You've seen those big sellers on Etsy who seem to be making sales left and right. You have to wonder how they've made it to where they are: can they actually be FOR REAL? What's their recipe for success? And just how do they do it?

Brooke Medlin, the familiar face behind Gemmafactrix, has carved a recognizable name for herself on Etsy in less than two years selling on the site. She has made over 2,700 sales to date and has an undeniably recognizable style and brand to her handmade jewelry line.  Brooke dwells in Dayton, Ohio, where she runs her Etsy shop, and recently opened a brick and mortar storefront named Gemma. There she not only sells her own work, but the work of several other Etsy artisans as well.

On to the questions we've all wondered but never got the chance to ask...

How did you first hear about Etsy, and what made you decide to open a shop on the site?
I heard about it from a friend who designs and makes clothing and accessories, here in Dayton. He showed me the site, and I went home and signed up. I had NO idea what it was about, other than that I could sell my work there, and it had a neat design to it that I liked.

What do you think your key to success for selling on Etsy has been?
Listing frequently has been the best way I've found to get consistent sales. Etsy has an amazing amount of built in traffic, so I take advantage of that by listing/relisting/renewing several items per day. This is especially important in the jewelry category, since it's so large. I also have a brain that never turns off - I always have new ideas I want to play with, so keeping my shop fresh with new items has helped as well. I have a lot of repeat customers who check my shop often for new items, so I like to make sure they've got something to look at. Customer service is a struggle with such a large shop. I get around twenty new convos every day, and watching them pile up makes me feel overwhelmed. I usually let the automated emails suffice and then include a personal 'thank you' message with the Paypal shipping email, so they know I appreciate their order. I am planning to begin sending a message to each person after they've placed an order, beginning in December. (I have to prepare myself for these things! Haha.) I think it's important to let customers know they're appreciated, and if they're not familiar or terribly comfortable with shopping on the internet, this will give them, hopefully, a bit of reassurance.

How do you promote your shop?
I don't like to spend a ton of time promoting - it's just not my favorite aspect of having my business - so I try to streamline promoting as much as possible. I have a blog, and a flickr account. That's it. I do submit my work to blogs that have to do with design, and some have featured me. I think having a good web presence is important - pick a few sites you like - flickr, talentdatabase - and promote your work using them and keep up with them. That way, when someone Googles your Etsy username or your name, they will be sure to see you in the search results.

How do you handle such a large volume of sales in your shop? What systems have you created to manage the orders?
I make many items to order, but I also have a bit of an assembly line process. When someone orders one pair of Cairo Earrings, for example, I will make enough of the components for several pairs. It takes, really, almost the same amount of time to work this way as opposed to simply making one pair. I use Paypal shipping and just go down the list of orders on my Paypal page, while looking at the transaction page on my Etsy to correlate addresses and special instructions.

Are your orders mostly from repeat buyers or new buyers? What do you do to gain repeat buyers?
I have a good mix of both. I mentioned above that adding new items on a regular basis to the shop keeps it fresh and lets people know that I do change up the shop often and they should check back. I also carry a lot of 'staple' items - simple hoops, stacking rings, etc. These are basic jewelry wardrobe items, and I feel that it helps my sales - a person may have bought a gift from my shop in the past, or jewelry for a special occasion, and now that the seed is planted - they know my username, have my card - they may want to return for basic jewelry items.

How do you stay motivated? Does it come naturally?
Ummmm...no! Haha. I am ALWAYS wanting to make something. The business side of it is very hard for me. I'm just not as interested in it. So, I set little rewards for myself. For instance, if I get x amount of orders out on Monday, on Tuesday I can make whatever I want. The motivation to make art is so natural to me. I can't imagine NOT making something. I was recently looking for a mug here on Etsy, and while I found - and hearted - a dozen, I couldn't find the *perfect* one. So, I signed up for a pottery class. That's just kinda how I work. The motivation to ship out 20 packages per day is something I have to cultivate.

Do you "Etsy" full time or do you have another job too?
Etsy comprises a large portion of my income. I also have wholesale accounts for stores throughout the country that keep me busy and my bills paid. I did, also, just open a store, Gemma, in my city. It houses my studio, and my work, and the work of other artists - many of whom also sell on Etsy.

If you "Etsy" full time, were you able to quit your day job due to your success selling on Etsy?
Etsy was a big part of my being able to quit 'work' and craft full time. I wouldn't have been able to do it without Etsy.

 
What is your favorite Etsy Feature?
The Time Machine 2 makes me happy. I also really just love the front page. It's not a 'feature' necessarily, but I always find great stuff by looking at the front page.

What features do you use most on Etsy?
Um, the 'refresh' button? Haha. (Yes, RD, I know that's a browser window feature, not an Etsy feature! Haha.) I like the sections in my shop, and I love the front page, as I mentioned. I rarely look at categories anymore, but love the Time Machine 2 feature. Honestly, though, I mostly check out the front page and my own shop. And when I'm feelin' spendy, I take a stroll through my favorites.

What goals do you have for your Etsy shop one year from now?
I want to continue to sell well and sell more than the previous year. I want to expand the jewelry techniques I feature in my shop - I'm currently learning bead weaving, for example. I'd like to come up with some items that are 'staples,' yet unique, that I can count on to bring in a substantial amount of income from. You know, the items you always see in the Time Machine 2 sold items scroll? I'd love to have a couple of those that sell really steadily and I can count on to do so. I'm sure Etsy will change and evolve much over the coming year, so I may expound on these goals at a later date. :)

Anything else you want to add?
Thanks for the feature! It's nice to be able to think about and articulate what works for me - it kind of cements it in my head and helps with that motivation thing you asked about above.

See Brooke’s top Etsy picks in the gallery below and be sure to read up on what’s going on at her brick and mortar storefront on her blog, gemmashop.