Skyrocket your Etsy sales? The truth about selling without Etsy SEO and what it really takes

It's possible to sell things on Etsy without having good SEO, but a different part of the puzzle would have to be in place This video talks about the dirty little secret that people don't want to deal with because it's not as fast or as fun as SEO! (Well, I think it's fun.)
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This channel is for home-based creative businesses and anyone who sells products online and specifically on Etsy. I do Etsy tutorials and share Etsy tips to help small business owners get their businesses to where they want them to be. If you have questions about Etsy SEO, how the Etsy search algorithm works, selling on Etsy, or how to start an Etsy business and sell successfully on Etsy, post a comment or a question in the community tab!

[@KaraBuntin]

To see all of my classes, click here: classes-by-a-cake-to-remember-llc.teachable.com/

[@KaraBuntin]

Want to see more truths about Etsy search? Watch this next: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKrIeZiqdr5ko8U

[@hiawatha8642]

Great info! I have a question for you. So, I started my shop a little over a month ago, have had a few sales but can't get people to leave reviews. How do I get people to leave a review so more people will trust to buy from me?

[@KaraBuntinTutorials]

@@hiawatha8642 Put a note in each package asking for a review if they love their purchase, set up an automatically-sent message through Etsy, that will get people to leave more reviews. Not everyone leaves a review, it's around 10% of customers overall, so you just have to ask when the order goes out. Etsy also sends out a lot of messages reminding people.

[@christinehoffman1825]

Thanks. I like that you are direct. 😊

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@NaughtyDogsStudio]

Thank you for sharing this information. I truly appreciate it.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vladam8023]

Great explanation super clear and easy to understand. Appreciate your time

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lindaking8414]

I just love listening to you. I wish I could figure out the keyword thing. Great video!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks, just describe the item and you'll probably be fine!

[@rachelmoffat9650]

Thank you for this - really useful points to keep checking through and working on.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bakerwannabe4435]

I always enjoy your content! Thank you.

[@KaraBuntin]

I appreciate that!

[@deannalove9073]

Very good video. I am looking forward to my first sale but in the meantime I am learning about SEO and marketing on social media. Thanks for the video and I did give it a much deserved like.

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@onceuponatimepaperie4491]

Thank you so much for this information. I have a shop with very low sales and it is very frustrating when your doing all the seo, photos, ect. And still not getting any momentum. This was the Truth i really needed!

[@KaraBuntin]

You are so welcome!

[@InnerWild]

Brilliant! Thank you Kara

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad you liked it!

[@KaraBuntin]

For my mailing list class, click here: classes-by-a-cake-to-remember-llc.teachable.com/p/mailing-list-basics

[@Wbmfishman1]

Hi thank you, Just signed up for the the course. Old Boomer always adding to the talent stack.

[@KaraBuntin]

I'm in the middle of updating it, so don't go through it too fast!

[@benicio1967]

I’m just wondering about the shopping and gift wrapping. Do you happen to understand why it is that Etsy charges for shipping and gift wrapping on every single item you sell, plus 6.5% of the price you charge? I’ve never heard about the shipping and gift wrapping charge until today.

[@KaraBuntin]

@@benicio1967 They don't charge for gift wrap on every order, that's something that sellers have to turn on themselves.

[@swankyview]

So many great points! Thank you for helping us to optimize our Etsy Shops!

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrTingeltangelbob]

Very good content! Thank you for the excellent presentation

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@astonthedog7061]

Thank you so much for this it is so so informative!! I will start following you.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KritTeekDeZigns]

Thank you for the transparency and speaking to truth. So many of these video posts are not honest about how getting a lot sales takes a lot of work beginning with building your audience. Once you accumulate those followers and build a relationship with them wherein they trust in your product and you, your sales will increase from these repeated buyers. If you don't have this foundation then sales are low. Also, sometimes even with this audience sales can go down because of the economy, season or time of the year, or other obstacles. Again, thanks.

[@KaraBuntin]

Absolutely.

[@halitsanr4439]

Thank you for your efforts !!

[@KaraBuntin]

My pleasure!

[@ElyWaves.]

Great practical advice. There is no secret y’all! It’s hard work and laying a strong foundation that you can grow with over time! Best of luck everyone 🤞

[@KaraBuntin]

So true!

[@jacquietibbetts7660]

Really useful video, as always- thank you Kara!

[@KaraBuntin]

You're so welcome!

[@alpapatel4229]

Thank you Kara for sharing very informative video.

[@KaraBuntin]

thanks for watching!

[@shokhjewelry]

Thank you so much for the great information.

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@MariaBurgess]

I'm just getting started and have friends that are buying from me, thankfully. I'm stripping out high search terms from my keywords in my listings right now to see what happens. Thank you for your information!!

[@KaraBuntin]

You can leave the high volume search terms in, Etsy will still find your listings for more specific searches!

[@diaryofastyleillustrator]

this is genuinely a good video...thank you ❤️

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad you liked it!!

[@Emily-dg6rc]

Kara, thank you for all of this useful information ! :)

[@KaraBuntin]

thanks for watching!

[@annacollier3207]

This is so brilliant! My Etsy shop has been a success and I have been asked how I did it. I can see now it's because I pushed my own traffic to start with and primarily still do. Next time someone asks I will direct them to this video! 💜

[@KaraBuntin]

Thank you!

[@jayjayf9699]

So you went in the groups and asked to advertise, that just makes me feel uncomfortable

[@annacollier3207]

@@jayjayf9699 huh? No. I have grown an Instagram following organically. They buy my art because they like it.

[@TrevorAngel]

It’s a shame that small craft businesses - the businesses Etsy was built on - struggle to sell unless they have SEO skills which the vast majority of Etsy sellers don’t have! The reality is the successful Etsy shops stay successful because they have SEO skills regardless of the product quality - the rich get richer basically! As you say Etsy is a search engine - if you’re a small craft shop with zero SEO skills it’s pretty much a waste of time - the tech geeks will ALWAYS sell more! It was supposed to be handmade crafts - now it’s big money for those that know SEO! 😮

[@KaraBuntin]

I think that this video basically shows the exact opposite…you can have crap SEO skills and make decent money by driving your own traffic. Once that traffic gets picked up by Etsy, your listings will be shown regardless of the SEO quality.

[@sageartchannel3363]

I have over 1000 views 0 sales don’t know

[@tinaindina7032]

@@sageartchannel3363 The thing is we can't control what people want to buy. We can describe, have good photos, answer convos and so on. But it's up to the customer to decide to buy. I started with one Etsy shop selling handmade cards and made zero sales....then I listed a few knitted items and sold a few. Listed more sold more. I like vintage too so I listed some vintage collage sets and ribbons and such ....and they sold. I made a new shop only with vintage items and now that is running really well, so well that I have cut back the hours on my "real" job. The knit shop is still there and I sell a few items in a year, but that is fine, because I knit more than I can use myself. So two things I want to point out. 1. Things take time (and effort) 2. What you start up with selling might not be what you end up with.

[@astonthedog7061]

If you’re selling on Etsy, it demonstrates a skill. Learning SEO is another skill albeit a different skill. No need to insult the techies, it’s a skill they learned. This video is incredible, containing a lot of really good information that I haven’t seen yet. It’s intimidating because if you’re not familiar with the language, analytics, conversion rates, etc. it can seem daunting. Like any business if you want to learn those words, just keep watching and reading and it will make more sense. You can either be selling socks at a church bazaar or on Amazon. One of them reaches a bigger audience, it’s a simple as that, you’re trying to get eyeballs and then convert it to sales. But if you’re selling something there’s no market for them that equals few or no sales. I would say choose, do you want to be rich or do you want to sell your product? If you want to be rich, do your research, learn how to research and then sell your product. “ the rich get richer” phrase is not helpful to you or anyone else, I believe that sort of thinking just keeps you poor.

[@tabithabrooke459]

An optimized site is crucial, regardless of whether audient activity/traffic iz being utilized or not.

[@tmatti79]

Thanks Kara for another helpful video. I’m going to start a mailing list with Mailchimp right now.

[@KaraBuntin]

Good!

[@aprilabraham2906]

Awesome information, thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@redballoonstickers]

makes perfect sense...new sub

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks and welcome

[@RachellesCrafts]

I went off vacation mode about a week ago. It took a few days but I started getting sales again. The first, second and third sale were all for the same item, so yes, once something sells Etsy will show the listing to more people.

[@KaraBuntin]

yep

[@12treeguys]

Know, Like, Trust Pretty simple but not easy. I’ve been very fortunate. I actually got my first sale from my first view. However my shop is very different. I don’t get a lot of traffic but pretty good sales.

[@KaraBuntin]

That is fortunate!

[@xeniadelsol]

Ok, now this finally makes sense. Before reopening my shop I've listened to people who have had good success on Etsy and reasonably fast at that, so I kind of hoped their experience will be my experience. But then I revived my 10 year old shop, filled it with listings (posted daily, 90+ listings), I researched SEO and stil I got 0 views. I checked if my shop or listings weren't indexed - they were. I tried finding my listings in search, searching for general keywords shoppers would use - I looked 10-15 pages of search results - nothing. Then I copied the whole title of one a bit more niche listing and put it (incognito) in etsy search ... I finally found it on page 5. I thought my SEO would need to be even better (???) or that I should niche down more ... But because of your video I understand better what's happening. Thanks Kara!

[@KaraBuntin]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@benicio1967]

I guess it’s common knowledge that email lists are really important to business owners and it’s been surprising to learn just how beneficial and important those lists are to sellers because in almost 30 years I can honestly say I have never made one purchase through an email, so it seems my shopping habits would be considered atypical. I guess I never realized how frequently people make a purchases through email.

[@KaraBuntin]

I don't think you're atypical. A lot of people probably don't make purchases directly through email, but sending emails also serves as advertising and staying top of mind when it's time to buy something that the company sells. If you get ten emails a week from Staples, that's probably the place you're going to go when you need to get something for your business, and you might not connect the email to it, but it's part of why you think of Staples when it's time to buy.

[@kellyhilliard9797]

My shop has been open for a year, consistent sales until 2 months ago. Crickets. I’ve put so much work into my shop over the past two months and nothing is helping. Feeling so discouraged that my shop won’t ever do well again. Thank you for this information, I’m going to try.

[@KaraBuntin]

Etsy is very off right now, they’ve been messing with search in the past few weeks and really screwed it up

[@DestinysFashion101]

Try to pivot your shop! If you can add a different type of product you’ll expand to a different audience while your other ones circle through the etsy algorithm

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

Oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine what I would think if I came across a listing for an SEO product that had no optimization itself 😂 Now I’ll know someone might be running an experiment

[@KaraBuntin]

me!

[@purpletoo12]

Great video! The Etsy forums can be brutal :) though often helpful.

[@KaraBuntin]

Tread carefully!

[@StuWright]

i thought that was just me !!!!! they were so brutal to me a couple of times over something so small, i was traumatised, i honestly wished i`d never asked. it was about my response to someones negative feedback, they were SO extreme. i only mentioned the sellers behaviour .........

[@KaraBuntin]

@@StuWright It's not just you. The forums can be really helpful or really awful.

[@purpletoo12]

@@StuWright Kara is right. The forums can also be depressing. People trying to tell you how to run your shop. You have to follow your gut and make your own mistakes sometimes so you can learn what is best for you/your business. The best thing I learned from the forums was to use Pirate ship which I love. I use another platform besides ETSY and I get excellent support and everyone is positive...not complaining all the time. Kara is always helpful and has common sense. She has followers on the other platform I use too. LOL All the best!

[@Wbmfishman1]

How do you get to the email course. Seems like a lot of 3d printing sellers are very active on tictok so for social media interaction going to try the 15 sec videos. Been doing alot if the advice you give and believe it or not my ranking is moving up. I don’t sell alot of things right know but I can see more persons are visiting the store. This is a hobby for me and I have fun doing all this stuff. Thanks for all the great non hyperbole advice. Old boomer.

[@KaraBuntin]

All of my classes are on Teachable, the link is in the video description.

[@Coconutluxenaturals]

Liked and followed.. Hello I'm new here and just started Etsy. This was helpful 🙏

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DannyWohl]

How's it going on etsy coconut?

[@jayjayf9699]

Very informative video

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks!

[@jayjayf9699]

@@KaraBuntin I’m facing abit of burn out trying to make products learn about seo and marketing any advice ?

[@KaraBuntin]

@@jayjayf9699 It's hard, so I don't really other than to take some time off. I was going to do a podcast episode about this because it happens to everyone at some point.

[@criskoberart]

You answered a question no one talks about - your existing audience.

[@KaraBuntin]

Nobody bothers to mention that but it's the way that people who claim to have "overnight success" are getting their traffic.

[@shellygray6197]

I been in business since May no sales. I ONLY got family and friends that has bought. I spend over 4 to 5 hours everyday during the week and most weekends all day. I can't figure this out. I started re- writing my listing but still nothing. I keep trying. I do post on IG and Pinterest and Facebook. I really don't know maybe just isn't meant to be. Thank you for your advice. First time I ever see your channel gave you a 👍

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks...I'm sorry it's slow for you, but a lot of people say that it took months to get sales, so you're not alone.

[@nadyastallings5368]

I just opened my store last month. And I'm afraid that the main reason of the lack of sales is that Etsy is WAY overloaded right now.

[@KaraBuntin]

@@nadyastallings5368 That's definitely part of it

[@HoneyBlissClothing]

Great information! With regards to Etsy showing your items that sell higher up in search, that's bad news for us who sell one of a kind goods!😩 Any tips ooak sellers?

[@KaraBuntin]

OOAK is tricky because of that. I did a collab with Kim Bliss here that talked about OOAK and vintage, which is the same kind of problem with no repeat sales: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJmUpI2ApquorJo

[@HoneyBlissClothing]

@@KaraBuntin Thank you!

[@E-ENGRAVING]

Getting traffic is the hardest part to etsy from what I have found

[@KaraBuntin]

It's the hardest for anything!

[@pvanukoff]

I think the most important thing people need to know is that Etsy is in the business of making money for themselves, not you. Etsy doesn't really care about the success of your store. Whether your shop is a failure or a success, they win either way.

[@KaraBuntin]

Yes, that's true of every platform other than the ones that donate company profits to charity (Goimagine.) Unless that's what they do with their profits, they're beholden to stockholders or investors, so they want to make money in any way they can.

[@menakesampath4575]

Perfect video as always... Do you have paid service for promot digital shop ?

[@KaraBuntin]

I don’t.

[@LUDICROUSBECK]

Social media is my biggest form of traffic. If I didn’t have my Instagram I don’t think my shop would sell anything even with years of working on SEO

[@KaraBuntin]

It makes a big difference.

[@MagicTurtle643]

This is something I hear a lot, but I never really know how to apply it. I have a TikTok and an Instagram and all the other sites, and I try to post new interesting content but also constantly trying to send traffic to my Etsy, but it doesn't help a lot. Like, okay I'll post "Here's a product I have." ........ Then what? Like I can't post that same product again for days or even weeks unless I want to be an obnoxious spammer. So people say "bring in your own traffic," and I say how? To who? Just posting what you make online over and over doesn't yield much results and makes people sick of you. Don't get me wrong, I do okay and do make sales, but even with 15,000 followers on tumblr and 5000 on TikTok, the VAST majority of my sales come from Etsy sending people my way. So I don't get what changes I'd make aside from spamming different versions of the same content over and over on all the social media platforms that have seen it already.

[@KaraBuntin]

You would have to think about what you sell and how it fits into each platform. Some platforms are better for different things. I would start by looking up other people who sell similar things an see what they do and whether you think it's interesting. Sometimes showing progress videos is the best thing, people like seeing that because it's interesting.

[@MagicTurtle643]

@@KaraBuntin I do all of that to the best of my time and ability. I also realize there's only so much you can do. Like you can do everything "right" and that doesn't mean it will automatically sell. I'll keep plugging away. Thanks for your help.

[@rebeccaleblanc8509]

I don’t know how to “post on Facebook, post on Instagram “… I need examples of what that looks like! How does one actually promote on Facebook? I need a step by step tutorial. All the KZbin gurus just say “use Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok….” What does that look like? And how does one use Facebook groups to promote their shop, when they have rules against promotion?

[@KaraBuntin]

I've done some videos about social media on my tutorials channel here: kzbin.info As far as Facebook groups go, some do let you post your links, but it's more about setting up your Facebook profile the right way so that people can find your shop. Then you join groups and participate in them to build up trust with other members, and they'll find your business through your profile.

[@siennajames462]

I have to agree with you Rebecca, I’ve found it very hard to find much information on this and I think it is key to why some people are doing really well on Etsy whilst others aren’t. Also, I’m an introvert, I don’t like going on camera or having my photo taken so I think I would find promoting on social media difficult.

[@amazingvg6311]

Totaly agree

[@eva_1977]

@@siennajames462 i'm also an introvert and it seems that only people who make videos are successful (not ot mention you'd have to have skills to make a video). i'm not very talkative either. wouldn't know what to write about in my newseltter...so how do you survive without e-mail lists and videos?

[@keri___]

Hi Kara, new subscriber here! Thank you for posting these super helpful videos for Etsy sellers! I wanted to see if you had any insight in regard to Etsy's algorithm and product listing cadence (apologies if you answer this and I've missed it). I am currently designing a product line for digital downloads and am wondering at what point I should officially open an Etsy shop. Should I wait to open my shop until I have multiple products already created (like 10 -15?) Then let's say I have these 15 products ready to go, do I list them all at once when I open the shop, or should I list them as a time release (like one a week?) Or maybe this doesn't have a big impact overall? Thank you in advance!

[@KaraBuntin]

List them when they're ready to list, it doesn't matter to the algorithm, and any minute effect is going to be minute teeny tiny teeny teeny tiny. It's better to have the products in your shop so that if people come to look at it they have things to see.

[@keri___]

@@KaraBuntin Gotcha, that makes sense! Thank you for the fast response!

[@nyarmusa1361]

All great points, thank you. However what are the fees for?

[@KaraBuntin]

The fees that Etsy collects from us? That's how they make money and run the business, basically.

[@nyarmusa1361]

@@KaraBuntin Then I guess they should consider not charging in the beginning since if you are bringing traffic at the onset, not just to your store, but others a well then they should either reduce the fees.

[@aprillady444]

Hi!

[@KaraBuntin]

hi :)

[@taffniebogart4232]

Vintage clothing and vintage hard goods are less thought of as gifts for holidays seems like

[@KaraBuntin]

I agree with that

[@nansiedoodles]

What I find super annoying about Etsy is that it used to work for me. I used to get consistent sales from Etsy's traffic and since they're always changing things the sales stopped on a lot of my popular items are really slowed down. I don't get why that happened.

[@KaraBuntin]

There was a big algorithm shift in April or so, and things have been different since then.

[@aprillady444]

Sounds completely redundant..but I have seen sales get sales lol...and providing above and beyond service in order to hopefully get good reviews really helps..eventually I think it pays off

[@KaraBuntin]

The service part of it is the key, people don't seem to understand that.

[@nir8620]

Thank you for a great video, I wanted to ask you if you advertise on Facebook without a pixel?

[@KaraBuntin]

I don't do any paid ads other than Etsy for my product business, and for the ads I do run for one of my websites I don't use the Facebook pixel. The FB ads center gives you better stats than it used to, and FB can keep its nose out of my website traffic hahaha

[@nir8620]

@@KaraBuntin thank you dear ❤️

[@ecouturehandmades5166]

I get lovely comments on things I post to social media, but just cannot ask, or figure out HOW to ask my clients to mention me (better yet, a link to my shop). I need a script that doesn't beg or sound silly. Etsy reviews seem to come in waves and Etsy says, altho my past reviews are all five star, that I fell out of the running for Star Seller because I have no reviews 🤪🙄. Apparently, six months ago isn't recent enough.

[@KaraBuntin]

You could put a note in each order that says "tag me on social media, I love sharing my customers' posts." People who care will want to be tagged and shared, people who don't care wont' be on social media to begin with ;)

[@vintagegirl2739]

Initially I was quite concerned that I couldn't make it on Etsy without driving my traffic. I feel like Etsy is a big, well established site that we pay good money to be a part of. I don't think we should need to stress about driving traffic, that is their job & why we chose them over opening a solo online store. Thoughts...

[@KaraBuntin]

I think that Etsy isn’t obligated to send traffic to individual shops, their job is to get traffic to Etsy, then it’s our job to get them to our shops. Part of this video was some stuff to that effect, but i decided to edit it out and save it for another video.

[@vintagegirl2739]

@@KaraBuntin yes, I realize not to individual shops. I do write good titles, descriptions & max out my tags. Just hit my 4th month & my store is steadily growing. I made Star Seller & have sold over 150 things so I'm pleased. 😊

[@KaraBuntin]

@@vintagegirl2739 You're doing really well!

[@vintagegirl2739]

@@KaraBuntin thank you 😁

[@Purebeachlove]

Can you link your video that shows how to start a mailing list?

[@KaraBuntin]

It's a paid class: classes-by-a-cake-to-remember-llc.teachable.com/p/mailing-list-basics

[@SketchincBecky]

This is something i found out by accident a few months ago🙌 i had worked on the item on insta and posted the link there and spent no time on the listing. It jumped to the top of search in a few days and is still sitting there with little to no seo . the initial traffic boost and sales seems to out way the listings quality.

[@KaraBuntin]

It does help!

[@nicolls801]

You definitely don’t have SEOs for someone like me lol…😂I make EYEBALLS for doll makers

[@KaraBuntin]

That probably doesn't need a special list!

[@chinedundukwe2629]

Hey Kara - great video! I'm a pretty new shop (started in June) and struggling to bring my own traffic and end reliance on etsy ads. I've started down the road of an email list but for the life of me can't figure out how to entice anyone to join it lol. Any tips on how to get the ball rolling?

[@KaraBuntin]

It's just a matter of posting the link everywhere and offering a discount code for people to sign up. If the link is available or you use a QR code to get people to your signup form, people will sign up to get the discount.

[@Sunset1705]

Offer a lead magnet related to your products and capture emails that way.

[@scsleevejourney2339]

Hello . Can you help me with a question . If purchasing a business and Etsy is a part of it is there a way around not being able to change the Etsy owner of the store ?

[@KaraBuntin]

You can’t sell an Etsy store, that’s something that’s in the terms of use. If someone is trying to sell an Etsy business they can’t do that because you can’t switch owners and financial info.

[@maryzeitz1015]

What about the items that I sell that are one of a kind? The vast majority of my 100+ listings are OOAK so they will never have repeat sales. How do I get them to sell better?

[@KaraBuntin]

I did this collaboration with Kim Bliss on that topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJmUpI2ApquorJo

[@maryzeitz1015]

@@MJ-oj2qv My OOAK items are quilts, pillows, quilted wall hangings, tree skirts. I just started making a variety of quilted journal covers where I have multiples of the same. I hope this will help my sales. I already sold 2 of these in the first couple weeks of them being listed.

[@okaycaf7333]

How can I find some relative active Pinterest group which allow me to join?

[@KaraBuntin]

Pinterest groups aren’t what they used to be, but if you want to find them if use Tailwind for Pinterest to use their tribes feature.

[@awlthatwoodcrafts8911]

What would you say is a decent ratio between "Etsy app & other Etsy pages" and "Etsy search"? I've been tracking mine for the last month, recording the "past 30 days" numbers, and my ratio right now is around 5:1 (190 visits from app/pages, 37 from search). Is that average or should the "search" traffic be better? Does my SEO affect both numbers? If so, is there any one thing that affects one number more than the other? Thanks for all your videos. You are one of two Etsy sources that I trust here on YT. Everything else seems like hype.

[@KaraBuntin]

The Etsy app and other pages section includes search on the app, so it's hard to divide that out. Etsy search is searches from Etsy dot com, not the app.

[@solabomisomefun3634]

Pls how do I make a complain to esty as a seller

[@laurajones5784]

Can you tell us what time of the day and day of the week to list I got 204 sales in all the time

[@KaraBuntin]

There is no perfect or optimal time. List things when they're ready to see or nobody will be able to buy them.

[@mikecollins8886]

If one has to do all this then why not get a shopify store and your own web site and then do everything you say and send traffic to both places or just your own shopify / web site?

[@KaraBuntin]

You should do that, but the shopify algorithm to send you traffic doesn't exist, you’d be dealing with google at that point, and google doesn’t send you traffic based on your sales. So while you should have your own website, it’s a different kind of thing and Etsy's algorithm has nothing to do with google traffic. I send all my social media to my website unless it’s for something that i only sell on Etsy.

[@KaraBuntin]

@@MJ-oj2qv There are plenty of people who have websites and have never sold on Etsy, so I'd say Etsy isn't required.

[@shequitahargrove7991]

How do I get more info about your mail class?

[@KaraBuntin]

The link to my classes is in the video description.

[@faithnakanjako2897]

How can I create an email list for my Etsy shop?

[@KaraBuntin]

You can use any email service to set one up. I have s class that uses mailchimp, but you can also use aweber that integrates with Etsy, or any other service to set one up.

[@KimMcreates]

Hi! Thank you for your content! I sell stickers (among many things) and didn’t see a keyword list for stickers in your shop. Any chance you could create one and I’ll purchase?

[@KaraBuntin]

I'll add it to the list, I have a long list of things people have suggested.

[@KaraBuntin]

I was thinking about it, and I did one for stickers and decals...There was so much copyright infringement in the keywords it took me a long time. This list is probably good for getting ideas, but I do remember ti was tricky to make because there's so much infringement to avoid. www.etsy.com/listing/1275517864/

[@KimMcreates]

@@KaraBuntin I just bought it!!! Thank you!

[@EJPARSONSUK]

@@KaraBuntin Do you have one for 3d printed clay cutters? I'd definitely buy it. I'm also saving up to take your e Shop Program! 😁

[@KaraBuntin]

@@EJPARSONSUK That's really specific...I can add it to my list but i might have to combine it with other terms.

[@okaycaf7333]

Hi, Do you open your ad at this experiment? I have observed my competitor use one tag technique in major category.

[@KaraBuntin]

That's a waste of tag space...It won't prevent you from being found but it limits the things that you can be found for. I don't use Etsy ads for this shop but I do have offsite ads turned on because it's all digital and it's no extra work for me.

[@okaycaf7333]

@@KaraBuntin she use the belonging product category as the one tag. The tag is the exact same of the name of the category. She do not open ads and do not write a small sentence under her shop icon( that google search tittle) . From your experiment and her technique , Is that Etsy will help to push the listing with insufficient tags and use tittles and description together for seo calculation.?

[@KaraBuntin]

@@okaycaf7333 No, Etsy only uses whatever information you give it, but from what I've seen before, if you don't give it enough information it stops showing things as much. Don't try to copy what people are doing on the page on Etsy, it's probably not the only thing that's sending them traffic. They could be doing what I was doing, which is sending all my own traffic to these listings even though the SEO was terrible.

[@nomadartistontheroad]

This is something that I sort of knew but I didn´t want it to be true…😂 I struggle with the whole social media- community building… theres a new course that you should do, how to create a community in all platforms! I started posting shorts on youtube… will se how it goes.. I know that I need to get over my shynes and appear on camera…

[@KaraBuntin]

Nobody wants to do it...You don't have to appear on camera but it works faster to get people to know you. You get used to it after a while, I'm a total introvert and it took time but it's not as scary as you think!

[@mrs.quills7061]

As Kara said you don’t have to appear on camera when I make my TikToks I show my hands because I’m often drawing or making something. That can be hard for me because I don’t wanna get dressed up and do my hair and makeup. As long as you have your voice and you’re actively doing something people will watch.

[@mrs.quills7061]

@@KaraBuntin things I needed to hear for 5000 Alex 😭 I swear Kara I will make a damn KZbin channel. It will be on my goals for the end of the year! I’ve been saying this for months and I know how beneficial it is and I’ve seen so many flourish from it…

[@nomadartistontheroad]

@@mrs.quills7061 I have been posting process videos of my hands, , btw I hate it, becouse my hands are horrible...;)))

[@mrs.quills7061]

@@nomadartistontheroad yeah my nails are weird and stunted from years of chewing… I haven’t in years and take care of them but I get self conscious because the white bits grow crooked. I have a drawing glove that seems to help!

[@anastasiaartsimovich920]

I like the idea of a KZbin channel, I just can't figure out what I can talk about as a vintage seller. Not so interested in lecturing on fashion history or similar educational content. Also, not sure who I'd like to address, whether potential customers or sellers like myself. Do you have any suggestions on how to define a direction for social media platforms? It goes for IG and Pinterest too. I feel like just posting my listings doesn't create enough value for people to take interest in what I do. That's understandable, I myself don't even subscribe to accounts that only share their products.

[@KaraBuntin]

VIntge shops can do a lot with their products without seeming salesy...You can do a weekly video where you show the things that you sourced that week, unboxing-type videos, etc.

[@anastasiaartsimovich920]

@@KaraBuntin I guess I just need to take a plunge and not plan ahead too much. Start uploading something and maybe a theme will emerge with time. I appreciate you replying to comments. Thanks, Kara.

[@mrs.quills7061]

You could make vlogs of the thrift shops and flea markets where you get your goods from! It doesn’t need to be about the product, but rather the story behind it and why you collect it.

[@anastasiaartsimovich920]

@@mrs.quills7061 thank you for the idea! This Sunday I'll be going to a flea market as usual and will try to do a video about it :)

[@mrs.quills7061]

@@anastasiaartsimovich920 you’re welcome! I watch videos like that and they’re so interesting because they vary depending on the state.

[@simonvidajewelry]

My dilemma is where to send my organic traffic (links on socialmedia)... website or Etsy?

[@KaraBuntin]

I send them to my website 100%, unless I don't sell the thing on my website.

[@elisabethwhite7504]

Do you think there's a "magic" number of sales before Etsy starts driving some traffic? In your experience - are we talking 2, 10, 100 sales?? Thank you for the video.

[@KaraBuntin]

There's no magic number of sales. If one thing sells, Etsy will place that thing higher in search results for a while. They don't wait until a certain number of sales to start showing your listings more.

[@marissaumtux3166]

I think they stated this magic theory cus other video youtubers said 100 then it gets easier. An then a thousand sales etc. Similiar to wat ur sayin. I jus watched 1 earlier. Sayin 0-10 first challenge

[@AzuraTarot]

the more interesting question is, from what number of sales do people no longer see you as a "new" shop. I've heard wildly varying numbers. But there are "gurus" out there saying a shop with under 500 sales is "pretty new", which is quite discouraging, because if that's the case, then a new shop will NEVER be able to catch up with the sellers who have been on Etsy for a while and have lots of sales, even if only by churning out cheap mass products at 90 cents a piece.

[@readings-and-mentoring]

😇

[@adaninurs]

Hi Kara, I wonder if the amount of item that someone buy affect the algorithm or not?? Like let's say a seller got their first sale, but that person bought 10 items... Is that means anything to Etsy? Or the amount of visitors matter more to Etsy? (Sorry for my bad grammar)

[@KaraBuntin]

Anything to do with buying makes the biggest difference, so if someone buys ten things that's better than having ten visitors! The listing quality score will be better after someone buys something, so that will improve search placement for the thing that sold for a while.

[@adaninurs]

​@@KaraBuntinThanks Kara! Is it better for the algorithm if someone bought 10 items rather than 1 item? It that matter?

[@KaraBuntin]

@@adaninurs it’s good for the listing itself.

[@legacyfarmmercantile1822]

How do you add multiple shops under same account?

[@KaraBuntin]

You have to use different emails for each shop, but you can use the same banking information and tax information for different shops.

[@legacyfarmmercantile1822]

@@KaraBuntin thats what i was thinking. Thanks for info and fast reply

[@user-cg5lo4zy6f]

What about putting products on sales?

[@KaraBuntin]

Do you mean will that work? It can help to get some sales in, but since Etsy has been promoting everything that has sales on it, it's gotten to the point that sales are everywhere and people don't necessarily pay attention to them anymore. It might or might not make a difference.

[@josiewilkening9128]

I feel uncomfortable posting on my socials about Etsy because our products are a lot more on Etsy than on our website. Do you have your Square account attached to your Etsy so it tracks ALL sales? Does it push you up in the algorithm even if the sales aren't attached to a specific item?

[@KaraBuntin]

If you have a website then it's a tossup about whether to send traffic to Etsy to increase sales, or to send it to your website. I send everything to my website, and I would say to do the same thing for you since your prices are lower on your website. It's a tossup though, because it could help your Etsy shop gain momentum, but I think it's more important to get the website traffic. I don't use square, but Etsy only cares about sales on Etsy. If you use square with other platforms Etsy doesn't use that info to boost your Etsy sales.

[@jennykay780]

I’ve was doing really good. About $70k a year. This year it’s nada. Literally. Traffic to my shop is gone. Last year on this date I had about 500 visits. Today only 43. I have over 20k sales, have always been a star seller, and a perfect 5 star rating. I feel like Etsy is punishing me for something. I’m actually selling more on mercari. It seems like Etsy likes to push digital items which is stupid. Physical items cost a lot more so they would make more.

[@KaraBuntin]

They’ll push whatever they think is selling at the moment, but it’s a vicious cycle.

[@Lissbirds]

Any tips for growing on social media? I've had an Instagram for 3 years and can't crack 600 followers. Should I try Pinterest?

[@KaraBuntin]

You have to interact with social media platforms in the way that works for that platform, which I know isn't the most specific answer. A lot of the time people are using a platform the wrong way so they won't grow their reach on the platform, or their customers aren't on there as much so you won't reach the people who would be interested in your products. Pinterest is more of a search engine than social, so I use it but I don't consider it to be a social network.

[@Lissbirds]

@@KaraBuntin Thanks for your insights. I know instagram is pushing reels and videos, and I haven't tried that yet, so I see what you mean.

[@bobtem1]

I came to Etsy hoping to get rich quick…

[@KaraBuntin]

Nope

[@ouiamelie]

Hi! What do you sell o. Etsy? Digital or physical products?

[@KaraBuntin]

Both, and vintage, i have three shops

[@stacybledsoe7942]

How much per day do you spend (or recommend spending) on Etsy ads

[@KaraBuntin]

I don't use Etsy ads, they cost too much for my products so the return on ad spend isn't worth it.

[@susangeorge3140]

My problem is I have a lot of friends and family on Facebook. None of my friends or family will buy from me. I had plenty of people who used to buy from me at my church, but won't buy for me on Etsy. I don't know why. I find this frustrating. Like I told you last night, I had a lot of visits the other day and no purchases. Everyone says they love my products, I sometimes want to give up, but I don't. I am sure a lot of your sales come from people watching your KZbin channel.

[@KaraBuntin]

In my digital shop they do now because I listed the keyword lists. Before that, not so much from this channel, but i do have a separate channel for my cake business. People who watch this channel probably aren't going to go buy from my cake supplies shop. Don't try to sell to your friends and family, they're not going to be your customer base. You need to build a group of customers, that's different from using your friends.

[@mysticgatekeeper]

I have a related question to Etsy but haven't found any answers so I'm posting here hopefully to have somebody answer. Is there an Etsy forum where sellers, new users etc. can post questions? I've tried the Etsy site but nothing I do allows me to post any questions. I keep getting the same error each time, "Correct the highlighted errors and try again". I have NO clue what the error is because there are no indicators. I simply would like to connect with other users who can assist in answering basic questions. Thanks.

[@KaraBuntin]

There’s an Etsy forum for signed-in users but it has a reputation for being t the most friendly place, shall we say. You can join my Facebook group if you want to ask questions, the link is in the description and we screen it pretty well so that there’s no drama.

[@mysticgatekeeper]

@@KaraBuntin Hello. Thank you for replying. I'll be visiting your Facebook page later this evening. Much appreciated.

[@sageartchannel3363]

I really appreciate anyone can look at my store and see what is wrong ?

[@amandarose4399]

I'll look at it if you want

[@sageartchannel3363]

@@amandarose4399 I will send the link thank you so much

[@sageartchannel3363]

@@amandarose4399 I tried to add the link but it keeps deleting it is ARTPHOTOPOSTCARDS Sage I have a graphite drawing in my account photo

[@user-in4dn6ct1z]

I Just Set Up my Etsy Shop and the only Sale I received from is just from ONE friend

[@KaraBuntin]

That's normal is it's a new shop. what's NOT normal is getting tons of sales right away, no matter what people on youtube say!

[@mollyryback]

Do you have your website catalog and your Etsy catalog linked to Facebook? I can't seem to figure out if I can link both. I've got my website catalog setup on Facebook, but unfortunately, right now I get more sales via Etsy. So I'd like to be able to push some social traffic to Etsy but then be able to choose between the two when necessary.

[@KaraBuntin]

You can't link an Etsy catalog, you would have to have access to the back end and we don't own the site...

[@mollyryback]

@@KaraBuntin Ah, got it. That's why I couldn't find anything. I'm really just wanting to tag my products and I did find out how to do that. Thank you for replying!

[@M3nt3sBrillantes]

I bring a good amount of visits from my social media, the problem is that I believe that my followers never buy nothing…. All the orders I got come through Etsy directly. My question is: Does this traffic coming from my social media hurts my shop? I feel that when a video goes Viral my sales goes down…. It feels like Etsy put a limit on visits and If I get that traffic they will show less my listings.

[@KaraBuntin]

No, it doesn't hurt your shop. If you sell more Etsy shows your listings more, it wouldn't make sense to not show things that are selling.

[@M3nt3sBrillantes]

But if the people who click by curiosity on my instagram account and don’t buy anything… the algorithm can interpret as a no desirable item…. Like this guy brings 400 visits from his instagram and nobody buys anything. When I got more popular on instagram my sales went down.

[@KaraBuntin]

If you think that's the case then you should stop promoting on Instagram, but I doubt that will help! Etsy loves outside traffic and they love it when people send people to Etsy, because they might not buy from you, but a percentage will buy something while they're there.

[@TEDRACAKES]

Could you tell me what I am lacking as far as my shop so I could get more sales?

[@KaraBuntin]

I don't do individual shop reviews anymore, but you can join my Facebook group tha's linked in the description and ask for opinions there.

[@TEDRACAKES]

@@KaraBuntin I don’t have Facebook. But if I do join I will definitely check out your group.

[@paradoxartworks1586]

What if you rank easily on google but you don't get a single sale? Is my account shadow banned or is someone stealing my sales somehow? I get reviews instantly of people buying my things (or automated business reviews) but my profile shows zero sales. I'm confused as to what in the world is happening. If anyone knows... let me know please... this is mind boggling. Literally, everything is set up properly.

[@KaraBuntin]

Are you saying that you get reviews on Etsy but no sales? That doesn't make sense.

[@paradoxartworks1586]

@@KaraBuntin haha.. yes.. I know.. I must be the only person in the world with this problem

[@lenocka1100]

Kara, Which FB group should I join? I am new to Etsy, started in September. 6 sales which I marketed with my friends and family. 3 positive reviews. I am doing Print on Demand Shirts and sweatshirts so far! I hope you reply ! And Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

I wouldn't bother joining Facebook groups to promote your listings unless there are actually customers on there, which most of them don't have. If you're going to use social media I would build your own business page and group there, but that's another story. You could ask to join my group, the link is in the description, if you want support from other sellers as far as selling on Etsy goes, but we're a non-promotional group other than for a few times a year when we share our shop links.

[@triplewinlin5576]

So, are you saying that if I start cold on Etsy with no prior existing business, I will not get any traffic to my Etsy store?

[@KaraBuntin]

No, I’m saying that it will take a lot longer if you just list things then wait. You need to do work to get things going.

[@triplewinlin5576]

@@KaraBuntin OK, phew! That's what I was hoping you meant :)

[@DestinysFashion101]

Begin and ask your family and friends to purchase. It’ll give you some sales, you’ll get some feedback on whether your products make it to their destination safely. And it shows new customers that people are buying

[@vickieclark5931]

Kara, do find that IG works for you? I'm on IG and the only people that ever like and follow are others that do what I do, so they aren't potential buyers. I can't figure out for the life of me how to find buyers on IG. It seems that everyone on Instagram are seller, not buyers. Unless Instagram is just not a good place to post digital or handmade products. Or do you think that pinterest is better. I do have pinterest pins posted everyday, but never get anyone from pinterest to my shop. I think it's just trying to find the buyers and not the sellers. Is there a certain amount of posts on pinterest or IG that start to bring in the traffic? And I mean REAL traffic like buyers and not others that are just seeing what their competition is. Thanks so much.

[@KaraBuntin]

I post on IG but I don't put any effort into it. I do have my catalog uploaded to Facebook/IG so I can tag my products on there. What you need to do is look at what you're doing now and figure out why it isn't working. I could do a video about that, it's more than I can type out...

[@luciney6913]

I have this same experience with IG. Pinterest is still a mystery to me. I do not find it user friendly. Social media is just not easy with so many vying for the same people.

[@NettiieB]

With Instagram I think hashtags are still relevant, don't go crazy with a million, but work out what hashtags are relevant for your product. There are people who follow particular hashtags. Eg frenchvinatgelinen, that is really specific I know! But if you post enough and put your shop link in your Bio then it can translate to sales.

[@vickieclark5931]

@@NettiieB Thanks so much. Maybe more consistency will help. It's just knowing what hashtags to use that'll lure the buyers instead of other sellers that sell what I sell. I'm as specific as I can be with the hastags, but I still seem to get the wrong people following me. That's the hardest part. Makes me wonder if IG has only businesses on there and no buyers.

[@vickieclark5931]

@@KaraBuntin Yeah, a video would be great when you have a chance. It's just knowing what hashtags to use that'll bring the buyers and not other people that are competing. I know we all have competition that follow us and like our stuff so that they can keep track of what we are doing. But when all the people that follow and like me are my competition or other people that make similar stuff, it gets to the point where I feel that I'm just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere. I'm not posting stuff for other sellers. I'm posting for anyone that is interested in decorating up their walls and have interest in perhaps checking out my shop to see if there is anything that would help them make their home look nice. The question is is what hashtags bring the buyers NOT the sellers.

[@kalioped-qe9gw]

Hi I make no sales I advertised no sales I had 8 products now only one I sell handmade stainless steel earrings and still no sale what is in high demand I need help I lost executive job so I try this out

[@KaraBuntin]

If you only have one listing and you’re selling jewelry, which is REALLY competitive, this isn’t going to work. It can take years to get to a full time income on Etsy.

[@kalioped-qe9gw]

So what do you suggest I do I just added more things

[@KaraBuntin]

Etsy isn't a quick guarantee for making money. You definitely need more listings than just one, but then you also need to market your shop and put either time or money into it. The videos on youtube promising ridiculous amounts of money in a short time are garbage. Nothing is guaranteed and it takes a lot of work to make a full time income. The last figure that i heard was that the average Etsy seller makes around $2000 to $2800 a year. It's not a great income unless you work at promoting your own business.

[@kalioped-qe9gw]

Ok so what if I created ebook on finance stock market would I make money selling this on etsy or amazon kdp

[@KaraBuntin]

I think you're missing the point that nothing is guaranteed to sell, and you have to do the work to promote everything yourself. If you have a market for an ebook you could try to sell that but that's a lot of work.

[@wetube3429]

i've been on etsy for almost a year and I run ads but no sales, what a scam

[@KaraBuntin]

ads don't guarantee anything, regardless of what the youtube etsy get-rich-quick people say,.

[@wetube3429]

@@KaraBuntin true!

[@vid4ia583]

1. This is all well-known very basic marketing 101 stuff. 2. It's all based on 'cart before the horse' before you can make a decent dime is what you are saying. And while it's your truth in what you find, it's not very encouraging as who has the time to give more to the digital slave life all this social media and branding stuff takes? Think about that. There has to be a better way but only you yourself can find it. No one is giving away any real secrets as there are none. Only stumbling upon what can work for you is all there really is.

[@KaraBuntin]

The truth is there you have to do the work to get the result. Unfortunately, most people want a quick fix and look for shortcuts that won’t work to build a sustainable business in the long run because they want instant results. Making excuses and not wanting to do the work is what will make you fail.

[@vickiemartinsen8600]

being someone that is wanting to sell, this is very good information 👍

[@ElyWaves.]

End of the day there is no such thing as a secret sauce for basically anything with marketing and building a business. It really just comes down to having a good product and building an audience around your product/services. If you arent motivated to put the foundational work in, then you cant expect to post items and have people magically find them and start making thousands of dollars. You have to build yourself up to the point where your partner, in this case Etsy, benefits from sending organic traffic to your store. Just think about it.. why would Etsy push you out if you have no sales and can’t provide any value to them and help them make more money? It’s really that simple. If you find a way to provide etsy value, then etsy will return the favor guaranteed. I’m an artist and Spotify is the same way. I got zero love from Spotify until I started driving my own traffic to Spotify, and now Spotify gives me double what I bring in listener wise. It’s a partnership! Keep grinding! Building a business is really hard and requires a lot of foundational work, but once you start to get rolling, you may be surprised how quickly things start to change for you! Good luck 🤞🤞