← How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Ep 222 | How Driving Her Own Traffic Sparked Faster Organic Etsy Sales - with Alex Chavez
00:56:41
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A
Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with
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their calling and all the tools they
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A
need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate
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the life they dream about.
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A
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.
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B
Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. We are in for such a treat today. This is a different kind of conversation, a totally different kind of product. I don't think we've ever talked about anything quite like this before. And actually if you clicked play on this episode, there's a good chance that you're either in the handmade space or you're thinking about selling a handmade product. And I think it's especially important for us. This was something that was a real weakness for me in the beginning with my Etsy shop is knowing my numbers. Have you ever, I don't know if you've ever watched Shark Tank. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. I love to hear those stories and I'm always get a little anxious for them when the sharks are like, tell us all your numbers, like what's your ROAS and what's your ROI and what's your DTI and what's all of this stuff? They want to know your profit and your net profit and all of that. And that gets really tricky with a handmade product, especially because you've got all of these different expenses that you don't necessarily think to include, right? Like everything to create your product, everything to ship your product. Like are you accounting for the tape that you use when you box your product? It gets to be a lot. I personally needed a tool to help me with this. It's not intuitive to me. I'm not an Excel. I'm not like a freak in the sheets like you. Excel girlies. Out there that I literally worship you. You're amazing. Not me. I need help with that. And so the tool that I recommend for this is called Profit Tree. It's like this tool is a fricking unicorn, you guys. It's the one thing that I tell Etsy sellers they should pay for. And the amazing thing is they have like a lifetime access offer right now where you just pay $67 for lifetime access. It's going to help you so much in being able to track all of your expenses. And the that Profit Tree does that I think is really important. You always hear me talk about you need to establish demand before you sell something. This is even going to come up in today's conversation. Before you sell something, you want to make sure that there is enough demand on Etsy. Just because people in the world want your product and it's freaking incredible, doesn't mean people on Etsy are searching for it. And so what Profit Tree will do, when you go into Etsy Search and you look at the competition, it's going to tell you how old a listing is, it's going to tell you how many times it's sold, it's going to tell you how much money it's made in the last month, how much money it's made all time, if it's getting favorites, if it's currently in demand. And that information, being able to study that about your competition helps you make such better data based decisions about what to create. We're not going off of emotion. I feel like doing this, this sounds fun because that can get exhausting and it can really lead to burnout. So I highly recommend that you check out Profit Tree. If you're like me and you hate to try to like figure things out, like I don't know about you, but I got one of those vacuum cleaners that's like a vacuum mop combo. And y', all, I didn't want to read that manual, right? I literally went to TikTok and like looked up a video. So I've done that for you. I've got a little YouTube tutorial that I will link below that shows you exactly how I love to use this tool especially for like the little data being able to establish demand. You just need the lifetime access $67 offer Grab that you're about to hear in this story too. Why this is, this is particularly important. Let me tell you about Alex, who's our guest today. This, this story is so fun. Let me read her bio. It says Alex is a former middle school music Teacher with a master's degree in education who is now a stay at home mama and Etsy seller. After welcoming her daughter In April of 2024, she decided to step away from the classroom to spend time at home with her little one. While staying home has been deeply rewarding in a new and beautiful way, it didn't quite match the fast paced chaos and constant variety that she was used to as a teacher. You guys, as soon as you see her personality, you're going to be like, oh yeah. You needed more stimulation. Always someone who loves feeling productive and staying busy. Alex tried a handful of different side hustles before, on a total whim, starting an Etsy shop. And that's when things really clicked. Her shop features themed sensory play kits and dry sensory bin fillers designed for little ones, but enjoyed by adults too. Since launching In October of 2025, Alex's shop has grown to over 200 sales and continues to evolve and grow. Any of you in the handmade Space knows that 200 sales is no small feat. And handmade products just take a lot. It's a longer Runway to get them off the ground. So I'm really excited to chat with her about why she thinks that the success came as quickly as it did. Some of them may be the little unconventional things that you may not have thought of that she's done to help, like pour gasoline on the fire. She's just like an open heart and an open book. So this is so charming. I can't wait. Please help me welcome Alex to the podcast. Yay, Alex. Hi, welcome to the podcast. Hi.
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C
I'm so glad to be here. I'm like super excited to talk about all the things.
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B
The second I saw your story and your shop, I was like, wait, what? What you have made happen in a short period of time. And honestly, even more than that, like the vision that you have and like the problem, the problem that you're solving. Well, I guess maybe it's just like ultra relatable to me if we're raising little kids right, but I just think you're about to blow everyone's minds. And I'm so, so, so excited. So I just like, I just want to kind of. Before we even get into what you make and what you sell, what do you think has caused the fast success? Do you have a sense of what, like, why did this work so well?
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C
I think honestly, it had a fast takeoff. Mostly because it was like really slow to begin with, actually. Well, not really slow. It was like two weeks after opening and my husband's like, did you sell anything yet? And I was like, no, I haven't sold anything yet. I was like, I need to, like, figure out how the shipping works and things like that. And I'm a big type B person. Like, I'll figure it out when it comes. Like, I'm not gonna plan and whatever. But I was like, I can't just, like, be figuring this out when I get my first, like, real order. So I asked my aunt if she would be willing to purchase something, and she was like, yeah, sure, I'll, like, go on and purchase something. I was like, I just want to, like, figure out how the shipping works, how to print a shipping label, because I have no idea about that. And she did. And she ended up giving it for, like, a gift because her kids are grown and. But I was like, oh, okay, I understand how to do this. And then it was like, taking forever to get another sale. And I was like, okay, I don't know. I need, like, reviews. I need, like, social proof, I guess is what you would call it. Um, and then I finally just like, took the plunge and was like, okay, I have all the kits made that I'm, like, gonna make for now that I, like, understand how to do. And so I posted on my Facebook, like, hey, I just opened like this Etsy shop, small business. If you would follow it, that'd be super awesome. And that, like, got me a lot of views and a lot of, like, shop favorites from people, but I didn't actually sell anything, so I was like, oh, what should I do? And then we have this, like, I'm sure most people have it like a mom's Facebook group for their area. And I'm a part of several. And on one of them, there's like a Mondays you can post about your business. And lots of people do, like insurance agents, house cleaners, like, all sorts of stuff. And so I posted on there and I was like, I just started this Etsy shop. I like, appreciate any feedback you have and just like, putting it out there that, like, I do local free shipping, which is actually, I don't. I, like, wasn't going to ship it. I was going to drive it to their house. Cause I was like, that's a lot of money in shipping. And my profit margins at the time were, like, not that high. And so I ended up getting a message from this local mom who owns a business. It's like Bloom Maker, Bloom Maker mornings. And she's a local artist that, like, brings in kids to do art classes. And they basically sign up for like a 45 to an hour class. And she was like, hey, girl. I was just thinking that this might be perfect. I know you just opened and this is brand new, but I would love for you to make sensory bin filler for my one of my classes, because I don't have time to make it. And I've been wanting to do a sensory class. And I was like, what? Okay. And she's like, we'll talk later. And I was like, okay. Oh, no. I was like, okay. And this is like two days after I like, announced my shop was open and I had just like a 10 pound bag of rice that I had dyed and like, that was it, like. And I was just like, okay, awesome. And I met. I went and met her at an event that she was doing at like a local play place and brought my kiddo. And she was like, I know it's soon, but like, I was thinking October 29th or something for this thing. And this is like my shop, like opened on October 9th and I didn't have my first sale to the 15th, and I was like, okay, that gives me like a week and a half to make filler. And I was like, so what are you thinking? What are you envisioning? And she was like, well, I think like, if we had kids make their own filler and do this thing, it'd be awesome. And I was like, okay. So I'm thinking in my head she, like, wants. She's in general, like a fan of like, big oversized things. Like, she had this giant skeleton for kids to, like, decorate and whatever. I was like, okay, she wants like this big and I, that's a lot of rice. So I went to Costco and I, like, that was the easiest thing that I knew how to like die at that point was rice. I like went to Costco, bought like two 25 pound bags of rice, which are like free and huge. I dyed rainbow rice and black rice and orange rice. And then I started doing these like hand painted pieces. Because to dye pasta, you, like, either have to use food coloring or some sort of paint. And I decided to go with an acrylic paint because it's brighter and more fun. But you like, basically shake it in a bag.
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B
Okay.
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C
Like, you put the pasta in and then you put the acrylic in and then you shake it and add some water and voila. But like, all of the pasta shapes that I was doing left, like cracks and like little chippings because, like, it wasn't getting in all of the little divots that all the pasta shapes have. And I was like, this can't look like this. I'm like kind of a perfectionist a little bit. Like, if I'm gonna do something.
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B
Perfectionist, yes.
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C
It's crazy. Like, if I'm gonna do something, I'm gon do it like all in and I'm gonna do it right. Like, if it's like, I'm a big believer, something's worth doing, it's worth doing right. And if I'm gonna like spend my time doing this, I'm gonna do it. And I was like, okay, well, I guess I'll hand paint all this pasta. So I like was holding like little pasta, like hand painting. I hand painted like three gallons of pasta in different shapes and colors. My hand was like hurting so bad right here and I was like, just really holding it and it was like absolutely ridiculous. But it was so worth it because I got these awesome pictures of these really cool looking, vibrant pieces of pasta. And I ended up doing the event and it went off awesome. And all these local moms ended up purchasing stuff from me or picking up. I like, when I first started, I made like these little flyers that Staples so cute. Like, I went on Canva and I just had them printed at Staples and it was like a QR code for my shop and like a free shipping code. And I was like, either giving those out to parents or I had like a square reader. And you know how you can like integrate square with Etsy?
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B
Yes.
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C
So I figured out how to do that. Like, square will give you a free reader and all you pay is like a processing fee. Like, that's amazing to me. And so I was like, okay, well no one carries cash anymore. Well, some people do, but I don't. I remember being little at 7:11 and going in and being like, do you take cash? Because everyone paid with cards. But I was like, okay, so I need this. And so I ended up having like a square reader that integrated with my Etsy shop. And some parents bought stuff there. And so I didn't know that my sales number would go up when people bought things in person.
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B
Yes.
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C
And I was like, OMG, this is so exciting. Like, I just got like 10 sales and like, bless those moms that that thing. Because if they wouldn't have done it and if they wouldn't have purchased things from me, and I don't know that I would have gotten as many sales as quickly. Like, so when I go look at someone's Etsy shop, I'm like, oh, how many times have they Sold something just to know, like, do they know what they're doing? You know what I mean? And I was like, oh good, now it kind of looks like I know what I'm doing. And it's like a month in. And so I'm like, okay, this is good. And so I took those really like vibrant photos that I had of the hand painted pasta and I put those on my Etsy as a listing and I posted pictures of it in a Facebook sensory group that has like thousands of members. And I was like, so cool. This is awesome. Here's a link to my Etsy shop that I just opened. Like, if you have feedback, let me know. And some people on there were Etsy sellers and were like, not super nice. They were like, they were like, oh, it's the good luck, it's the fees and insurance that'll kill you. And like, things like that. And I was like, should I have insurance? Like, that was my first thought. I was like, oh my God, am I missing something? So that was a whole nother rabbit hole. But I was like, okay. And then some of them, some of them were like, oh, I have an Etsy shop too. I'll follow yours if you follow mine. And I was like, okay. But that hand painted pasta ended up like blowing up in that sensory group. And I sold it in like five to nine cup quantities. I don't know, I think like 13 or 14 times. Like so fast. And I was like, oh no, now I have to hand paint all of this freaking pasta. Like it's so much pasta. And so I was like kind of freaking out. But I was like, that's okay, I'll, I'll just do it and it'll be great. And I started sending a message because whenever I've ordered from Etsy, I'm like a really impatient person. I think that's part of my like instant gratification, like external motivation stuff is like, I just like want the answer right now. I don't want to figure it out. And so I would like be wondering, like it would say order confirmed, like as a customer. And then you'd be like, well, what does that mean? Does that mean they got it? Does that mean someone looked at it? Like, I don't know what that means. And then it would be like shipping, like expected date. And sometimes people take forever to ship your stuff. And I'm like, okay, I've been waiting like three weeks for this thing. And they just shipped it. Well, that's good to know. Okay. But Etsy tells you those things the People who own the shops don't normally tell you those things. And so I decided, like, when people order from my shop, I was going to send them, like, a thank you message for ordering some of them that are, like, kind of weird orders. I'm like, I'm just confirming this is what you want before I package it. And then, like, these are my socials. Here's where you can find me. If you like the product, I'd really appreciate, like, a review. I'll be dropping it off at the post office tomorrow. Or I'll be. I just dropped it off at the post office this morning. Like, something like that in my message.
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B
When do you send it? At what point do you send that message?
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C
I usually send it. I try to send it the same day that I get the wow that I get.
- [16:24]
B
So you're packaging things the same day. You're trying to get stuff out, right? Like, fast turnaround?
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C
Yeah, I'm trying to get my turnaround time on. Etsy says one to three days, but usually. But usually it's not even one day. Someone can order something this morning and I'll ship it out this afternoon.
- [16:38]
B
So, Alex, we need to know, though, have you found a better way to paint that pasta yet?
- [16:43]
C
Yes, girl, I have.
- [16:44]
B
Okay. I have been wanting to ask that for, like, five minutes. I am so stressed about you painting all that because I would get. I almost had, like, hand damage from the painting in my, like, the really tiny painting on my signs, you know, that would be so exhausting for the hands. So I'm just like. I can't even imagine all of this pasta. This. Okay, I feel much better now. Wow. Okay, can we just, like, just let me. I just want to take a second and unpack all this because you're over there thinking, like, I'm doing okay, and it was really slow in the beginning, and I'm just like, girl, no. I want everyone listening to know this was hyperspeed fast. It. Okay, can I just, like, let me give you context over here. Sitting here. I've made hundreds of thousands of dollars on Etsy. I've had multiple shops. I've tried so many different things. Not tried. I've succeeded at so many different things. I, like, even right now in my shop, if I list something, most of the time, it's taking four, six, eight weeks to sell. Now, granted, that's partly because I'm anticipating trends and trying to be ahead of it. So, like, there's a little of that. But even in my. In my handmade shop, it'll take It'll take a minute, it'll take at least a couple of weeks. And I'm trying to think. I have one digital shop where sometimes things go up and they sell like same day or the next day, but that is rare. So I need you to know the way that you handle this is so brilliant. I want everyone who hears this to know it can take weeks to months just for you to get filtered into that algorithm. But what you did that was so brilliant, Alex, is you fed the algorithm not just with like listings and watching to see what you could refine and get better at, but by like bravely going onto Facebook. And I want everyone to know, like, take note, Facebook groups are massive moneymakers for, particularly for handmade products.
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C
Yes, absolutely.
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B
They could be from like, here's the thing, if someone's listening and they sell print on demand and they're in one of those mom sensory groups, they could be creating incredible shirt designs and selling print on demand shirts to those moms too. If you were selling like PNGs, but you want to focus on like those moms, you could be creating stuff for them. I promise you they're sublimating. Like many of them are sublimating. Those Facebook groups are cash cows. It's just an extra layer of work to do. You've got to be super esthetic. And I just like, I just think you absolutely nailed it, Alex. Like you and the way that you iterated your, your product photos and you were like, okay, I, I can level up these photos and you're not sitting there, just like, I'm just going to wait and see and oh, Etsy doesn't work. It's like, okay, I've got some information. This didn't work. How can I refine this? How can I go? How can I level it up now? Okay, I'll feel better if I just even know the shipping process. I love how your brain works through all of that.
- [19:18]
C
It's logistics are like normally like my bread and butter of like what I'm good at. Mostly because I blame being like a middle school band Director, like getting 300 plus kids on a concert and being like, you do this now and you do this now and it's going to get set up, like having those logistical plans. How long is this going to take? How long is it going to take to get this and that? Like, those things are something that just like comes naturally to me as far as putting the puzzle pieces together time wise. Like scheduling is a, ironically, scheduling is normally a strong suit of mine.
- [19:55]
B
But what you did is you fed the algorithm you. You generated. And not everyone has to. You guys don't have to go do this. I just want you to unpack what she did. She wanted faster results. She likes immediate gratification, relatable. She didn't want to, like, necessarily throw on Etsy ads because her profit margins were already small. I don't think you guys should turn on ads until you're already making sales. But you went and generated. Say you went and pushed those sales in. You know what I mean? Like, you created some business. I don't know that you're doing that all day, every day. I think it sounds like. Then the Etsy algorithm took over, and because you got sales and reviews and you basically got proof of concept on your product, Etsy pushed you out. Is that right?
- [20:31]
C
Yes, that's. Yeah, that's basically what happened. I. On Instagram, like, I started liking. Well, I. I invited, like, all of the people on my personal account to, like, my professional account, and then I was liking these or following these people who are like, follow for follow. Because I was trying to, like, generate more followers, for sure.
- [20:53]
B
Careful with that, guys. I've gotten flagged for that before.
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C
Yes. It's, like, not always a great idea. And I learned I. Before I started, I had no idea about Instagram. I never was on Instagram. Like, I had an Instagram, but it was, like, a very rare thing to. To use it. So I, like, for example, this summer, I was trying to be, like, an Amazon associate. So I, like, made my first real, like, this past summer, and I was like, whoa, this is so hard, but weird. Um, so totally new to Instagram, and that was a thing. But I learned the algorithm likes it better when you look at things, follow things, or post things that are all within the same, like, lane. So, yeah, it could. It could be. Doesn't have to be like, dry sensory filler like I do, but it could be, like, play DOH Sensory or like, different sorts of, like, autism awareness groups or things like that. Those things generate more traffic for you than, like, authentic traffic than if you're trying to do it a different way and just, like, grow your follower number. And I was trying to do that because I had heard on someone else's podcast that, like, live sales really helped them.
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B
Yeah, they can.
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C
And so, like, Instagram doesn't let you go live, and so you have, like, a thousand followers or something. Oh, my gosh. I messed up a live so bad on Facebook doing this. So I, like, had posted in the sensory group. Hey, I'm Gonna go live and do a live sale. We'll do like a buy four, get one free kind of thing. I didn't know that you had to be a open account on Facebook for 60 days before you get live permission. And I opened my business Facebook after I had opened my Instagram. So I was like, oh, it hasn't even been like, 45 days yet, so I can't do this. And so I had all these people trying to get on my personal one, but it wasn't going public. And I, like, I flubbed it up so bad. But then I did it the next night. I was like, okay, I get this now. I'm going to redo here.
- [22:58]
B
That's the way to do it. Yes.
- [23:01]
C
So I was like, I did. I usually make things, like, ahead of time. Like, I've done markets and things like that that have kind of, like, been benchmarks along the way that I'm like, oh, I'm going to push myself to, like, shake so many bags of this pasta or rice or chickpeas or whatever I use. Like, and I'm going to make this much of every kit that I offer so that when I go to a market, like, no one likes to see an empty table of junk. Like, you know what I mean? You have to look like it's well stocked and pretty. So that kind of helped generate my inventory. And why I was starting to be able to ship things out so quickly was because I had generated a lot of inventory that was already made for these markets just because I learned that just because my stuff sells well on Etsy, that doesn't mean it's going to sell well at a market. At my first market, like, I was trying to explain to people what Sensory play was. They were like, is this candy? Because I had it, like, out in bins for, like, people to touch and feel. And I had a big bin of it for kids to play with, you know, and of course, the kids go up and are like, scoop, play whatever they're going to do. But the adults were like, oh, that's going to make a mess. I don't understand that. Like, kind of not understanding. And I had to figure out a better way to explain why my product mattered because of these markets. Like, my first market that I went to, I sold one thing. I didn't even cover my booth fee. And the one thing I sold was to another vendor who. Who had brought her child that needed something to play with.
- [24:37]
B
Oh,
- [24:39]
C
like, before the market even started. And so I was like, this sucks. Like, it's so Much work doing markets, if you like have ever done them. Like it's, you're hauling in tables and displays and boxes and like I sell like painted dry goods. Do you know how heavy that stuff is? It's crazy.
- [24:56]
B
And there's a lot of it.
- [24:57]
C
There's a lot of it. And so I was just not wanting to do that anymore. But it was great for me to get like, I don't know, I would. People would stop by and I would give them like my business card with my Etsy QR code so that they could see it again. Or people would be like, oh, I have a cousin that might be interested in this. And I'm like, here's my card. And that helped generate some Etsy traffic. I noticed because every time I did a market I had like a day or two or three afterwards that would be like two, three, four sales in a day, which was a lot for me. And I was like, oh, that's exciting that a market might not have worked for me to sell things at the market, but it worked for me to like get my name out there and be like people, be aware of what this is. Which was great.
- [25:47]
B
You guys know I am constantly testing strategies and frameworks on Etsy so I can tell you what's actually working and what's just noise. And one thing I have noticed over the years is this. Most Etsy sellers aren't stuck because they're lazy or they're not doing anything. They're stuck because they're second guessing everything. What to work on, what matters right now, whether they're even on the right path. I hear this all the time and that feels exhausting. So after years of teaching Etsy sellers through courses and workshops, the trendspotting membership coaching and this podcast, I built something that brings everything together in one place. It's called Scaling Society. Scaling Society is my all inclusive Etsy membership for sellers who want clarity and a clear plan without hopping between programs or wondering what to focus on next inside. You get my Etsy seller roadmap so you know exactly what to work on and when with direction on what resources will help you master it. You also get every single one of my courses and my workshops. You get access to trendspotting and the weekly trend reports. My template drop, which means a weekly template that you can resell in your own shop. SEO training, a bunch of done for you resources like prompts, SEO and branding templates. You get a coaching group with real support and that's where the magic happens. You also get access to two live Coaching calls with me every single month. You'll also get automatic access to all of the new trainings and resources I have planned for this year, including special guests. It's designed to meet you right where you're at, whether you're brand new or you're ready to scale and help you build intentionally instead of guessing your way forward. And honestly, the biggest feedback I hear from members isn't just about sales. It's relief. They finally know what to focus on. So if Etsy feels harder than it should, if you're putting in effort but you want more clarity and direction, or if you're ready to treat your shop like a real business and have actual support behind you from people who know what they're doing, you can learn more about scaling society at the link in the show notes. There's monthly and annual options and you can cancel anytime. So just pick what's right for you. I'd love to support you inside. I'm actually really surprised that the markets didn't do better. It's really. It's really fascinating hear you talk through how people didn't. Didn't get it, but it is a different demographic of people. People. I don't like to use demographics, but, you know, I mean, like, it's. These are people walking through that are making emotional decisions about what they see. I really feel like the conversation around sensory stuff has even gone beyond families who have autistic family members. You know what I mean? Like, every mom I know who has a toddler is interested in sensory toys. And like, we just, we know things can be messy, but it doesn't matter. Do you know what I mean? Like, we're like, beyond that. So that's really, really interesting. Usually you hear it the other way around. This sells so easy at the market. I can't get it to sell on Etsy. I' curious though, Alex, as you went through that process, how did you change how you were talking about, like, how you would describe it? Like, how did you figure out how to reframe it, what the product was, why it mattered?
- [28:48]
C
So the markets that I. The first market that I did was. I don't know if you guys have a moose lodge where you are.
- [28:57]
B
I've heard of that. What is that?
- [28:58]
C
It's like, it's like a VFW or an American Legion.
- [29:02]
B
That's just right.
- [29:03]
C
It's kind of just like. It's the same thing for, like, veterans and. But the moose is like, something people have to, like, pay to be a part of.
- [29:10]
B
Okay.
- [29:11]
C
And my aunt had Just, like, forwarded me a link. Like, hey, I know it's like a super small show, and it's kind of maybe not exactly your thing, but here's. They're looking for vendors. And so I was like, okay, well, I can. I'll do that. I'll 100% do that. And so it wasn't the demographic of people that would buy my stuff at this market.
- [29:31]
B
And I was gonna say, I wonder if there's a whole thing about choosing the right markets. Like, it's a whole strategy.
- [29:35]
C
Okay, yeah. Like, I should have chosen a different market. And I. I won't do that market again. But it was all people, like, my grandparents. Age.
- [29:45]
B
Yeah.
- [29:45]
C
Which I love my grandparents.
- [29:47]
B
Yeah.
- [29:48]
C
Like, my. My grandpa was a elementary PE teacher, so he came to see, like, the thing because he's a part of the moose. And he, like, looks and he's like, how great for hand eye coordination. Like, he was just like, this is amazing for that. And I was like, yeah, you get it. But then I was like, how do I explain it to people who are just like, this makes a mess. My daughter isn't going to want to clean this up after her kid. Like, they'll kill me if I buy this as a present, like, kind of thing. My aunt was actually the person who stood with me the whole time at that market. And she was like, hi, have you heard about sensory play before? And meanwhile, I'm like, just standing there like, cricket, cricket. Like, what's happening? And so as my aunt started, like, making conversation with people, I was like, oh, she's just, like, making casual conversation about the thing not being like, are you interested in this? Like, not trying hard to sell it? And so I was like, oh, okay. So I came up, like, I came home and I was like, well, what are three things that this kind of sensory play provides for kids? And I was like, well, it, like, provides, like, sensory stimulation and calm. It provides, like, fine motor skills. It provides pattern recognition, like, depending on all of these activities that you do with it. And so I decided for the next market that I went to, which was in, like, three weeks. Well, I'm gonna have a list of why sensory play, like, posted.
- [31:18]
B
Yes.
- [31:21]
C
And then, like, where we are. I don't know if this is where you are. But, like, I was round shirts big, like, stem play. Anything stem oriented. And so my husband, who's also very into, like, sciency things sometimes he was like, you need something cooler. Like something like, learning oriented. And I was like, what? What do you mean? And he was like, I don't know, like, something where, like, it spins a wheel or something when you pour it. And I was like, what? What are you talking about? And all I could think of was, like, those sand things for the beach where you pour, like, sand in a funnel and it spins those little wheels when it goes through. And I was like, oh, I'm going to get one of those. Well, sand's a lot smaller than pasta or rice or, like, any of those things.
- [32:04]
B
Yeah.
- [32:05]
C
So I took my little pink drill that I have, and I like, like. And, like, drilled out, like, a bigger opening for the funnel so that, like, chickpeas could fit through.
- [32:18]
B
Oh, my gosh.
- [32:19]
C
And, like, kids ended up playing with that. I, like, got a bunch of, like, little letter tiles where they have, like, letter cards that you can match them to. And I hid the letter tiles in some pasta, and I was like, oh, like, it's good. Like, treasure hunting and recognition, all of these things. So really thinking about why a parent would want to buy it and not just thinking it's intuitive was, I think, a big part of doing better at that next market for me. But it also helped me with my SEO a lot because I looked at my. I am still in the process of changing my SEO because I have, like, a bunch of different listings, and I'm terrible at computer work. Like, I will shake pasta in a bag all day. I'll put stickers on bags, I'll do whatever, but, like, get on the computer. I'm like, heck to the no. So it's just like pulling teeth for me. I was like, well, I'm going to take a little bit of time and, like, work on this SEO. And so I thought about, like, what a parent would search for, and I was like, well, what did I search for? Because the reason I start. I started selling on Etsy, actually, is because we were on vacation and my daughter was at the beach and started playing with sand, and she had a blast. And I was like, oh, she's like, never done this kind of thing before. And I was like, well, why hasn't she done this kind of thing before? Well, we are in Colorado and we don't have a beach. Like, we live in suburbia where, like, there's no dirt, there's no, like, whatever. Like, my husband was like, I used to just, like, go across in the field and, like, dig ant holes and stuff. Like. And I was like, yeah, but we don't live in that kind of a place. And that's a good reason for sensory play. We don't have Access to any of these things that kids used to do that create, like, hand strength, that create, like, investigation without screens or things. I was like, that's how I'm gonna send. Sell this to old people. Is like, kids these days kind of mentality, you know? Like, kids these days don't do all the sorts of things that we used to growing up. And this is a way to do it cleanly in your home. So I was like, well, okay, my SEO is going to be. Some of it's gonna be like, fine motor. It's gonna not actually have anything to maybe do with what pops into my head with, like, what to search for. But, like, I could see a parent saying, like, fine motor toy, you know, for a toddler. And I was like, okay, maybe that. And I had heard a podcast of someone else. I found you, actually, because I was searching on podcasts for small businesses. Like, I was like, I wanna learn how to, like, make my profit margins higher and things like that. Because accounting is, like, not my deal. My husband is the person who, like, set up my spreadsheets for me. He's the person that was like, let's calculate how much this costs. How many bags, like Ziploc bags do you use? And I was like, I don't know. Like, it costs $0.02 for one Ziploc bag. Like, he factored all of that into, like, my profit for me, and he's been amazing that way. But I was just like, yeah, I don't even know. I don't even know what you would search for. I don't even know, like, what would make me a better profit. So I was listening to small business podcasts. One of them was talking about, like, long tail keywords. And I was like, what the heck is a long tail keyword? Because when someone says tags to me, like, Etsy has that little thing that says tags. I'm like, thinking one word things, right? Like, colorful sensory, like, those kind of ideas.
- [35:54]
B
Yeah, we don't want to do that.
- [35:55]
C
No. And that's what all of mine were. They were those.
- [35:58]
B
Oh, that's why you weren't getting traffic. Oh, this is so exciting. Okay. Yeah.
- [36:01]
C
So I was like, okay, I need to figure out some longer tail keywords. One of the small business podcasts had an Etsy seller, I think, Dylan Jarvis.
- [36:11]
B
Dylan Jarvis. She's a. She has an Etsy podcast.
- [36:14]
C
She does, yes. So she was on a small business podcast.
- [36:17]
B
Oh, I see. Okay. So she was talking about Etsy.
- [36:20]
C
Okay. Yeah. And she was talking about Etsy and, like, her success. And I was like, oh, okay, that's awesome. And I've never heard of like some of the things that she's talking about with e commerce before. And I was like, I obviously need to learn something about it. So I was like, well, there's podcasts for like everything, so what are the chances that there's just an Etsy podcast? And I searched Etsy and you came up. And I was like, oh, there's this tool where I can like learn about SEO. And so I started using Ever be and it's not super helpful for me because, well, honestly, like, there's only a finite number of words that people really search for.
- [37:01]
B
Yeah, that's the issue. It's like the actual demand. Hold on now while you're talking, I'm actually going to look. I don't think I've ever done this while we're recording before, but I'm going to go rogue. So keep talking. I just want to see what it says.
- [37:09]
C
The demand is not high.
- [37:12]
B
That's what I'm what I was wondering.
- [37:13]
C
Like there's maybe like 400ish, I think searches for it in a month and there's like thousands of keywords that use it. And so but it, it gave me like sensorial. And I was like, I would never think of the word sensorial, but that was like one of the highest keywords for it. And I was like, okay. Or I tried to like make it work with my shop statistics, but it's kind of like it needs more time to catch up with your research while I'm on here. Sorry. Well, it needs more time to catch up with your like shop. It won't like do like immediate like today. This is what number of sales you're at because I compared it on ever be with like my actual shop. And I was like, that's actually not true.
- [37:58]
B
They're at least 30 days off on their day.
- [38:00]
C
Yes. Yeah. And I was like, that's not true. So I was like, I don't know how accurate this is. And I was like really confused with like if it was accurate or not. And I tried like some people's shops that I, I had actually ordered when we got back from our vacation, I had ordered some sensory bin filler from two different Etsy shops.
- [38:20]
B
Oh, that was so smart.
- [38:21]
C
I. Well, because I was like, I need to continue this kind of thing with my daughter. She's very gross, motor oriented and doesn't do as many of the like scooping, kind of using a fork things that she needs to do. So I was like, I got to keep this up when we get home somehow. And so before I even got home, I ordered some filler to come to my house from two different sellers who, like, had some good reviews on Etsy, and I like their stuff, and I was like, all their pictures are good. Like, I'm going to order it. And it got to my house, and I was like, oh, this is really great. But then I showed it to my aunt, and she was like, you can make this. Like, we can totally make this. And I was like, yeah. She's like, how much was this? And I'm like, like $25 a bag. And I had ordered four bags, so I, like, spent, like, two, like, $200 or $100 on this stuff. And I was like, she's like, you spent $100 on pasta, Alex? Like, what the heck? And I was like, yeah, but it's, like, already made for you, and you don't have to figure it out. And I was like, no, she's right. Like, I need to figure out how to do this, like, if I'm gonna keep it up, because I can't afford to spend that much every time. I'm. I'm gonna buy it. Like, me and my husband are. Are. Well, I'm not anymore, but he's a teacher. Like, we don't. We don't make craploads of money outside of this. So I was like, I can't afford to do it. So I had ended up, like, making some rainbow rice and just, like, taking a picture of it. And I'm. I'm friends with a lot of toddler moms on Facebook, and I've gone to a couple, like, toddler mom meetups, and so people know each other that way. And someone was like, oh, have you ever thought about, like, selling the extra? Or, like, what? Your daughter's already played with, like, pre played with stuff? And I was like, no. But I was actually thinking that maybe I would start an Etsy shop. So it's kind of in the works. And she asked me that on, like, October 8th, and, like, October 9th, I was like, I'm gonna start this freaking Etsy shop, because, yeah, like, why not? And I. I had heard horror stories of, like, the fees and things like that. Like, everyone does. But while I was teaching, there was another teacher, and his. His shop is actually incredible. He's, like, been an Etsy seller for, like, eight years, and he has thousands of sales, and he sells physical products. But the only reason I knew that was because he makes, like, big heads. Like, you know, for basketball games. And I wanted to have one as my bathroom pass, like, so to make kids not want to go to the bathroom because they have to carry, like, a giant big head of my face to the bathroom. So I ordered it, and he, like, brings it down the next day. And I was like, wow, that's amazing. Like, thank you so much. And he's like, yeah, absolutely. I make, like, tons of these a night. And I was like, what else do you make? And he was like, oh, I make acrylic cases for Lego sets. And I make, like, just all these, like, crazy things. And I was like, how do you have a printer this big in your house? He's like, the grind, man. The grind. Like, I was. That's, like, as much as he said about it, but I was like, oh, like, if Tim can do this and teach full time, like, that's an idea, you know? And I would buy things on Etsy all the time. Like, I don't know, band T shirts that say concert tomorrow or something like that for, like, my kids. And I was like, I buy things on Etsy all the time. Like, I should just sell something on Etsy. I'm gonna actually look up how much it is to start this. And I did. It was like, 30. I think it was $30. Because it differs by area now.
- [42:05]
B
Yes.
- [42:05]
C
How much it costs to open a shop. And so I was like, it's $30. Okay. I spend $30, like, on a whim on Amazon, you know, I'm gonna spend $30. And just even if I don't open the shop, I want to see how to do it. So, like, I spent $30. I, like, came up with something. I chat GPT like, good names for Sensory Shop. And it, like, spit out all these names. And I was like, this one. And so I just, like, went with it. And then I was like, chatgpt, create me a logo. And, like, really?
- [42:41]
B
I thought. I figured. Your husband did your logo.
- [42:43]
C
No, my Chat GPT did my logo. And I've. I've tweaked it since then through Canva and things like that.
- [42:50]
B
Okay.
- [42:51]
C
But, yeah, my original logo was from ChatGPT. And I was like, make it colorful and playful, and it, like, did it. And I was like, awesome. That was the first time I used Chat GPT. I was. Because I was like, I'm very much against technology. Like, even as a teacher, I was like, my kids will not use a computer in here. Well, it's banned. Like, why would they use. But I was just like, I don't love Technology. So I figured out how to use chat GPT and that was easy. And then I like, I was like, well, how can I post the most things without spending a lot of money? And so I decided I was gonna make rainbow rice because I was like, everybody loves rainbow things for kids, like bright and colorful. And I was like, but this is seven different colors that I'm making. So I'm gonna combine three colors and make one photo, and I'm gonna combine two colors and make this photo. And it just happened to be like the evening time, good light outside. And I took a couple photos, photos of it. And I could make all of these different combinations from like one batch of rainbow rice that I eventually like combined. So I didn't have to spend a lot of money to originally get up like seven or eight listings because I took all of those photos one night. It took like two or three nights of work before I was like, okay, I'm gonna post it on my Facebook now. Mostly because I was like, I'm just impatient about things. Like, once I get something in my mind, I'm like, I'm gonna do it fast. I want this to go fast. So I posted it like two or three days later. I was like, I want at least 12 listings before I post it. So people have like a choice of stuff. But that's why my keywords were so awful, because I posted it so fast without knowing anything about E commerce or search engines or like, anything like that. And so when I took the shop that I originally bought that sensory filler from, those two shops and I put them into Everby, I noticed those shops actually don't do that well. Like, for being on Etsy for a really long time, they don't do super well. I was like, oh, they have like a thousand sales but have been on Etsy for eight years. And I was like, this can't take eight years to hit a thousand sales. I looked at it, and those shops, I figured out send a lot of their traffic to their own website. And that makes. I could believe that Etsy numbers weren't as great. Yeah, I was like, oh, okay, well, I'm gonna stay on Etsy because I'm having success here and I don't want to figure out some other platform right now. And I'm. I don't love math or figuring out things on the legal end. So Etsy figures out my sales tax. Etsy figures out my taxable stuff. Like it does all of that. And I was like, I don't even know how much sales tax is here or anywhere someone would buy something from. So what? Like, that's a lot of work to figure all of that out. And then I was just like, no, Etsy is easier for right now. And it's ended up like working out for me to do that. And so. Yeah, but it was a, it was a huge learning curve. It was a quick learning curve. From the time I asked my aunt to purchase something. I was like using a box that I had like, had something sent to me in. And I was like, well, how big is this box? Like, does it fit my stuff? I looked at the bags that the sellers had like given me from my purchase and I was like, well, what are these bags? Like, how big are these bags? How much these bags fit? Like, trying to figure out like a Ziploc bag. Like I, I now like have these, but I originally had like these like stand up bags.
- [46:32]
B
Yep.
- [46:33]
C
And they ripped like going places. Like, my aunt was like, hey, you should know that this bag broke like on your, on its way to me. She lives 45 minutes away. And I was like, like, if, if it can't make it through the mail to go a 45 minute drive, like, we're in trouble. So I like tried to like use those bags sparingly or like tape the creases where I know they were ripping before I sent them because I couldn't believe how much plastic bags were. I was like, what? This is expensive? Or how much like these little stickers were. I was like, this is insane. This is a whole business in itself is selling these things. I finally had one. I had a bag break like two or three weeks into getting more sales, going to like somewhere like an hour and a half away. And she sent me a message with like a photo and was like, oh my goodness, like my bags broke. Like, is there any chance, like, I could get another one? And I was like, absolutely. I'm so sorry about that. You have two choices. Like, I could give you a new one, send you a new one, or I can like refund you either way. Like. And she was, she was like, well, I still really want it, so if you could send me another one. And I was like, absolutely. And then I looked at her address and I was like, oh, that's like an hour and a half away. Hey, like, dad, can you watch my like, daughter while I drive this to this person's house?
- [48:02]
B
Oh my gosh.
- [48:03]
C
And so I, I just wanted to make sure it didn't break again. And I also wanted to make sure this person like got this like, I hate when I have to wait again for something. And I'm like, oh, it's so disappointing. And I was like, I don't want this person to be disappointed. So I.
- [48:16]
B
For the record, please be careful about driving to strangers houses who order from you on the Internet.
- [48:21]
C
Yes, I maybe shouldn't have done that.
- [48:23]
B
Like,
- [48:25]
C
I maybe shouldn't have done that. But one of the side hustles I tried before this was, like, picking up people's free stuff off of Facebook Marketplace and cleaning it up and taking a better picture and selling it again. So I was, like, very used to, like, driving, like, Timbuktu to get a play kitchen. Like, it just was like, oh, no, I want a good review. I need good reviews at this point, so I'm gonna take it to her house. And she, like, wrote me the best review ever that night. And I was like, all right. Was it worth three hours and getting almost attacked by this dog? Probably not, but all right, I got a good review. That makes me feel great. So I. It's been a. It's been a definite learning curve of, like, how I'm going to package stuff, what I'm going to do. Am I going to, like, buy. Buy a whole bunch of stuff from Hobby Lobby? How do I even order boxes? And I was like, well, I buy everything on Amazon. I'm sure Amazon sells boxes.
- [49:22]
B
Amazon is the best resource for shipping supplies at this stage. I've tried them all.
- [49:26]
C
Yeah. And I was, like, looking on Uline because I was like, oh, I want to order. Oh, my goodness. The prices are, like, honestly, not super bad. But then you have to pay almost, like, double what you pay for the product in shipping. And I was like, no, thank you. So that was a. That was a whole adventure, too. All of a sudden, like, my whole porch was filled with, like, Amazon packages. And my husband was like, what's going on? And I was like, oh, this is for my Etsy shop. He's like, has anyone even bought anything yet?
- [50:01]
B
Like, no, you're perfect. And what I have taken away so much from this is, like, you embody the everything is figureoutable mantra that I'm always talking about. And that's probably part of your fast success as well, because even though it could have been. It could have been, like, a downfall for you to, like, want instant gratification, but you've matched it with, like, high energy and curiosity. And so the fact that you've, like, stayed curious and you've just stayed innovative, and rather than. Rather than making any kind of excuses, all you do is look for solutions and it's made you really agile. You switch fast and then you find the best way and it's going to be so freaking cool to watch where you go from here. I cannot, I literally cannot. Wait, you told the whole story. You said everything that needed to be said. I will. I do want to say this. I know you're in scaling society, so if you haven't yet, make sure you do. Check out the SEO masterclass.
- [50:55]
C
Oh yes, need to watch that.
- [50:57]
B
I think that's going to help you find some interesting strategies for maximizing the demand on Etsy. I do wonder if there's a limit of demand on Etsy for specifically for Sensory. But I tell, I'm telling you this, it's only going to grow because that conversation is getting larger and larger and larger. You are also a great candidate and you're already doing it to driving some of your own traffic from online. I think you can have some really viral content around this type of thing.
- [51:22]
C
But fingers crossed, some people only watch my thing like twice.
- [51:26]
B
That's okay, that's okay. I mean, and what you're going to end up doing is, is iterating and scaling. So what's going to happen is if you only can go so far with the sensory, you'll find things that are adjacent to it because things for toddlers and children is a massive enormous niche. And you don't have to just stay with Sensory, you can go beyond that if you feel like you want to. On Etsy you have so much potential and but as far as ever be the data is a month old, Profit tree is pulling data from 12 hours ago. So when you look at like their information that they're telling you about how listings are performing, that's 12 hours old, whereas Everbee's 30 days old. I like to use Profit Tree for establishing demand and finding what best sellers are the newest and making the most money because that's really informative for me. I use the free. I write you guys only need the free ever be. So let me back up Profit Tree. You guys only need the lifetime access one pay $67 once and you can get the information you need on the on the competitive competing listings and then you need a free ever be account for SEO to be able to see. And this is so much easier to show you visually. It's what they do in their tags because Profitree will show you what tags are on a listing but you don't know how valuable they are. Whereas if you use the free ever be extension you can look at the tags and you can see how they rank and so so maybe using both. That's exactly what I do. I use both for those two things. You're gonna. You're gonna find the opportunities with Profit Tree you're gonna use ever be to to figure out which keywords to use. And there's there you know we could go with the could spend a year on the strategy. That's why I did I do like courses about it because it's easier to watch me do it all.
- [53:02]
C
I definitely found some better keywords after listening to something on like long tail keywords mostly finding like gift for toddler and so like I sometimes I do like birthday gifts for like in something that I think will sell well as birthday gift but then also looking and in those sensor groups like I post as my shop. So it's my shop name. But someone searching for your shop on Etsy doesn't necessarily find it because it's not in your title and it's not in your keywords. So I started adding my shop name to as one of my keywords.
- [53:42]
B
Let me know how it works. I haven't seen that work before, but
- [53:44]
C
I don't know if it'll work or not.
- [53:46]
B
Yeah but some of because I think you can also just have that in your description. You don't have to use it in like a really valuable keyword spot like a tab or a title.
- [53:53]
C
Oh okay. You can use it in the description. Okay.
- [53:56]
B
But I still think because here's the thing, it still doesn't matter because I don't know if you've noticed the the filters on Etsy. You have to tell it and it really only works on the app by the way. When people search for a shop on the app you can toggle the filter to are you searching for a product or are you searching for a shop? Because if you just go to a browser and type in a shop name, even really established shops often won't show up in the search for it. And it's because Etsy basically has two search engines happening. One for shop names, one for products. So it's a whole thing I that this is why you really just want to be driving traffic directly to a shop or a listing out. If you're driving it from outside of Etsy, you don't want to. You don't want anyone relying on or use a QR code. You don't want anyone relying on typing in your shop name.
- [54:37]
C
Yeah, I now send like my card with my QR code shop in there. Yeah. Because I was handwriting all of those notes.
- [54:47]
B
It's a lot.
- [54:48]
C
Yeah, it was a lot.
- [54:49]
B
Alex, so many people are going to love your story and this episode. It's. You're enchanting. Can you please tell everyone where they can find you and connect?
- [54:58]
C
Yes, absolutely. So you can find me on Etsy at Tiny Tactile, and then I spend most of my time on Instagram now with. And it's at Tiny Tactile by Alex because apparently Tiny Tactile was already taken.
- [55:15]
B
I will have the Instagram linked for everyone below. They want to say, say a howdy and tell you thank you, but I just want to thank you so much for your vulnerability and also for your. Your generosity and sharing so much with us. Just coming with, like an open heart and open hands. And here's my story and here's what's worked and here's what didn't and here's where it sucked and here's where it was great and I. I love it. So thank you so very much.
- [55:37]
C
Yeah, if this is incredibly hard to follow, I'm so sorry. I did not tell that in a linear fashion whatsoever.
- [55:44]
B
I think you did better than you, than you think. And it. The. The whole point comes across. You did. You did beautifully and everyone's gonna love it. So, guys, thank you so much for listening in. I hope that you enjoyed Alex's story as much as I did. Until next week, Go make something awesome and talk to you soon.
- [55:59]
A
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, 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
- [56:37]
C
you for your support.
- [56:38]
A
Have a great day and see you next time.