What's Your Shop Model?

Have you had an etsy shop a while? If so, has your model changed over time? If you have a new shop, are you still trying to figure it all out?

When I opened my shop, Whimsidoodle.etsy.com, I was petrified, but I also thought I knew what my model was. I had just left my full time job to be home with my then 4 month old. My husband, a teacher couldn't handle it all on his own, so I knew I had to do something to contribute. While I figured out how I was going to still do marketing from home, I decided to open an Etsy shop AND I had no idea what I was going to put in it!

I knew I wanted to feature some items from other New England Artisans and make sure that Etsy worthy items that didn't have creators that had the time or resources to put them on Etsy made it there. I've done well with this (Jess' onesie cards, Josh's birdhouse), but I knew I also wanted to create something. So I thought and thought and I remembered my origami and all of the wooden items I could paint.

I painted like a mad woman and I folded even madder. I started putting together color combinations for the origami and naming sets. I set out for a light provider and there I went. My first pictures (stay tuned for another post showing progressions of these) I thought were good, but indeed, they weren't what would get me to the FP (front page of etsy). I soon learned that it really, truly is about asking yourself "is this picture FP quality".

So I thought about it and what made sense at the time was to have less items that cost more. I was a new mom and I didn't have a lot of time, so it made the most sense to have a bunch of strands of 50 origami lights in my shop for $56, but over time I realized this was not the best model for me. When I did sell a strand of 50 lights, which wasn't very often at all. I was overwhelmed. It took me 3 or 4 days to get them all folded, packaged up and out the door. I realized over time, that it made more sense for me to have more strands of 10($14), 15 ($19), and 20 ($24) in my shop. They cost less, but give the same great look, so people could have these wonderful lights for a fraction of the price and I could get them done in 1 day and ship them out on the second. It made me feel less guilty that I was taking too long for my customers and I could get them folded while I spent time with my husband in the evenings. AND I get more sales more often, but it's still not too much for me to handle. IT'S JUST RIGHT.

What's your model?