I have an Etsy shop where I sell personalized 3d printed items for a niche community. Ive managed to make a good start and am hoping to move this into a full-time business. I have over a 1000 sales and hundreds of 5-star reviews.
I know my product would be very easy to replicate. After a year, I finally had it happen. I’m based in the US and the saving grace is they’re in the UK. Now, the larger market is in the US, but I sell plenty in the UK. He copied pretty much everything he could, down to slightly changing the description of the listing.
I’ve tried to differentiate a bit with my creativity, design and networking. I am trying to use this as motivation to innovate and drive, but I feel a creeping panic that I am trying to fight off.
Someone help me with a good pep talk and advice before I break down!
Biggest compliment someone can give you is copy your work. Only shows that you’re doing something right and getting big enough that it’s worth stealing.
In terms of moving forward, people who copy will always be one step behind. So just keep innovating - producing more personalized 3d items that your community wants, maintaining excellent customer communication, keeping your quality of work intact.
Build your brand so that people know you’re the legit one, and the others are copycats.