How I started my Etsy art shop on a budget ✿ DIY products + how many sales I made the first year!

[@RainierNaomi]

as someone who wants to start her own art shop at etsy as well this gave me the bit of confidence i needed

[@bearberet]

I'm so glad! Good luck with your shop 🥰

[@CeC1370]

This was great, thank you. I opened a shop with bookmarks, cards, etc quite a while back with almost no success. However, it hasn’t discouraged me from still making new work and dreaming of a much bigger business. The process of doing the designs is like art therapy for me, so even if people don’t buy, I’m learning from the processes and from other sellers. For instance, I love the idea of the hologram laminated bookmarks! I just do plain on mine, but what a nice added touch! I never thought of that before. They are beautiful and your work is just awesome. Just one more thing, you kind of glazed over the hard work it takes to start a business like this. Never discount the hard work you put into it! I think a lot of times we try to tell people, “oh it’s just my ‘little” shop or downplay it a bit. I know I tend to do this a lot. But then I certainly hear, “why is something so high in price?” Well, it took HOURS to make it that’s why! We need to let others, and ourselves remember that these items, the art, the processes take a lot of time and heart to make these things. We should never undervalue ourselves. And you have really done a beautiful job in not only your work, but in taking the time to share it with us. 🩷🩵💜

[@bearberet]

Thank you so much for your kind words! You are absolutely right, running a small business, especially as an artist that makes their own products is not easy at all but my hope is that other small artists won't let this discourage them from starting because it's absolutely worth all the effort if you love what you make. I hope you keep pursuing your art business because you sound like a very passionate and motivated person and I'd love to see what you can do!!

[@carissafisher7514]

You should stay open in December, that's when you can get most of your sales. What is that cute toaster to the left? I love your style, keep up the great work! ❤

[@bearberet]

Yes I definitely could stay open for the Christmas sales December, however I normally travel to see family during this time so it's easier for me to close my shop! The toaster is a little night light that I found on Amazon :)

[@carissafisher7514]

@bearberet it's so cute! Maybe just work December and take the rest of the year off?

[@amandac8836]

Yay an Australian artist! Keep up the awesome work. Your videos have a nice chill vibe to them and your work is lovely ❤

[@moongeniestudio]

The losing money on shipping - I feel that 😂 After I started getting more international sales (particularly to the US) on Etsy, I had to really readjust my shipping prices to those countries to try strike a better balance.

[@bearberet]

The struggle is so real 😭 shipping from Aus is crazy expensive

[@anastasiakamaldinova9039]

Thanks! Very helpful ❤

[@riddlr6358]

What a lovely gal. Congrats on what seems to have been a pretty successful first year! Keep on going!! Look forward to seeing you double and triple your sales in the years to come. All the best. :)

[@bearberet]

Thank you so much!! You're too kind ☺️

[@am_siu]

Thanks so much for making such an informative video! I've been watching a lot of videos on this subject and this is the most down-to-earth explanation I've heard. I was taking notes on all your hot tips xoxo

[@mirandafahira9028]

i feel so calm watching your video! keep up you great works🥰💗

[@Sushiio]

I really like your video style! Please keep making videos sharing your experiences, they are so comforting to watch (coming from a beginner seller who's abt to debut her art at a convention next month @w@)

[@bearberet]

Oh how exciting! I hope it goes well for you ☺️

[@Zoe-Jayne]

Those bear bookmarks are gorgeous! 😍 I have a tarot deck on Etsy, which has been a big learning curve over the past few years. It really does take time and patience to find what works for you. I’m hoping to go down the oil painting/prints avenue, as I think stickers are not quite for me. Great video, love finding fellow artists here on KZbin!

[@bearberet]

Thank you so much! I've always loved the look of oil paintings, I think turning them into prints is such a lovely idea ☺️

[@Zesnifflers]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! This is very helpful 🥹❤

[@adrianaveth7235]

I love the new design of the moon bear bookmark! If possible, would you consider doing double sided images on the bookmark? I always prefer double-sided compared to a single image bookmark xxx

[@bearberet]

Thanks Adriana! I was having a lot of troubles with the design being misaligned when I was making my original bookmarks double sided which is why I went for a repeating pattern on the back. I'm thinking I will sell a double sided version as an option but keep the single sided version as a cheaper alternative since I know a lot of people like the double sided design too!

[@sweetlemon229]

That was really nice 💗💗✨💫

[@naomib5220]

What printer/ink do you use?

[@zebrasbean2385]

2:26 what glaze did you use for your clay pins and what laminate do you use?

[@bearberet]

I've been using Sculpey satin glaze for my pins and keychains! The laminate isn't a specific brand, it's just from amazon. It should come up if you search for holographic laminate ☺️

[@zebrasbean2385]

@@bearberet thank you so much! I wanted to make clay crafts but I’ve been scared of using resin and i haven’t seen anyone else make and sell them without it

[@bearberet]

Yes I was the same! I would definitely recommend the Sculpey glaze as a safer alternative

[@LauraBosleyIllustration]

Thankyou for sharing this. I am just starting out myself and I'm really scared about going to my first craft/art market in person. Any tips on how to not feel so nervous being face to face with customers? x

[@bearberet]

Oh yes I totally felt the same! A lot of art markets will often let you bring a friend or partner to help you behind the table which I'd absolutely recommend. Also a lot of the time customers are happy to just browse without making conversation so you don't always have to make small talk and interact with every single customer. I also found that at my first market customers were very patient and understanding so that definitely put me at ease :)

[@mustlovenicole]

Would you share how you set up your etsy? I have such a hard time with it, I feel like I really struggle knowing how to upload products and tag them.

[@bearberet]

Yes I'd love to do a follow up on this video that goes into more depth about how I actually set up my Etsy page because it can be a bit of a learning curve!

[@mustlovenicole]

@@bearberet I would love that!!! Thank you 🙏

[@koyuki_mitsuki]

Hi, I am preparing doing some resin arts now, but I can't create a selling account on Etsy in Taiwan🇹🇼.😭 😻 Your independent online store is so gorgeous. May I ask which platform do you use?🙏 Is it shopify or something similar to it?

[@bearberet]

I made my website using Wix! You have to pay for Wix Premium to add shop features though. If you want to get started for free I would recommend Big Cartel, I've heard it's good for artists starting out ☺️

[@koyuki_mitsuki]

@@bearberet Thank you so much! So appreciated! 😸 I would definitely check them out.

[@Realist_Surrealist]

Super helpful video, thank you ! What issues did you encounter with not having postage set up correctly? That's part of what is holding me back from opening a shop lol

[@bearberet]

My main problem was not knowing how much it would cost me to send certain items. I'm not sure what country you're based in but most postal services will have a section on their website where you can calculate postage by entering the weight and size of your item. You can also choose what country you're shipping to in the calculator so that you can see how much international shipping will cost you :)

[@Realist_Surrealist]

@@bearberet thank you!

[@Dolllala]

Thank you for this!!

[@SugarHue]

Sorry if I missed this, the volume is quite low on the pc I currently am using but what printer do you use for your bookmarks? Ive been wanting to print my own for awhile but looking at all printer options, love your content!

[@bearberet]

I didn't mention the specific printer I use since it's a bit of an older model and I'm not sure if I'd recommend it since it can be a bit temperamental sometimes tbh! If you're curious though it's an Epson et-2700. I think Epson is a good brand in general but there might be some newer models out there that are more reliable!

[@dihiaidrici5098]

This was beautiful and informative. I wish you more ideas, money, and success in 2025

[@himiyo8619]

May I ask what printer you have? The quality looks so good!

[@bearberet]

I use an Epson ET 2700! It's a bit hit and miss tbh in terms of quality but it's also a bit of an older printer

[@himiyo8619]

@@bearberet thanks so much for the reply, and thanks for being honest! It’s refreshing. I’ve been thinking about this video since yesterday and it’s really been encouraging me to finally set up an online store!

[@bearberet]

Aw yay!! Best of luck with your store ☺️

[@himiyo8619]

@@bearberet thank you! 🐻

[@hannahs5626]

Thank you for your helpful video! ❤

[@plumpomo]

your editing style is hella cute, also learned a lot to make my etsy shop better for sure (❁´◡`❁)

[@bearberet]

Thank you! I'm so glad!

[@NilaLune_]

I love this! I'm currently looking at opening a shop and want to feel more comfortable with my art style before I do, maybe if you have any tips for that? Also as a fellow Aussie artist, how do you go about shipping? 🤍

[@bearberet]

Yay how exciting!! When I first started I didn't really have what I considered to be a strong/distinct art style either, but something that really helped me was picking a colour palette to make all my art feel consistent. Also you might feel like your style isn't good enough yet but I think you'll be surprised to find that a lot of people might already like your art as it currently is!

[@bearberet]

In terms of shipping in Aus, if you're selling items that are small and flat such as bookmarks and stickers you can actually send these items by letter mail just by using regular post stamps, as long as they fit in the letter dimensions that Aus post recommends. For larger items you can buy pre-paid satchels from the post office or you can use your own packaging and print a label for it thru the Aus Post Business website. Hope this helps!