Why 99% of Etsy Stores Fail - 3 BIGGEST Mistake Etsy Sellers Make

Why do a majority of Etsy sellers FAIL before ever making their first sale? In this video, I cover 3 common mistakes that most Etsy sellers make.
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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 - Intro into Etsy common mistakes
01:19 - Understanding Etsy market research and demand
01:48 - "When can I expect my first Etsy sale?"
02:34 - How to perform Etsy demand research
03:22 - Identifying the Etsy ecosystem
04:10 - Understanding the Etsy algorithm
05:53 - What is a "brand"?
07:24 - Profit in passion
08:05 - Amplified 2023
#Etsy #EtsySellingTips #HandmadeAlphas

[@StarlaMoore]

🔵 Free Etsy SEO Toolbox: bit.ly/EtsyNoodle 🟢👉REGISTER for "Amplified" by Printify: printify.com/amplified/

[@jraym17]

Can I just suggest, that even though you suggest dont start without market research, but I suggest if you in the early stages and you are still learning to do the craft you are planning on creating a business around, it doesnt hurt to start an etsy store to start practicing creating listing, photos etc... as sometimes we have to plan which skills to learn first. But besides this point your entire video is spot on :D appreciate all your hard work Starla :D

[@StarlaMoore]

While this is an option, it's important to note that this leans more toward a hobbiest mentality, as opposed to a business mindset. So while it's absolutely possible, it's a bit like putting the cart before the horse. Especially if you're naming your shop with no knowledge of your ideal customers or their values. There's more than one way to fry an egg. This isn't a strategy I would personally recommend though, specifically for those who aim to create products that have legitimate demand in the market. Again, this is akin to the "pet hat" shop. While you may be passionate about pet hats, if you were to start your entire business model based on pet hats and invest money into creating pet hats - only to later discover that the entire foundation of your business lacks demand - I can see this being an expensive mistake. If you want to walk through the woods with no plan, that's absolutely okay! Many people find success in doing what they love without having a plan. But it's not what I teach here, as someone who focuses content around data, the scientific method, and consumer science. It does not make either of our perspectives wrong. It simply makes them different. 🙂

[@kirstenpennington3485]

Thank you for talking about the heart behind having an Etsy shop! I agree that it is one of the most important things in regards to a shop, but most of the information out there just disregards it! So appreciate your channel!

[@kenileftycrochet75]

Thanks for another great video❤ your advice and tips always help me improve my shop.😊

[@chrisfillbach]

Wow! I've watched a lot of KZbin videos about different businesses & marketing but I've got to say this is most definitely the best video yet. Thanks for the great insights!

[@NatashaSmartTextiles]

Excellent, insightful and well-explained content as always Starla!👏

[@JustForYouTube123]

I like your videos. Thanks! To the point. Quick actionable advice. And u are unique and interesting! Thx for not being boring, and being relatable!

[@StarlaMoore]

Awww, thanks so much! 😍💛

[@Motherguz]

Excellent information! Thanks, Starla! 👏🏻

[@StarlaMoore]

You are so welcome!

[@louisd95714]

Thank you for this advice. ss for me, I will be in it for the long haul, and am not expecting anything overnight, or even a month or two form now. What I've ben doing is checking best sellers, and then using those tags for the products I am selling. I also make sure the description and title has the tag included also. Hopefully a few years down the road my diligence will be rewarded.

[@skytexlabels-mohamedelsaye9762]

'm really so grateful for your informative and valuative video, Really i've gained great benefit, again may thanks.

[@lori7358]

That was a great video. Very informative. I learned a lot.

[@StarlaMoore]

Glad you enjoyed it! 💛💛💛

[@levifahring]

Thank you for posting!

[@StarlaMoore]

And thank YOU for watching! 😍💛

[@Mabelthewhoodle]

Thanks Starla! "Amplified Beat" lol, love it.

[@StarlaMoore]

It was groovy! 😂💛

[@pubgiant24]

As always, gold standard content. Thank you.

[@StarlaMoore]

Much appreciated! 😍😍😍

[@liatcohen6634]

Thanks for all the great tips ❤ following ✨

[@StarlaMoore]

You're so welcome!

[@RachelMullerCreations]

I ❤ your shirt, it is freaking awesome! Where did you get it?

[@doodlingjorge]

The branding part of this video should be it’s own video! Good one!!

[@madgaldesignco]

As someone who has worked in product development. Most artists, makers, and creators miss branding. You have to tell your story. It's a fine balance. You have to know a little about everything. Like the life cycle of your product.... Great stuff!

[@catsarejerks]

Lovely shirt!

[@nabiloukhai2483]

Thank you for your incredible energy on camera and your advise !

[@StarlaMoore]

You are so welcome!

[@genznischal]

Great Starla! Watching you for the past two weeks and became kind of a fan! Potential collab for video editing or thumbnails?

[@StarlaMoore]

Thanks! But I take care of doing this myself. :-)

[@14Bugsy]

The salad analogy is 💯

[@StarlaMoore]

😂😂😂

[@brookybrookz2255]

Hey does a laptop’s resolution matter when it comes to making T-shirt’s/sweaters on printify when it comes to colour? If it does matter what would be a good resolution 1920x1080 is that good enough?

[@abbyscreativescape]

The heart matters ❤ it shows your a person

[@almagjim]

Hello! I opened my shop about 3 weeks ago and haven’t gotten any sales. I have 43 listings as of today, but I am a little confused when you mention that we should focus in our market style. I have mainly uploaded shirts, sweaters and mugs for halloween and some other random stuff. Are you trying to say I should focus in one niche yo build my brand? For example if I list mugs with flowers that’s what I should focus on? Mugs with flowers? Sorry I am a little slow at understanding things specially if there are no visual examples 😅😊 thanks 😊

[@StarlaMoore]

Think about what you are passionate about and what type of customers you want to have. If you like flowers, maybe have a shop where all the items are incorporating flowers in some way. They can be on mugs, apparel, or whatever. Or maybe niche down even further and concentrate on a specific flower such as all daisy items. It doesn't mean that you cannot list other designs sometimes, but the core of your shop should be themed alike.

[@almagjim]

@@StarlaMoore thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions. It make sense now, I watched your video a couple of times and it helped too. I appreciate your example 🥰☺️

[@HelmetVanga]

I once worked for a packaging Co. They filled, femenine wash, and vendor retailed $16.00 a bottle. Who buys this product? Only women. I am a guy, a computer dude, am I going to buy a T-shirt with flowers? The answer is no. Do you see where I am going with this?

[@almagjim]

@@HelmetVanga I see, thank you for your help.

[@MichaelBrown-vq4fd]

We started our store 3 months ago and just crossed 741 sales at the time of writing. My vision was to have a “hodge podge” of products - meaning I create whatever I want and they might be completely disconnected. Is this the wrong approach? Should I have separate Etsy stores to group similar product?

[@Goodonyagoon]

Generally, yes, you should have a specific niche or products that a specific audience would buy.

[@StarlaMoore]

For the long-term, it is best to create a niche shop. That way, buyers will come to know you for specializing in xyz type of designs. Etsy shops were designed to be like speciality shops.

[@c4dreel268]

Does erank also cope with German words? Or is it solely focused on the English language?

[@StarlaMoore]

You have the option to choose keywords based on language - however, keep in mind that German customers make up only a tiny percentage of Etsy sellers, with the US holding the largest customer base, followed by the UK. Because of this, our data reflects shopper searches, meaning that you'll likely see less data from German searches.

[@Moonlightwhale]

Hi. Are we allow to offer bonus free item if ask customer to do a review, follow and like? Or is it against the policy? If thats the case, can we offer free item just for purchase?

[@StarlaMoore]

I believe it is against Etsy's policies to offer free items in exchange for reviews.

[@taushimekola4587]

Can I order etsy international products to India? Is it totally safe?

[@lmelyakim]

Hi,i have a pod shirts store on etsy 9 months ago,and i have 38 sales,it is a good quantity or maybe i do something wrong? Thanks.

[@StarlaMoore]

Keep in mind that summer is the slowest season on Etsy for most shops. Are your listings getting views in addition to the sales that you have made?

[@richlovn539]

Awesome video. The main thing I believe is that new folks DON'T KNOW is that THEY must have the money in their bank account for the POD company to withdrawal from when a sale is made. The buyer's money isn't initially used. The new seller has to find a way to put that money into their account pretty darn quick. After the sale is made and delivered, then the seller is reimbursed plus profit as long as there is profit after other fees are taken out. POD companies should use the buyer's money only when an order is made. Not the sellers.

[@j.dounya3476]

I didn't really understand this, do i need money in my bank account if i only sell digital products ?

[@shannonpalmer]

@@j.dounya3476no, that’s just if you’re selling a product that is being made and shipped by a third party.

[@richlovn539]

@@j.dounya3476 I don't think so...I'm going to work on those now as you are until I have enough to include POD physical products again.

[@jelyse14]

​@@j.dounya3476This is talking about POD. You don't sell digital products through a print-on-demand service. Print-on-demand services take your digital designs and prints them on physical products. Digital products, like say, crochet pattern PDFs, can be sold directly through Etsy (I think I've got that correct, I've never sold digital products, personally) so there's no print-on-demand service withdrawing from your account to create the product.

[@SelvanioTV]

@@j.dounya3476 no, this only applies for print on demand physical products

[@johnolz1886]

Hey, quick question. At the top of your video you mentioned ETSY having 5 million sellers but my research (based on their quarterlies) albeit dated a bit, says they only have around 2 million sellers with 60 million products? Any idea which is tight? Thanks in advance.

[@StarlaMoore]

2 million is VERY outdated. In order to keep up with the number of active sellers, I recommend keeping an eye on Etsy's quarterly investor reports. I actually got the number wrong in the video, according to Statista, which now says that Etsy is up to 7.4 million sellers. Statista is a great resources if you don't want to spend time sifting through the Etsy quarterly investor reports. www.statista.com/topics/2501/etsy/#topicOverview

[@kimp.5637]

Way to much copyrighted and trademark stuff on esty. Especially in my niche. They are not just a hamdmade sight anymore.

[@tribzman3977]

It's - SITE

[@andruseugene]

I can't even open my shop on etsy - got suspended within hours of opening. Not very promising beginning.

[@StarlaMoore]

For reasons such as this is why I'm doing the #KeepEtsyHuman this Friday. I hope you'll join in!

[@jorgesantana228]

Same thing here. Mine got suspended on Sunday. Did you submit an appeal? I heard this happens to almost every new seller now. I submitted my appeal right away, I got an email yesterday morning stating they received my appeal and my account is “under review”. Last night it looked like my account was un-suspended, but haven’t heard from etsy support anymore. Good luck friend and don’t let this discourage you, it seems very common nowadays with new sellers.

[@homiekeen23]

0:45 do you reckon that message is still true though? That's good news then 😂

[@romeeb9049]

Hi, I’ve just signed up on Etsy as a seller, but unfortunately as long as I signed up, Etsy put my account on holiday mode and it’s been weeks I’ve been emailing Etsy just nothing changed, just wanted to know if you have an opinion on this, thank you!

[@StarlaMoore]

I most definitely have an opinion. I started a mass movement against this last week. Here's an overview: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZm7gGCQn6asnas Unfortunately this is common and reaching Etsy is impossible. We are currently fighting to encourage etsy to hire more support staff.

[@romeeb9049]

@@StarlaMoore Hi Starla, thank you for your response and sending me the link! so shameful for Etsy to be approaching sellers like that. We support eachother, hopefully we can change something about this. Thank you!

[@denizturkan1531]

Hi, Is it possible to transfer Etsy account?

[@StarlaMoore]

Unfortunately no. Etsy shops cannot be sold or transferred.

[@honeymirouwi]

Hello may i ask? I have an etsy shop but havent make a listing for 3 months, my engange is also low. Should i make a new acc, or just keep it up? Thank youu sorry for my bad english

[@StarlaMoore]

Keep at your current shop. Many shops get shut down when they are first set up for a week or so. Even if you need to want to change the shop name, keep with the current shop and just change the name.

[@honeymirouwi]

@@StarlaMoore thankk youu so muchhh for your help

[@aquibkhan5507]

Very informational video as always, My question is Can I make dedicated blog on ETSY ? What kind of article i can publish there ? And what are the income sources on ETSY that we can earn through blog ? Please guide us 🙏

[@StarlaMoore]

Etsy is not a blog platform. It is an online marketplace for handmade items. What you're describing sounds more like a WordPress blog.

[@aquibkhan5507]

@@StarlaMoore Yes I'm talking about WordPress blog, wanna create a blog all about ETSY like all the terms regarding ETSY, So would it work ?

[@aquibkhan5507]

@@StarlaMoore What's your opinion ?

[@AD-iw8dr]

Do you sell worldwide or just in the USA...

[@StarlaMoore]

Me personally? I sell worldwide.

[@AD-iw8dr]

Is it complicated to sell worldwide coz a lot of you tubers suggested not too. Can you explain to us about what form to use for tax season, What is the tax rate for having a business, do we have to apply for DBA for selling in etsy. When should i get my business liscense .....

[@ofadetergentsud]

Finally a video that mentions product quality. Lol

[@StarlaMoore]

Right? So sick of youtubers teaching QUANTITY over quality!

[@chrisantezzojr.6566]

So... When will I make my first sale?

[@StarlaMoore]

There is no set time for making your first sale. Some make it their first week, and for others, it can take a month or two. Use the slow time to be ensuring that your listings are well-optimized with great photos and keywords to get ready for holidays.

[@akshaypatil8155]

Hi Starla, i make Ai art. How do i make it 300 dpi quality? if you know any webite or softwares......AI platforms gives us low resolution images

[@StarlaMoore]

This isn't my area of expertise, unfortunately. You'd need to talk with someone who is more seasoned AI.

[@joelsombroek]

AI upscaling could help

[@scroogemcduckrich9705]

i left etsy due to fees and giving my bank info to a 3rd party

[@milkflavored]

Uh oh, don't love that... Why don't people talk about this more!?

[@coreycarpenter2489]

Damn, I worked hard to create those AI generated images

[@dianaholish]

🐺❤

[@edwardgonzalez3671]

99% ????

[@toshio1334]

biggest reason : You sold fan art of anime and got removed.

[@StarlaMoore]

I mean. That's "a reason" but I doubt it's the "biggest reason". 😅

[@lutrueson9000]

because sellers outnumber buyers, also there is little to no consumer protection, I stopped buying from Etsy when i paid for a product and never recived anything, prior to that i got scammed on the site and the final nail in the coffin was when i tried to refund a mistaken purchase baught only one our prior only for the seller to say no refunds and send me an awful product i did not want, and they wonder why people worship the almighty corporations, simple because they protect customers and refund bad purchases and actually offer some customer care

[@karenl8837]

Did you ever open a case with Etsy for any of those things? Etsy is VERY good at refunding buyers especially when nothing is delivered. And sellers outnumbering buyers actually means the opposite-Etsy has very good buyer protections- but if you do not look into them or educate yourself about them you can’t complain