Embroidered clay? Very cool, I love mixed media.

Great video. Unfortunately people don't have the money to buy from Artisans atm as well as you have a wave of cheaper items flooding online, that either copy artisans or can make similar for low prices. I won't mention their names, but most of them are run from slave labour. Working together in smaller communities is a great idea, if you can find like minded people. Best way is not to stick with your best sellers, as people are always looking for new things, they seem to have brains like fish lol these days too, with the whole internet / phone trends. Just keep on crafting everyone! And try not get get down about the slow or sluggish sales.

I think at 10:03 you mean "evergreen". I like this. There's a lot of room between making things that are timeless Nd things that will be trendy for a couple months. Unless you're goid at spotting trends and have time to jump on them, you might be less stressed to make things that will be popular for 1-5 years before they run their course and people get tired of them. There are lots of trends like that

Every year since I started selling on Etsy. I have one or two months where I don't sell in a shop. Thankfully, not in a row. Likely seasonal, so I don't worry about it too much. It's not a livelihood, but extra $$$ for comfort.

you ever thought about doing a zoom thing with yourself and a few followers. Could be fun.

Hey Kim, I hope you take this with a pinch of salt, just an observation-nothing right or wrong, just a thought! I’ve noticed some of your products come in and out of stock. Have you considered switching to a "Made to Order" model instead of only listing what’s "Made and Ready to Go"? You’ve got tons of great reviews for items that aren’t currently in the shop, and I feel like those could easily be offered again with a disclaimer like, "Due to being handmade, each item may vary slightly." It could also help with Etsy's algorithm, which loves "sales velocity." Constantly creating new listings when things sell out might be resetting the traction your shop could be building. Plus, the more listings you have, the more chances you have to catch someone's eye on Etsy. I’ve had products that didn’t sell for a while but eventually became trendy, and I’m glad I didn’t take them down too early! Just something to think about.

Hi Kim,check your video at 8mins in, I’m not sure that’s meant to be there. But yes, I’ve been in the position of a best seller going downhill several times, very disheartening. Thanks for the advice 👍best wishes Heather

I started selling name crayons and became a bestseller with it. My daughter is autistic and they helped her so I got into making them and I was really good at it! Selling and getting them to be uniquewkth packaging was the trick. Eventually people and big corporations picked up on it. I had people messaging me asking what I was using and it was upsetting. I stopped selling them just in the nick of time. I focused on soaps which I also started because of my daughter. She is 10 now and the crayon names, busy books, and soaps helped her tons with motor skills. I tweak packaging and colors to help designs change. ♡

Yeah, I had a bestselling crochet baby blanket for multiple years. A very simple, classic design that was selling so much I had to raise the price to keep up with the demand and they still sold at the higher price (two at a time!!!) for a little while. And then came the latter half of 2022 and they suddenly just... stopped. And OF COURSE they had to stop selling after I'd tried to prepare for what I hoped would be a busy holiday season by making two of each color ahead of time, believing wholeheartedly that I would sell them. Nope! Silly me, trying to be prepared. :P I don't know what people are wrapping their babies in these days but it's apparently not classic style crochet blankets anymore. I did find a new bestseller this year (a women's accessory thing, not a different blanket type) so I'm happy to have figured that out. I do wish I could figure out how to move the 12 blankets I have sitting around, though. I tried promising a free lovey along with the blanket and sold one this year, but no more after that. Kind of wondered if I could customize the blankets with a baby's name but the design is lacy so I'm not sure I could make that work without it looking weird... It is a classic design so I keep hoping one day the trends will roll back around and they'll sell again.

Thank you so much Kim, for your total honesty! I’ve been listening to so many Etsy gurus who just say anything to get your money!! I have a Shopify, but I haven’t done anything with it, because I’m not that computer savvy. But I’m going to hunker down and try!

I can totally relate!! It is sad to say farewell to a former bestseller -- sort of like having a friend moving away. Always a relief to know I am not alone. Very useful tips! Thank you!

Lovely chat Kim. Yes, our products as the late great George Harrison says "All things must pass." is sadly true. But I do like your ideas to stretch out their shelf life. Cheers and have a great week and I do really like your new clay products. I was lucky to get those ornaments, and they are beautifully made.👍😁

So helpful! I need a comprehensive list of your groups and courses. I will poke around and find it! I’m a sock knitter too!!! Well…not recently! But 🙌

Slightly off subject but have you looked into MadeMe for crafters and what are your thoughts. Started following you a few weeks ago. Thank you for your honest thoughts. I've toyed with opening an Etsy shop but the more I hear the less I can be bothered.

I love your channel! Don't even worry about video length! We're not timing you :) Longer the better!

Kim you are just tooooooo cute. I love sharing my coffee time with you ! When am I going to listen and make an email list ? The hint or suggestion I’m going to go with right now is updating my listing. I need to stop writing a “recipe blog” and add the info on pictures!! But first I MUST clean out my Canva projects. Or at least ORGANIZE! Thanks Kim. Have a fab Saturday .

Kim, I wanted to chime in to say: I no longer have an Etsy shop (after being with Etsy from the very early beginnings and having actually great success there, I was just fed up with the hoops, the fees and the generally crappy developments and attitude) I also don‘t have a website or shop of any kind. And despite all of this I watch your videos because I find you to be so much fun to listen to and your insights to be interesting and spot on. I just wanted to say, that as much of a business and educational kind of KZbinr you are, you are also just lovely and funny and entertaining hahahaha. And quite refreshingly down to earth about your own struggles and tying your thoughts and strategies into your own business (which is sorely missing by most the business YTers who are giving advice. They are all very sus, if you ask me. Giving advice I am not even sure they have their own businesses anymore. More like KZbin IS the business. Which is fine, but then, how do you give advice on Shops etc??) Anyhow, thought you might want hear this! Greetings from Germany

I recently stumbled across your channel. I'm all the way down here in Australia and just commenced my second attempt at moving away from ETSY onto my own website. Once again I am a little scared as there have been no sales yet, but trying not to let it bother me yet. I have been using some of your tips and even started my youtube channel which is pretty rubbish so far as I have old technology. I wanted to say thanks for the tips and I love seeing your smiling face when the huge introvert in me wants to just shut everything down and hibernate!! (I also love your comment 'You extroverted people are weird).

thank you! excellent

Hi. Do you have videos on processing orders?

Thank you, this video has been really helpful. Definitely need to work on a mailing list, its been on my to do list but has never quite made it to the top of it, so has never happened ......yet!! It will have to go on my Must do list, or my what's next list, or probably the 'this one first' list. 😂

That was wonderful. Thank you. I am with you on that. I want to one day turn my back on my corporate job with is tiring me out so much (introvert here) and exchange it for my business and I'd be fine so much less money (if it still is enough for life). But I do what I love and thats so much more valuable to me.

I have the legend planner too! 😊 love it!

Insightful Kim thank you!

I love the word ‘Pivot’ I’ve pivoted more times in my life than I can actually count 😂xx

"Would You Piss All The Way Off!" 😅😅😅😅 that was brilliant! 👏 bloody love watching you Kim, you really crack me up 😄

Hello Kim! 😄👋 I thought maybe y can help me. I run a small business in Greece and i want to start shipping my products internationally. Which courier/post do y use to ship your products? Cuz from my Search i see businesses ship with 3-9€ cost and in my country the courier cost from 9-20€😵and even more..for god sake🫨

Thanks Kim, such a helpful video! Following your comment about making reviews more interesting... I've just made a reel to share tomorrow on instagram that's hopefully more exciting than just a bog standard post 😊 Question for you - Did it take a while for your Shopfiy to get going? My Etsy shop gets consistent sales and has been going for 18 months ish. I created my own website a few months ago and am struggling to get much traffic over there 😢 Thanks!

Hello and thank you for the videos - I'm sold on them 😁just starting and always take away something. As it happens I've just had my first review today, NEED to work on how I've promoted it so far! 🤣 Do you have a rough timeline for ditching items that don't sell? - attempting to take in seasonal trends and having tried to promote on social media and the rest ...?

I don’t even have sluggish sales. I have absolutely no sales :(

Kim! I just found your channel!!! Absolutely perfect for me! There are so many POD channels!!! You are so lovely and chatty and helpful! Thank you!!!!

I FINALLY started a newsletter. I used the inbuilt forms on Shopify. I feel victorious!!!!!!

For the last month I have been trying to get back into Pinterest too. I find the app easier to use but it's jam packed with irritating adverts which is taking some of the joy out of it as a place of inspiration. I'm seeing similar figures to you between Etsy and Shopify. I will keep monitoring it but I can't see me dropping Shopify ever and I don't doubt Shopify will win out in the end. I just need to increase my sales to justify the membership fee and that will tip the balance.

So many are using applications like ChatGPT to write descriptions, and they are far too wordy and full of additional "fluff", and all the key information is getting lost I don't want to have to dig through the "full of whimsical charm and delight, that will brighten your day and fill it with joy, peace and happiness", just to find out how big something is.😅

"People don't like being sold to" - False! I have worked in sales a lot and as long as you are not rude or pushy, and actually believe in your products and think you're giving them a good deal, they will love being sold to! You're doing them a service, a favor! If you sell things right, they will walk away smiling and look forward to coming back, feeling that you really helped them out. Don't be afraid to sell, people want to know about the good deals and high quality, unique products! They don't want to miss out just because you're a bit shy. Show us what you got!! ❤

Really good points thanks - going to come back to this again and make notes 👍

Great video. Have you thought about doing Ko-fi shop? It has a great community both on facebook, discord and instagram. Alot of great monthly theme challenges you can enter and win cash prizes etc. Also has a section where you can offer similar to Patreon with less of a overall cost. Depending on the platform, but with facebook i stopped showing off my reviews and i had a wave of spammers giving me negative reviews, even if they had never purchased from my shop lol But again FB is very hit and miss.

“You extroverted people are weird!” 😂😅😂. Finally, somebody said it. 🤩

Thanks for this. Good point about showing off reviews. Your videos are always a little comforting boost. 🙏🏻

Did you mention videos? 😂 Well, it doesn't always have to be a video, reel or live. But it's a good idea to do something brave. Something unusual, different, instead of remaining rigid and fearful. Unfortunately, I do that far too often when I'm worried. But when I start playing, being creative, challenging myself, I regain my strength. This is not easy and often takes time. But it's worth it. ❤

Great ideas! I was just playing with my website trying to make it better organized and attractive. Not my favorite thing, I’d much rather be making pots, but it needs to be done. You are right on so many points. I am going back to my email list as well. Thank you!!!!!!!!! 🙏 😊

Great ideas! Hilarious as always 😂 Stay strong be blessed!❤

September made me want to cry too. I got some items ready to launch my Etsy on October 1st. Took me hours to make my first listing look and sound nice. Then got to the photo ID part. I don't have photo ID and it's proving to be a massive pain to get it. SO! I'm just looking at it as more time to get items ready for my store...yeah.

Hello Kim Great videos. You always give such a refreshing perspective. Question, have you ever rented shelf space anywhere to retail your handmade items? What are your thoughts about this? Thank you in advance