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You have essentially proven product-market fit with the high-ticket item – 8 sales from ~800 views at that price point is a very healthy signal. The challenge now is traffic generation and doing it without burning through cash too quickly.
**On Ads (Google Shopping / Paid):**
* $1,000 is a small testing budget for Shopping campaigns, especially for high-ticket items where conversions take longer and CPCs can fluctuate.
* With an AOV in the thousands and $400+ net profit, you can afford ads eventually – but right now, the risk is you’ll spend your initial $1k without enough data to optimize properly. Google’s algo needs volume to learn, and $300/month after the test is on the very low side to sustain.
* If you want to test, keep expectations realistic: focus on super-narrow targeting (very specific product keywords, exact match where possible), don’t spread across too many SKUs, and track everything (conversion tracking, ROAS, profit per click).**On Organic (SEO / Pinterest / Content):**
* This is your biggest long-term lever because high-ticket custom products often sell via trust, inspiration, and search discovery.
* Pinterest, in particular, is a goldmine for home decor – it’s visual, evergreen, and customers actively use it for purchase inspiration. Every pin can keep sending traffic for months/years.
* SEO takes time, but starting now means you’ll be building compounding visibility instead of waiting until later. Blog posts, guides, “design idea” content – all can attract qualified buyers.
* Do not underestimate owned assets: email list, social media, even short-form video (IG Reels/TikTok) showing the custom product in use. These build long-term brand equity.**What I would do in your shoes:**
* Go heavy on organic right now: Pinterest, SEO basics, blog posts, content showing customization/designs. Get all products listed on socials. Build email capture on your website from day 1.
* Use your $1k ad budget *after* you’ve set up strong organic foundations and analytics. By then, you’ll have clarity on which keywords and creatives resonate most, making the test less of a blind gamble.
* In the meantime, consider *retargeting ads* instead of cold traffic. Retargeting site visitors (or even Etsy visitors if you can funnel them to your own site) is way cheaper and keeps you top-of-mind.High-ticket ecommerce is all about credibility + nurturing. Ads can scale once you’re confident, but right now, organic + brand building will give you much better ROI.
If I had to choose: Start organic first. Layer in ads when you have more data, a few strong landing pages, and the ability to retarget.
