Etsy for Beginners in 2025: How Western Bid Helps Ukrainian Sellers Enter the International Market

Case 1: From hobby to business – Olena’s story and her charming brooches

Olena from Kyiv is an English teacher who started making brooches just to escape the stress at work. “I would come home after lessons completely exhausted,” she recalls. “The only thing that calmed me was working with beads and crystals. I made brooches in the shapes of birds, flowers, insects… Friends started asking me to make the same for them.”

‍The turning point came when a friend from the USA saw her work on Instagram and offered to pay $50 for a hummingbird brooch. “I was in shock! In Kyiv, I sold them for 300 hryvnias to colleagues,” Olena laughs.

‍That was when she turned to Western Bid. Olena brought a box of 30 brooches to our office and skeptically asked, “Do people in America really want to pay for this?”‍

What we did together:

The first month was dedicated to basic setup. We photographed each brooch on a white background (Olena initially resisted – “But it looks better on a colorful scarf!”), wrote stories for each product, and set up tags. And then: “First sale! In Texas! For $75!”‍

By the end of the first month, she had $500 in sales – 8 brooches went to the USA, Canada, and even Australia.‍

Months 2-6: a period of growth and doubts

“The hardest thing was believing it wasn’t a temporary lucky streak,” Olena admits. She continued teaching during the day and making brooches in the evenings. By the third month, orders became so many that she was starting to delay shipments.‍

We implemented a system: Monday-Wednesday – making new brooches, Thursday – photoshoot, Friday – packaging and shipping. Olena hired her former student Olya to help with packing.‍

By the sixth month, her income reached $3,000. “That was my salary for THREE months of teaching,” she recalls.‍

A year later: from teacher to CEO

Now, after a year and a half, Olena has her own studio in the center of Kyiv. The team consists of three people: herself as the chief designer, production assistant Olya (the former student), and customer service manager Marina.‍

“Do you know what’s most amazing?” Olena says. “Recently, I received a wedding jewelry order for $500 from a bride in California. She wrote that my butterfly brooch reminded her of her grandmother from Ukraine. I cried when I read that letter.”‍

Current indicators:

• Monthly income: $8,000-10,000
• Number of orders: 80-100 per month
• Average check: $95
• Geography: 42 countries
• Reviews: 523 (average rating 4.9)★
• Repeat customers: 35%‍

“I still teach,” Olena grins. “But only two days a week and only to my favorite groups. Because now I can afford it.”‍

Case 2: Family business – how the Petrenkos turned a garage into an international toy factory

Vasily and Oksana Petrenko from a small town near Lviv have been making wooden toys for 8 years. It all started when Vasily, an engineer by training, made a wooden constructor for their son because “plastic ones would break in a week.”‍

“We sold toys at local fairs,” Oksana recounts. “On a good day, we could make 2000 hryvnias. On a bad day, we stood in the rain for 8 hours and sold two cars.”‍

Their 16-year-old son Taras once said: “Mom, Dad, why are you like dinosaurs? Let’s sell on Etsy!” He found Western Bid himself and persuaded his parents to get a consultation.‍

Starting with $200 and an old camera

“We had exactly $200 of free money,” Vasily remembers. “We spent $50 on a consultation with Victoria from WB, $30 on Etsy listings, $70 on materials for the first batch, and left $50 for shipping.”‍

The hardest part was taking photos. “We initially photographed with a phone on a tablecloth,” Oksana laughs. “Victoria gently told us that the photos… needed editing. We got out our grandfather’s Canon, built a lightbox from a cardboard box and a white sheet.”‍

5 days to the first “Chao-zin!”

This is how the Petrenko family calls the sound of a sale notification on Etsy. The first order arrived after 5 days – a set of wooden animals for a baby from Germany for $45.‍

“We all jumped around the kitchen!” Taras recalls. “Dad even opened cognac that he had saved for my graduation.”‍

From garage to workshop

After 3 months, orders became so many that the garage transformed into a full-fledged workshop. Vasily quit his factory job (“The boss said I was crazy”). Oksana left her role as an accountant at a local firm.‍

“The craziest moment was just before Christmas,” Vasily says. “48 orders in a week! We worked 16 hours a day, involved my brother and two neighbors. Taras packed parcels instead of doing homework. And we earned $8,000 in December!”‍

Philosophy of the family business

Now, each Petrenko parcel contains a small note with a photo of their family and the story of the toy. “Americans love these notes,” says Oksana. “One customer wrote that she hung it on her fridge.”‍

All relatives are involved in production: Vasily’s father crafts the parts, Oksana’s mother sews small bags for packaging, even the 80-year-old grandmother polishes the finished toys.‍

Current results:

• Monthly income: $15,000-18,000
• Sales record: $24,000 (December 2024)
• Team: 7 people (all relatives)
• Most expensive order: $450 (personalized play town)
• Geography: 35 countries (including Japan and New Zealand)
• Proud of: Petrenko toys are in a preschool in New York‍

“Do you know what’s the most important?” Vasily says. “Now we work together, as a whole family. Taras already plans how to expand the business after university. And Oksana and I can finally afford a vacation. The first in 10 years. We’re going to Italy – to see how they make wooden toys,” he laughs.‍

Case 3: Digital products – how Maksym works 10 hours a week and earns as a senior developer

Maksym from Kharkiv is a former designer at an advertising agency who burned out from constant client revisions. “I did 15 versions of a design to end up with the first one the client chose,” he recalls.‍

In 2023, after yet another nervous breakdown, Maksym quit. He had enough money for 2 months of living. His wife then showed him an article about selling digital products on Etsy.‍

From first template to passive income

“I thought it was a scam,” Maksym admits honestly. “Who would buy templates when there are free ones online?”‍

The first product was a set of wedding invitation templates – Maksym made them in one evening, using work he had done at the agency. Uploaded them, set the price at $15, and forgot about it.‍

One week later – the first sale. Then the second. By the end of the month – 12 sales. “I earned $180 without doing anything after uploading the files!”‍

A system that works on its own

After a consultation with Maria from WB, Maksym developed a system:

• Monday-Tuesday: creating 5-7 new templates
• Wednesday: listing design, SEO
• Thursday-Friday: free days
• Weekends: family‍

“The secret is to create things that truly solve people’s problems,” Maksym explains. “For example, my bestseller is wedding planning templates. Brides buy the whole set for $45 because they don’t want to think about the design.”‍

150 listings and a multiplication philosophy

Now Maksym has 150 active listings. But these are not 150 unique products – they are variations of 30 basic designs.‍

“I sell one invitation template in 5 options: classic, boho, minimalism, vintage, and modern. I change fonts, colors, elements – a new product appears.”‍

The most gratifying – reviews:

“Maksym, your templates saved my wedding! I saved $500 on a designer!” – Jennifer from Texas‍

“Used your planners for my small business. Clients love them!” – Maria from Italy‍

“Bought one template, came back for the whole collection” – Sarah from Australia‍

Life after burnout:

“Do you know what changed most?” Maksym reflects. “I now love design again. I do what I love MYSELF, not what clients demand after 10 calls.”‍

Now Maksym works from a coffee shop overlooking a park. In the mornings, he checks sales ($50-100 every morning), responds to rare customer questions, and the rest of the time – for family and hobbies.‍

Current indicators:

• Steady income: $2,000-2,500/month
• Work hours: 10 hours a week
• Number of sales: 200-250 per month
• Average check: $12
• Best month: $3,800 (December)
• Repeat customers: 40%

“My goal is to bring passive income up to $5,000 and travel with my family,” Maksym shares. “Already booked a month in Thailand. I’ll create new templates just on the beach. Can you imagine? Working 2 hours a day with a view of the ocean… But a year ago I thought my career was over.”‍

These stories are not exceptions. They are real people who just decided to try. Everyone had doubts, fears, moments when they wanted to give up. But they kept going. And now, their lives have changed forever. Your story can be next.