My 5th and 6th Etsy Sales

My handmade "bead soup bracelet" from my last blog post sold on Etsy less than 24 hours after I posted it. That was my 5th sale in the 2 months I have been selling on Etsy. I can't explain how exciting it is to see an email from Etsy about a new order. You other Etsy artisans know what I mean. 

Minutes after purchasing that bracelet, the buyer emailed me asking for the "ice cream sprinkles bracelet" that I wrote about it the same blog post. It's the same bracelet but I used white instead of black beads for one of the spirals. I took this photo if the bracelet in progress and made her a custom listing on Etsy. She paid for it immediately. That's sale number 6 for those of you counting :) 

I sent Karen, the buyer, a thank you email for her custom order, and here's what she wrote me back:

"Oh my goodness, you are so KIND! THANK YOU!!! I LOVE IT!!! So kind of you to do this for me and to make it long, and to do the toggle clasps! :) Clasp is gorgeous, thank you so much for showing me, as are the bead work and color choices you did and made! Well you obviously have tremendous talent and I wish I could buy a lot more of your pieces but I have to save up to help my friend move. I love your work so very much. I hope ALL your dreams, goals, and plans come true, and you obviously have the amazing and honed skills it takes for everything to happen."

I wake up every day excited to dig into my beads and make something new because of customers like that and compliments like hers. 

It's not my intent to pat myself on the back with this blog. Instead I want other newbie jewelry artisans to be inspired and know that buyers for their items exist and are waiting for those handmade pieces (they just don't know it yet) and to never give up on their craft. 

I broke even on 2 craft fairs last Christmas and had an ArtFire shop for a whole year with 33 sales (4 of which were actual sales and not trades) before moving to Etsy and seeing more traffic and selling tools. Since then I've changed my business logo, found more free marketing tools, and branched out with product ideas. I'm hoping these first 6 sales on Etsy are just a taste of what's to come this holiday season.