Etsy Shop Interview - Little Byrd Vintage

Today we're going to chat with Rebekah of {Little Byrd Vintage}.
Her shop is great! Notice how she sells a variety of vintage items (vintage clothing, vintage home decor, and even hand made items) all from one shop!

This is usually strongly advised against, but Rebekah manages to pull it off!

The key to making it all "go together" is to give it a boutique feel with the consistent use of similar backgrounds and items that while different, still have a cohesive feel. Don't try selling funky 1960's retro items with farmhouse style items for example, it will look disconnected and have a garage sale feel.

Rebekah uses a grey color scheme with warm, natural woods mixed in. 

You can also find her on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleByrdVintage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintagebyrd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vintagebyrd

So, without further ado, here is my interview with Rebekah.

Me: What prompted you to open your Etsy shop?

Rebekah: There were several reasons I opened my Etsy shop. I was a stay at home mom wanting to work, but also be able to maintain a flexible work schedule and be home with my baby. I have always loved thrift store shopping and antiques and a friend suggested I start selling. I did a few shows and even at one time was part of a brick and mortar but ultimately realized I loved selling online best. There will always be some issues with whichever format you chose to sell on, but I have found Etsy's pros outweigh the cons.

Me: Is Etsy your full time gig or do you work a regular day job along with running your shop?

Rebekah: I am happy to call it my full time gig!

Me: If Etsy is your full time job can you describe your typical work day?

Rebekah: My typical work day begins with me checking in first thing for any sales or questions so I get an insight for things I need to do. I try to do a daily Instagram post and I like to do that early, around 7am pacific time.  Next is packing orders and dropping them at the post office, followed by product photography, photo editing, and listing items. Often I will do another Instagram post in the afternoon. 

A couple days a week I am out sourcing product. I also make handmade pillows so at times I busy producing those. I like to stay on top of correspondence as it comes in otherwise I find I get way behind! 

It's truly a 7 day a week job as I am doing some of these duties on the weekend as well as Monday through Friday. What is wonderful about having a home studio is in between all these duties I am able to also get my laundry done, take my son to school and pick him up, help him with homework, and make homemade meals.

Me: I think good photos are one of the most important aspects of a successful Etsy shop. Can you describe your photo shoot process? (do you take pictures of your product in a certain room? natural light or man-made lighting? special backdrop or prop? lightbox? etc.)

Rebekah: I believe photography is so important! I have a garage I am able to use to photograph my products and I have a couple different back drops and tables I use but it's pretty consistent  in color and lighting. I use only natural light and prefer to use my Canon Rebel camera, but at times the iPhone (especially in low light) can produce a better picture so I use both. I think a neutral toned background, either light or dark, looks best. Also, styling a product can really help the customer get a picture of what can be done with a product. I will take a wooden bowl and instead of just shooting it empty I will fill it with balls of twine or feathers.

Me: As a vintage seller I'm sure you have challenges with shipping your items at times just due to the different sizes and shapes of things. Do you do anything special as far as wrapping your items before you send them? (do you wrap items in tissue paper? include a business card? coupon? free gift? etc.?)

Rebekah: Shipping can be challenging! I always try to have a box for any large or awkward items so when that item sells I am not scrambling to find one. This also help get an accurate shipping price on the item. Sometime going just a little over size or weight can make the shipping cost jump quite a bit, which is never a fun surprise. 

I do love to wrap all my items in paper and string and include a pretty business card. I get my cards from Moo cards and use my best shop photos as the image on the front. They are totally unique and my hope is that when my customer receives it, they think it's worth saving. 

I try to be very conscientious about wrapping everything securely. It's so disappointing if an item arrives broken! I l love using recycled shipping products because it saves money and environmentally is a better choice. Neighbors save boxes, businesses give away packing peanuts, and there are stores now that sell used products at a discount. I love that.

Me: What advice would you give a brand new Etsy shop owner?

Rebekah: My advice would be to love the product you are selling, take great pictures of it, and give really good customer service. If I have an unhappy customer I would rather somehow make it right, even it means I loose profit on that sale, than have an unhappy customer that will never visit my shop again. I've been selling for 8 years and in those years the ways to market your shop have consistently changed (blogs, facebook, instagram, twitter, etc), so staying current with social media is huge!

Thank you so much Rebekah, for taking time out of your busy schedule to participate in an interview!

I hope you all enjoyed this interview with Rebekah of Little Byrd Vintage. I would urge you to find some Etsy shops that you admire and take note of what they've done that draws you in. Ask questions or just send them a note telling them what a great job they've done. Most Etsy sellers are very friendly! In fact that's how I "met" Rebekah, I sent her a message telling her that I loved her shop! :o)

All photos are from Rebekah's Etsy shop :o)