NC Triangle Etsian--Dinner Time Charms

A little green is good for us all. Our gal from Dinner Time Chimes recycles cutlery. How incredibly innovative! She started in July and has 30 sales already. If you are looking for a great way to promote etsy, I suggest checking out her wind chimes as they make a great conversational piece and the perfect opportunity to slyly bring up your own craft!

Tell us about yourself..kids...hubby...favorite things.
I’m Erin and I got married in 2006, which I’ve heard still makes me a newly wed. I moved to eastern NC after the wedding, and currently live in the house that my hubby’s great-grandparents built. No kids yet, but I do have a mini-schnauzer, Daisy May, who keeps us laughing. Etsy is just a way for me to sell some of the things that I love creating, but don’t have room to keep. I work from home now doing clinical research--which is so much better than the long drive I made to RTP the first year of our marriage. I enjoy lots of crafts that revolve around sewing, but I can’t ever bring myself to sale those. A few of my favorite things are… long walks through the woods, baking cookies, visiting my parents’ farm, and snuggling with my hubby on cool afternoons.
When did you get started with your craft?
My daddy & I started making the wind chimes when I was at least in high school as way for me to have extra spending money. It also gave me something else to search for at flea markets, yard sales, & estate auctions. The chimes sold like crazy since they made a unique, inexpensive gift. However, once I went to college & started my career I didn’t have any way to make the chimes. This past spring I convinced my hubby to buy a drill press for his shop. He was quickly introduced into the crazy world of silverplate silverware searches & making chimes. I also figured out how to make key chains and a few other silverware creations in addition to the chimes. I’ve recently teamed up with my dad again to make the recycled bird houses and feeders that you’ll find in my Etsy shop too!
How do you price your items?
My goal is to create fun & unique gifts that everyone can afford to give! I find the items to make the wind chimes on the weekends at the local flea markets and yard sales. Since I buy the most tarnished & inexpensive pieces that I find, the prices of the wind chimes are able to reflect that. The biggest expense is our time--we put a lot of time into cleaning the pieces to make them shine.
How often do YOU list?
I try to keep around 40 items in my Etsy shop at all times, so it just depends on what’s selling that week. I’ve relisted a few items here and there, but I don’t see the number of views increase drastically to know for sure that it honestly helps me. Plus, my items aren’t in categories with huge counts of listings!
How do you promote on etsy?
In the forums, I visit promotions to see if anyone is requesting gift ideas for someone. I also try my best to help new sellers to Etsy with their questions. Luckily I’ve not become addicted to the chat rooms just yet, but I have visited there a few times. I try to create treasuries when I get the chance to promote my fellow NC Triangle team members and love to see my items in other treasuries too.
How do you promote off etsy?
Lately I’ve been wearing a cute necklace with a fork, knife & spoon charm that I bought from http://indieink.etsy.com before I decided to sell on Etsy. I get lots of compliments on the necklace & it gives me a chance to mention why I wear it. I need to get better about carrying business cards with me, since I get the strangest looks when I purchase all the silverplate from people’s flea market booths. I do post a lot on the local free classifieds in my area, and I’ve gotten a few sales that way too. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to promote my shop and get the 200+ people who heart my shop to buy. With the items in my shop being so unique, you either love them or you hate them…and unfortunately, I’m still not quite sure how those that have bought from me actually found my Etsy shop.
How long did it take for your first sale on etsy?
My first sale came about 2 weeks after I set-up my Etsy shop. At that point I hadn’t really started promoting, was still learning to use Etsy, and my pictures were not the greatest. Nonetheless, I was super excited!
And how long before your sales were steady?
I still don’t consider my sales to be really steady, but luckily I’ve sold at least one thing each week. I’m hoping that I am able to sell more we get closer to the holiday season!
What is the number one advice you have for etsy sellers?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and for critiques. I learned the most about what was working for my shop and what wasn’t when another Etsy seller was bored and offered to critique other stores. After all, it’s the impression your shop gives to a complete stranger that’s important.
Anything else you want to tell us?
I’ve met a ton of caring people on Etsy and I’ve very thankful for that. Hopefully I will be able to take what I’ve learned from others and use it to make my shop even more successful!