You’ve probably already created and listed your products on Etsy. As the days go by, you realize you aren’t making any sales. This was supposed to be easy!
As time passes, you may become more frustrated with the lack of sales. You also may be getting very few views on your store, so you may be wondering if this is normal or if your shop is no good.
This article will help you figure out why you haven’t made any sales on Etsy.
No one is buying from my Etsy shop! Why haven’t I made a sale yet?
Getting sales on Etsy is never easy, especially when you’re a new store with no reviews or sales history.
Even if people are finding your store, they may be hesitant to become your first buyer. After all, you don’t have a track record so people do not know if they should trust your products.
Since many people check reviews before purchasing something online, they may not want to risk their money on your store right now.
If you’re getting views but no sales, does it mean your products are bad? Not necessarily. It means you need to build more trust with your potential buyers.
Although the first few sales may be tough to get, eventually you’ll gain more trust and credibility even after one positive review.
On average sellers make less than 100$ during their first year on Etsy.
How to Start Increasing Your Etsy Sales
The first step when trying to increase Etsy sales is to check the statistics for your store.
Ask yourself these questions to figure out why you aren’t making sales on Etsy:
- Are people visiting my store?
- Are people liking my items?
- How many reviews do I have?
One of the biggest reasons why you may not be making sales is because people are not finding your products when they are browsing Etsy. Since you have not had a chance to build a name for yourself, people will mainly be finding you by searching for products. If your products are not showing up in the search results, people will not find your store easily.
For this reason, your main focus should be on the discoverability of your store.
Many people struggle with getting their store discovered. The cost of setting up an Etsy store is minimal, but with so much competition you will need to invest more in advertising and promotion (especially in the beginning).
Other than paid promotion, you can help increase the discoverability of your products by improving the information provided in your listings. If you’re selling “monogrammed embroidered handkerchiefs,” make sure your listing information includes all these keywords, as well as any other relevant keywords. This will help Etsy’s algorithm direct the best customers to your store.
Also, don’t forget to promote your shop across the Internet. Share your links on Facebook, pin your products on Pinterest, etc. Starting an online business is affordable, but you’ll need to put a lot of hard work into getting your work in front of others.
With a combination of good keywords and promotion, your products will start to appear to potential buyers and you may finally land your first sale.
People are viewing my store, but no one is buying!
If you see that people are visiting your store, you’re off to a good start. That’s the first step when trying to build a name for yourself and get sales.
However, if a few months go by and you’ve gotten a lot of eyes on your store but still haven’t made sales, there could be something wrong with the products you are selling.
There are several reasons why your Etsy listing could be pushing away customers:
- Your product listing isn’t convincing enough
- Your pricing is too high or low
- The competition is too high
Below, I provide explanations for why these factors could be pushing away customers from your Etsy store.
Your product listing isn’t convincing enough
One of the biggest issues with cross-stitchers on Etsy, for example, is the realization that many Etsy sellers grab images from the internet, run them through converter software, and upload the pattern to Etsy. Since those sellers never bother to stitch the pattern they are selling, sometimes it does not work out very well when someone attempts it.
Buyers of these patterns often end up buying 50+ thread colors with some colors only actually used for a couple of stitches. Because of this, buyers have become suspicious of listings that do not show the actual finished product.
To make your product convincing, your listing should have multiple pictures and a detailed description.
Take pictures that reflect what the finished product will look like. Do not alter the images to make them appear better than they actually are, because this will leave your customers disappointed.
When writing your listing description, include as much detail as possible, such as the final size, customization options available, materials, etc. By adding more information than the minimum, people will trust your product more. The more trustworthy your listing is, the more encouraged people will be to buy.
Your pricing is too high or too low
People can be pretty conscious about what they are spending their money on in the competitive market of online crafts. People will take more time to study the various options in order to pick the best one.
Do you make hand-knitted baby blankets? You’re not the only one. If there is nothing unique about your product and people find something cheaper, the will probably choose the cheaper option.
However, the opposite is also true. If your baby blanket is too cheap, people will be hesitant to purchase it. They may wonder if you actually used wool, as your listing states, or some cheaper material that is not as nice and durable.
You must study your market to find the most ideal price. Look at items similar to yours that are selling well and study the pricing. Also, don’t cut your prices down too much, or you may no longer be profitable. Especially, if you build a customer base around your cheap products it may be difficult to increase your prices in the future.
Study your competition and identify which stores and products are performing the best. Buyers know that you need to make a profit to sustain your business, but they should not feel as if they are being ripped off.
The competition is too high
With so many sellers on Etsy, there will be other people selling a similar product to you.
Attracting the attention of potential buyers can be difficult in such a competitive market, so you’ll need to stand out. This especially applies if you’re a new shop without much credibility.
Custom-made items are a great way to stand out, especially if you design and implement unique, exceptional designs to use on your products. There are many sellers on Etsy with designs that cannot be purchased anywhere else. This makes the shop special and keeps buyers coming back.
Take your items to the next level by making them truly unique. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a product that is very similar to the rest of the products on Etsy.
Put your creativity to work and stand out from the Esty crowd!
People are still not buying from me!
If you’ve tried everything mentioned above and you still aren’t making sales, it is time to think about some other options.
Begin by testing different strategies to promote your products and store. At this time, you should also get a better grasp of what market there is for your product.
Perhaps you’ll find that the market for your product isn’t there… and that’s okay!
You may think that your one-of-a-kind wooden key chain design is an amazing, beautiful piece of art… And it might be great, but unfortunately, the market is not large enough to sustain a listing selling that product.
Keep experimenting with different types of product designs until you find a market for it. If a product isn’t selling, then remove it and move onto your next creative work.
Conclusion
It may take many months before you’re able to figure out the right products for your market, but that is fine. It takes time, learning, and testing to start making sales… So don’t give up too soon!
There is no deadline in which you must make your first sale. If you give up too early, you did not give yourself the chance to shine in the marketplace.
Even the most successful Etsy stores started with 0 sales. They kept working hard to understand their audience and create unique and awesome products to fulfill the needs of that audience.
Once you eventually start making more sales, it will be worth it. It may take years to earn a full-time income on Etsy, but it is definitely possible!
Don’t spend time comparing yourself to others and their success, as it may deter you from giving it a shot. Reading about how someone’s Etsy shop start making hundreds of dollars in sales in the first week will discourage you from trying.
Remember, your success depends on the product price, availability, uniqueness, promotion methods, and more. There is not one single factor that will lead you to your first sale.
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