{"id":8182,"date":"2024-06-14T05:20:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T09:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/?p=8182"},"modified":"2025-03-30T10:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T14:21:09","slug":"case-study-how-a-22-year-old-made-28139-on-etsy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com\/case-study-how-a-22-year-old-made-28139-on-etsy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell Art On Etsy: Case Study of a 22-Year Old Who Made $28,139"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

So you want to know how to sell art on Etsy…<\/p>\n

I have something special for you today. One of my students meticulously tracks his data for selling artwork via his Etsy shop<\/a> – and agreed to show you some of those numbers to demonstrate how powerful this material can be.<\/p>\n

We all know how secretive most entrepreneurs are about their numbers, so it\u2019s a treat to get a look behind the veil.<\/p>\n

\n
\"My<\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Ben's<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ben doesn\u2019t have a tech or business background. He took my systems and applied it to his business: selling posters on Etsy.<\/p>\n

\n

So when I hear people saying, \u201cYeah, that might work for ___, but not for me because I\u2019m [INSERT SEEMINGLY UNIQUE CHARACTERISTIC THAT IS REALLY JUST A PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER],\u201d I smile.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a food salesman getting inside his client\u2019s head, pilates instructor niching down to double her clients<\/a>, or artist selling online — like I\u2019m going to introduce you to today — the fundamentals of building a successful side income<\/a> are the same.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by examining real data from one of my students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Let\u2019s focus in on two numbers. The 61.9% increase in highest sales to a customer from $176 to $285, and the 90.6% increase in average sales to a customer, from $32 to $61.How did he do this?<\/p>\n

\n

Besides increasing prices (and value), Ben implemented a simple but incredibly effective technique for increasing sales: cross-selling related products.<\/p>\n

I love this story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n

\n

The Economics of T-Shirts and how to sell art on Etsy<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Back in June 2007, Ben graduated from his high school in small-town Utah. Seventeen years old, he wanted to earn money online.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI taught myself screen printing via YouTube videos, and started selling these really weird looking t-shirts on Etsy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the first year, he made about $1,000.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really know what I was doing. So I would draw things and photograph them with a really crappy camera, the quality wasn\u2019t there to compete against the entire internet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Then he had an epiphany.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201ct-shirts cost about $5 per unit, and paper costs maybe $1 per sheet. Nobody wants to buy a $50 t-shirt, but on paper, you can make a lot more.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tees were screwing me, so I started printing on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Soon after, he found IWTYTBR.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSummer 2009 I was searching for personal finance stuff. I actually found Ramit\u2019s site, and I thought he was crazy. So, I didn\u2019t go back for like a year after that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At this point, Ben had a business, but it wasn\u2019t going great.<\/p>\n

\n

“I didn\u2019t really think of myself as an entrepreneur. I thought I was some kid selling artwork.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I went back to read Ramit\u2019s stuff, and it really fit the way I saw the world – when I found Ramit’s course it just made sense.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I looked at the payment plan and figured out how I would make the payments. The price was reasonable and I could afford it, so I bought.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

My course took Ben from being \u201csome kid selling artwork\u201d to an entrepreneur using proven techniques to grow his business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A simple technique that doubled his sales<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u201cAs I watched the videos, I started thinking maybe I could do some freelancing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But then I got the final module about how to optimize your system, and Ramit was saying all this stuff, and I was like \u2018whoa, I\u2019ve already got a system!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then \u2018how can I take this stuff and apply it to my art?\u2019 So I went back and re-listened to all the sections.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A big part of optimizing any system is the willingness to test assumptions.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI experimented with different drawings, colors of ink and paper, and prices.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before the course I was pricing very low, probably $25 for a poster, because I noticed others in the market were charging that.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m getting $110, and I want to try one at $200.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Here\u2019s the test that nearly doubled Ben\u2019s sales.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBefore the course I had several people purchase 2-3 prints at a time. We all love collecting things.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

After listening to the material on up-selling, I realized people were up-selling themselves, all I had to do was supply a particular collection they might want. In the beginning, I was selling all on white, so I tried a few on black, brown or cream.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those would sell, so I printed more on those colors and people started buying multiples on just brown or black. Then I\u2019d try red or black ink and people would purchase 2-3 with that same color scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ben had tapped into his customers\u2019 love for collections – nearly doubling his sales per checkout, and earned $5,430 in the next 3 months. Since then, he\u2019s streamlined his business and earned another $7,722.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019m aiming for a $5,000 month, a $10,000 month, a $1,000 day.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\u201cI love doing this. I love every aspect of running a business and giving people what they want.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The end goal is to do the exact same thing I\u2019m doing now just on a larger scale, I want to create more value and aim for a $5,000 month, a $10,000 month, a $1,000 day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ben will continue using my optimization techniques to nail every one of those goals and had some terrific advice for other would-be creatives selling online.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMost artists want to sell their work, but they don\u2019t care about learning the process to sell, so there is a ton of stuff out there that will just never sell. The entire course helped solidify how a typical business system might work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before I took it I had nothing to go off of, it was a guessing game on what I should do and I had no idea how to grow a business or even what details to pay attention to.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now I have spreadsheets filled with various data: financial, stock of supplies, stock of prints, how many people visited my website, how many purchased. The key thing was to make the course fit my situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

P.S. For more insights, check out this studio session “How much should you invest in your business?<\/a>“<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
If you like this post, you'd love my Ultimate Guide to Profitable Business Ideas<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"UG\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

It’s one of the best things I’ve published (and 100% free), just tell me where to send it:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t