Facts
Who: Katarzyna
What: Handmade ceramics – hand-thrown, with crystalline glazes; ceramic urns have become the core
Format: Physical product · Etsy, mainly US · English
Started: December 2017 (first sale January 2018)
Payers: around 12 to 15 buyers per month
Income: main income
Status: active but stalled
Channels: search & AI traffic, text social media
Background
Before this, I was mainly raising my children while my husband worked abroad. I also spent some time painting, but ceramics became a completely new path. After my divorce, I started looking for something that could become my own, and I decided to learn pottery. I taught myself to throw on the wheel and spent a lot of time experimenting with crystalline glazes, which became one of the distinctive elements of my work.
The beginning was hard – finishing and sanding the bottoms of pieces, understanding firing temperatures, getting consistent results with glazes. It took many trials, mistakes and patience, but over time I developed my own style and built a business around handmade ceramic urns and other unique pieces. What started as a personal new beginning became a business that connects craftsmanship with something meaningful – making special objects for people during important moments in their lives.
Starting point
I started my Etsy shop in 2017, and my first sale came in January 2018. Growth was very organic: I sold 3 pieces in February, around 10 the following month, and gradually reached a steady 20 to 30 pieces a month. For several years, Etsy was my only source of customers and the main way people discovered my work.
My first customers found me through Etsy – most were looking for handmade ceramic urns for pets or loved ones, others for my vases and tableware. As more people shared their experience and left reviews, word of mouth and repeat customers became an important source of growth.
What worked
My single biggest channel is Etsy organic search – around 65% of customers. The rest comes from long-term wholesale relationships, repeat customers and recommendations: a regular wholesale client in Poland who places fairly large orders on a regular basis, an occasional wholesale customer in the UK, and many customers who return or recommend my work.
What didn't work
One of the things I tried that didn’t work out was creating my own online shop alongside my Etsy store. It turned out to need far more time and energy than I expected, and I simply didn’t enjoy it. A lot of that is my personality – I really don’t like spending time in front of a computer. For most people, having their own website is probably a great idea and can bring good results, but for me it just wasn’t the right fit, so I decided to let it go.
The turning point
Sales were much higher on Etsy a few years ago than they are now. I think one of the main reasons is that Etsy has become flooded with inexpensive products from China, which wasn’t nearly as common when I started. Even so, my pottery still provides me with a living. I have one customer in Poland who places fairly large orders regularly, and from time to time I receive orders from the UK as well.
Audience
The people who buy are mostly looking for handmade ceramic urns – for pets or for loved ones – and for special objects tied to important moments in their lives. Others come for vases and tableware.
Practical takeaways
Your own website only helps if you will actually keep it up. If it drains you, forcing it can cost more than it returns – staying where you already work can be the sounder choice.
When one marketplace is your main channel, its ups and downs become yours. As it changes – more sellers, cheaper competition – you feel it directly, even when your own work hasn’t changed.
Don’t wait until everything is perfect to start. Sometimes the important thing is to take the first step in a direction and learn along the way.
Links
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