Ep 186 | Building a Sticker Empire on Etsy -with Sweary Carrie

Summary

Podcast Summary: Ep 186 | Building a Sticker Empire on Etsy with Sweary Carrie

Release Date: June 19, 2025

Hosts and Guests:

• Lizzie Smiley – Host of "How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy"
• Carrie – Founder and CEO of Sweary Carrie Designs

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Introduction and Guest Background

Lizzie Smiley kicks off Episode 186 by introducing her longtime friend and esteemed guest, Carrie, known affectionately as the "Sticker Queen." Their contrasting personalities have forged a strong friendship, and Carrie brings a wealth of experience in selling stickers on Etsy. Lizzie highlights Carrie’s journey from selling pony bead jewelry at age eight to establishing a successful Etsy shop that specializes in handmade, print-on-demand, and digital sticker designs. Carrie's niche focuses on sarcastic, sassy themes within the horror and feminist genres, demonstrating the effectiveness of niching down for better market results.

Notable Quote:

Lizzie Smiley [05:15]: "Carrie cracks me up. We are the most opposite humans, like in every way. It's hysterical and yet we have become such dear friends."

Overcoming Challenges with Etsy Ads

Lizzie emphasizes the power of Etsy ads in scaling sales once a shop has established a consistent flow of converting products. She advises new sellers to hold off on ads until they have products that are already selling. Lizzie shares her personal success story, where integrating Etsy ads doubled her monthly sales from $5-6K to $10-12K.

Notable Quote:

Lizzie Smiley [04:30]: "Etsy ads can double your sales."

She references her friend Hannah’s free Etsy ads training, encouraging listeners to utilize this resource to better understand profitable ad strategies and data analysis, even for low-margin items like digital products.

Harnessing Public Relations (PR) for Brand Growth

Lizzie briefly touches upon a previous episode featuring Gloria, who discussed leveraging PR to secure media spots and grow an Etsy brand. She underscores the importance of media exposure across all product types, from handmade to digital, asserting that media outlets are eager to feature unique Etsy stories.

Notable Quote:

Lizzie Smiley [05:05]: "Gloria's strategies have completely changed some of our listeners' businesses. They are getting featured in big publications."

Deep Dive into Sticker Selling with Carrie

The conversation shifts to the core topic: building a sticker empire on Etsy. Carrie discusses the initial allure of selling stickers due to their low production cost and minimal upfront investment compared to other products like tote bags or keychains. However, she notes the challenge of lower profit margins and highlights her strategic shift to selling sticker packs and bundles to increase average order value without significantly increasing workload.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [06:41]: "If I were selling a tote bag and messed that up, that's a lot of cost I have to eat versus a sticker is like a small price point to start with on my end."

Production and Quality Control

Carrie shares her approach to maintaining high-quality stickers by manufacturing in bulk and personally inspecting each one. She critiques common print-on-demand (POD) services for their subpar quality, unable to withstand everyday use like dishwashing. Instead, she prefers suppliers like Sticker Mule and Sticker App for their superior die-cut and durable sticker materials.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [22:10]: "Sticker Mule's quality is unmatched. Their matte die-cut stickers made them famous."

She elaborates on different sticker types available from Sticker Mule, such as matte, glitter, and holographic, explaining how each suits different design aesthetics and customer preferences.

Pricing Strategy and Free Shipping

Carrie advocates for transparent pricing by including free shipping in the sticker price, arguing that surcharging for shipping can deter potential buyers. She sells individual stickers at $6, ensuring a consistent profit margin and enhancing customer satisfaction with bundled deals that offer discounts for multiple purchases.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [27:55]: "I sell mine at $6 standard sticker, and that includes free shipping."

Packaging and Customer Experience

A significant highlight is Carrie’s meticulous packaging strategy. She includes thoughtfully selected freebies that align with the sticker's theme, enhancing the unboxing experience and encouraging positive reviews. Additionally, she incorporates handwritten notes, adding a personal touch that resonates with Etsy’s handmade marketplace ethos.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [33:41]: "With each order, I include at least five freebies, carefully curated to match the sticker’s theme, making the unboxing experience delightful for my customers."

Leveraging SEO and Trend Analysis

Carrie discusses her methodical approach to SEO, treating it like a game to make the often tedious process more engaging. Using tools like Alura and Everbee, she identifies high search volume and low competition keywords to optimize her listings. She employs a timed strategy to streamline her SEO research, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [41:51]: "To gamify SEO, I set a timer, motivating myself to complete the task within 15 minutes and aim to surpass my previous keywords count."

Expanding Product Range and Bundling

Expanding beyond stickers, Carrie touches on her ventures into buttons and patches, applying the same bundling strategies to increase average order value. She emphasizes the importance of consistency and thematic alignment when introducing new product types to her shop.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [53:31]: "I learned that bundling stickers increases the average order value without complicating the purchasing process for customers."

Community and Resources

Carrie encourages listeners to engage with her on Instagram (@wearycarrydesigns) and explore her organized Pinterest boards for inspiration. She also mentions collaborating with Lizzie on creating a comprehensive PDF guide for trackable postage stamps, aiming to simplify shipping processes for Etsy sellers.

Notable Quote:

Carrie [56:47]: "Hit me up on Instagram @wearycarrydesigns and check out my Pinterest for organized inspiration and resources."

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Lizzie wraps up the episode by expressing gratitude for Carrie’s generous sharing of expertise. She reiterates the abundance of opportunities on Etsy, dismissing concerns about market saturation by highlighting the vast possibilities and personalized strategies that can lead to success. Lizzie also promotes her own resources, including a beginner course offering actionable strategies for Etsy success.

Notable Quote:

Lizzie Smiley [49:35]: "Since we started the trend report last fall, I've never been more convinced about the potential for new shops. The opportunity is so ripe right now."

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Key Takeaways

• Strategic Advertising: Utilize Etsy ads once products are converting to effectively scale sales.
• Quality Control: Prioritize high-quality production by selecting reputable suppliers to ensure product durability and customer satisfaction.
• Pricing Transparency: Offer free shipping by incorporating costs into the product price to enhance buyer trust and reduce cart abandonment.
• Enhanced Packaging: Create a memorable unboxing experience with themed freebies and personalized notes to encourage positive reviews and repeat purchases.
• Effective SEO Practices: Treat SEO as a game to make the process engaging, using tools to identify optimal keywords and trends.
• Product Bundling: Increase average order value by offering bundled products without complicating the purchasing process.
• Community Engagement: Leverage social media platforms to connect with customers and share resources, fostering a supportive seller community.

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For more insights and resources, visit howtosellyourstuff.com and follow Lizzie Smiley on her social platforms. If you found this episode helpful, consider leaving a rate, review, and subscribe to support the podcast and help others discover valuable content.

Transcript

[Lizzy Smiley]

Hey, my name is Lizzy 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. I'm so excited you press play on this one because we are having the best chat today. Carrie is charming beyond words. We met on Instagram a few years ago. She's been a listener forever and she's like the queen of stickers. She has got this nailed and you're about to get so much information. She cracks me up. We, we are the most opposite humans, like in every way. It's hysterical and yet we have become such dear friends and I look Forward to her DMs every single week. So we're going to get into it and just like buckle your seatbelt. She's giving away so much information that would take you like literally years to compile if you want to get into stickers. What I want to talk about first is I want to make sure that you know how powerful that Etsy ads can be. I know it's something that can feel very overwhelming if you're a new seller and you don't have a proven concept yet, you don't have products that are selling. I want you to press pause, don't do Etsy ads yet. Get to where you've got converting products, you're making sales and then, but then I want you to really take Etsy ads seriously. I don't care if you sell handmade digital products are print on demand. I have used them in every single Etsy shop even for the digital products that are lower profit margin and they have completely transformed my bottom line sales. Okay, like in my sign shop, I was doing like five to $6,000 months at one point and I started adding Etsy ads and like really harnessing like good strategy around them. I was then able to get to like 10 to $12,000 months. It was bonkers. Like we're talking double. Etsy ads can double your sales. Now there's strategy that needs to go along with that. Right? And so the reason I'm bringing this up is that my friend Hannah, who comes on the podcast, she's been on a few times, she's done a free Etsy ads training and she talks about this better than anybody that I have seen her. Her way of describing Etsy ads, how to be profitable, how to watch your, your profit margins, your numbers, all of the data stuff. That is not my strength. Hannah is a wizard and she explains it really well and she does it for free. So I'm going to put a link down in the description and I want you to go watch this free Etsy ads training that she's done because it' to walk you through what you need to know. I get questions all the time, but Etsy ads and I usually just defer them to this training and to her because it is free. Like it's accessible to everyone and it's so packed with information. So check that out. It's going to be a huge help to you. Don't feel overwhelmed like once you're getting sales, just get some training, like everything is figureoutable. The other thing that I wanted to do is remind you and mention about the, the PR episode that we did a while back. I really should have been thinking ahead and gotten you the number to that. So I'm actually, I'm not going to bother. I will link it for you. But I cannot tell you how many of you listened to episode with Gloria about how to harness PR to grow your brand, grow your Etsy shop, get media spots like for free. It doesn't even cost you anything. Gloria's strategies have completely changed some of our listeners. Businesses like they are getting featured in big publications. It is not costing them anything. It is not taking a lot of time. So if you are curious about that, it doesn't matter what you sell digital products to print on demand to handmade. Everything has a place where like, like media people are looking for stories like yours. They love Etsy sellers. Go back and give that episode a listen to the number and the link will be down in the show notes for you to grab. It was just so good and I want to in case you didn't click play on that one. I want to let you know it's literally changing some people's businesses. So really, really helpful. Okay, now for the stickers, what you're here for, we're going to talk about Carrie. Carrie is a multi passionate millennial entrepreneur from Iowa City, Iowa. She's the founder and Q E O Queen, Executive officer of Sweary Carrie Designs. Much like Lizzie, Carrie had the entrepreneurial spirit since she was a little kid. She start selling admittedly heinous pony bead jewelry at age 8 and went on to run her own custom keychain business out of her backpack later in elementary school. Oh my gosh, what a queen. Carrie formed her LLC in 2021 and has done freelance graphic design work and pop up markets since then. She's been selling on Etsy since 2022 with a mixture of handmade, print on demand and digital designs. Her favorite things to create are currently stickers and buttons, although that changes frequently with her neurodivergence. She specializes in merch of a sarcastic, sassy nature, primarily in the horror and feminist niches. So she has gone hard on the niching down which can really get you some good results. And so we're going to talk about all of that. Please help me warmly welcome Carrie to the podcast.

[Carrie]

Carrie. Hey.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Welcome to the podcast.

[Carrie]

Hey. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so excited.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I'm so excited to talk about stickers because people actually ask me all the time and I know nothing and you are like sticker queen. So thank you so much.

[Carrie]

Yeah. Oh, I could, I could talk about this forever. I. I love E commerce so.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Well, we have to get to the nitty gritty of it. But I want to start, I want to understand because like again, no grid for stickers whatsoever over here. What for you has been the hardest part about selling stickers on Etsy?

[Carrie]

I didn't start out selling stickers. I guess I hear that a lot, even just people on your show where they started out selling this and now they sell this. And stickers were kind of just this happy medium that I found where it wasn't all that much work to start on my end and a relatively low cost, as in if I were making a tote bag and I messed that up, that's a lot of cost I have to eat versus a sticker is like a small price point to start with on my end, but it's also a lower price point profit margin too. So that I think is the part that I struggle with the most. Especially Just knowing what I know now. And I would have started out selling stickers differently had I known what I know now. Where basically I would have started with like sticker packs, like sticker bundles so that you're getting like a higher average order value but it's not that much more work. Does that make.

[Lizzy Smiley]

That is such. No, I'm actually. That's such a great answer. Like yeah, the profit margin. Because it's not, it's not quite digital products where like it really doesn't matter so much because we're not, it doesn't cost us anything other than the listing. You're still having to pay for a sticker and for shipping. And does it work kind of like print on demand? Is that sort of how it, how does it work?

[Carrie]

I mean there's a lot of ways. So you can either make your own at home with a die cut machine like Cricut or Silhouette. I've, I've heard of people just doing it on their own as well with like their own printer and like pre cut, like pre cut like sheets of labels, like they specific paper for that. But you can also do print on demand or sites like redbubble. I think you've mentioned before, yeah, I.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Sell stickers on redbubble. That's so funny. I never even thought of it as I didn't even connect the two.

[Carrie]

Yeah, well so that's more like the print on demand side and then like your printifies your printfuls. Both of them do stickers too. But what I do is this happy medium where I get to be the control freak that I want to be for quality. And I have them manufactured in bulk and then sent to me and then I package them and you know, I can brand them and I can like literally inspect each and every one and because I'm like, I'm a little bit of a queen about my stickers. Like mine are the best and they're going to be the best. And for me to ensure that I need to look at every single one of them and they're like, it's not even just like the print quality, it's also like the die cut quality. Like I don't want that imperfect circle, that weird little jagged you. You bet I'm gonna get that replaced if it's like, you know, not crystal perfect. And they're also just like the most durable. I tried so many stickers from printing my own print on demand and the supplier I found is just amazing. And, and I so like what I would do is I would order these Sample packs from places and put them on, like, a plastic. Like a plastic plate. Like, just buy, like, a crappy four pack from a discount store. And I would cover all the samples in there, and I would just leave it in my dishwasher every time I'd run it for, like, two weeks. Yes. And that is what I. That is what I would do until I found the ones that I found. And. Yeah, so because they're supposed to be. They can kind of like, double as decals. Like, you can put them on your car, and a lot of people will have them, like, on, like, outdoor spaces. Be it like a bar, you know, where they have, like, a cooler fridge thing or people put them on coolers. But yeah, I'm also, like, everything I own is, like, covered in stickers. And, like, if I can't go in the dishwasher, I don't want it in my house.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So you do things I don't even think of. I love you so much, Carrie. Wait, what did you sell before? Can we just back up one second? What did you. Because you pivoted to stickers, or did you start playing with stickers and then that became your thing?

[Carrie]

Yes, that became my thing. And, like, I still sell other things. Okay, but stickers, by far, that's probably. I probably get a sticker sale every day. Like.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh.

[Carrie]

Yeah, so I. So I wanted to do stickers, but didn't really know where to start. And I'm like, oh, I'll just look into that later. And I started with tote bags. Like, handmade tote bags. So I have a cricut and, like, designing things. Like, I'm a graphic designer, and I. That just seemed like the perfect route. And this is way before I'd ever heard of, like, sublimation or anything. And. And so I got really into totes, and then I would do keychains. Keychains are still, like, really fun. Sticker people also are keychain people. So we just, like, little extra. You know, they want that extra charm and that weird little, you know, whatever. It's just the fun little thingies that spark joy, I guess, you know?

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay, so what about pins, though? I feel like the same. People would love a pin.

[Carrie]

Exactly. Yes. Then I got my button.

[Lizzy Smiley]

The flare.

[Carrie]

Yes.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah. You have a button press.

[Carrie]

Yeah. Oh, you can probably see.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay, you guys, if you have never gone to YouTube to watch an episode, this is the one. Because Carrie's in her work craft room. I don't know. What do you call it? Your workshop?

[Carrie]

My studio.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Your Studio. Okay. I'm so sorry. That is. And that is a legit studio. I have never seen something more aesthetic, like, organized, gorgeous. It's. I'm here for like. I'm trying to look at you, Carrie, but your room is so fun.

[Carrie]

Oh, okay. Well, I certainly think so. You. You kind of cut out there for a second. You've never seen something so what?

[Lizzy Smiley]

So I don't remember. No, I was just trying to make the point. Like, it's so pretty. It's so aesthetic. I've never seen such a fun workspace.

[Carrie]

Thank you.

[Lizzy Smiley]

My VA was warning me my. My mic has been having some issues. I need to look into it, but I'm about to move it across the country, so we'll. We'll see. All right, girl. So you do you with the supplier you use, which, by the way, we're going to get into all that, guys, because I know you're chomping at the bit. Do you do the. Can you do print on demand with them where they will ship to your customer, or does it have to be.

[Carrie]

Sent to you only until recently? No, you could not. You had to just get them made and then whatever you do with them is on you. They have recently opened this thing that's kind of like Everbee store, where. Or like Printify shop or whatever it is.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. Oh, yeah. Where they give you your own site.

[Carrie]

So I did, and it was insanely easy to set that up. But it's not even a thing that I advertise. It's more like that is where I would go if I were. If I. If I were just browsing just for myself and didn't honestly really care about who I was supporting. Because the people that would have their store on there are probably just other people like me where they really care about the quality. But, like, I know how much it costs. They know how much it costs. So, like, any. Any like, favorites or attention I've gotten on that on their provided store are just from, like, other creators. Because, like, it's just not going to be a good enough profit margin to even be worth it for me to. I don't know, to even really talk about it anywhere else, but it's like, I feel like a lot of the stuff that makes my sticker so, so cool is not even just the design on the sticker itself, but it's like how it's presented and. And everything that comes with it.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So my only hesitation. Well, a, the time of having to put your hands on it. But if you're. I do think For Etsy sellers, if you're willing to spend the time to, to pay attention to that level of detail, to pay attention to the packaging, to really create an experience that is like ripe for great reviews and for repeat customers, like that is a great thing to do. I'm, I'm thinking about though. Yeah, it is going to take extra time. What about though you're paying shipping twice, right? Or how does, how does that work?

[Carrie]

Free shipping from the manufacturer actually. So that's really nice.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Every time.

[Carrie]

Yeah, all the time. I know, I love that. I love it. So. Oh, and I had stuff to say about shipping too. So there's a way in Etsy that basically you can set up like a trackable postage stamp.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay.

[Carrie]

It's. We were getting me and I believe her name was, was Jenny from our group. From your.

[Lizzy Smiley]

She's talking about the coaching group. Carrie is one of our experts in the coaching group. Yeah, keep going.

[Carrie]

I don't know about expert, but I.

[Lizzy Smiley]

You are, you're one of our, one of our coaches. We needed you there for stickers. Yeah, Jenny's awesome. Shout out to Jenny.

[Carrie]

Okay, well, she, her and I have been messaging and I am going to put together this PDF for her. It's a PDF that I created a long time ago for a friend of mine. It like with step by step instructions of how to do it, how to do what I'm saying of in Etsy, you have to click here and then make a shipping profile for blah, blah, blah. And then you select this, you know, like very step by step oriented.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh my gosh. You're the perfect person to do that.

[Carrie]

And Yes, I am. I actually really enjoy creating that. Like at my day job I used to have to make like our SOPs.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I'm like, can I buy that from you or can I use it and we'll have all your branding on it. We need to talk about that because I want that resource. Absolutely.

[Carrie]

So that's what I was saying. Is somebody. Gosh, I think it might have even been my husband. He's like, okay, why aren't you selling that? Because like at this point I've given it to several people and I'm like, oh, yeah, I guess I should. That's a great digital product idea. So when I was chatting with this Jenny in our group, I was like, here's what's up. It's gonna take me a minute. I thought I was just gonna drag and drop it and send it to her. And I was like, here's what I want to do. I want to rebrand it and really get specific and make sure the menus, like, I have little, like, snippets of. Click here, click here. I want to make sure those are, like, still accurate because I probably haven't touched it in a couple of years. And then I want to serve it to her as. Pretend you paid, you know, one to five dollars for this and then give me all your feedback.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay.

[Carrie]

You know, like, so then. So I'll have her be, like, the guinea pig there. And then I totally want to list this. So.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay, so, yeah, if you find a way. Because I know we're not going to be linking your shop. If you find a way off site where we can. Where we can offer that, it's. Because that would be a really cool resource. Shipping. How would you call it? Shipping? Like, how to.

[Carrie]

Yeah, I think I just call it, like, trackable postage stamp something. You know, I. I don't know. The name needs work. I'm gonna have to consult Chat GBT for that.

[Lizzy Smiley]

No, that's okay. That's the chat. I call her Gigi. Will be. She will be great for that. Okay.

[Carrie]

I call mine Siege.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Do you.

[Carrie]

Yeah. Like, Chat gbt. But see.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah. Oh, and I love that. No, I literally asked one day. I was like, okay, look, if we're gonna be talking this much, because it's ridiculous how this robot is my friend.

[Carrie]

Yes.

[Lizzy Smiley]

No, I was like, do you have a nickname? And, I mean, I. Actually, the stupid thing was like, oh, you can call me whatever you want. And I'm just like that. You just broke the personal connection we had. No, I want to know what name you want me to call you.

[Carrie]

Yes.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So funny. I'm humanizing this thing.

[Carrie]

Like, I think a lot of people feel the same way, but it also. It makes it more intuitive for us to use. To be. To have a thing to call it. You know, it just makes it easier for us to, like, prompt it. Well, to be more, like, conversational. But. So I've used a few other people's custom GPTs, and I always ask it. Ask those little GPTs if they have a name that I can use and be like, here's the ones I prefer, but you can call me whatever. And I'm like, yes. Somebody caught on that we need a name for the. You know.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yes. Okay. Also, we need to have a whole sidebar conversation on. I don't even know what you're talking about. Custom GPTs. This is not a thing I've gone into. I have this. This is so random. Carrie, because you're A very sweary mouthy person, and I freaking love that about you. Shout out to your husband, who's probably gonna have to edit this episode, although you are doing so well. Does your chatgpt swear at you? Like, I need to know.

[Carrie]

Yes. I finally got it. I finally got it to swear. For the longest time, it wouldn't even give me responses like. Like, I would, like, ask, like, specifically. When I first started using it, I was looking for social media content. Just, like, fun stuff. Like, I was doing, like, a Trivia Tuesday thing, and I was like, I just want funny, like, swear word facts. Like, I don't even. I don't even need you to swear, but I need you to understand what I'm looking for. And it, like, just took so much back and forth, and finally it gave me what I was looking for. You know, like the movie that has the most F bombs or things like that. And. And now, like, through the recent ish update, now it's just. It's just free with that. At least. At least I've trained mine to be.

[Lizzy Smiley]

When did that happen? That Preston was just talking about this in the coaching group too? When. When did the update happen?

[Carrie]

I don't know. I mean, a few months ago.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I feel like. Okay, so. Okay. So I was gonna say I don't feel like it's changed, but I've only been using it really for a few. I was kind of in Claude before, which I do, like, clawed for some things, but I just feel like. I feel like Gigi is just like me. Like, just upbeat and super encouraging, and I'm. And so I'm sitting there thinking, is this how it is for everyone or does it match your personality?

[Carrie]

It matches what you. What you tell it to be. It doesn't have to match you, you know, but. So I have just been teaching my niece about this. She just graduated high school, and ChatGPT is now, like, a part of their lives, like, learning how to use that, whatever. And I'm like, I can't imagine having that in high school. You know, we had to, like, go to the card catalog and, like, cite your sources and all that. But I was like, no, no, no. ChatGPT works for you. Like, you tell it. You know, why don't you just have a conversation? Like it's a new person you're meeting and you want to, you know, be friends with them. You're like, hey, I'm Carrie. I like horror movies. I like the F bomb. I make stickers, you know, and just kind of just like, tell it all. These funny things. And it can be discombobulated because it can read that, it can understand that for you and piece it together in a way that it needs to. And now mine will, like, make the best 90s horror movies. References to me. Like, just, you know, it'll finish a thing and I'll be like, you totally slayed that final girl. And I'll be like, yes.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, Okay. I mean, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, guys. I totally just went off the reservation. But this conversation for me is so fascinating on how people are using that tool. Okay, Carrie, let's talk about. I. Let's talk about your supplier, because I know that people are wondering. Obviously, they can make their own stickers. They can use Printify. What has the best. Who has the best quality?

[Carrie]

I'm going to tell you right now, every print on demand sticker I've ever tried, it holds up. Okay. All right. It's pretty subpar when it comes to quality from my supplier that I will totally share, but it's. It's not as good. The cuts aren't as nice. It's not as thick of quality, which means it's not going to last long or it could get easily scratched. And I really am not a fan of Redbubbles quality. I have. I have ordered several things from just different people. Like, not even knowing. I just, you know, want to support this band or whatever, and then I see how it comes. I'm like, this is a redbubble sticker. And I open it and I'm like, yep, it's disappointing and it's just a bummer. I don't know sticker people. It's like a tiny piece of art, you know, it's. Actually that's. We never answered that first question. That is why I wanted to sell stickers. Like, I answered parts of that question, but not specifically why stickers. And it was. Stickers are a thing that I've always found that you can like. It's a low ticket item that just about everybody can afford to support somebody. So, like, that's what I would buy. You know, I go to a concert or go, you know, to an art fair or something. And maybe I don't have a lot to spend, but, like, I want to support this person. Take my couple dollars, you know? And so I wanted a thing where people could support a small business owner or their hobby or get a cute gift for their friend, but have it not break the bank.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So who has the best quality out there?

[Carrie]

Yes. Okay. That would be sticker Mule. I hesitate to say that because there are some things ethically that I disagree with, but there are some things ethically that I definitely agree with. And they really, at their company seem to really believe in free speech and creativity. And I really respect that and know that there are a lot of people that work there that I do agree with ethically. And their quality is unmatched. I will tell you the second best, that I honestly don't know enough about their politics and things like that, but their quality is almost as good. And that is Sticker app. Sticker app.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I hadn't heard of that one.

[Carrie]

They're the only ones that survive the dishwasher test. Like I said, like, I could go get, like, the plate that I have. Like, I still, like, I kept it with, like, the other, like, samples I have in case I need to switch things up or I'm like, I know I had a person that did that kind of holographic, you know, like, leaf through the packet, like the packs I've got, and I'm like, oh, sticker app. That's a good one. You know.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So when you sort of Sticker Mule, for example, are there several different kinds of stickers?

[Carrie]

Totally.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. Is it, Is it? So they're all going to be good quality. It's just going to be kind of like, what is the. What is the look and feel you're going for?

[Carrie]

Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Or have you found one that's like the best of the best?

[Carrie]

Well, I think it was their matte die cut stickers that kind of made them famous. And that's what a lot of my stickers are. But it really kind of depends on what the design is and, like, who your market is. Like, people who love horror and don't mind some naughty words. They are usually a little extra, like myself. And we like the glitter stickers. We want the holographic. We want the weird. Like, here's one of mine that I made. I don't know if you can see it. It says neurosparkly.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Neurosparkly. Oh, my gosh, that's so cute.

[Carrie]

I feel like I made this word famous. Okay. This is from my neurosparkly head. And then I saw it in Bailey's design group of like, a tre. I was like, oh, my gosh. I made up that word, that one.

[Lizzy Smiley]

To trademark right there. I don't usually say that, but holy cow, that's so good.

[Carrie]

I looked into it. I can't.

[Lizzy Smiley]

It's a lot.

[Carrie]

It's too much to trademark something for me.

[Lizzy Smiley]

It's like. And you will have 7 billion other spectacular ideas. I'm not worried about you a little bit. Okay. I'm actually so here for a matte sticker, though. I really do enjoy a matte sticker. Super helpful. Okay, so sticker mule for the win. How do you personally come up with the ideas? What do you. Oh, what do you got there? Oh, it says treat.

[Carrie]

Your shelves.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Your shelves. Okay. So it's like for book lovers. Oh, my gosh. Super cute.

[Carrie]

They're matte stickers. This is a hollow sticker.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh. Mother of the year. But she's like in a coffin. Yeah, but she's not a skeleton. I mean, that could be. That could be the next level of that too. So that looked like Morticia.

[Carrie]

Yeah, this was Morticia. This is a thing that I bought proper licensing for and I made.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow.

[Carrie]

A long time ago. Yeah. But I also had gotten proper licensing for a totally different design, and it got taken down by Etsy and I tried to fight it and it couldn't. So I'm just like, you know what? I'm so just over that. But she holds up great.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, that's a great sticker. That's. And I love that it's in the actual. Like the stickers cut in the shape of the casket is so fun as well. Can you get them cut in any shape?

[Carrie]

Yeah, pretty much any shape.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow. I don't know.

[Carrie]

I think I could be wrong, but I think it's 2 inches is the smallest you can go. So they have their matte stickers, their glitter stickers, and their holographic stickers. Like I just showed you, they don't do glossy and which is weird because most other sticker places do. And I think my understanding is that those don't hold up as well.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay.

[Carrie]

Like outdoors or in the dishwasher. But again, sticker apps did. So I don't know.

[Lizzy Smiley]

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. 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. What's a typical price point? I know you've already coached us and I love that you suggested, like, people need to be going in and doing bundles if you actually want to make a decent profit. But, like, just for one sticker, what is a typical price point?

[Carrie]

So I sell mine at $6.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow.

[Carrie]

Standard sticker. Yeah, for one sticker. And that includes free shipping.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. So that makes more sense. Okay.

[Carrie]

And I see a lot of people and I've been wanting to run this by you or like somebody in the group where I see people that will be like, here's this sticker and it's $3. And then you click into it and then it's like more than $3 to even ship it. And I'm like, that's really annoying, you know, and like, it just turns me off. I like, I need free shipping personally for everything. I feel like I need to just know that that amount is already figured in just on the consumer side of things. But I hear that you can get people to click in and a lot of them won't be deterred from the shipping. So they'll see the lower price point and then they'll click in and it's not. It doesn't feel sketchy to me where, like, you know how a lot of pod sellers might have like a onesie shirt that's sold out? Yeah, but that's the one that was listed for $9 or whatever, you know, and like that. That doesn't feel good to me as a consumer. So I wouldn't do that in my own shop. But this is different. And I'm like, would people pay as much of the stickers as much for shipping as they would for the sticker. I don't know. And honestly, at this point, I'm scared to change anything. I have, like, one listing of, you know, take like, one of my best sellers, try it on its own like that. But I don't. That just seems like a lot of work that I don't need to do.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Well, especially if you're. If you're getting sales at that price point, I think. What is your profit after that?

[Carrie]

Yeah. Okay, so they're about 90 cents apiece if you buy the lowest minimum. I'm sorry, not the. Not the profit.

[Lizzy Smiley]

That's the cost for the goods.

[Carrie]

The base cost. Yes. So the smallest quantity you can buy is 10 at a time, and so those are 90 cents a piece, and you can buy in greater quantities, and then you get a little bit of a better deal from there. But, gosh, I think last time I checked, it was like a 30, 35% profit margin for me. So I have a spreadsheet where I have this all broken out because of the things that I want to talk about later. I told somebody in the group that we would talk about freebies. So I have, like, the spreadsheet that breaks out literally the price per freebie. And you know, how many cents per envelope it is and the postage and, like. So it's not just like a sticker. It's. It's the packaging that it comes in. You know, like, here's my packaging where it's. So it's on this backing card, and then it has just some of my cute branding or whatever. But then it tells you what it is.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, and it's in, like a. It's in, like, a little plastic envelope.

[Carrie]

Yeah, so it's in a plastic. So this is like my listings. I make it. I have, like, a picture of this and an infographic, and I'm like, giftable, afraid, you know, And I feel like people like, that is what they say in the reviews is they're like, oh, my gosh, this packaging. So I'm like, it feels worth the. To spend the extra money for me, and then. And then I get to have all my info on the back. But also I talk about, like, how durable it is so that the people, when they get it as a gift or even just for themselves, they know what they're getting like. So.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So what are you shipping it in?

[Carrie]

Oh, just. Just a standard envelope. Okay.

[Lizzy Smiley]

That looks like a card. Like a greeting card envelope.

[Carrie]

Yeah, my envelopes are five by seven. My packaging is four by six. Perfect and it. I can ship up. I can ship up to five package stickers plus some freebies for a singular postage stamp cost.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay, wow.

[Carrie]

Right? So, but the thing with that is this trackable postage stamp is it's not always trackable. It's typically not scanned at every stop.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Like a package from, you know, Amazon.

[Carrie]

Or whatever it would be. And so that's totally a disclaimer that I put in my listings as well is, hey, this, like, I put it in the listing photos because we know people don't like to read. And it's just like free shipping equals no tracking, you know, and then I'm like, here's how you can upgrade to tracked paid shipping, you know, whatever. So that's something that. Chatting in the coaching group about it, I was like, I should put that kind of stuff in this PDF that I want to sell because the, like the photo, like the infographic that I put in my listings that just kind of talks about it. Like my. The last friend that I sent it to for her to do in her own shop, she was like this. I really liked this part. This made sense to me because I didn't really know what you were saying, but like, you're giving me the visual and now you showed me how I need to give a visual in my shop, in my photos, in my branding and my vibe and whatever.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So when you are going to ship more than five, what kind of envelope do you upgrade to?

[Carrie]

I can honestly fit about 10 in my regular.

[Lizzy Smiley]

And you add an additional stamp.

[Carrie]

Yeah, so I have a different shipping profile also for that many. But then anything over 10, I, I just have like plain black bubble mailers.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. From Amazon.

[Carrie]

Yes, yes, you can get them on Amazon just from Amazon, but from a small business on Amazon.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, we love that particular about that. So we love that. Yeah, I know you're. You're very strong to your, to your ethics. I respect the heck out of that. So let's talk about the freebies. I love that you suggested that.

[Carrie]

And yeah. Okay, so here's what. I put them in this little cello bag.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. Cute. So it's a separate little bat, A little like a separate little sleeve with little.

[Carrie]

Yeah, so it's like its own little thing to open. Right. So it's like it's not just a freebie. It's like, oh my gosh, a little gift. And then I will put themed stickers that I typically didn't make and that are much cheaper that I can buy in bulk, but they fit the theme.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow.

[Carrie]

Of the sticker. So like these black things, all the little drawers behind me. Yes, those are all my freebies. Like, they are categorized by not just like, here's my horror ones, but like, people that buy this sticker, they're gonna like these stickers because blah, blah, blah. And if it's like in the feminist niche, then like, oh, I have this. But if it was this specific feminist sticker, then they would like these freebies. And like, I put a lot of thought into.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I. I can see that really low.

[Carrie]

Like, I'm talking like a penny per sticker for the freebies. So I made it my goal to keep everything included with the freebie under a quarter, like under 25 cents. So that includes this, a little bit of my time. And then with each one, I put in at least five freebies. And people just rave about it, rave about it in the reviews. And it makes me feel good for taking some extra time sometimes. Of like, it would seriously take me longer to pick out freebies for somebody than to actually complete the order. But I'm like, oh, like, especially when people buy two different stickers of like, oh, okay, so they like horror movies, but they also randomly love spreadsheets too. That's fun, you know, so I'm like, oh, and find the perfect little thing. You know, I really enjoy that. Oh, and then I also always send like a handwritten note. Like, these are just these funny things that kind of fit my branding. They're like these little like punched out cards. And then I can write on the back. And then this is another supplier of mine that makes these as well, which is like just a cute thing.

[Lizzy Smiley]

You know, she's holding up like a paper insert. It's got her branding and some fun information on it. It's super colorful, bright, and it almost looks like it's like the size of a postcard, but it's more of like a shiny paper magazine type paper material.

[Carrie]

Yeah, this is so the same company that made the insert made my backing.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay.

[Carrie]

And I'll have links for that below. That company is got print and they have, they have just amazing stuff that they can print. Like, I feel like no matter if you sell stickers or not, like, if you're wanting to upgrade your packaging, they are the way to go. Great customer service. Order a sample kit. Like, I got pretty used to having to pay for sample kits when I was learning about stickers and packaging and whatever. And theirs is actually free. Like, you don't even have to pay for shipping. It's free. Free, you know, so do it. And Just, like, see what they have, because I was blown away by everything that they offer.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So, yeah, okay. Love that. And I think that's such the. Like, the handmade experience that people shopping on Etsy just love, just live for. So. Well done.

[Carrie]

Yes, thank you.

[Lizzy Smiley]

What else I want to ask you. How do you come up with ideas to design for?

[Carrie]

I don't. I just. I just always have ideas that's. I mean, like, everywhere, everything, all the time. I'm like, ooh, I can make a design for that. Or now I try to be more cognizant of, ooh, that was trending. That reminds me, I could put that together. That's actually how this. This little dumpster fire sticker, it says dumpster corn on the bottom. This is also another word that I invented, and people went crazy for it. And now this. That list. That design in particular has been stolen, like, loads of times. I found it everywhere. Like, not just, like, they copied me, whatever, but they literally stole the design.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh. You know you've made it when.

[Carrie]

Right. I was like, I guess I'm flattered. And then I. Ultimately, there. There's one issue that I'm still working out. Like, somebody's printing on T shirts on Amazon, and I'm still getting that taken down. But, like, I've had it taken down on Etsy. I have requested that people take it down and have worked with Etsy to make that happen. Like, just other stickers. I found it on temu. I. You know, just rude. Like, take your inspiration and do your own thing. But to just, like, blatantly steal, like, drives me nuts.

[Lizzy Smiley]

This is what happens when you're a savant, Carrie. I'm sorry, but this is how it goes. Okay. Okay. So ideas just come to you all the time, but you are really, in a good way, like, shoehorned into a very specific niche. Like, you've gone hard on the niche. You don't have, you know, like. Like, I don't know, like, puppy dog stickers here and then camping stickers here and then summer stickers here. You're pretty. You're. You're trend combining within a niche. So talk to us about that.

[Carrie]

I try to, and I totally. It's funny you should say puppy dogs, because I totally have puppy stickers. That. It was a trending keyword from over a year ago at this point. It was like the list that you used to send before you had this email thing, and it was like, dashin Dash.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, dachshunds, Wiener dogs.

[Carrie]

Do you just say dachshund Is that how you actually pronounce that? Yeah, I had no idea. Anyway, I, I designed these really cute stickers that are like bright and rainbowy and cartoony. Very like, like 90s like Lisa Frank vibe, you know. And they, I made this design after my friends, their wiener dog had, had just passed away. And so it looks like a cartoonified version of this dog. And I was like, this is perfect because I also wanted to like give them something. But I was like, hey, trending keyword. Here we go. Never sold a one. Never sold a one until yesterday. Until this week. I. Somebody bought a two pack and I was like, all right, all right. So that's what happened. Oh, but so it's not just like, oh, a cute little dog. It says dashing AF on it.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, okay. So you weren't necessarily going for the dachshund owning grandmas. They're probably not choosing that necessarily. You went very, you took into your niche, which is sweary, horror, feminist, edgy, sassy. What else?

[Carrie]

I certainly tried bold, hollow.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah.

[Carrie]

Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Do you think that that's given you an advantage being so like niche down like that?

[Carrie]

So I didn't even really consider it being niche down. That's just like, like what I would.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Create, you know, you, oh, you're the exception that proves the rule. I love that. So you just created what you like?

[Carrie]

Absolutely how I started. Yeah. Actually the one of the first totes. It was my first ever listing that I made, which honestly I should make more. I've had a few people ask me and I haven't had it. Had it listed in years, but so it's just this tote bag and in holographic vinyl it says so like holographic writing from my cricut. Like you heat press it on, it says groceries and shit. That's it. It's just this colorful text that says this funny thing. People loved it.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, I don't remember, I don't remember where that came from. Oh, just being in the, in like kind of the sassy. Oh yeah. You made what you like. But also you came with graphic design skills. Like you're, you are an accomplished graphic designer. So you know how to make things, make things that of kind aesthetic.

[Carrie]

Oh, I think so. I'm, I'm a self taught graphic designer, but a very long time of practice.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, you've been doing it for a long time. You're, you're very accomplished and. But I, we have to talk about, because we're like wrap up here. But about how you've turned SEO into a game. Like, I just love this. Can you tell us, oh, man, why did you do that? And how does it make listing stuff more fun for you? Because people hate. I love SEO. I'm such a geek for it.

[Carrie]

But I'm so glad people like you exist because that's. It's very helpful when other people enjoy things and they can make it more fun for you. But I really hate SEO too. And now I hate it less from gamifying it. But I've noticed I just do this with everything where I'm like, I've got to make this more fun. And that's probably just how I started. Right? Like to go back to the wiener dog sticker of. Okay, a wiener dog sticker, but let's make it colorful. Let's, you know, add some funny word to. Anyway, so what I do is I. I prefer Allura. Allura. I don't know how you say it. That's. I've tried all the SEO tools and I still use Everbee as well, but I'm just on the free plan of that and the free plan of Alura. And that is more than enough for me based on the trend reports and things that I'm signed up for and that the same, like, handful of keywords have been jamming with me. Like, like, specific to stickers. Like, not even a niche, but just stickers in general.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So, yeah, see advantage of seeing in one thing.

[Carrie]

Yeah. But so to gamify it, I would. I would set a timer. It, like, helped motivate me in two ways because it was like, oh, I only have to do this for 15 minutes. This thing that I really hate doing. Right. But it was also the game of. It was to get as many as I could, preferably more than I got last time. And that is just, you know, keywords that are high search volume, low competition, you know, same old, same old. But then also, like, try and find some new generalized. Like, I forget you always explain it very well. Like, you want like a red, yellow, green.

[Lizzy Smiley]

So you want a mix of low, medium, and high competition keywords in your tags.

[Carrie]

Yeah, yeah. And so I always. I struggle to find those because I'm like, oh, is it worth it? I don't know. There's already so much competition. And so, like, it's not even, like, it's not enough that I hated doing SEO research, but it's. Then I could spend forever doing it and lose like an hour of my life. Not because I was enjoying myself, but because I was trying to do everything right, you know, and trying to do it well. So the timer was like, it helped speed me up, but it also, like, helps keep me in check. Yeah. Oh, and so then I use. I have a spreadsheet. I basically just made, like, a form, like, kind of just like a fillable form for myself that whenever I'm working on a listing, like, I have a special one for holographic stickers or matte stickers or, you know, tote bags or keychains and whatever, and there's just blanks that I have to fill in of, hey, what is it? What size is it? What is, like, describe the design. And then that's where I would paste in the SEO research, you know, like, okay, here's the primary keywords that I want to use in the title and throughout. Several times throughout in the description. And then here's the other keywords that I also want to use but aren't necessarily as important. And here's who I'm targeting this at. And I just copy and paste that form into ChatGPT and it helps me write a listing. So.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow.

[Carrie]

Yeah, it's really helpful, though, if you're like, no matter what it is. Like I said, it's helped me with tote bags, too, especially since I've tried POD with some of those as well. There's. I mean, you can just already have the sizing in it. So, like, I'm working on some of the. I think they're called weekender bags now that Printify has those giant ones, and only because I wanted one myself, and I'm like, ooh, I bet I could do something cool with this, you know, maybe. But I was like, yes, okay, let me get these measurements. And now on my, like, tote bag tab of my spreadsheet, now I can have those measurements and they're ready to just plug and play next time if I create another design.

[Lizzy Smiley]

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, right? 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 built 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, 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 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 save50 and by all means DM me or shoot me an email when those sales start popping because I want to celebrate with you. You have just lavished us with so much information. Okay.

[Carrie]

Hopefully not too much.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Not at all nerd. No, not at all. Like you. So first of all, thank you for being so generous because this probably took you weeks, months, years to get all of this knowledge and you just made it so much easier for the new person and I just think it takes a really special human to be that generous. So thank you so much.

[Carrie]

Oh, for sure. I. Yeah, I love that. I don't believe in gatekeeping. And they're like, you always say there's plenty of room for everybody. Like, I see continued success with brand new shops all the time in all sorts of niches just from doing SEO research that I don't want to do, but I'm like, wow, they're totally killing it. Do I want to sell candles? You know, like, like, it's. Yeah. So many opportunities.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I agree with you. Like, since we started the trend report last fall and like, really getting into what the opportunities are, are and what the trends are, I, like, I've never been more convinced about the potential for new shops. Like, the whole idea of saturation. I always kind of roll my eyes at saturation because I'm just like, I'm a glass. Glass is not even half full. Like, the glass is full because there's oxygen on top of the water. Like, kind of person. Like positivity person. Which is partly why we're so funny. Because you are. You can be skeptical. And I'm such a cheerleader. Like, I don't even know why you like me, but it works out well.

[Carrie]

I'm Roy Kent to your TED Lasso.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Why we're in love. I know. I am the most TED Lasso human ever. So I was already like, oh, my gosh, who cares if there's saturation, we can still beat it. But now I'm like, oh, no. There's actual data showing that it doesn't even exist. Like, there is. Are there things that you. That I wouldn't necessarily recommend. Yes, but there's millions of possibilities. It's way too much fun. It's way too much fun.

[Carrie]

Fun, yes. No, I wouldn't call it fun, for sure, but it's very inspiring.

[Lizzy Smiley]

The SEO is not fun. The. The possibilities are fun because I'm such a believer in giving people men and women, but especially women who, you know, I can, like, relate to.

[Carrie]

Just.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I. All I've ever wanted is freedom. I just didn't want to be chained. Right. I just want to be changed. I didn't. My time is so. I care about money. I am like a. I am a materialistic person to an extent. Like, I care about things. I care about having a nice home, being able to travel, things that I know are privileges. But if I had to choose between money and time, I'm going to choose time every single time. And if I can have both. Thank you, sir. May I have another? Is my attitude like. Yes, I'll take both. But I just, I just think Etsy opens the door for people with no experience who don't even know who. Right. Who are going to be self taught, who have to go and is it going to take time? Yes. If you think. If you have no experience and you think it's going to take three to six months. I'm sorry, that is not true. You've probably been lied to. Come hang out with us. People overestimate what they can do in six months, but underestimate what they can do in two to three years. You and Preston are great examples of that. Yeah, right? Yeah, yeah.

[Carrie]

Sticker people are also patch people.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh. Yes.

[Carrie]

We're gonna need to talk. And so in this other school group that I'm in, I was like, hey, y' all, like, here's this bestseller and it's like a horror themed glitter sticker. It's really just. Wow. Like, it's a lot. It's a lot even for me, you know, like, just the design. It's like, okay. People love it. Like Etsy bestseller. Like, it's just. It's hilarious. I don't. I'll. I'll show you after. But I don't, like, I can't even, like, talk about it without keeping your podcast PG 13.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay. No, that's fine. Yeah, just send it in the DMs.

[Carrie]

Yeah, but it's. I was like, this is doing really well. What else could I put this design on? But the caveat is it needs to feel extra. I don't want to just slap this on a tote bag. If I was.

[Lizzy Smiley]

What are you about to say?

[Carrie]

I would do, like holographic vinyl. You know, like, I did that groceries when we were talking about. But I was like, I'm not hand making that stuff anymore. Not because it's too hard. If that's your jam, please do it. Cricut. Amazing. But because I am messy and I don't like messing up, so too many mistakes were made for me that I would just get frustrated and like, no joke, almost quit entirely, like a year in. So I do not hand make tote bags anymore. But so I'm like, hey, people in this group, what could I do? And everybody's like, patches.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Put it on patches.

[Carrie]

And I'm like, what? And I was like, would sticker people buy patches? And then I'm like, how many patches do I own? Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

And pins. Yes. Yes.

[Carrie]

And buttons. Yes. I'm obsessed with button Press. That's also, like, stickers. A pretty low price per piece, like, on the creator's end. And you can. You can make a reasonable amount from it for sure. And so taking what I learned from stickers, applying it to buttons, I started with bundles. So I have this one set of five with, like, the same feminist theme. And so you can buy one, but typically people just buy the set of five, you know, so that's been helpful knowledge for sure. Oh, can I say one more thing about sticker bundles?

[Lizzy Smiley]

Yeah, say it and then we'll.

[Carrie]

I learned a long time ago from a YouTuber who was talking about upping your average order value by offering bundles, Right. And I'm like, well, what am I gonna bundle a sticker with another sticker? Yes, that's a great idea.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Right.

[Carrie]

But I don't even have a lot of, like, the mix and match versions set up. That's the thing I'm excited to work on, like, take a bunch of, like, my bookish stickers and make those into its own, like, set. But I'm talking about just buying more than one quantity at a time. So, like, on all of my sticker listings, you can see you have to select a sticker option before you check out. And the first one is just one sticker, and then you can buy two stickers, and it's a little bit of a lower price or 3 or 4 or 5, and the price goes down for the customer on every single one of those.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, in variations rather than quantity. You're doing it in variations.

[Carrie]

Yes. And so Etsy seems like talking about, like, changing their variations, like adding more personalization options. So, like, in that their recent updates. Have you seen that with, like. I think it is in the variations, like, on your listing side of things, you can now add, like, different processing times, you know, like, so if I were. Let's say I offered T shirts and I offer like, a 3x, but I don't actually have those in stock. I could make that, like, an extended processing time, knowing that I would have to order it and whatever. So that was pretty cool. So I feel like, ooh, maybe they're gonna give us even more options where I could more easily offer it just in a less confusing way. But people don't seem to have a problem figuring it out.

[Lizzy Smiley]

No, I think the way you've done, I think that's such a hack. Like that. That's. That is brilliant. Rather than having them just add the quantity.

[Carrie]

Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Other thing people could do is do the quantity but offer, like, discounts. So like on your shop banner, have like, you know, here are the coupon codes. If you buy 3, 5, 10, whatever.

[Carrie]

Yes, yes, I've looked at that and I want to, I really want to offer like a. Create your own pack, you know, like whatever 10 stickers you want. But like, I don't. I worry about people not being clear with personalization and complications and people that aren't tech. Tech savvy. And I've just. There's a lot of things that can go wrong with custom requests. So I'm like, I need to finish ironing that out. But it's. That's another of my photos. In my listing is an infographic that's like, hey, if you buy more, you'll save more.

[Lizzy Smiley]

And yeah, you'd have to do like a, like a photo where you've got each one like numbered or lettered. And then they put in the personalization field, like, here are the ones that we want. Like, I want A and D and F. Do you know what I mean? Like, don't even do numbers. Do letters.

[Carrie]

Yeah, so it would be like all of the stickers you could choose from, you mean?

[Lizzy Smiley]

Right.

[Carrie]

I thought about that too, but then I'm like, how often am I gonna have to update that?

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, gross. Yeah, no, right.

[Carrie]

So I'm like, there's not. There's not a good way. Now. I could.

[Lizzy Smiley]

The.

[Carrie]

The best I came up with was taking that idea and having it be like per niche.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Like, yeah, absolutely. Do it that way. Yeah. Because you don't have to update it. If not everything is there, then not everything is there. It's okay.

[Carrie]

Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Oh, my gosh. Your brain will not accept that, will it? But I'm telling you, I'm giving you permission. It's okay if they're not all there. All right, Carrie, where can people find you and connect?

[Carrie]

Yeah, hit me up on Instagram. I'm wearycarrydesigns and I'm not on every platform. You can come admire my ridiculously organized Pinterest boards as well, if that's your thing. I keep lots of stuff organized there from just like inspiration to like big pop up market stuff.

[Lizzy Smiley]

And you guys, Carrie has provided like a bunch of great links of all of the resources that she has found and recommends. Also, if you join the coaching group from this episode, she actually gets commission from it. So she gets. Because she's helping us in the group and she's an amazing asset in there. So if you've been thinking about joining and you want to support Carrie, this is the, this Is the link to use is the one in here. But take a look at her stuff and her listings. And Carrie, thank you so much. We've got to do this again. Well, we'll. We'll get like a bunch of sticker FAQs.

[Carrie]

Yeah. Oh, I would love that. Oh, I could talk about this.

[Lizzy Smiley]

I mean, if they have any. After everything you shared, like, honestly, it was such a much information, but we'll see what they say. So thank you so much. You know that I love you to pieces. Every week. Carrie DMs me after an episode and she tells me the truth every week. We could not be more opposite human beings. And I just feel like it's been the best thing ever. Like, I. I'm obsessed.

[Carrie]

I wanted to mention too, with the link for the. For sticker mule for the supplier. If you use my link, you will get $10 off. Like it's a wild deal. And then you'll. If you do that, then you'll get your own code to share where another person can get $10 off. Like $10 in the sticker world.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Wow, that's very generous. No, that's actually. That's really cool. Thank you for saying that.

[Carrie]

Yeah.

[Lizzy Smiley]

Okay, my love. You guys, thanks for hanging out with us. I hope you learned so much. Like, what a fun episode. What a fun conversation. Until next week, you guys go make something awesome. Take care. And that's a wrap on this episode of how to sell your stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com 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.