She rose to the top 1% of Etsy sellers. What’s her secret?

You can make a lot of money selling on Etsy. Just ask Helen Spallas.

Spallas, 64, has worn many hats. But she didn’t make six figures until she started selling on Etsy.

Even though her shop is just 4 years old, it’s been among the top 1% of Etsy’s 7.7 million worldwide sellers. And, this year, she started a personal coaching business to help newbies navigate the massive craft site to make their stores stand out.

These tips can help anyone boost their chance of success with the online sales platform.

■ Inventory is unnecessary. The first important tip: Online retailers don’t need inventory anymore. You can sell products that have yet to be made through so-called print-on-demand operations, such as Printful and Society6.

These companies will create your product within days of an order and either send it directly to the consumer or send it to you so you can mail it to the customer. That reduces your company’s overhead, making it cheaper and easier to start your business.

■ Idea theft is rampant. Spallas sends out Digital Millennium Copyright Act notices immediately when she spots a copycat. Her vigilance has vastly cut the number of violations.

Notably, designs don’t need to be sent to the U.S. Copyright Office to get copyright protection. They are automatically copyrighted at the first date of publishing.

■ A design doesn’t need to be elaborate. For the most part, Spallas’ designs are made up of a picture or graphic coupled with a saying in a custom font. For instance: “Always be the leading lady of your own life” and “A wise woman once said ‘I’m outa here.’ And she lived happily ever after.”

Her process? She uses a mock-up service called Placeit.net to put the words together with appropriate art. She’ll upload the final design to the print-ondemand sites she uses. And the print-on-demand sites transfer her designs onto products of her choosing, such as tote bags, pillows, coffee mugs and sweatshirts. From there, she takes photos of the various products she’s designed and lists them for sale in her Etsy store.

■ Find a niche. Don’t try to be all things to all people. You’ll gain greater success if you find a niche and work it, Spallas said.

Spallas runs the AgapeShoppe on Etsy. She is half Greek. So some of her designs incorporate Greek words, such as Yia Yia, for grandmother. Or religious sayings: “Working for God doesn’t pay much, but the retirement plan is out of this world.”

One of her most important bits of advice is to play to your strengths.

“There is a lady who works 60 hours a week as a licensed practical nurse. I said, take that LPN knowledge and put it on a mug,” Spallas said. “People in that industry will get it. They will understand the terms, and it will be unique.”

■ Use the right keywords. Always use words that accurately describe what you’re selling and what makes it unique. Greek gifts, for example.

■ Deliver what you promise. Etsy’s “Star Seller” program boosts the visibility of your store. To win that star seller rating, the site expects you to respond to 95% of consumer messages within 24 hours. It also expects that 95% of your deliveries arrive on time and intact. And your shop’s customer ratings need to average 4.8 stars or higher.

Figure out how you’re going to process orders, she advised. With the print-ondemand options she uses now, Spallas has automated her process to such a degree that on-time deliveries are no longer a problem. And, unlike when she started and worked around the clock, she now works only about three hours a day.