PACK ETSY ORDERS WITH ME! Fulfilling My First Christmas Orders On Etsy

UPDATE: Watching this video made me realize just how much plastic went into my packaging. I want to note that since this video, I've taken steps to decrease my plastic and virgin paper usage. Thank you for your kind suggestions and messages! Still learning~
Hi everyone! It's November, which means we are officially allowed to bask in the ~Christmas~ spirit. I launched Christmas cards on Etsy last week and decided to film myself packing my first orders of boxed cards. It's clunky, it's chaotic, but follow along!
🍿 In case you missed it...
Selling on Faire Review - • SELLING ON FAIRE REVIE...
Etsy vs. Squarespace - • ETSY OR SQUARESPACE? W...
Favourite Baby Things
🐣 Wunderkids Mat & Babyroom: wunderkids.com/SARAH20
Use SARAH20 to save $20 on Wunderkids!
🧸 Lovevery - lovevery.pxf.io/c/2413707/116...
🌻 Fave Baby Products - • First Time Mom Baby Es...
Favourite Business Things
⚡️ Top Small Biz Essentials - • Best Digital Tools For...
🛒 Shopify (my e-commerce website!): shopify.pxf.io/c/2413707/1295...
🖥 Flodesk (email marketing): flodesk.com/c/X2FZTY
✏️ Skillshare (one month free!) - skillshare-ambassador.pxf.io/...
🛒 My Amazon shop - www.amazon.ca/shop/bysarahkim
Find more
💌 Shop Selah Paper - selahpaper.com/
📣 Sign up for our newsletter! - view.flodesk.com/pages/63eafd...
❤️ Instagram - / bysarahkim
🙋🏻‍♀️ Hi, I'm Sarah - a first time mom chasing her small business dreams in Canada. I hope these vlogs and videos bring a little fun to your day!
PS. I may receive a small commission on some affiliate links here!
Recorded November 2020
#smallbusiness #etsyshop #packingorders

[@ellen8767]

Your packaging is so professional. I'm just starting out and feel overwhelmed with just getting supplies. Your process and tips are helpful. Thanks for sharing.

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you! It’s a bit outdated now but it’s rly just one step and one piece at a time :)

[@user-gb8vj2cj6k]

So professional and organized, I love your wall decor. Blessings on your business.

[@skdavidnba]

so much love and care goes into packing/shippingthem. thanks for the behind the scenes

[@bysarahkim]

Right!? I think so too :) haha. Thank you for that.

[@juliapark5014]

I love watching your vlogs! You put so much care into your products, it's admirable!

[@bysarahkim]

Aw thank you Julia! Honestly, it feels like I have no choice these days since it's a one woman shop! :) But I truly enjoy it. Feels good to work with my hands :D

[@carnivorekitty]

so helpful. Lovely work

[@danelyssidron7325]

Beautifully done! Thank you for this amazing video; just what I need it to get a good idea of the process nd all the supplies I will need.

[@bysarahkim]

I'm glad it helped! Highly recommend starting a greeting card business :) Even if it's a side gig!

[@thekeyoflight]

Your packaging is gorgeous! Love the natural and warm colours! 😍

[@bysarahkim]

They're my favourite!! Thanks so much :D

[@_nansayyart8588]

I love that it looks like you got it right from the store ! Thank you for the behind the scenes! I have been thinking about using my art on greeting cards and this helped a lot!

[@bysarahkim]

I'm glad! :) Thanks!

[@betzabelgonzales1055]

Omg, I love this video and your brand! I wish more people knew the behind the scenes process for small business owners! ❤ You deserve more recognition.

[@bysarahkim]

Hi! Thank you so much!! So much love goes into small businesses :D Thanks for saying that!!

[@kirachoo]

i definitely need to buy those christmas cards, they are SO beautiful 💕

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you!!

[@mayawathirajan9826]

In love with your room wallpaper! ❤️

[@bysarahkim]

Haha I painted it myself!

[@jadesowden8441]

Love the packaging! It's super cuteee!!

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Jade~~

[@LollyPopAsmr]

SO HELPFUL. Thank you so much!

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks for watching!

[@nerdwithyarn843]

I was looking for a small business vlog to watch well I organize and ended up coming across yours, it was such a nice thing to watch, I really enjoyed it and will probably end up binging the rest of your content :)

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you so much! Still learning a lot.

[@hannahchoii]

So thoughtful and pretty packaging 😍

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Hannah! :D An iterative process ;)

[@leolajoseph-bellevue7661]

Love your packaging ideas

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Leola!!

[@HolaAnchalitaStudio]

Love the shop and thank you for sharing your journey :) as someone trying to start my own sticker shop, it’s good to see what I need and what I don’t from other’s experience ! Thank you ❤️

[@bysarahkim]

I'm glad :D I've found a lot of inspiration all over KZbin too!

[@sweetpapayasourpeach]

Wow this was so helpful to watch! Thank you so much!

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks for watching Nurhidayah :)

[@inkop2011]

Im a graphic designer starting a sticker shop, I loved hearing you get excited about finding boxes that matched your branding. I get really excited about branding and appreciate it when I see other get excited about the little things! Thanks for the information!

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Nicole!! As a graphic designer, I'm SURE you'd appreciate it haha! Right now I have about 4-5 different fonts in my branding all across my products and it's driving me crazy. I have to standardize lol!

[@inkop2011]

@@bysarahkim it brings me so much joy seeing standardized fonts. I bet its going to feel amazing once you are able to!

[@lisabeshay5123]

I don't know why I really loved watching packing, maybe because I love packing things too LOL. it was so nice to see the process from beginning to end and all the special branding touches, and definitely not clunky! Would love to see more of the behind the scenes and I really need to get me the sticker set! Thanks for the vlog :) I always love watching them and sorry for the long comment 😂

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Lisa!!! I always welcome your comments :D

[@richellepullum4717]

Wonderful!!!

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Richelle!!

[@debbxnicole]

This was such a beautifully organized video, thank you so much for sharing. And all the best to you in you business.Just subscribed. :)

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you so much Debb!! I feel motivated to make more content now!

[@madelineaddante8258]

This video was so awesome and informative! Love how authentic you were throughout the entire video and how you don't strive for perfection but for efficiency! Good luck with your business :)

[@bysarahkim]

Madeline! Thank you! Haha honestly I think I am a perfectionist but sometimes (like during Christmas) you just can't! Lol. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@madelineaddante8258]

@@bysarahkim I only really comment if I feel the urge too and I just loved watching this vid! It was so inspiring and I honestly think your products are gorgeous!

[@bysarahkim]

That means so so so much Madeline. Thank you!

[@CF-of7qf]

This was so helpful to me as a small business owner!

[@bysarahkim]

I'm glad you found it helpful! I felt a little embarrassed sharing my process :P

[@tinafriesen7739]

I’ve dreamt having my own greeting card business for a long time now.. just need to do it already! Great video 🥰 huge inspiration! First time watching your video! Great job 👏

[@bysarahkim]

Tina you should totally do it!!! Honestly the stationery industry seems so saturated but it's a $$$ industry that keeps growing :) People always want stationery apparently ;) I'm glad this video helped.

[@nerign___]

Your packaging is so beautiful

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Neri!

[@tolebearlucy6936]

Really helpful and lovely packaging! It’s great to have you talk about evolving packaging. I tried to use your links but would not work for me. Thank you for sharing!

[@bysarahkim]

Oh so sorry about that! I'm going to fix them right now :D

[@Princess7381]

I just came across your channel and I love your packaging!!

[@bysarahkim]

Aw thank you!

[@RachelLee]

I just found your channel and feel like we're both in the same season of life being a new mama and running a small biz - would absolutly love to support your biz with paper goods for my own biz #subscribing

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Rachel!!! It’s such a hard but rewarding season as you know haha. Thank you! What’s your biz? Can I find you on insta?

[@sylviagray4206]

Very nice 👍🏽

[@bysarahkim]

Thanks Sylvia!

[@faihegberg1732]

Thanks for sharing the behind-the-scenes! Your cards are gorgeous :) Do you mail your rigid mailers to the USA (or countries beyond Canada) using stamps too?

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Fai! Yes I use rigid mailers for everything. I am slowly transitioning to having more tracked mail but sometimes I use stamps (regular, non-tracked letter mail) if it's just 1-2 cards. It's so expensive shipping to the US from Canada! I'm launching more stickers soon and for those, I'm going to use regular little envelopes and send them as regular letter mail. It's unfortunate I can't track it but it would cost way more than the sticker itself to have shipping! On Etsy, I do have an option where people can upgrade the shipping to tracked though :)

[@faihegberg1732]

@@bysarahkim I agree! I have a similar issue which is why I asked :) I have a small greeting card business too and so far I’ve been using bubble mailers and I insert a recycled cardboard inside for extra support. Currently I ship with tracking only on special cases or if the order includes at least 3 cards cos shipping as a package is pricey! It’s so good to know rigid mailers can pass for lettermail with stamps though! I was worried since they’re fairly flat they might automatically get put through the sorting machines which would bend them.

[@lynneharris7706]

Hi! Awesome information! Will you please make a video on where you print your cards? At home or at a print shop? Thank you!!

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Lynne! I print them at a local print shop. Just simple digital printing for now because of my small runs :) I think it would take me way too long to cut and fold these at home though I know a lot of artists do that!

[@lynneharris7706]

@@bysarahkim Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! Have a wonderful day!

[@marniep4332]

The strip that goes around your card boxes is called a "belly band". :)

[@bysarahkim]

AHH yes!! Honestly I don't know the names of most of these things :P Thank you Marnie!

[@kenyanelson8326]

I really liked the process by which you collected your orders, how organized your process was, your creativity and care put in to your orders. I learned a lot from watching video. Thank you! I did have one question. Where do you purchase colored envelopes in bulk?

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you Kenya! It's kind of laborious now that I watch it back. Now I just print out packing slips :) For coloured envelopes, I highly recommend envelopes.com or papercircle.ca if you're in Canada!

[@ciz4cookies]

I love everything about your packaging, it’s beautiful and the video is very well done. Thanks for sharing. I do have a question/concern. With all of the packaging materials you use what is the profit margin for your sale? When I look at the external box, internal packing for that box, the box for the cards, your stickers, your label that you wrap around the box, you’re printing cost, the card stock used for the cards, your personal note, if applicable, and free gift,… What’s left? I’m just starting out, so I am doing a lot of KZbin browsing to figure out if it is worth it. Sorry for all the questions but I find it important

[@bysarahkim]

Hey! Thanks for asking :) The numbers are most important. If you can’t make profit, it isn’t a business! Right now this is my full time job so I have to make sure my pricing makes sense. It has been many years since I filmed this video so things have changed (I cut down on a lot of packaging… BUT I will add that my packaging got better I think!). Keep in mind that everything is purchased in bulk. Greeting cards have the highest and healthiest profit margin for me. Things like tote bags are lower profit margin but still make sense for me to have. Because I’m in wholesale as well, I have to make sure I can profit even if I sell at 50% of the retail price. Outer packaging is most expensive (shipping boxes) but customers pay for shipping and I include that cost. Stickers and labels and postcards cost me a few cents each and they add a lot of delight for my customers! Everything else is considered into my pricing. I hope that helps!

[@chelseam7407]

How do you create/manage your sku's for your items? I have always wondered how other people do this for their Etsy shops!

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Chelsea! Oh man... that is a GREAT question. I actually kept changing my SKUs throughout the year. It was ok because I don't have too many products but I wanted to make sure they worked as I grew my product lines. Right now, all my cards start with C and then each collection is numbered 1, 2, 3... and then each card is 001, 002, etc. So my yellow dove Christmas card is C4-001, my turquoise one is C4-002, etc. My art prints are A-001, etc. (because I have no collections!). I don't know if it's the best way but to do it but it has evolved. I used to put the year in the SKU ("20") but realized it didn't matter to me as I want my products to live year after year. I hope this helps!

[@lindeewilkinson2411]

Hi! Love your video. Do you print your cards yourself or outsource them from somewhere? I’d love to know where if you outsource them!

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Lindee! Thank you! I outsource my cards to multiple local printers (I use about 4 different printers for different products) but print my art prints at home :)

[@toris6925]

Thanks so much for sharing your process. I'm looking into offering boxsets of cards and have been debating packaging. I'm scouring Clear Bags website in the US, and can't quite decide because it's hard to gauge quality from just the photo. But I definitely like the two-piece kraft boxes, because those fit the aesthetic of my brand. Are you still using them?

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Tori! Thanks for watching~ I use Clearbags Canada so not sure what the inventory difference is. I like them. But I think for ease, I'm going to go with a one-set piece (maybe just all plastic). I know plastic isn't ideal but as I'm scaling up into wholesale, I want to make sure it's easy and that the cards are protected! I do LOVE the coloured bottom part of the two-piece set. I still have a lot on hand :)

[@iidifferentworlds]

Love the attention to detail! I'm just starting out with selling my own artwork. How do you keep costs low so that all the little touches don't eat into profits? Since I'm just starting out would you recommend keeping things simple to begin with?

[@bysarahkim]

To be honest, my profit margins were very small when I began because I was ordering in such small quantities, plus I was investing in all my "branding." Over time, I got more critical and have gotten better and better with keeping an eye on that margin. It helps that I print a lot of stuff at home too! This Christmas, I'm removing some of the touches to keep things more sustainable and affordable too!

[@carlaazzata4521]

Thank you for sharing! Can you please share some of the solutions you found to decrease the use of plastic and virgin paper? Thanks again!

[@carlaazzata4521]

Did you find a greener solution to sell your boxes of greeting cards? Just starting out and I am trying to go as environmentally friendly as possible. Thank you in advance!

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Carla! Glad you're thinking this way. Thanks for asking!! First, I definitely just reduced the number of steps in packaging ...no more belly bands or the SKU sticker on the back or the logo sticker on the front of the box set. Instead, I have one sticker on the top of the box, but it doubles as a way to keep the box shut :) So it also eliminations the little tape I used to keep it shut. I actually decided to go with a fully plastic box for wholesale orders. This is something that's hard to avoid because it's the best way to keep paper products protected while displayed in a store. I also found that storeowners prefer this over having cards just loose or in paper (which can look "old" really fast!). I think printing in bulk helped me explore more paper options (I printed 6000 Christmas cards this year!) - such as a recycled paper. I found that with smaller batches, it was harder to justify the cost of more special paper but with bulk, it helps make it more affordable! Hope this helps.

[@carlaazzata4521]

@@bysarahkim Thank you so much for sharing your insights, and for creating such lovely inspirational items. Have a blessed day!

[@LollyPopAsmr]

Where do you order the craft roll with the butcher paper?

[@bysarahkim]

I get mine from ULINE! It’s a huge roll. Still lasting me!

[@JessiTheBestiGaming]

Girl, what paper chopper is that? I've been looking for a good one, but most of them have terrible reviews and I don't want to waste anymore money. Super cute cards, love them

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Nikki! YES so many paper choppers are horrible. The one in this video is the ClassicCut Lite but I upgraded to the Westcott Trimair. It's not PERFECT but it's much more heavy duty and I prefer it.

[@laurasil]

Great video hon. What is the size of the boxes you bought? Thanks.

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Laura. Thanks for the comment. The card boxes are 4 1/2" x 6" x 1" from Clearbags and my shipping boxes are 6 x 8 x 2" from ULINE :) Hope that helps.

[@laurasil]

@@bysarahkim Thank you sweetie that does help!

[@nicfletcher841]

Lovely, may be best to reduce your plastic usage

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Nic. I totally agree with you. I only noticed it until I watched myself in this video! I've taken steps to try to reduce and so my packing has changed :) Thank you!

[@nicfletcher841]

@@bysarahkim that’s brilliant, it wasn’t said as criticism just a helpful observation, it can be difficult to source sustainable and recyclable packaging and keep your products protected during shipment

[@bysarahkim]

@@nicfletcher841 Understood! No, I really did appreciate your comment. I think for a long time I thought I had to protect my products but I realized it isn't really worth it... I've never had any real water damage on my items, and it would actually be better for me to have to refund/reship 1-2 damaged pieces than to ship everything in so much plastic!

[@Wolf-zy2xq]

Could I make a shipping label digitally without paying?

[@bysarahkim]

I use ChitChats and with that platform, you have to pay before printing!

[@navida3672]

What's your card size??

[@bysarahkim]

Hi, it's 4.25 x 5.5

[@theresaeberger6657]

Thank you for this great video! How do you track inventory? I heard you mention sku. Do they have unique bar codes? What software do you use to track materials and sales for bookkeeping and taxes? Thank you again! ❤️. @IdentityGreetings on Instagram

[@bysarahkim]

Hi Theresa, my inventory management is very shoddy right now... aka non-existent! Thankfully I started printing hundreds of cards at once (~200-500) so I don't have an issue with running out (and I reorder when I see visibly that it's getting low). For art prints, I print it by myself so no issues there. I developed my own SKU system just so I can start thinking about better inventory management (it's a 2021 goal for me!). It also helps me as I start in wholesale too...!

[@bysarahkim]

I use Quickbooks for my taxes and books :) It is the best system for me, and I also hire a bookkeeper to help me file my taxes!

[@Lisasplace]

not gonna lie, it's a lot of packaging in total for a few cards that will only be used once. A box with plastic, a paper sleeve, tissue, box tissue, & another box.

[@bysarahkim]

I agree - that was one of the biggest learnings for me this year. I feel challenged to cut down on pieces and be intentional with every piece. Thank you for the feedback!

[@Lisasplace]

the filter doesn't help the video, i recommend loseing it for the next video

[@bysarahkim]

Thank you for the feedback Lisa