How long did it take you to perfect your pen case?

 What do you wanna know: How long did it take you to perfect your pen case?

I posted an IGS and asked everyone "what do you wanna know from me"

Thank you so much for the question! This really help me on writing the post^^

For pen cases, it's tough. When I first started making pen rolls, it took me about 3 times to make the final pattern. It used to be a very large pen roll with a small pocket. At that moment, it's not tailor made for fountain pens.

(The pen roll I first made in 2019)

Then comes the fountain pen roll with one slot and one pen. I remember it also took 3 times to have the final version. I made slots with different widths and put my pen for testing.

(The Fountain Pen Roll)

Triple pen case is the latest product I made, it took me 2 times to get what's available now. In the beginning, The pen case was shorter so it was not 100%covered when it was closed. I knew that it's a no no for some people  so I made the 2nd pattern. Although it may be a bit long for a pocket pen, I rather let most of the pen got 100% covered.

(The 1st Triple Fountain Pen Case sample)

It was a long progress for development, I also change the filling from normal interlining into soft cotton lining for all the pen cases so even though it may be a thin woven, it still has a certain thickness and holds a better shape.

(The Triple Fountain Pen)

I am having so much fun in creating pen case & pen roll, it's the best category for me(a fabric geek +stationery nerd)

After the local market, I will work on developing something new.

Stay tuned~~~~^^

---------------------------------
-Shop at my payhip online store
-Payment services provided by Stripe
-Welcome to follow my IG

#Bousidesign #handmade #handcrafted #smallbusiness #christmasgift #fountainpenpouch #fountainpens #StationeryLove #giftforwriter #fountainpencase #writingaccessory #japantravel #japantrip #Japan

No Etsy? What platform do I use for my handmade shop.

Hi everyone!

Today I would like to share my experience of using ebay & Payhip for my handmade business. Actually, I never thought that I would write a blog post like this.

Once I decided to start my handmade business, I opened the Etsy shop as my major selling platform. However, since Etsy shut down my shop, it gave me no choice but to start a new journey.

[my handmade project bag]

How was my Etsy doing?

My Etsy shop was not huge, and the total revenue of 5 years was only $US8K, which is totally unsustainable. I am a fabric craft artist making pen cases, tote bag organizers, drawstring pouches, etc. My shop was not huge, it usually had about 30-50 listings. Since it’s a one man band shop and I have a huge limitation of space, this is the maximum variety I can offer. 

To be honest, I felt very lost and struggled in these years. The unstable political situation in my city & Covid hit me so hard. In the covid period, airmail was mostly unavailable and a lot of customers cancelled the order because of that.

In early 2024, Etsy suddenly shut down my shop. There is no explanation and even if I file an appeal, it didn’t help at all. They gave me no choice but to leave.

I thought of giving up since the financial struggle is huge. However, I truly like my brand and would love to sacrifice anything for it to turn it into a sustainable business. ( I rejected most of my friend’s dinner, didn’t spend on any crap but only fabric & tools, and had some part time job.)

Since my Etsy shop was shut down, I have to find a new platform for selling my works. I can’t afford any platform that requires Fee, that will be too much for me. So I started using Ebay and Payhip websites.

How is my Ebay doing?

For ebay, I believe that it is a very competitive platform for me. It’s quite difficult to stand out among all other commercial suppliers. The sale on ebay is very slow, I only had 3 sales from March to October. Stationery & Handmade crafts are not on the 10 top best selling items on ebay and it may explain the reason.

 However, I believe that it’s still a nice place to try since there is no listing fee.

I will try harder and see any people looking for interesting handmade craft there.

One huge disadvantage of Ebay is money transactions. If you use payoneer, there is a minimum transfer requirement. In my case, since my sales are very low, it took a while to reach the minimum, otherwise the money will just be stuck in there.

How about Payhip?

The second platform I used is Payhip, it’s a free website builder and it provides a very low cost online selling service. It provides listing, shipping options and even promotion code services which is amazing. It’s basically free and costs 5% for each transaction. It is super friendly for start-ups or a very small handmade designer like me.

Payhip uses Stripe to receive payment, and so far it is doing ok. There is no minimum transfer requirement!!! As every self-made website, it’s difficult to attract traffic to the website. For most of the customers, they know my work through instagram. Pinterest & Google bring small quantities to my website but there is no transaction yet.

My Goal:

I am so grateful that most of the customers turn into friends and they keep on supporting my work. I know that it is a very difficult working path as I am just a no-body. Why would anyone buy from me? I think about this question all the time. 

I guess my love of Japanese textiles is the answer to why I keep going. I really wish everyone can enjoy the beauty of it. No matter if it's cute animal illustration or traditional Japanese aesthetic, I will try to collect the best one and turn them into cute pen cases, pouches, etc.  

In 2025, my humble goal is to achieve “livable income”, hope to have at least 50 orders per month. This will be such a big move for me!!!! 

If you are planning to start your handmade biz or any small business, hope you will find something useful here. Let’s fight for our dream and make something beautiful for our world!!!!

P.S. if you like to know more of my work, welcome to check out my instagram & youtube

Instagram: bousidesign

Youtube: bousidesign4674

My Etsy shop was shut down! Goodbye Etsy~!

 

Hi Everyone~!
I am so sorry to inform you that my Etsy shop was a history now.

If you are reading this without know me, Hi, I am Alice from BouSi design, had been selling handmade pen case, bags and doll outfit on Etsy.

From 2018, I had been working very hard on building the shop, time was tough, so as my business.

From no order to having some progress, I spent so much effort on it and I finally became a 5 stars seller. I am so happy that there were lots of happy customers telling me that they love my design and products.

Then one day in Feb, 2024, I just turn back the shop to open from holiday mode, I was informed that my shop was suspended. I have no idea of what's going on. The email from Etsy just said I can't get back the account and they won't share their internal discussion.  

I was very upset and frustrated, however, I believe that it's just a push for me to build my own store. The transaction fee of Etsy has been increase a lot and the listing fee is quite a burden to me & my customer.

I know it will be difficult to build up my own shop but that's my only way to go! 

Thank you so much for my followers and lovely client, your support is really important to me. I will work harder and make more cute fabric crafts for sure!

If you want to know more about me, my story or my design, welcome to follow my on Instagram and online shop.

BouSi Instagram

BouSi online shop by Payhip