The pros and cons of selling on Etsy and Faire with Molly Len
Hi All! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Wisconsin artist and illustrator, Molly Lentz. Molly creates beautiful, bold stationary products that she sells on Etsy and Faire. In this interview Molly tells us about her journey as an illustrator and how she started selling her artwork. She discusses the pros and cons of selling on both Etsy and Faire. She also offers advice for artists who are thinking about selling on these platforms. Enjoy!
Hi Molly! Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into illustration.
My journey into illustration started at a very young age. My mother was an artist and I was always in awe of her drawings which started my love of drawing and art. When it was time to go to college I decided to study graphic design and had to take a number of fine arts classes to meet the degree requirements. This provided me the opportunity to explore illustration in different mediums, which was amazing.
After graduation I moved forward with a career in graphic design. Even though it was fulfilling in many ways, I realized my full time job wasn’t
allowing me to be creative in the way I had hoped. I began drawing in the evenings and arrived at a place where creating art became a form of therapy and meditation.
When did you decide to start selling your artwork and how did you get started?
Way back in 2006 I decided to start selling my art. Blogging was taking off and a lot of people were starting online businesses. I thought to myself, “hey, I can do that”.
At that point I was fresh out of college and in a serious relationship. I had a lot of student loan debt and would be lying if I said money wasn’t part of the motivation for selling my work. I wanted those loans gone sooner rather than later which is when my baby shower, bridal shower and even wedding invite templates were uploaded to sell on Etsy.
What has it been like selling on Etsy? What do you see as benefits and challenges?
I have a love/hate relationship with selling on Etsy. On the one hand I absolutely LOVE the platform and it’s ease of use as a seller (and a buyer) and the fact that they have such a large audience. I also appreciate that Etsy invests a lot into marketing and making sure they are consistently bringing people to the site.
On the flip side, my hate (I wouldn’t really go so far as to say hate, more like dislike) for selling on Etsy has to do with the fees. While they aren’t astronomical if you are selling something at a higher price point, they can hit
you hard when you’re selling a small item like a greeting card. In those instances a large portion of the profit is consumed by the listing and transaction fees that are charged for each item sold.
Having said this, I did try to create and sell products on my own website not long ago with little success. I learned that you really need to do a lot of marketing and know your way around google ads to bring in the kind of audience you see on Etsy.
What advice would you give fellow artists who want to sell on Etsy?
My number one piece of advice for selling on Etsy is just GO FOR IT. Don't wait.... don't put it off any longer... it doesn't need to be perfect.
I think getting your shop set up with a banner and your logo is such a huge milestone. Then just start adding items, one at a time. Get the feel for the platform and experiment with different photos, tags and marketing.
Every step you take is another chance to learn and grow on Etsy and sometimes the best way to learn is by doing.
You also sell on Faire. I’m not as familiar with that site. Will you share with us why you decided to sell there and what it is like?
I have had the best experience with Faire. Faire is a wholesale marketplace where retailers find products for their shops (either online or brick and mortar). Faire takes a commission for every order, just like Etsy, however, I find that the commission is worth it because of the exposure. I get connected to so many amazing and beautiful stores that I would have never known how to approach on my own.
Wholesale can be tricky because you’re offering your products at a deep discount (usually 50% the price of retail) and you still need to make a profit. Finding that sweet spot is essential. While you may be selling your products for less money, you’re also selling a larger quantity at one time because you set a minimum order value.
Faire also allows you to tag your shop with certain descriptions like “women owned”, “eco-friendly” and “not sold on Amazon”. This allows retailers to
match up with shops that meet their requirements. Wholesale is a great way to grow your business and diversify your income.
What advice would you give fellow artists who want to sell on Faire?
When it comes to Faire, it's a little more complicated. You will want to have a nice collection curated before you try to sell to retailers. Practicing on Etsy
and learning what your customers love will help you grow that collection. Once you have maybe 10+ items to offer (probably more if you're doing stationery like me), you can contact Faire about selling on their platform.
When I signed up, there was an approval process so you definitely want to be sure you have beautiful, unique products and great photographs of those products.
How can readers connect with you?
You can find me on Etsy and Instagram. You can view my portfolio here. And you can also reach me via email.