She’s back! Antoniya Koleva is an Etsy mentor and strategic coach from Etsy Superstars who helps creative entrepreneurs turn their talent into sustainable international businesses and is back once again as Brand Ambassador to the Balkan ECommerce Summit. With over 14 years of experience in digital content, marketing, and online business development, she works closely with makers and small brands to approach Etsy not just as a hobby platform, but to see the potential in it as a serious business tool for validation, growth, and cross-border sales.
As a Brand Ambassador for the Balkan eCommerce Summit, Antoniya brings a hands-on, realistic perspective on what it takes to grow on Etsy today. In this interview, she shares the signals that separate a side project from a real business. She leads us through the biggest mistakes that limit creative sellers’ growth and how Balkan-based makers can use Etsy to test demand, adapt to platform changes, and build profitable global businesses with lean teams and a clear focus.
Many creative people in the Balkans start on Etsy as a side project. What’s the clearest signal you see that it’s time to treat Etsy as a real business, not just a hobby?
As an Etsy mentor in Bulgaria I always challenge my clients to make a clear distinction between a side project and a hobby. An Etsy shop should be treated as a business from day one even though it’s just a side project. This mindset actually is one of the most important requirements for success.
That means thinking strategically about pricing, marketing (promotion), product mix, and positioning right from the start. The 4Ps of Marketing as they’re better known and the key pillar to a sustainable business.
The clearest signal that a shop is taking off is when the market starts responding consistently, not just emotionally. When it comes to doubling down, I look beyond just “getting a few sales.” This can only happen if we approach an Etsy store as a real business.
The strongest indicator to invest more time and money in your “side hustle” is a healthy conversion rate combined with growing demand. When a shop reaches 2% conversion rate or higher, it shows that the product, price, and presentation are aligned with what buyers want. At that point, Etsy is no longer an experiment. It has real potential to become a stable, scalable business.
From your recent hands-on experience running an Etsy shop, what has changed on the platform that sellers in the Balkans need to adapt to quickly?
Etsy has actually been very good at adapting to changing consumer behavior. In 2025 especially, we saw some big shifts. Etsy was among the first marketplaces to experiment with checkout flows integrated into AI tools like ChatGPT. This means that customers ask AI for recommendations and can buy an Etsy product listing without even visiting the platform. We don’t only optimize for the Etsy algorithm now, we need to make the AI happy, too.
That said, one of the biggest changes affecting Balkan-based sellers specifically, came with the introduction of U.S. customs tariffs in 2025. Sellers shipping to the U.S. now face additional customs fees starting at 20% of the product price. This forced sellers outside the U.S. to increase prices to cover these costs. Prices go up, and naturally, buying behavior shifts.
Demand from U.S. buyers for products shipped from outside the U.S. has gradually softened. Since the U.S. still represents over half of Etsy’s buyers, this has had a real impact. Sellers need to respond strategically rather than emotionally.
There are two main directions I see working very well for Balkan sellers right now. The first is shifting more focus towards the European market. Europe and the U.K. together make up another significant portion of Etsy’s customer base, with the U.K. alone accounting for roughly 10%. Etsy also increasingly localizes search results, meaning European buyers are shown more European-based shops. Understanding the needs, preferences, and price sensitivity of European and U.K. customers has become essential.
The second direction is building digital-first offers alongside physical products. Digital products are not affected by customs, tariffs, or shipping delays, and they allow sellers to reach a truly global audience. I’m actively working with clients on developing digital product lines, and those who adapted quickly instead of resisting change actually saw strong growth in the last quarter of 2025.
For makers and small creative brands looking to sell cross-border, what are the top 2–3 mistakes that most often limit their growth on Etsy?
The first and biggest mistake is building a product-focused shop instead of a customer-focused business. The question most sellers ask is “What product should I make next?” when the more powerful question is “Who is my customer, and how do I serve them better?”
When you’re clear about who your ideal customer is, what they value, what problems they want solved, and how they want to feel, then product decisions become much easier. Growth on Etsy happens when sellers focus on making the customer happy, not just on making more products.
The second mistake is spreading yourself too thin across too many ideas. Etsy rewards focus. Instead of offering a little bit of everything, it’s far more effective to specialize. Quality is essential, but quantity within a focused niche matters just as much. A handful of product listings simply get lost in the sea of products on Etsy.
The third major mistake is underestimating visual presentation. Customers can’t touch or feel the product, so everything depends on how well we communicate value. When we make things visually appealing, buying becomes easy.
Many creators ignore details that feel obvious to them, like material quality, production process, or why a product costs what it does. But these things matter for consumers. High-quality photos and videos are no longer optional. Anything mediocre in terms of visual presentation simply doesn’t convert anymore.
When sellers clearly communicate craftsmanship, materials, and value through strong visuals and detailed listings, conversion rates increase dramatically. And that’s when Etsy shops really start to grow.
How can sellers use Etsy to test product demand and pricing before investing in their own webshop or other marketplaces?
Using a marketplace like Etsy to validate a business idea is one of the smartest strategies for any starting business, especially in the creative space. Etsy is ideal for this because, unlike many other platforms, the barrier to entry is extremely low.
You can open a fully functional storefront in about 20 to 30 minutes and immediately reach a global audience of over 100 million buyers. There’s no pre-approval process, no long applications, and no waiting period. That direct access to buyers is rare. It’s true B2C from day one, which is why I often recommend Etsy as a testing ground before investing heavily in a website, paid ads, or even social media.
Etsy is also very flexible. You can adjust products, pricing, visuals, and strategy at any time and see how the market responds in real time. That makes it perfect for testing both demand and pricing.
However, I recommend businesses start validating by doing extensive research on Etsy and analyzing what’s already working. If other shops are selling in your niche this is your first positive sign.
Are there successful shops serving the same audience? Are they selling consistently? Then I’d go deeper. Not just how many sales they have, but why they are selling. How are the products presented? How are listings optimized? What kind of personalization or customization options are offered? What price points are customers clearly willing to pay?
Etsy gives us a huge amount of visible data: reviews, pricing, product ranges, bestseller patterns. So for me, validating a product idea and pricing strategy on Etsy begins long before you publish your first listing. It starts with understanding what already works, who it works for, and how you can position your offer better for that same audience.
As a Brand Ambassador for the Balkan eCommerce Summit, how do you hope to help creative entrepreneurs from the region think bigger and build more sustainable international businesses?
As a Brand Ambassador for the Balkan eCommerce Summit, my main message is very simple: you don’t need a huge team or a large company to reach buyers all over the world and sell internationally.
Many businesses in the Balkans still think small, not because of lack of skill, but because they assume international growth requires a big team, large investments, or complex infrastructure. I want to challenge that belief. Today, global business is no longer reserved for large companies.
Through my work, I help businesses understand that with one focused Etsy shop, a clear customer focus, and a strong product offer, it’s possible to build a sustainable international business from a small studio with a team of two. Platforms like Etsy remove many of the traditional barriers by handling localization, currencies, languages, and access to global buyers.
Part of Etsy Superstars’ mission is to encourage a more sustainable way of growing by building profitable, focused businesses that can scale without burnout. With the right strategy, automation, willingness to adapt and responsiveness to the needs of consumers, Balkan businesses can grow internationally while keeping their operations lean.
At the Balkan eCommerce Summit, I hope to bring both mindset and practical clarity. My goal is to help local brands and small businesses realize that global reach is already within their hands. Building a stable, international business is not a distant goal, but a realistic next step.
Meet Antoniya at Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026
Are you wondering how to monetize your creativity and artistic nature? Or maybe you’ve already started selling on Etsy but still call what you do a “hobby” instead of a business. In that case – you need to make your way over to Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026 this April.
Antoniya will be there eager to talk about everything Etsy so be sure to catch her for a chat.
Whether you’re simply wondering whether this is the right path for you or you want to scale your shop to the next level and maybe even expand into new markets – you’ll gain a lot by reaching out to Antoniya at the event.
🎟️ Grab your ticket now at balkanecommerce.com and don’t miss out on all the opportunities that lie in wait for you there.