Etsy Featured Seller: 1 Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of becoming an Etsy Featured Seller. One year ago today, October 6th, 2008, my stomach was in knots, filled with butterflies and wonder, while my mind raced a mile a minute as I anxiously awaited for my feature to go live on the front page at 1pm. It was such a fun and stressful time all at once!

When I was contacted by Etsy Admin, Adam, it was 6 days before my feature was to go live on Etsy. The first thing I did was seriously think about throwing up, and then called my Etsy/Jewelry Buddy Allison of RockLove Jewelry to share the big news! Allison and I frequently chatted about evil schemes to become a Etsy Featured Seller, but never, in my wildest dreams, did I expect I would actually ever make it to that magical land where Featured Sellers run free in their natural habitat. No, but seriously, all jokes aside, I was as shocked as I could have possibly been. Of course, right after I called Allison, I called my Mom to share the news. After I made my calls, I spent the rest of that night having a minor freak out, and ended up obsessively cleaning my apartment until I was so tired I could clean no more. It somehow helped me clear my mind and get mentally prepared for what was to come.

6 days to prepare for my feature, and I spent all 6 days in an all out scramble. First thing was first, I had to sit down and write out my responses for the interview questions Adam had sent me, which took a bit more time and effort than I initially expected. One thing I did that was really helpful in prepping for my feature, was Convo a past Featured Seller, and fellow jeweler, Lauren of locallibrary, to just ask her what to expect and for a little advice. This proved to be one one very smart decision! A big thanks to her :) Heeding Lauren's advice, I of course ordered supplies right away. Stocking up on chain, sterling silver sheet metal, findings and packaging materials. I even made the last minute decision to run to a Gem Show, 2.5 hours away in Springfield, MA, to stock up on gemstones. I don't think I've ever had a more efficient Gem Show trip in all my life. I was motivated by my mile long "To-Do" list to make it there and back in less than 6 hours. I wasn't even inside the show for more than 45mins max. When I got home, I started sawing, soldering and sanding for the remainder of the time left before my feature and focused on getting as little sleep as possible.

Once my feature went live, I had to relinquish all control to the Etsy gods and just hope for the best. For some reason, I was really worried that my feature would go horribly and nobody would like my stuff! Thankfully, I was totally wrong and I was flooded by "Congrats" Convo's from some fellow Etsy Sellers and previous customers, and lots of sales and custom orders. I think the "Congrats" Convo's were really the best part, it is really heartwarming and encouraging to know you have people in your corner, rooting for you to succeed. Throughout my feature, I was glued to my laptop and my Blackberry, answering convo's and re-listing. I feel like I slept with one eye and ear open during my feature, just to be able to hear the dinging of my Blackberry to alert me of a sale or a convo throughout the night.

By the end of my feature, I was swamped with sales and full of pride. I would call my feature a big success, and it was a prelude to a wonderful holiday season on Etsy too! Since then, my sales have continued to be steady and I've happily watched my business grow by leaps and bounds. And while I don't think I can say I owe it ALL to Etsy, I certainly owe quite a large chunk :) Thanks to the team at Etsy, you guys are super excellent! :)

If you haven't seen my Etsy Featured Seller Interview, you can check it out HERE and learn a little more about what makes me tick. Thanks for reading!