think, yeah, just however you want to handle that question. What mistakes you see that really keep people from making sales? That they could switch changes.

[B]

I'd say the biggest thing. Well, it doesn't matter if it's Etsy or any platform. I'd say the biggest thing is people are too busy making what they want to make and they're not making data driven decisions. Boom, boom, boom. I mean, I, I'm guilty of it. We're all guilty of it. Okay, long story, really short and quick backstory about how I even got on Etsy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

My very first Etsy shop was in 2007 and I sold baby clothing. And let me tell you right now, this was long before print on demand. I. It wasn't even a twinkle in anyone's eye. Lizzie. I was hand stamping letters in text with fabric paint on baby ones.

[A]

Oh, fabric paint.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

We just dated ourselves.

[B]

Yep. Yep. Yeah. So anyway, I feel like it's back. That's beside the point. But I would say if it's. There's. They're too busy making stuff that they love now. There's no reason you can't make things you love and merge it with things that are in demand. But you have to understand how to, to find the data to. To merge those two things together. Because it don't matter what you like.

[A]

Yeah, that's. I, Yes, I agree.

[B]

So that would be, that would be a big thing. I would say people forget that simple cells. Okay. They overcomplicate it. I would say that's a big thing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

They, they think, especially when they're a new like print on demand seller, they think they have to have these amazing design skills. And let me tell you, I come from a graphic design background. I'm very knowledgeable in that.

[A]

And yeah, you're really good.

[B]

While it helps me, it's a detriment to me also because I will tell you that a lot of my, you know, a lot of my good selling things are some of the simplest things. And you know, like Britney's told you before too, like her. One of her most best selling things of all time was a black and white text or something, you know, T shirt. I will say that you. Yeah, it doesn't have to be complicated. So I would say people overcomplicate things. They sell what they like without any data driven, you know, data. And they have all the wrong SEO in their titles. They just have. They have. No, I just did a shop audit for someone yesterday who she had all of the same SEO and all of her titles. It was the exact same thing. And unfortunately it was zero keywords that anyone was looking for on era. So those would be the. I was like, girl, this shop audit's easy. You gotta just change all these titles. Yeah, I mean so. And SEO is also not always the most important thing too. Right. You know, demand is super, super important. But in or if you're gonna get your products seen, you also have to have that correct SEO because that's what people are typing in the search bar. So yeah, those, if I had to narrow it down to three things, I'd say that covers top three probably.

[A]

I think those are perfect. And, and for newbies listening, like what we mean by data driven decisions is that. And you really need a third party tool to use this. Adori uses Erank, which is a spectacular tool. I use Everbee.

[B]

Yeah, I use. You do use. Yeah, I used.

[A]

I only use Everbee. And that's a spectacular tool. And what it tells me is how many people are searching for a particular word on Etsy and that lets me know that there is demand. Whereas I had this problem with my signs where everyone loved reclaimed wood but no one was searching for reclaimed wood. So I had, I wasn't getting found. And as soon as I changed it to the words that people were looking for, which was hand painted wood sign at that time, this was a long time ago, I don't know what it would be now I started getting sales. Say again.

[B]

I was like, don't give away your keywords. No, I'm kidding. Yeah.

[A]

Oh no, gladly I would. I'm not doing signs again for nothing. Someone else take the mantle. And then the other thing is looking for finding opportunities where it's low competition. So if, like, right now, if you. If you use the word, would sign, that's all well and good, but you're competing against millions of other listings, and so you're gonna be on page 724 of the Search results that no one's gonna get to. So unless you use paid ads, you're not gonna. You're not gonna organically win on the platform.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So we mean by data driven, establish demand and find opportunities that are low competition. And we both have content on that in our courses on YouTube. YouTube.

[B]

So go.

[A]

Go find it.

[B]

Yeah. So much people ask me, where do I start? I'm like, my Tick Tock page. I have like, yeah. Hundreds and hundreds of videos that, you know, teach you stuff.

[A]

So, yeah, your Tick Tock is outstanding.

[B]

Oh, thank you. It's. I. It's getting a labor of love.

[A]

A labor of love.

[B]

No, I. You know, I love it. Actually. This has been the only platform where I don't feel. I don't feel. What's the word. The words escaping me right now, but I don't feel like when I. When I have to go post.

[A]

That was way better than the word.

[B]

Yeah. I don't dread it. Put it that way. Like, I literally will sit here at my desk and I'm, like, doing something. I'm like, oh, that'll be fun to post about. And I'm like, boom, on my phone. Here I am talking to people. Like, there's no thought. No, I. There's no. It doesn't feel like a burden. It comes so freely, and I really, honestly enjoy it. And that's probably part of the reason why it grew quickly also because I'm teaching something and people want to learn. Right. And they want to learn ways to make money and all of that. Popular subject. But, yeah, I grew. It grew pretty quickly, and I had no idea so it was gonna do.

[A]

But also, like, like, real talk, you were made for the camera. Like, you're. You are really good on camera. You're very engaging. It doesn't hurt that you're gorgeous. Like, you. You are literally like. I think it's like part of what you were meant to do is to be. So good job. Tell us you're helping so many students with. With Etsy, with dtf. Tell us some of the resources that you have available that will link for people if they. If they're like, you know what? Dory is my person. I love her, identify with her. I want to do dtf. What do you have available.

[B]

I. You can find me everywhere. I made it super easy. You can find me everywhere. Everywhere at your Etsy bestie. So my website. Your. Your etsy bestie. My TikTok. Your Etsy bestie. Instagram. Your Etsy bestie. I post all of my content right now on TikTok. So you'll notice I have like 45,000 followers or something on TikTok and about 900 on Instagram because I literally don't post there. I'm even too lazy to cross post. But you know, heaven forbid, if anything were going to happen in TikTok, obviously I'll be switching over to Instagram. But as of right now, we have a grace period with TikTok. So I will be, you know, all of my content will continue mostly to come through there. But yeah, I have a free training there in my bio which actually yo. You have the link for it, Lizzie, because it's in my. My website link. If they go to my website, they'll. The train training is the very first thing they'll see. And that's a great place to start. It actually teaches them, it's called pod potential, but it teaches them both sides of pod. It teaches them print on demand, like my process for that. And also the other pod, which I'm considering, press on demand. Okay, so.

[A]

Oh, cute.

[B]

Yes. So it's two types of pod and it just. That's a free training. It's, you know, under an hour long and it just goes through my process and they can decide, you know, like what fits them best. The cool thing about DTF and knowing both sides of it, I want to point out really quick is that I can pull levers in my business whenever I want to. What I mean by that is let's say that one shirt that I had on TikTok shop kind of go like viral. We'll say I sold over 1000 of like just that one shirt. If I didn't want to do that though, Lizzie, I could very easily set that up with print on demand and then just, just.

[A]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[B]

And same with Etsy. Like if it went viral, you know, and on Etsy or doesn't have to go viral on Etsy, but you know what I'm saying? If it, if it picked up traction to the point where you're like, I don't want to make all these. I can flip that lever or that switch and I can just integrate that in a pod format and they can take off, you know. But what I would do first is I would get a sample of that. A hard proof sample. Get a sample. Yeah, yeah. Because I have gotten a few of those to like ahead of time when I see something getting traction and I'm like, I might want to hand this off to Pod at some point. I've gotten a couple samples where, you know, the colors were off and, and I'm like, okay, we're not quite there yet and I have to, you know, fix it. But yeah, I can pull the levers and, and I can make it more hands off if I need to. But I love hand making that. I genuinely love it. Lizzie, if all I did was Pod and digital products, it was all passive of what the heck would I do with myself? Like, come hang out with me. Yes.

[A]

We'll start another business.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

No, but actually you kind of. I, I would have never thought of that. That's brilliant, Dory.

[B]

Yeah, you can, you can turn the levers on and off.

[A]

That's crazy. Like, wow, that's crazy smart.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But you also do shop audits and you have a course.

[B]

Right.

[A]

If people want to go deeper, they want personalized.

[B]

If my shop. So sometimes they're full and sometimes they're not. Same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I, I offer. And this is not a one on one coaching audit. It's a video feedback audit. It's, it's quick to the point, it's very inexpensive because you know people, when they're first starting their Etsy shop, they typically are not going to, you know, invest a couple hundred dollars into a coaching call. They don't really know what they're doing yet. So this is a very, very inexpensive way for them, for me to just get in their shop, tell them like the top 10 very pertinent things that are going to get their, their shop going in the right direction instead of having all the wrong SEO and all the same titles. Yeah, going in the wrong direction. So I have the shop audits and as long as they're open and available, you'll see them like in my links available. I have the POD University course which teaches them print on demand and Etsy side of things. And then I have DTF Domination which teaches them all the DTF side of things. And side note, for your listeners, if they enroll in POD University, because POD University is the more expensive of the two. Neither one of them are very expensive, but if they enroll in POD University, they get DTF Domination for free.

[A]

Oh, smart.

[B]

Yeah. So they can either choose and buy them, you know, one or the other if they really know, they're like a handmade person. They just want to do that. Or if they want to explore both. Both sides of things, then they can do it that way, too. Wow.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Yeah, those probably all the places. And again, everywhere is your Etsy bestie. Everything. All the handles.

[A]

So bestie with an ie, right?

[B]

I. E. Yes.

[A]

Yeah, it's super cute. You know what? I need to publicly apologize to you, because I totally put that on, like, a reel or a TikTok a while ago being playful and was not thinking that is literally your brand. So I apologize for that, Dory.

[B]

Oh, I have. First of all, I have no idea you did it. Second of all, I would have never. I would have never thought you meant anything by it.

[A]

Anyway, the intent was playful ignorance, but you are the Etsy bestie, and we crowned the Etsy bestie queen. This was way too much fun. I literally hate that we have to end this now.

[B]

I know. Literally. I don't know why you don't just do three hour podcasts, Lizzie. I mean, every single time. We all know that you. We need to just keep going and.

[A]

Going, but they're all also, like, why are your podcasts an hour?

[B]

I mean, I. I personally like that. I can't. I actually don't like it when I go to other creators ones and they're just like, you know, 10 minutes. Minutes here, 10 minutes there. I guess it depends what the topic.

[A]

Is, but I think it takes a while to get into it to, like, really, like, if we really want to serve people, I think it takes time. And I appreciate I'm just as busy, if not busier than the average person. I get it. But I want to really, like, provide value and connect, so this was brilliant. We're absolutely doing it again, if you're willing. Thank you so much. Thank you for your time. Thank you for everything you're putting out in the world. Thank you for your positive energy. You're amazing.

[B]

Thank you, Lizzie. And I'm definitely gonna go, like, reinstall or re. Whatever, my Marco Polo app, so we can connect more there if that's. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Because we're both walkers, and that will literally be perfect.

[B]

Yes. Yes, for sure. Can't wait.

[A]

Okay, guys, thank you so much for hanging out with us.

[B]

I.

[A]

You should be walking away with a wealth of knowledge. This was like a whole new world to me. Literally, me goes to Amazon and buys a heat press.

[B]

Me goes to Michael's Marketplace and. And decides to go. Yes, I know.

[A]

Only after I buy the sponge. Please, though, y'all. Thanks for hanging out with us. We love you to pieces until next week.

[B]

Thanks.

[A]

Go make something awesome. Bye y'all. And that's a wrap on this episode of how to Sell youl Stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to how to Sell your, where you'll find podcast, show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.