The Journey to Becoming an Etsy Star Seller
I first opened Etsy in the summer of 2024.
However, for about a year after that, I did almost nothing.
Create products on Printify, design them, and send them to Etsy.
That was it.
Everything else was left alone.
That was it.
Everything else was left alone.
While wondering, "What will happen with this?" I continued it as an experiment, but the results were...
I continued it as an experiment, but the results were...
the results were,
the results were,
absolutely nothing happened.It was that kind of time.
It was that kind of time.
The turning point came from a slightly unexpected place.
The turning point came from a slightly unexpected place.
I had written a blog post about how to connect Printify, Etsy, and Payoneer.I had written a blog post about how to connect Printify, Etsy, and Payoneer.
I had written a blog post about how to connect Printify, Etsy, and Payoneer.
I had written a blog post about how to connect Printify, Etsy, and Payoneer.
Someone who read it contacted me, and we ended up exchanging emails several times.
Someone who read it contacted me, and we ended up exchanging emails several times.
That person was eventually able to open their Etsy shop.
That person was eventually able to open their Etsy shop.
That's when it suddenly occurred to me.That's when it suddenly occurred to me.
I'm helping others, but I'm not doing anything with my own shop at all.
I'm helping others, but I'm not doing anything with my own shop at all.
I'm helping others, but I'm not doing anything with my own shop at all.
It was a little bit of self-reflection.It was a little bit of self-reflection.
Another trigger was a more everyday situation.
Another trigger was a more everyday situation.
When I was wearing a T-shirt I made myself,
"That's cute."
someone said to me.
Right then and there, I said, "I'm a designer," and told them about my Japanese shop,
and to my surprise, an order came in an hour later.
A complete stranger.
Just someone I passed in the elevator.
Even so, they bought it. With a comment saying, "Grateful for this connection!"
Ah, I have to do this.
I thought, quite naturally.
From there, October 2025.
I started it properly.
Around that time, the evolution of AI was also happening.
The mockups I wanted to create could be made one after another,
and video generation had also become easy to do with tools like Grok.
It felt like the world I envisioned in motion was suddenly appearing in reality.
What I did was simple.
Create a world view.
That's all.
While gradually increasing the number of products, I aligned the tone and set the atmosphere.
My first purchase was from
a client.
From there, things started moving little by little,
February 2026.
For the first time,
I received an order from the United States.
Following that,
someone from Switzerland bought two items.
Then, the United States again.
Little by little,
orders from overseas began to increase.
By March,
I was getting about six orders a month.
And,
there was one more change.
I started receiving inquiries.
"Does this bag have a zipper?"
"What are the dimensions?"
Those kinds of
pre-purchase confirmations.
Every time,
I would translate them into English using AI,
and reply immediately.
I just kept doing that calmly and steadily.
March 31st.
I received an email from Etsy.
"You are almost a Star Seller"
Star Seller?
I wondered, so I looked it up,
・Response rate
・Shipping
・Reviews
It seems to be something awarded to those who meet the criteria regarding shop reliability.
I had met almost all of them, but I was missing just one.
The message response rate.
But I was sure I had replied to everything.
When I checked again, thinking that,
there was just one,
a spam-like message left behind.
That was it.
The moment I dealt with it,
“Ah, that clears the condition.”
I realized it quietly.
It was already April 1st in Japan.
But in America, it was still the evening of March 31st.
I made it just in time.
That night.
On my shop icon,
a purple star badge appeared.
I had become a Star Seller.
What I found interesting was,
“how to become one”
without knowing.
As it turned out,
I had already reached that state.
What I was doing was,
・Replying to inquiries immediately
・Providing polite service
・Shipping items properly
That was all.
I think this is
fairly normal in Japan.
However,
that is not necessarily the case overseas.
That is precisely why
there is a system in place to properly evaluate
being reliable.
I think that is what being a Star Seller is.
I haven't done
anything special.
I simply
created a world view,
and properly responded
to what came my way.
That was all.
My way of being was what was being evaluated.
👜Art-T & Things
Selling art bags featuring Impressionism and more.
From Japan, it takes 15 to 20 days to arrive.
Art of Being | Hitomi Horiguchi
Official Site