Etsy and Me...How It All Began

One of the topics of choice for the EtsyBloggers blog carnival this week is: Etsy. What made you open a shop on Etsy? What do you like about being a seller on Etsy? What don't you like?

So I thought this was a good chance to tell my Etsy story :)

It all started with my love of crafts...scrapbooking in particular. I've been crafting for over 10 years and got to a point where I was creating more than I needed. My mom was getting all my newest creations...and they were starting to take over! It dawned on me that I should start selling my creations!

I started selling at local craft shows and had some success, but wanted more. I'd looked into starting my own website, but don't have the computer know-how to do it on my own. I kept seeing this name, Etsy, in magazines and wondered what the heck it was. I was so excited to find such a wonderful website! A place where I could sell my creations and all the work was done for me...all I had to do was list! I was in love :)

My favorites about Etsy:

• I get my products seen by a much larger customer base.
• I can sell 24/7, 365! I don't have to wait for a craft show to come open.
• I am selling internationally! I had never dreamed this would be possible!
• It gives me confidence in my work...people really love my albums :)
• EtsyBloggers Team...my online family :) They are the BEST!

My least favorites about Etsy:

• A very saturated market. But with the good comes the bad. Etsy is so popular that everyone wants a piece of it.
• It is very hard to get on the front page, in a gift guide, or in Etsy Finds...they tend to play favorites it seems. But I guess this makes me work harder :)
• The descriptions...I hate to write them! I have such a hard time telling how great my products are. When people can't see and touch them...it makes it difficult. But as I stated earlier...with the good comes the bad...and I'll take it!

Here is my most popular item in my shop...by far. People love custom items! They like the personal touch :)