Hit $500 in Etsy sales last month and honestly still processing it

I started selling handmade soy candles back in November just as a way to use up my extra wax stash. Last month I hit $500 in sales which is way more than I ever expected from a hobby I do on my kitchen counter. It wasn't one big order either it was like 15 small sales from people who found me through Instagram. The wild part is I almost quit in February because I only made $40 and thought nobody wanted my stuff. Then I changed my packaging to recycled paper and added a personalized thank you note and things just took off. I still work a full time job so this is just evenings and weekends but it's starting to feel real. Anyone else have a month that suddenly made you feel like this could actually be something?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oscar17d ago

Wait are you sure it was $500 exactly? Because 15 sales at like $33 each would be more like $495 unless some of them had shipping added. I get math is hard after a long day but rounding up by a few bucks might throw off your profit calculations. Also don't forget to subtract the Etsy fees and the cost of supplies before you count it as real income.

sanchez.mary17d ago

My brain does that rounding thing too, I'll add up a bunch of small sales and call it an even $500 when it's really like $487.33 after fees. The math part of my brain checked out somewhere around the third cup of coffee. Then I wonder why my spreadsheet doesn't match my bank account at the end of the month.