This week's installment of our Etsy Success Story series features Jacqueline of jacquelineknits.  In little under a year of selling on Etsy, Jacqueline has knitted her way to 670 sales...Now that's a lot of knitting, if you ask me!  Jacqueline learned to knit from her mother and has been knitting for as long as she can remember.  Knitting away in Woodbridge, Ontario, this mother of 11 year old twins has secured an international customer base and more than a few featured articles with Jacquelineknits!  Read more to get a peek inside Jacquelineknits.

How did you first hear about Etsy, and what made you decide to open a shop on the site?
I first heard about Etsy from a blog I was reading (can’t even remember whose it was). I checked it out right away and was so impressed by the look – I loved the clean lines and ‘unbusy-ness’ of the site. From the first look, I thought, "This is something I’d like to be a part of."

What do you think your key to success for selling on Etsy has been?
Definitely listing (or re-listing) a couple of times a day when possible helps to keep items visible. I notice sales slow right down whenever I don’t list often. I’ve found that buying Storque and Main Showcases have also helped bring a lot of views/hearts and some sales. Photo quality is also something I’ve been working hard on improving. The better your photos, the greater chance you have of being included in treasuries. (It always gives me a lift when I see someone has liked one of my items enough to include it in their treasury with all the other amazing Etsy items out there.) And, of course, if ever that treasury makes it to the front page, that is by far the best exposure I could hope for.

 
How do you promote your shop?
I’ve been fortunate to have my apple and pear jackets featured in the current issue of Canadian Family Magazine. A lot of people have also been kind enough to blog about my items. In the coming year I plan to look into other promotional options.

How do you handle such a large volume of sales in your shop? What systems have you created to manage the orders?
Knitting is the easy part for me, as I love to do it and because I can do it while watching TV or movies. It’s not hard at all! Although December did pose a bit of a challenge with the Christmas rush (my first on Etsy) and the large increase in sales, I found I was knitting 10-12 hours a day, which was a bit more than I liked. Next year, I’ll know better and have a larger inventory ready for December. I try to mail three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays). When I get an order, I check the address to the Paypal address and then write out the envelope. I always e-mail the purchasers thanking them for their order and advising them when I’m shipping their item. If the addresses don’t match I send an e-mail to the purchaser telling them I’ll be shipping the item to the Etsy address.

Are your orders mostly from repeat buyers or new buyers? What do you do to gain repeat buyers?
Most of my sales are from new buyers. I’ve had some repeats that initially bought for themselves and buy again for gifts. I love it when I get repeat buyers!

How do you stay motivated? Does it come naturally?
Again, because I love to knit, staying motivated isn’t hard at all.

Do you "Etsy" full time or do you have another job too?
I have another job that is occasional, so as time allows, I devote it to Etsy.

What is your favorite current Etsy Feature?
I love the Hearts! Even when I don’t have any sales, seeing that somebody ‘hearted’ my shop or an item feels pretty good. I also like the forums (I don’t post a lot but I like to see what everybody else is saying), the Storque and Time Machine 2 (especially the auto scroll button).

What features do you use most on Etsy?
I use the re-list feature most. It’s great that when you take the time on the set up of a new item (pictures, description, tags, etc) that you can easily relist the next time. I also like checking out the treasuries.

What goals do you have for your Etsy shop 1 year from now?
I’d like to continue building my inventory of existing apple/pear jackets, tea bag holders and coffee sleeves, as well as spend time developing new items.

Anything else you want to add?
A big thank you for asking me to be involved in this article! It was a wonderful surprise and great honor for me.