This Listing Image Strategy Made Me $3,000,000 on Etsy (Shop Revealed)

[@JimmySonny]

Finally someone who just doesn't talk in general terms but actually gives you the info. Huge help.

[@Savvysouthernmama24]

Thanks for sharing! Valuable video with tips I can apply to my shop today! I feel optimistic for the coming months!

[@NoelleB262]

Thank you for sharing your template. This is information I can use today on my Etsy shop. You are the only youtuber that has shared and explained this order.

[@Ogalleria]

Wow exactly I get it now!

[@ahthisisgood]

Sometimes the simple things get over looked. Thank you.

[@trevors7905]

Thank you for sharing your shop here and how you made your listings - very helpful information! I browsed the reviews on your closed shop and learned what not to sell. It looks like dog collar buyers are very hard to please or the item isn't great quality. I also learned ceramic ornaments don't sublimate as bright and sharp as displayed mockups leading to low star ratings.

[@DansChessLounge]

This is one of the most transparent Etsy videos that I've come across. Thank you for giving out the secret sauce!

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks! Glad to hear you got value from the video.

[@CarrieMarieDeLoge]

Oh my goodness I'm about to legit go fix ALL my listings this week. This made so much sense! Thank you!

[@HelloCustom]

Happy this helped! My hope was showing my real-life example photos would help more than just the strategy.

[@dustinkoop]

This was gret insight into your process. This is something that no many people talk about.

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks! I am glad you enjoyed the training.

[@urmymotivation-fp6rw]

Awesome video - thanks. Do you have a video on behind the scenes? It would be nice to know how you personalize the items, and pack, and ship - the next day.

[@stockbatch4109]

Crazy, I can't believe you are MadebyArtly I was competing with you and you were having much better success than I'm currently having selling dog collars. Why did you shut it down when you were doing so well? Between you and Tagpup you guys have the secret sauce that I just haven't figured out yet. If you are all out of the dog collar business I could use a mentor and coach or even some tips!

[@HelloCustom]

So funny! I know that Vlad at TagPup keeps having his account shut down by Etsy, but we chose to go full time/focus on HelloCustom - opening up a lot of the market to other sellers :)

[@Knowledge-College]

Please include what software you used to make the photos etc can you do a video on how to create one of these listings step by step? Thanks !

[@gp19-24]

@@HelloCustom Why did TagPup get shut down by Etsy? Did he break any rules? I would like to know so that my Etsy shop doesn't experience the same thing. Thank you.

[@pyracantha6028]

​@@gp19-24 Vlad talked about this on his channel, I think it was an etsy error unfortunately with their automated systems.

[@abbycat000]

@@gp19-24Vladnhad a previous old Etsy account that had a balance. He didn’t know he owed money and etsy shut down that old account along with his current one. He got it back, but he says it hasn’t been the same. He has a KZbin channel where he has shared all of this.

[@skysettermobiles]

Amazing info! I’ve been on etsy since 2009 and you have given me much food for thought. Thank you so much for sharing your insights! I’m about to launch a new product and will implement so much of what you have shared. So grateful!

[@nitzanlevi5236]

OMG, You got my jaw dropped. why no one teaches this! I have so much work to do now, good thing it's summer, thank you very much!

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks! I am glad you got value out of the training.

[@BlondieLou85]

Thank you for this. ive spent the last week or so creating templates in a similar way to tidy up my store and was startign to wonder if all my thumbnails would look too similar but now im happy with it being that way after seeing this video.

[@HelloCustom]

Yes, I used the same thumbnail for the entire product type and it was never an issue.

[@Meganchannel15]

I use Gelato and the only way (as far as I can tell) to link image variations is to have those images in the listing photos. So should I just have a color chart instead? I really like the idea of having color variations linked for apparel, but not if it takes up all of my listing photos.

[@lmlowe9100]

Just curious as to your opinion on how many listings you think are necessary to get started. Many YTers recommend around a hundred, others say several hundred or more. And should you wait to up load all your listings at once or do several at a time over a given period of time. Thx for the video, it was most helpful.

[@taraalpert4155]

Awesome video, totally worked for my Etsy shop when I made these changes. Are the dog collars print on demand?? I havent seen any with that quality (metal buckles)!

[@shantillylacevintage5083]

Can you please do a video on Etsy ads and marketing? How much to start with, how many items advertised etc?

[@McMillionMedia]

Thank you for sharing all of this so clearly. What percentage of customers took you up on the Love It Guarantee and asked for a refund? Did you have a time limit on that policy for say 30 days?

[@kentucker9450]

Wow great video thanks for sharing. I just started on etsy a few months ago and don't have any sales. You just made me realize why! I am not sure how to actually create the template itself. A lot of other you tubers make it seem like you just create a product make a few mock ups and bam instant sales. It is a lot of work

[@patelshahin7869]

Omg… this is the most detailed video… I understood my mistakes… I am a new shop owner. I have one listing… a fun tshirt for kids. But i am stuck with no sell and I can’t figure out how to choose the all markets and printers. Even I don’t know how to manage the personalized order…

[@alexmoya6]

Hi Stephen, just to confirm - when you create these listings in this format where you have so many different variables that the customer can choose from, do you have to manually switch the design files once the customer places the order? As I understand this can’t be done on hello custom? Thanks!

[@davidmeade771]

Thanks for the video, quick question - how were your return rates? Did many people take advantage of or abuse the 'Love It' guarantee?

[@mommyscribbles]

I love that you gave us a template for the order in which the images should be in. Thanks for a great video!!

[@Justin_W]

A lot of great info! Very helpful, thanks! The only thing bothering me was that fake review on that one listing…

[@HelloCustom]

Good catch, what I meant to say was if this is a new product type and you do not currently have any reviews, you can have a friend or family say something about the product so it's not fake, but as a placeholder until you start getting real reviews. I was rolling through that part of the video and didn't notice that until post edit. Apologies for the confusion.

[@Liz-ic6jb]

The point is showing a review in the photo helps to sell the product.

[@LisaCote-y5q]

Wonderful info that I will for sure start implementing!

[@caroltz8220]

Thank you so much! Question if you don't mind -- was there any financial risk in offering the 100% money back guarantee, especially with personalized items? I'd like to offer that but I'm afraid it could backfire and I'd lose money and I'd end up stuck with a personalized item that I couldn't do anything with. Did you find that not often did people take you up on that guarantee? Sorry to bother you and thank you in advance.

[@bherring6624]

Great video. How would this work for selling wall art that is for download only? What would you put on the thumbnails and other images as there is not any variations. Also, for shops that don't have many reviews, what would you put instead? Thanks

[@scottmatt3435]

@HelloCustom On your "How to 3X Conversion with Thumbnails" vid from a year ago you instruct us to make square image tiles, but now it seems you're using rectangles that are a bit wider than tall. What are the new dimensions for these?

[@DianaStetson]

Wonderful presentation! Extremely helpful!

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks so much!

[@ebayseller6040]

love the orange theme it looks like etsy affiliation without actually breaking any rules lol(gonna need to borrow this idea)

[@atlross7128]

Great content. How do I show features with a t-shirt?

[@KiwiHalo]

how do you add all the images to the mock-ups?

[@paulinavelasquez310]

Hi thank you for this video so helpful, how will you do it for t shirts ?

[@soundofsilence21]

7 figure Etsy seller here, a couple of comments. 1) Etsy says they will be getting rid of these kinds of thumbnail images (not sure if they mean removal or suppression), no collage-type photos or placeholder text and 2) how often did you end up refunding through your love it guarantee? 1%, 5%?

[@hardiksharma8601]

This video was awesome❤. I request you to make more videos on 'I spent a day with top sellers' because those videos are very knowledgeable and insightful.

[@justine5099]

Would you still put variations on the bottom image of the thumbnail for a t-short where just the color T-shirt is different?

[@HelloCustom]

Apparel is probably the only product type that I would not do design variations as there would be too many options with color, size, and design. I do see a lot of apparel sellers use a badge that says something similar to "10 Colors XS - 2XL Sizes"

[@markpardel8747]

How would your "Love it guarantee" work with POD and personalised products? I mean if a customer just says they dont like it for example , the POD comoany isn't going to tefund you and then thr customer needs to send the item back somewhere and if its oersonalised as well with their name for example would he impossible to resell .

[@suhanikothari6410]

Great video, Stephen! 👌🏻🙂 For dog collars you have 3 metal colors in the first listing image: gold, silver and rose gold. I suppose these are for the buckle? Which metal color sold the best for you? Thanks!

[@HelloCustom]

Gold sold the best, then silver, then rose gold.

[@suhanikothari6410]

​@@HelloCustom Thanks!

[@fashionmodegallery2418]

Thank you so much for all the free information you provide. It is so valuable and helpful. Do you recommend I add the social media accounts for my brand in one of the photo cards so people can follow me if they want? Is that allowed on Etsy? Thank you so much for your time.

[@laurachevrette8060]

Thank you for making this video! I have a question if you are using Printify to fulfill your orders, but put a badge stating ships next day, how is this possible when production times take anywhere from 1-3 days? Are you just saying that to get the customer to buy or are you using another print provider who can make and ship these the next day? Thank you

[@HelloCustom]

Great question! In my case, I did my own production so was able to ship same day. Many Printify sellers say "Ships Fast" as their badge to get a similar effect, given the 1-3 lead times.

[@laurachevrette8060]

@@HelloCustom thanks, this is something I am definitely going to add to my listing pics!

[@letgonflo]

Thank you so much for the deep dive insight and providing what you were thinking / aiming for along with the template evolution. Sub

[@romipatel-d7s]

Thanks, this is priceless! God bless you and your fam.

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks so much!

[@autohog]

Really great insight! What tools do you use to "layer" product images over stock photos. I've hired multiple creators on fiverr for images and they never come out how I imagined, I'd like to start learning how to do my own. thx

[@mohammadsyrsyr6987]

Thank you for this wonderful video. I have been working in print-on-demand design for two years and until now I have not sold or designed anything. I do not know why. Is it a problem? Do I have to pay ads for the design?

[@jsonjsoff]

I was hoping you would mention about listing format. It looks like you used 4:3 images landscape and cropped out (white bars on both sides) for the thumbnail? Some images appeared to be a direct 1:1 crop though. I'm hesitant on using etsy recommendations because these are often "foolproof" advice and not necessarily "best practice"

[@HelloCustom]

Now that Etsy uses a square thumbnail, I would make all listing images 2000x2000 pixels.

[@jsonjsoff]

@@HelloCustom awesome! Thanks for the reply!

[@RealLifePotions]

Thanks for the video! Are you using the Etsy new size suggestions for thumbnails?

[@HelloCustom]

Now that Etsy displays a square thumbnail, the orientation of how I would lay everything out would be different. I will create a video soon doing this.

[@MadeWithGrace]

@@HelloCustom Yes, if you could please update this template format with the new Etsy thumbnail that would be great. I would like to incorporate this idea into my shop, without it being cut off or cropped out. Thanks again for sharing this video. I found it very helpful indeed.

[@sunnyinyourarea]

A lot of useful information, do you know any supplier for wooden product that can be sell on etsy?

[@miadu1801]

I have used Merchize, they offer a lot of wooden products

[@MichaelMargery]

@@miadu1801 really, I've heard this name somewhere before, that they offer free photography and video services for sellers. Where are they from, and do they have good base costs?

[@sunnyinyourarea]

@@MichaelMargery I had contacted them, they are from vietnam. yes they provide free video & photos, also free sample. I am waiting for sample hnow

[@mercyguerrero5240]

Would you follow a similar formula for Earrings? These are all made using Canva?

[@HelloCustom]

Yes, I would follow the same image format for any product type sold. All images were made in Canva 👍

[@AnasKhan-gv9ec]

What is the size of image that you have used ?

[@tater4ever]

this was amazing , just need to get finding great and profitable niches and then skys the limit.

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks so much!

[@claudiavega3381]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@sciencesnark833]

Awesome info. Thanks for sharing!

[@HelloCustom]

Glad you liked the video!

[@la_la_land_twig]

Thanks for the very helpful video. I'm new to POD, I'm looking for some quality Ornaments order fulfillment companies. Do you have any suggestions?

[@pubgiant24]

Great video, thanks. I have an etsy shop, use printify exclusively. My items (runners, notebooks, prints, etc) don't have nearly as many variables as the products you used to illustrate your process. (ie- posters are just matte, 4 sizes) So I am wondering what to fill the slots with. Mocks, reviews, etc. Any tips are appreciated. Lastly, you have "ships today" etc.. but I assume you are using POD, perhaps not? Thanks so much.

[@HelloCustom]

Products with low variations are perfect for design variations, so this could be one. If you do not need any how to order images, just make sure to include the others. Regarding the 'Ships Today,' we made our own products, but you could say 'Ships Fast' for POD products.

[@pubgiant24]

@@HelloCustom thank you, sir!

[@alishaa-y6z]

Love the videos, Stephen! Very practical & insightful advice. Did the Love it guarantee result in more sales or more customer service/returns? How did you validate your findings to your response - A/B test or something else? Another way to phrase this would be - If you were to open a new Etsy shop, would you still continue to offer a Love It guarantee? I follow most of your advice - but am curious to know your thoughts on this one. Thanks

[@piperhensley3160]

Do you make those templates in Canva?

[@Katsmom6]

How would you recommend formatting a shirts/sweatshirts listing optimally? Is a little different considering the only variations are typically color. Are just several mockups best? I currently have several mockups in different colors followed by the size/color chart and frequently asked questions. Is there a better way for those?

[@yangchen7982]

How were you shipping same day? Not pod?

[@travelhuni]

thanks for the info, but why does your Etsy shop have no products in it?

[@theogrey]

This was very informative and insightful. Would you follow a similar formula for t-shirts? I'm on the verge of starting a store but I'm not sure how much customization there will be initially.

[@HelloCustom]

I would follow the exact same format for apparel, but not offer design variations as you would hit Etsy's variation limit having 10 colors, 6 sizes, and 6 designs for example.

[@soon.tobemillionaire]

Love your content. I will start apply these tips now. Also, I'm also thinking about selling pet-related products. Other than the collars, can you give some more suggestions?

[@808chickenhuntahz]

Do patterned NAMES on blankets work on Hello Custom?

[@christavanderwalt9491]

Wow Stephen...today you taught me a lot!!! No wonder my sales are 25 in 2 yrs...😢

[@ebayseller6040]

how did you ship the picture frames same day? you were putting pictures in frames and shipping them yourself? no pod? made canvas in house too or?

[@BillieJohnEyre]

Great video:-) May I ask which supplier you used for the dog collars and the buckles?

[@ChristopherKretz]

I am wondering the same thing. I can make my own dog tags and collars, but I don’t know where to find the engraved buckles.

[@pumpkingrower906]

Thanks for this information. However, when you get all these orders, do you have a warehouse with the items made already, or are they made to order? I'm just starting to work on my images, but I need to learn how to do a better job before I post.

[@HelloCustom]

We had a warehouse and made the products upon order, but the same strategy would apply if you do not make the products yourself.

[@alysonmcdermott8290]

Thank you for clarification

[@alysonmcdermott8290]

I was under the assumption that they were all sourced from a POD company.

[@haywardrice6327]

I'm new to Etsy, andI watch a lot of your videos and I have Hello Custom, which will probably be huge in 4th qtr. I'm sure your help along with other videos have helped me have a decent starting success, but the love it guarantees is the part that scares me. I don't use it on each listing. I am doing lots of personalized group listings. Would you still use the guarantees in your larger listings, and if you did, how often are they actually getting refunds? I worry about people using the shirt for occasion and then saying it was bad quality.

[@HelloCustom]

If you are seeing lots of refunds, you can choose to not include this. I have also seen people say for non-personalized products. For me, I believe the increase in conversion rate having it offset the refunds and was worth having it as the increased conversion rate lead to higher rank and more organic sales.

[@disgustinglydelicious9647]

On dog collars, did you say “fake review” there, or am I mishearing? Good video, but I’m stuck on that.

[@HelloCustom]

Good catch, what I meant to say was if this is a new product type and you do not currently have any reviews, you can have a friend or family say something about the product so it's not fake, but as a placeholder until you start getting real reviews. I was rolling through that part of the video and didn't notice that until post edit. Apologies for the confusion.

[@abbycat000]

@@HelloCustomI’d put a fake review if I was starting, why not? Lol I wouldn’t be lying cause I offer good products anyway.

[@Waciglass]

But adding the stars is a bit naughty

[@sarahjane936]

I'm curious how Etsy's new personalization image policy will change your strategy. I feel like they just killed personalization as most people can't afford to by a sample of every one of their designs, so very curious about you're thoughts.

[@jamesdudley5615]

Love the insight into your success on Etsy - thank you for sharing. I'm new to Etsy and struggling to get sales so how can I provide social proof? It's a bit Chicken v Egg !

[@Sandy-ws8ym]

This is a great video!

[@jevgenisimanski5837]

Loved the video, thank you! :)

[@roxcastaneda]

I want to buy a collar for my dogs. Can you give me a link to your store, please?

[@HelloCustom]

We closed the shop in January 2024 to go full time on HelloCustom :)

[@JustLookin2150]

How come none of the products shown are listed any more?

[@willhaimerl]

Why did you shut down the shop? Why not pivot to other product types? (Especially with your customization software.)

[@HelloCustom]

The shop was doing great, but I made the decision to go all in on HelloCustom and give it 100% of my effort :) We have very big plans for HelloCustom that I do not think I could accomplish with split efforts.

[@CindySimpson-h8o]

Thank you so much! Very helpful content!

[@HelloCustom]

Thank you!

[@floridehounkpatin2110]

How do you manage the seo when you don't have a niche. K I can see thar you offer many type of products and many niches. İ thought that this would hurt my shop. Also how many listings did you get better getting sales

[@KC-ed1dj]

Did you ever start that new Etsy business from scratch and show the process in videos? I remember that you were doing that when you started this channel, but then you abruptly stopped. I wanted to know so I can go watch the videos in order. Thanks.

[@HelloCustom]

We got through all the training videos but ended up not launching the shop for the update videos. So, the only thing missing was the update videos, but my complete strategy in order are my first 6 videos on the channel. Launching a KZbin channel and the same time as a software at the same time as managing a 7-figure print shop at the same time trying to launch a new Etsy shop was a little too much for me to balance 😅

[@jmspegel]

@@HelloCustomsounds like you need to hire someone 😊

[@bythegraceofgod413]

@@HelloCustom❤ great video! Do you have your own print shop? Curious about the “one day shipping” or do you use Jesse’s? Great Great video, thanks so much!

[@SurvivorC]

@@HelloCustom

[@loclove4u]

@@HelloCustomThank you for being transparent! It’s hard to talk about limitations, but as a teacher, that makes you so much more helpful. You aren’t selling the blue sky to us.

[@explorationecho2366]

Who do you use for product fulfillment???

[@germanpw1000]

Isn’t the “ship today” a little misleading? What if someone orders something today 11:00 pm. They might expect the item to still today before 12:00 am.

[@jj1kq]

I love these videos.... I'm learning a ton. Plus I purchased Hello Custom. I'm confused at 11:17 though. I understand the picture (like with all mockups), but the fake review? Is that legal? I just want to be careful. Even if that's not illegal, it's not ethical. Can anyone shed insight on this?

[@TheMarshmallowExperience]

This was helpful. Did you mean to say “fake review” around 11:10 minute mark?

[@HelloCustom]

Good catch! No, I did not. What I normally say is if you do not have reviews, you can have a friend or family member say something about the product. This may not be an etsy verified review, but a true review of the product you can use as a placeholder until real reviews come in :)

[@aviannamcfarquhar1117]

Thank you so much for making this video! I have two questions 1) what sizes are your template images 2) how would this apply to apparel?

[@Leo-pf3cd]

I was wondering that aswell for tishirts

[@HelloCustom]

All images are 2000 x 2000 pixels in size. The thumbnail used to be a different size, but I would now make this image square optimized now that Etsy made all thumbnails square shape. The format would be the exact same for apparel: Thumbnail (no design variations) Sizing Chart Color Chart Social Proof Features/Benefits Love It Guarantee

[@aviannamcfarquhar1117]

@@HelloCustom Thank you!!

[@crazyuriyeahhh]

@@HelloCustom The square thumbnail format is only on the website, on the app the thumbnails still appear rectangular. If you use a square thumbnail, it will be cropped on the top and bottom in the app. In my opinion the best thumbnail format is still a rectangle but adding in the most important information in the center of it (in the square of the rectangle).

[@JoWake3]

The video was very helpful. But I have one question? You said in video you added "FAKE REVIEWS" on social proof picture. Wouldn't that be something Etsy would flag or NOT allow?

[@voidsee-n5h]

thanks for the video. it is very useful

[@FoundationForFamilyFreedom]

THE GOOD OLE FACE DIAPER 😂 wardrobe accessory for the sheeple

[@SaneebCopy]

Hey, I've been working on my copywriting skills and created a few samples for you. Feel free to use them if you find them helpful. Could you please let me know where I can share them with you? I understand that sharing them in KZbin comments may not be ideal.

[@Erieanna1234]

What made you stop selling on Etsy or close down this particular shop? Was it just not worth it, or were there greener pastures elsewhere?

[@beatrizlopez1994]

Those product are POD? The dogs?

[@GoodGuysMedia]

its funny that etsy dropped an announcement today - and the only update I wanted was the ability to import master sku lists from printify for custom variations! haha manually entering 12 skus for birth month flower mugs 12 times blows

[@shimonyaakovbegelfer7745]

What an amazing and informative video! Thank You!

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks so much!

[@HSdesigns]

Amazing! Kudos

[@evelimartir1234]

Thank you❤for sharing

[@HelloCustom]

Thanks!

[@SuzanneRowell]

why is your Etsy shop not active?

[@highwayproductionsfilms1195]

How can you afford to offer a refund guarantee? Isn’t that a potential profit loss nightmare? Do you also charge for shipping?

[@djlelu8521]

How come you closed your Etsy shop?

[@HelloCustom]

We decided to go full-time, full-focus on HelloCustom.

[@djlelu8521]

@@HelloCustomyou jumped in on the wave just at the right time. Yet again, you have your finger on the pulse.

[@knoda4511]

Good info overall but the fake review got me thinking…. Not sure if I could do this. Thoughts anyone?

[@JulieRecor]

I wanted to use your company really badly; I was surprised I couldn't upload different fonts--even tho your site states we're able to and gives directions. I tried literally 7x and kept getting error messages. Forget customer service--unless you want to wait 2-3 days and it's only thru email. The email didn't even address what I was asking. FRUSTRATING!!

[@TheScriptedReality]

10/10

[@Divyv520]

Hey Man , really nice video ! I was wondering if I could help you with more Quality Editing in your videos and also make a highly engaging Thumbnail and also help you with the overall youtube strategy and growth ! Pls let me know what do you think ?