I went from Zero to $780K: Here’s How to Sell on Etsy and Make Money
You can sell on Etsy and make money.
You can become a six-figure Etsy seller.
You can stand out in an “oversaturated market”.
And you don’t need to have hundreds of products or a huge advertising budget to do it.
You just need to know how to set up and market your Etsy shop strategically.
I’ve served over 7,000 clients worldwide and made over $780K in all time sales on Etsy.
If you want to know how to sell wedding invitations on Etsy (or how to start a creative business on Etsy), grab your favorite Blackwing Pearl and a notebook. You’ll want to take notes on today’s blog post!
These five things below are what made the biggest impact in my wedding stationery business. Pencils ready?
I. Raise your prices.
Your prices are (probably) too low.
“Brides won’t pay $1,000+ for wedding invitations on Etsy… It’s alright for printables and lower priced items, but I just don’t think the big spenders are on Etsy…” – a fellow stationer’s Facebook post
There are several myths about selling wedding invitations on Etsy, but the biggest one is that you can’t get high end clients.
I used to think that way, too.
Until one day, I took the plunge and doubled (or in some cases tripled) my prices. And guess what? People still bought them. Nobody complained. Less people haggled with me.
I was selling wedding invitations on Etsy at almost the exact same rate I was before–but I was making more money and attracting high end clients.
how to be confident in your pricing
Sometimes, we charge less because we aren’t confident in ourselves.
During my first couple of years of business, I remember thinking, “Wow, that’s how much my competitor charges? But, she’s so much more talented than me. She’s been in business for so long. She has so many Instagram followers. Nobody will ever pay that much for my stationery.”
Somewhere along the way, I changed my mindset. I started thinking of everything I do for my clients.
How many nights of sleep had I lost because I was worrying that a package wouldn’t get delivered on time? How hard did I work to get said package shipped out asap? How much energy do I pour into every client’s invitation, making sure every little detail is peeeeerrrrfect? How much do I spend on business investments to make my client’s experience as stellar as possible?
There is more value to my wedding invitation business than just the end result.
I am not just selling a “piece of paper”.
Behind every “piece of paper” are my years of experience, thousands of investment dollars, high quality materials, research and development, brand recognition, marketing efforts, etiquette expertise, sleepless nights, and one stellar client experience.
When I gained confidence in my wedding invitation business, high-end clients quickly followed. Now, I have much better profit margins, a higher average order amount, and attract my ideal client.
If you want to know how to start a wedding invitation business on Etsy that attract high end brides, be confident and bold in your pricing.
After raising prices, my average client went from spending $400 to spending $1,200.
In fact, clients were even buying more than what they were buying before. (If you’ve ever worked in retail, you might understand it better this way: I had a higher UPT–number of units per transaction–than before.) Clients weren’t just coming for the invitations–they also wanted wax seals, address printing, and all the fancy fixins’.
Bottom line: you can get paid what you’re worth.
how to raise prices
Anyone can mark up their prices, but that doesn’t mean they will reach high end brides.
You have to be able to back it up.
Think about your experience level and all the research and development that goes into making your stationery. Have you been featured in a magazine or online anywhere? Is your client experience unparalleled? Are you networking with wedding planners? Do you share valuable advice or inspiration about wedding stationery on Instagram? Basically, how are you going above and beyond to stand out in the industry?
This also applies to beginners who are just learning how to start a wedding stationery business. What is your startup cost? What is your skill level? How much have you invested in research and development so far? How do you plan to go above and beyond in your business?
These extra things you do for your business (and essentially your clients) allow you to confidently increase pricing.
II. Set clear shop policies.
Fill out everything when it comes to your shop policies. This will give clients a clear picture of how you operate your business and what to expect after purchasing from you.
It makes you look professional and validates your business, even if you’ve never made a sale before.
Add processing times as well as your refund, cancellation, and exchange policy. Answer FAQs you currently have or anticipate getting from clients. If you sell wedding invitations on Etsy, let potential buyers know your policies on typos and reprints or lost and delayed packages.
Not only will this offer your clients a better experience, but it also covers you just in case anything happens.
III. Market Your Products on Pinterest or Instagram
Pinterest is ideal for creatives, calligraphers, and anyone who wants to start a wedding stationery business. But, you can also promote your products on Instagram or even TikTok. It all depends on what you’re most comfortable with.
Find a social network that you enjoy using to avoid burnout.
When you market your Etsy shop on social, it helps your business explode in growth. Not only do you already have access to Etsy’s huge audience, but you’re also gaining access to millions of others on another platform.
IV. Better photography.
I’m so embarrassed to share what I started with because so many of you reading this post are incredibly talented and it took me so long to get where I’m at today… BUT, this is what I started with:
Surprisingly enough, that little invitation went viral on Pinterest in 2015, and brought in so many clients that I was able to quit my day job.
But, the market isn’t the same today as it was in 2015. Things have (thankfully) changed since then, and you need to as well.
There are so many amazing resources for product mockups, like The Styled Stock Shop. You can even DIY with your iPhone and an editing app, like VSCO or Foodie.
Bad photography will kill your sales.
Decent photography will nudge most clients towards a purchase.
But better photography will elevate your Etsy shop and help you stand out among thousands of others.
V. I invested in my business.
I’ve spent thousands of dollars over the past eight years investing in my wedding stationery business through things like courses, programs, and research and development.
I hate the expression, “You have to spend money to make money.” That’s not always true. But I’ve never made an investment in my business that didn’t pay off. And if you want to know how to sell on Etsy and make money–investing is imperative to building your own Etsy empire.
Investing in your business is scary, especially when you’re just starting out or when sales are slow. It can sometimes be a while before you reap the financial reward from your investment.
Investments help your business flourish. Investments help you gain invaluable knowledge that help your business grow. As an example, if you invest in an Etsy or Pinterest course, you might learn to increase traffic to your Etsy shop or how to leverage Pinterest to make more sales on Etsy.
Investments save you time. You can probably find most of the research you need online to skyrocket your Etsy shop sales. But it could take you months to find everything you need, if it’s even accurate and up-to-date information. (Trust me, I Googled my way to my own vendor list for my wedding invitation business–and it took me seven years to find print shops and production partners that I’m happy with.)
Investments validate your business. It all goes back to having confidence in your skill and your pricing. You (and others) will start to take your business seriously when you make investments.
Investments improve your client experience. When you invest in research and development for your skill, your product, or your business or marketing efforts, it improves the client experience.
Maybe you want to use a client management system, so you invest in a platform that will meet your needs. Even something as little as purchasing a paper sample kit from the print shop you want to use is a worthy investment because you can quality check before partnering with them to make your client’s product.
Investments improve your expertise. The only reason I’m an etiquette expert is because I’ve invested in several wedding etiquette resources. Then I shared all of that information with my clients through blog posts on my website. And that landed me a profile as an etiquette consultant for BRIDES Magazine.
One last thing…
Many creatives often wonder, if I have to do all of this with my Etsy shop–why not just start my own e-commerce site?
And that’s totally true–you can use any of these tips for your own standalone website and never worry with opening an Etsy shop.
BUT–you won’t have access to Etsy’s 60 million buyers.
That’s the beauty of Etsy. Not only can your Etsy shop create a quick cash injection into your business, but you also have the unique opportunity for your products and services to reach and impact the lives of so many others.
And that is what gives you the confidence to build a profitable brand from Etsy and beyond.
Wrapping up, these five things are what made the biggest splash in my business, and I hope you’ve found them helpful. Is there anything you’re struggling with in your Etsy shop? Comment below–I’d love to hear your thoughts and help you along the way!
