Almost there...

I have almost reached 100 sales on Etsy! This may seem like small potatoes when there are so many Etsy sellers out there who have thousands of sales but for me this is a big milestone!

I started selling on Etsy just under 1 year ago. I remember how excited I was when I got my first sale! I still get excited when I see that e-mail pop into my inbox from Etsy notifying me that someone has purchased something from my little shop. I can't believe how I have done since I started out a year ago, how far I have come since that night in August last year when I listed my first soaps.

Of course, I was naive and thought I would sell something instantly! I checked the site constantly, hoping someone had stumbled upon my soaps and thought they were so beautiful that they just couldn't live without them! Then reality set in and I realized that after you list something, you quickly get lost in the shuffle and your item goes farther and farther down the list! I stumbled upon the forums and quickly realized that I was going to have to put in a little work if I wanted to be noticed! I began promoting and participating in forum chats as often as I could. Finally, my work paid off and a couple of weeks after listing my first soap, I got a sale!

Now I am approaching 100 sales and I look back in reflection on what I have learned...what works and what doesn't work. Since I have started, I have changed my packaging, changed my soap recipes, thrown away many botched batches of soap! I have found what fragrances people love, and what fragrances people hate (berry wine...who would have thought?!), I have learned how to set my shipping prices, how to do a craft show, how to handle the Christmas rush! I am so thankful for this experience, it has been so much fun...stressful at times, but always fun!

I want to thank everyone who reads this blog, I know a lot of you who read this have purchased my soaps and I appreciate the support! I have met so many wonderful people through this experience! I always appreciate the kind words and encouraging comments people leave here! I hope to continue sharing Etsy milestones as my shop grows and I continue adding new and exciting things. Thank you!