My Experience Selling on Etsy

I purchased TracyJDesigns dot com in July 2011, so I’ve owned the internet address for over a decade now. My primary email used to be at that domain, but I haven’t done much with it over the years.

I think I bought it initially to promote my handcrafted jewelry. While I still occasionally make rings and pendants, I shifted my creative focus, mostly when I decided to pursue writing fiction.

But I Still Own the Website

So, I’ve toyed with ideas about what, if anything, to do with it ever since.

A couple of years ago, I decided to launch an Etsy shop by the same name, kind of with the same intention… to sell some of the gazillion jewelry pieces I had lying around collecting dust in my studio. But when we made the decision to leave Oregon and move halfway across the country to Northeast Texas, I sold or gave away almost all of my jewelry pieces, supplies, and tools.

I still had the Etsy shop and the domain. So, what to do with them?

Then, I Learned About Print-On-Demand or POD

I explored different online providers and settled on Printify.

If you don’t know what Print-On-Demand is, it’s a service where you can create all kinds of art and then upload it to a POD provider, such as Printify, Printful, or others. There are many to choose from. These providers offer tons of different kinds of products. You can have them print your design onto them and then ship directly to your customer. You don’t have to inventory or mail any products. All you have to do is create the design, make it available in some online (or offline, for that matter!) storefront or website, then promote it to potential shoppers. Easy peasy! Sounded like the perfect solution for me!

Enter Etsy – a Popular Shopping Platform with Millions of Built-In Customers!

I started creating my own designs using Canva, an online art design application. And I love Canva! It’s one of the services I find valuable enough to pay for the premium account. I use it all the time to create visually appealing and original posts for publishing on my social media profiles and pages.

But Then I Discovered MidJourney Ai…and that changed everything!

Of course, you still have to insert your own unique elements to make the art or design your own. That’s one of the downfalls of AI-generated art. But it’s an amazing tool for generating some truly awesome graphics for all kinds of purposes!

And use on POD products is a great one!

I shifted my focus to creating themed T-shirts, sweatshirts, and mugs. But I had no idea what products would appeal to people who found my TracyJDesigns shop on Etsy. So, I had to test the waters a bit to discover which items would be most popular.

I Had No Clue Vintage Birds Would Become My Most Popular Design

I never in a million years would have guessed this design would be my most popular. And, by the way, this is a completely original design that I created in Canva. I didn’t use MidJourney or another AI art generation tool to create the conglomeration of vintage birds in this design.

So, it goes to show that what ‘they’ say is true: don’t design for yourself and your personal design tastes. Create for your potential customer. Personally, I have other designs I like better than this one. I even have other Etsy shops featuring entirely different product lines—like this one with a more metaphysical theme.

I’m not saying my TracyJDesigns Etsy shop has been immensely successful. But as I’m learning more about keyword optimization, Etsy ads, and other elements for success on the platform, and I am getting rewarded with more sales.

All these factors make Etsy my favorite place to promote original artwork to an audience who is already looking for it.

Have You Tried Marketing on Etsy?

I’d love to hear about your experience!

Until next time…I wish you peace, joy, and good health.

~Tracy