For the past fifteen years, we've been loyal supporters of Etsy. And as we celebrate making our 19,000 sale through this marketplace we thought we'd tell you why we LOVE it so much.

What's so special about Etsy?

Etsy has the largest variety of handmade goods available anywhere online. And they are sold from vendors all over the globe.

Anyone can sell on Etsy

As part of its original vision from when it was established, Etsy still champions the small web based business. Allowing anyone with a dream of starting their own craft company an opportunity to launch their products to a large online audience.

It's a place for creativity and experimenting

We are a small but well established business, after 20 years in the industry. We have our own website, and are accepted by other large online marketplaces. But Etsy is still the core foundation of what we do. It's especially useful for us to experiment with new ideas and designs. And so easy to upload new products on the site. Often we will start on Etsy with our new products, before we add them to our other sites. And because Etsy allows us to develop personal connections with our customers, we can get reliable and helpful feedback on all sorts of ideas, practises, and policies.

Etsy supports women in business

Did you know that the vast majority of sellers on Etsy are women? Bombus is a women-led organisation, headed up by our Director Amelia Coward. And many small businesses like us are at the forefront of gender equality in leadership roles. Much more so than large corporate establishments. Etsy allows the flexibility needed in business to allow women to thrive, while managing the other busy aspects of their lives. But likewise - most shoppers on Etsy are also women. Which means as sellers we have a lot in common with our audience and can work to provide targeted products that our customers REALLY want.

What are our Etsy Best-Sellers?

We sell our handcrafted products across a variety of online marketplaces. And it always surprises us to see that customers from each one have their own personalities and preferences. Our best seller on one platform isn't necessarily the same on another!

So what are out top sellers of all time from our Etsy shop?

• Map Location Hexagon Wall Art (above)
• Miniature Personalised Heart Frame
• Daffodil Message Keepsake Bottle
• Personalised Pet Dog Keepsake
• Hanging Map Location Bottle

Where in the world are our Etsy customers?

We have sold our Etsy goods all over the world. We're pretty sure we've sold to over a hundred different countries, from Singapore to Saudi Arabia. But there is no doubt that our biggest customer base is located both here at home in the UK, and very much in the United States.

Our American audience is huge. And we love seeing the different seasons from across the world affect our sales. With Mother's Day in Australia and the US being in May, rather than March here at home, we see a real lift at that time of year from our cousins across the ponds!

We also feel privileged to celebrate other gifting occasions with our customers. Such as Eid, Ramadan, and Girls' Day in Japan.

But selling to a huge variety of countries does come with its challenges. We use the Royal Mail for most of our deliveries, and they have been a fantastic partner for us over the years. But it can be super difficult to arrange for deliveries in the UAE, for example, where their system for receiving goods varies dramatically to what we're used to in the UK. So we've had to adapt and learn how to make sure our personalised gifts get to their recipient as quickly and safely as possible.

Thinking about opening up an Etsy shop?

There are a million tools and posts out there about opening up your own Etsy shop. And yet Etsy themselves should be your first port of call. They really are in it for the sellers and are more than happy to provide advice and help to anyone looking to start their Etsy journey. Don't wait any longer, start your shop and get selling!