7 Things To Avoid When Selling On Etsy (Why Your Etsy Shop Isn’t Making Money)
When you’re just starting an Etsy shop, there’s so much to learn and it can get overwhelming to try to do everything right. I’ve put together a list of a few mistakes that I see people commonly make when they start selling on Etsy so you can avoid doing these things that will keep you from making sales and money.
If you’ve been wondering why your Etsy shop isn’t making money, this list of 7 things to avoid when selling on Etsy could change everything for you and get you making those sales you want. These could be the difference between you making a little extra cash from your Etsy shop and you making a full-time income selling your crafts on Etsy.
7 Things To Avoid When Selling On Etsy
Using keywords that no one is searching.
If you’re using keyword tools, you might end up with some of these crazy terms that no one is really looking for. Think about what you would type in if you were searching for your item and use those terms in your title and tags. Another way to find keywords is by looking at the top search results of products similar to yours and see if any of their tags look relevant to your product. Don’t copy their entire title and tags because your product is probably different and there are a ton of other factors that determine search ranking. Just use what tags are super relevant to your product.
Using one word keywords.
When I look up “jewelry” on Etsy, there are over 18 million results! No one will ever find you in that sea of search results. You have to be specific about what kind of jewelry. Honestly, people most likely aren’t going on Etsy and searching for only jewelry anyway. They have some idea of what type of jewelry they want. Be as descriptive as you can in your titles and tags. If it’s a ring and it’s silver, use silver ring. Even that is pretty broad. Try to get as specific as you can to show up in the best spot for your customers to find you.
Not showing your product in use in your photos.
You might make sales with only a product photo with a white background, but if your product is wearable or can be used, you need to have photos showing it in use. If you sell clothing, I would want to see the item on a person. Same with jewelry. This allows me to see how it looks on someone and how big it actually is. I sell coffee bar placemats and I have photos with the placemat on a coffee bar under a coffee maker so customers can see how it’s going to look on their coffee bar and how big it is in relation to the coffee machine and accessories.
Not having your whole Etsy shop set up properly.
Having all sections filled out in your shop lets buyers and Etsy know you’re a serious business. Fill out the “About” section and the “Announcement”. Be sure to add any of your social links and your website address (if you have one).
Setting up your Etsy shop properly is so important. Without a shop that is completely filled in, Etsy won’t show your shop in search and shoppers won’t feel confident in buying from you.
GET HELP SETTING UP YOUR ETSY SHOP
Setting up your shop and a few products and then doing nothing else with it.
Not adding new products for new trends, upcoming holidays and seasons. You have to keep your products new and relevant. Figure out at least one new product you can add for the next season and holiday and get them added at least 2 months before. If you need help with this, I have a full tutorial to help you find high demand products.
Products are not in high demand or your product isn’t as appealing as your competitors who are already there.
If no one is searching for what you’re selling, you’ll have a hard time making sales. And your product needs to be different from the ones that are already there if you want to attract the buyer’s attention and make sales. Make a different color, different style, use a different font, add different words, or make a different pattern.
Making only one size or a one off item.
If you’re selling clothing, you have to make it available in all sizes. For instance, if you sell children’s clothes, you wouldn’t want to only have a size 3T available because the chances that the person who likes your item needing that exact size are very unlikely. You would want to make it available in as many sizes as possible.
Also, you want to use patterns that you can keep selling for years. If you make an item and can only make it once, you’ll have to constantly take photos and make listings for your products. Let’s use the children’s clothing as an example again. If you buy a fabric that you can only get once, after that item sells, you’ll have to then go buy a different fabric, make a new example product, take photos, and make a listing. You can see how this would be really time consuming and annoying after a while. You would want to buy fabrics that you can continue to purchase over and over again so you can keep selling that same item for as long as you want without having to do all that work every time.
Are you making any of these common Etsy seller mistakes?
Hopefully these tips will help you understand why your shop isn’t making money and help you avoid making mistakes that could cost you sales on Etsy. I made a lot of these mistakes when I first started and it was so frustrating. It’s hard to see the mistakes you’re making in your own shop sometimes.
I want to see you succeed! Leave me a comment and let me know if you’ve been making any of these mistakes and how you’re going to fix it.
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