Meet Mary Beth.
Mary Beth started selling vintage in 2010. She sold a wide variety of decor, housewares, collectibles, and some clothing. At first she sold what she had at home, and wasn’t very intentional. Now her focus is mainly on clothing and accessories. The shift happened last year when she got her first model and a great location to shoot. The personal change happened when Mary Beth created a vision for what she wanted her shop to be. Her store can be found on Etsy at marybethhale.

Everyone has their own unique “voice” and that is what I want to express in my shop by creating a narrative with the photography. I want the items to tell a story in the way they are shown, like little snippets from a diary.

Hopefully people will want to keep returning to see the latest entries.
When asked what Mary Beth would do different if she started over, she would have started using social media earlier. She was a late joiner in that arena. She finally started an Instagram account (@domesticrebus) and is loving it. For Mary Beth, it is a way to show her photography before it is listed in the shop, and connect with more people around the world. The name of her Instagram handle is “domestic” because of the connotations of home and the every day, and “rebus” for the use of images to tell a story.

To anyone getting started selling on Etsy, Mary Beth recommends a few things to reach your goals:

• Take the best photos you possibly can
• Join teams….these can be enormous help to you.
• Ship international
• Offer returns and insure your parcels – A seller who says “no returns” (unless it is a final clearance) and “if you don’t pay for insurance it is your responsibility if it breaks or gets lost” is not getting my business.

Mary Beth’s goals for the future: to grow an international customer base and to keep unfolding a story that people want to return to.

Find out more about Mary Beth on her Etsy store page: marybethhale