My first purchase on Etsy was from Whimsywares and as soon as the soap arrived I was hooked! I am now the proud and pampered owner of several outstanding soaps from Whimsywares - with an eye to own them all! It is with great affection that I present an interview with one of my very favorite shops on Etsy!
SHOP PROFILE:
Price range: $2 - $75
Sells: soap, sugar scrubs, bath fizzies, bath salts, jewelry, ceramics, whimsical art, and coming soon….bath jellies!
Open since: December 17, 2009
Custom items: Yes- bring it on!
Featured Item: Garden Herbs Loofah Aloe and Olive Oil Bar
How long have you been selling on Etsy, and what products did you start out with? How have they changed over time?
We’ve been selling on Etsy since mid December 2009. We began with a few bars of rather primitive looking soaps and added a dash of ceramics and a splash of jewelry and art for good measure. Over time we have realized that our jewelry doesn’t sell well and begun focusing more on our bath line. We have expanded from a few soaps to many soaps and have added in scrubs, salts, fizzies, and are currently working on adding bath jellies.
What made you to decide to sell what you sell? (for example, did it make sense from a business perspective, or you just love it, or both etc.)
When we were planning our wedding we were stumped on what we should give guests as their reception gift (you know that usually worthless item you find on your table at weddings that you either eat right away or throw away when you get home). We wanted something semi cost-effective, very creative, and universally usable. Our families made fun of us when we had the “we should make soap!” a-ha moment. They told us that people would laugh and think we were saying they needed a bath. We went with it anyway. Everyone loved it! There was not a soap left behind and for the next year when we saw people who had attended our wedding they would say “oh my gosh we loved that soap” or “we don’t let guests use that soap from your wedding because we don’t want it to be gone!” or “it’s been almost a year and we still haven’t used up that bar of soap. It’s awesome!” So…..we figured why not make more. It makes our apartment smell awesome, is fun for us to make together, and people love it. That’s how we started making soap.
What is one thing you would like to go back and do differently in your first month?
I would definitely have marketed better. Selling on etsy is not an example of “you build it they will come”. It takes a lot of effort to reach the ears and eyes of others. However, that being said, I believe that with anything you do, creating is a learning process. You will never begin perfectly and because of it you get to look back to where you were when you started and be glad at the progress you’ve made.
What do you like most about selling on Etsy?
We love the community. It’s so amazing to see all the fun personalities and amazing talent that exists on etsy. We also love knowing that people we’ve never met all round the world notice us every now and then and enjoy what we do.
What do you like least about selling on Etsy?
There’s a lot of talented competition which sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish yourself. However, we don’t truly consider this a negative because there is also a wealth knowledge you can get from others as well as many lasting friendships!
Do you market your Etsy shop elsewhere online? If so, where, and why? Have your efforts been successful?
We do have a facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/whimsywares) It’s been helpful in letting others know we exist but has produced minimal sales thus far.
How do you come up with ideas for your products?
All our products are nature inspired. Sometimes though we come up with scents we want to do and research additives that will go well with the scent as well as benefit the skin. Our Cucumber and Green Tea bar is a good example. We wanted a scent that would be earthy yet cool and refreshing. We thought it would be an interesting touch to include natural tea leaves. We researched the benefits of tea and found that it contains natural anti-oxidants which cleanses the pores and promotes skin elasticity (great for anti-aging!) So our Cucumber and Green Tea Shea Butter Bar was born!
What is your favorite item (in your shop)?
The Duckie Scrub Cubes for sure! We’ve wanted to make them since we opened our shop.
What is your take on "Relisting"?
If we don’t post a new item one week we might relist one or two items but in order to respect other sellers we never relist any more than this in one go.
do you have one POWER TIP for getting business rolling to share with us?
MARKET MARKET MARKET! The Etsy forums and chat rooms have been helpful for us. Constantly making an appearance shows others that you care about your shop and are involved in running it well. Customer service is big as well. Maintaining good communication with buyers or other etsy sellers is important.
Many thanks to Chris & Lauren of Whimsywares for participating in my Seller Showcase! I love these products and the creativity that goes into them. It's always a joy to get to try out their latest achievement in soap making. My favorite so far is the Spiced Asian Plum & brown sugar Shea Butter bar It smells incredible and the textures are fabulous. I absolutely recommend these products for gift-giving, or for spoiling yourself! LOVE IT!
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