Olena Vechkanova is an entrepreneur who promotes Ukrainian handmade ethnic products abroad. To preserve its unique heritage, her team traveled across Ukraine for a long time to find as many folk masters with unique skills as possible, give them a chance to continue practicing crafts for decent pay. Today, Olena has managed to unite around 1,500 talented artisans and small producers. Now everyone can purchase their products from any corner of the world.
How it all began
In 2009, due to her work, Olena often lived between two countries: worked in Ukraine for several weeks, then traveled abroad, mainly in Europe. During this time, foreigners often asked her where she was from. When she answered “from Ukraine,” they bombarded her with other questions: “What is that?”, “Where is that?”. It was hurtful. Besides mentioning Taras Shevchenko and problems with corruption, it seemed that no one knew anything about Ukraine. Some even equated our country with Russia.
“I wanted to have an answer to the question of what Ukraine really is, how we differ from others. Everyone associates the Eiffel Tower with France, cheese with Switzerland, chocolate with Belgium. Ukraine had no such parallel. And at that moment, I kept thinking about export and international trade to tell the world what Ukraine is.”
Talking about Ukraine solely as an exporter of raw materials (wood, metals) didn’t appeal to her because it somewhat diminished Ukrainian achievements. Then Olena became interested in creative industries, looked at creativity through the lens of business. It turned out that many talented people, unfortunately, are known only to a narrow circle of buyers and only within the country.
“When I started studying the market, I realized that, for example, in the UK, handmade products are quite expensive but look worse compared to what’s made in Ukraine. Our similar products look good, are made with quality and taste. The only difference is — our artisans sell their goods for a pittance. Many creative people simply don’t know how to access other markets. Their consciousness is limited to the internal Ukrainian market.”
The phenomenon of devaluing Ukrainian-produced crafts persisted for a long time. Buyers preferred Chinese products, believing that Ukrainian items, such as Hutsul bags, were outdated and not fashionable at all. Olena decided to change this notion her own way. Since 2015, the entrepreneur has been developing two businesses in parallel: an advertising agency, which she founded back in 2009, and exporting Ukrainian ethnic handmade crafts to the global market.
Initially, the team didn’t quite understand what exactly they should do. On one hand, it seemed that the main task was to create a platform, as well as content that would facilitate reselling something that already exists. There are towns in Ukraine where they produce knitted blankets, which they then try to sell for around 300 UAH, or are engaged in wood carving, offering spoons for 10 UAH. To professionally present such items on the international market, they need to be photographed and clearly described in English. That was the idea behind the marketplace: artisans would upload their own products, and Olena and her team would support the website, giving customers direct access to Ukrainian handmade products.
On the other hand, the entrepreneur wanted to engage in her own product lines, creating her own designs for specific crafts and implementing them in finished products.
“We tried all possible business models. After understanding the pros and cons of each, we concluded that we want to focus on our own designs. For example, we create a design for ceramics, artisans specializing in traditional ceramics produce items based on that design, then we photograph the product, describe it, and sell it. The same applies to wood carving, textiles. We worked as a marketplace simultaneously, but that idea died almost immediately. Gifted craftsmen often are not familiar with computers, sales, or English. Others, who understand sales and speak English, tried to resell items bought at completely inappropriate prices. Moreover, those were goods of questionable quality.”
For a long time, Olena and her team organized expeditions across the country. Visited Sorochyntsi fairs, went to Hutsuls, researched Kyiv, Poltava, and other regions — in other words, visited hubs where artisans gathered, collected their business cards, met with them, and negotiated cooperation. Additionally, four copywriters working at the advertising agency communicated with potters and ethnographers. Based on the information gathered, they wrote about Ukrainian culture, such as the Ukrainian wreath, embroidery, ornaments, what a “lyzhnyk” is, and why it retains all the useful qualities of sheep wool.
“We gathered a huge amount of content: verbal stories, photos, videos, interviews with masters. All of this was publicly accessible online, and many people reposted this information. Thus, we learned ourselves and engaged in educational outreach.”
Once contacts were established, sales of products began. Initially, they sold through their own website “Three Snails”, later they tried to enter international platforms. On some of them, such as Dawanda or Bananza, success was elusive. But on Amazon, Etsy, eBay, things went better — 90% of all orders came specifically from the United States.
The peak sales period for “Three Snails” is usually November. Slightly less successful months are December and January. During these months, if the team worked well and the product catalog was properly built over the year, sales can exceed one hundred thousand dollars. The high demand for Ukrainian-made products helps create new jobs and allows artisans to do what they do best.
In fact, supporting folk artisans is a rather urgent issue today. Olena recalls that when she first started exploring handmade crafts, there were many more experts in various crafts. For example, at the Kosiv Fair, one of the ten largest in Ukraine, booths used to be filled with everything from knitted blankets to plates and carved chess sets. However, each year, the number of artisans decreases, and the variety of goods shrinks.
“We have extremely talented artisans, great ideas, and quality execution, but all these are disappearing at cosmic speed. But if you take similar products in a certain price range, like Ukrainian carved wood or merino wool blankets, our products are no worse, and in some cases even better than those offered by countries for whom these crafts are traditional. What am I getting at? Due to the market’s indifference to Ukrainian crafts, our truly talented artisans are beginning to disappear.”
The Ukrainian market itself is very small. Its capacity is insignificant compared to other European countries and especially the US market. The latter consumes as much in a month as Ukraine might sell over years. That’s why artisans who cannot find a market in Ukraine are forced to go abroad to support their families.
“This is a very tragic story. Masters would go to Poland, Romania, Hungary, do various low-paid jobs, and still earn much more than they could at home doing traditional crafts. It’s no wonder that nowadays, only a handful can be counted at Kosiv Fair. Some just leave, others stop practicing crafts because they see no sense in it. Only older people, difficult to retrain or to move abroad, continue to create new items. In my view, this is a huge oversight on the part of the state, which does not develop or support its creative industries.”
Etsy Shop
Now Olena successfully sells on all trading platforms, including Etsy. However, when her team first started mastering marketplaces, there were some setbacks. They were related to each platform’s policies, which are strongly recommended not to violate. So, before creating your own shop, it’s advisable to familiarize yourself with the rules to know exactly what to avoid.
“We violated one of Etsy’s policies. We didn’t read carefully that only producers making products by hand can sell there. Specifically, I mean, personally. We opened accounts for selling children’s clothing, wooden items, jewelry. All products were created based on our sketches and designs. In essence, we acted as creative designers.”
By that time, the “Three Snails” brand already had its own website. You could buy those same items there, slightly cheaper — without the commission fees that the marketplace charges. But Etsy allowed engagement with an international audience, so registered shops played a key role in promoting Ukrainian products worldwide.
The problem was that sales were managed by a separate office, a team of people working together, who used the resources of their manufacturers and did not inform Etsy about it. It was obvious that the accounts were linked because they logged in from the same IP address. Eventually, all accounts were blocked without the possibility of unblocking. We had to start from scratch.
Stories that fill life with meaning
In 2017, when the business was thriving and expanding, Olena was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was tough; the disease affected her cognitive functions, which incredibly hindered her work.
“I used to go to the office. Colleagues reported that revenue had increased by 40%, but profitability dropped by 15%, and I listened and didn’t understand what these numbers meant. Eventually, I was lucky; I found a person in India who helped me overcome the illness. I managed to return to a full life.”
For treatment, Olena left Ukraine for about half a year. The team worked independently all this time. Everyone knew their part and did it as best as they could. By 2019, when things stabilized, the entrepreneur realized she didn’t like how the project was developing. She decided to close the office. The team started working from home. Efficiency significantly increased, then the coronavirus started.
“It may sound strange, but during the pandemic, work even improved. But actually, it all depends on who you hire. The leader’s talent and main task are to find specialists who love their work and, most importantly, know how to do it. Only then will the project be successful. A pedant should count, a creative manager should create, a copywriter should write. And none of these three should do each other’s work, only interact.”
Later, the first difficulties began. The company worked with small producers scattered across the country. They hired temporary workers on-site to create more products with high demand, but even then, “Three Snails” faced a crisis due to a lack of goods.
“We could sell a thousand units of product, but the craftsman could only make six hundred. They said, ‘We have seven people working, we can’t produce more than we’re giving you now.’ And, since it’s pure handmade, production can’t really be scaled up. Mechanization isn’t possible here.”
Such situations ultimately become problematic because the nature of online sales is that you have to invest substantial time in a product before seeing the desired result.
“Suppose you want to sell a scarf. First, you photograph it for a long time, describe it, then promote the listing on social media, with bloggers, write articles. Eventually, the scarf starts selling: a few pieces, a dozen. When the account reaches hundreds, you realize you’re starting to make money. And then the producer says: no more scarves. No fabric, no people, or the artisan no longer wants to — it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you invested money in the product, developed it, promoted it, and now it’s gone.”
To avoid losses, Olena had to carefully analyze the opportunities of each product. Once we counted that promoting one product through Google costs around $50 at best, often more. At that cost, even one mistake in monetary terms will be very noticeable, and the store might have five thousand listings.
Eventually, Olena realized that the project was operating under a flawed model. In 2019, it was decided to focus solely on high-margin products and to gradually transition to own manufacturing.
“Success depends on hard work and endless searches. People who earned millions trading — none of them knew what to do at the start. Some got lucky and the idea appeared immediately, others took five years to come up with it. Someone made three mistakes, someone twenty-three — everyone is different, but the main thing is to keep moving forward. I want all Ukrainians to understand this… My advice is — just start and take the first step. Sooner or later, you will find what you’re looking for.”
After February 24
The first month of the war was a complete shock for the team because of the sales surge. 90% of consumers, Americans, ordered products and sent messages saying not to send the orders; they asked to accept the money as financial aid.
“On Kickstarter, where we were raising money for our project at that time, someone sent us $500 with the words: ‘This is for your victory. You’re awesome, I want you to live and continue your work’.”
We have been their main and only customer for many years. Despite the war, we need to buy from them, even if these products are not ordered now. I believe this is the right and honorable way to act.
Western Bid
Olena learned about Western Bid when she was searching for optimal solutions for reliable international shipping.
“Shipping with Western Bid is very advantageous from a logistics perspective. Items up to five kilos, especially small packages up to 300 grams, are delivered many times faster than by other intermediaries. For the same money.”
Additionally, Western Bid helped the company transfer its financial structure from the US to Ukraine — initially, for convenience, “Three Snails” was registered in the US, since almost all recipients resided there. But later, when clients appreciated the logistics advantages, particularly low costs and speed, it was decided to transfer all US accounts to Ukraine.
Conclusion on Western Bid’s role
For the “Three Snails” project, Western Bid became not just a logistics partner but a tool for global optimization:
- Cost-effectiveness: The best conditions for small packages (up to 300g), which is critical for handmade products (jewelry, textiles).
- Speed as a competitive advantage: “Many times faster” delivery than competitors enables Ukrainian products to look more attractive against local US producers.
- Legal and financial support: Assistance in restructuring the business and transferring accounts from the US to Ukraine, simplifying operational activities and supporting the Ukrainian economy.