If you’ve known me for any length of time then you know I rave about selling on Etsy.
In my opinion it’s one of the absolute best ways to make passive income online for beginners!
Etsy itself is user friendly, drives traffic to your shop for you (without HAVING to pay for ads or use social media), and has a MASSIVE number of customers already on the platform looking to purchase products.
That being said, there are some people who have tried selling on Etsy and not seen the kind of success they were hoping for.
More often than not, this happens when those sellers are making one or several of these common Etsy mistakes 😬
But if that’s you, don’t worry!
I’m going to break down all of these common mistakes + the solution to each one, so that you can start seeing success with your Etsy shop in no time!
(Psst! Want a helpful checklist for your Etsy shop…for FREE?! Grab it right here ⬇️⬇️⬇️)
Common Etsy Shop Mistakes:
#1. Not evaluating listings
Too many sellers put up their listings and never change anything again.
But when you do this you’re missing out on so much valuable information!
Solution: Go back and review your listing stats every so often to see how they’re preforming, which keywords they are ranking for, etc.
Then make any necessary changes!
#2. Not adding new products consistently
Etsy definitely values consistency and sellers who use the platform on a regular basis.
I would argue that staying consistent with adding new products to your shop is more important than HOW many products you’re adding.
Solution: Whether it’s once a day, once a week, or whatever, choose a schedule for adding new products that you can realistically stick with, and then hold yourself accountable to it!
#3. Not filling out shop info, policies, announcement, etc.
Filling out your shop info is important for several reasons:
- It makes your shop look more professional and appealing to customers
- It give you additional opportunities to add your keywords, such as in your shop title section
- It can help you to rank higher in search results
Solution: Make sure to fill out your shop’s title, announcement and story sections ASAP after starting your shop, and include keywords for your products and niche.
You can also use the Etsy tool Alura to easily create your shop policies in just a few minutes:
Alura Policy Generator
#4. Not copying listings
When creating a new listing on Etsy, don’t start from scratch!
Did you know that you can actually copy an entire listing??
Solution: Just find a listing you already have for a similar product, hit the copy button, and then customize that copied listing as needed to match your new product.
You’ll save yourself so much time!
#5. Not testing different listing photos
Another very common one in this list of Etsy shop mistakes is not testing different listing photos.
Testing different listing photos is a great way to increase sales, especially as a new seller!
Sometimes it may take awhile to figure out which photos your customers are the most drawn to.
Solution: Use the copy button from the last tip to copy an entire lisitng, and then ONLY chnage the main listing photo. This way you can accurately A/B test the listing to see which photo is preforming the best!
#6. Violating copyright laws
This is a huge problem on Etsy, and many shop owners have logged in to find their listing deactivated or worse, their entire shop shut down because of it!
Solution: Avoid any copyrighted characters, images, logos, etc. when selling on Etsy.
An example would be that while it’s okay to sell princess themed products, products with specific Disney princesses are not allowed.
And keep in mind that big companies such as Disney can and have went after small businesses for doing this in the past.
You can read Etsy intellectual property policy here: Etsy IP Policy
And Made Urban also has a really great article that you can read HERE to help you understand how to avoid copyright infringement when selling on Etsy.
#7. Not optimizing product titles and tags
Your products’ titles and tags are some of the most important areas when it comes to Etsy SEO.
But many sellers don’t make sure they’re including good keywords in BOTH of these areas!
Solution: Include relevant keywords in both your product titles and tags sections.
Aim for relevant long-tailed keywords that have a high number of searches but lower competition.
You can do keyword research on Etsy or use an Etsy SEO tool such as Marmalead to find your keywords.
#8. Not creating holiday/seasonal products
Many people don’t realize this, but creating products themed for upcoming holidays or seasons can be one of the quickest ways to start making sales as a new shop!
From digital paper to crochet patterns, almost every single niche can take advantage of this trend!
Solution: Start adding holiday/seasonal themed products to your Etsy shop ASAP!
Aim to create and list these products at least 1-3 months BEFORE the actual holiday.
#9. Not running daily sales
This is one of the easiest ways to quickly drive more traffic and increase sales, whether your shop is brand new or more well established!
Running a daily sale in your shop creates a sense of urgency in customers with a sale countdown timer, plus it can also give you a nice boost in Etsy’s search results!
Solution: Go into your shop manager and schedule a 24 hour sale in your shop every day (you can schedule multiple days’ sales in advance) then sit back and watch your traffic increase!
#10. Not using social media
Now this one is optional, since like I mentioned before, Etsy does drive traffic to your shop for you.
But using social media is the best way to increase your Etsy shop traffic FAST.
Pinterest is my personal favorite for driving traffic, but which one works best really depends on your niche.
Solution: Choose a social media platform where your target audience hangs out, then start promoting your Etsy products on a consistent schedule.
#11. Not asking for reviews
Reviews play a huge role in the success of your Etsy shop.
But the problem is that even though people may love your products, not many will think to actually take the time to leave a review.
Solution: Just ask! If you’re selling digital products you can include a page in the file that asks for a review (be sure you are just asking for a review, not a POSITIVE review, as Etsy doesn’t allow this)
And for physical products you can include a message or note in the packaging with their product.
I hope this list helps you to avoid these common Etsy shop mistakes and grow your shop and sales faster than ever!
If you haven’t already, be sure to grab my free Etsy checklist by signing up for my email list right here (I also send out helpful freebies and info to help Etsy sellers and digital product creators🥳)
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Looking for more helpful tips and tricks? I’ve got you!
Just check out these posts:
- 15 Digital Product Ideas For Moms To Sell
- How To Sell Digital Products On Etsy (Free Starter Guide)
- 31 Best Digital Products To Sell In 2023
Which of these Etsy mistakes are you guilty of?
Share yours in the comments below!
