The Hard Truth About Etsy - 6 Things Etsy Sellers Won't Tell You

[@brenondopp]

What hard truth do you agree the most with?

[@beverlytheartist425]

I have a question. The design theft scares me. I am a professional artist/illustrator. Every design is completely hand drawn and signed within it someplace. I plan to register the designs in groups with a national copyright. My illustrations do not exist anywhere else...so if they are stolen what does the thief do Photoshop out my signature...and the artwork in the mockup thumbnails is too low res to print from? Is my personal art still in danger or just the concept of my design?

[@mikefreitas1331]

Shop shutdown by bots!!! I must be, because i was building my shop and was about to buy mockups and they shut me down. Trying hard not to hate them... 🤣🤣🤣🥹

[@martinbecker3441]

Run your business instead of your business running you. I quit 9-5 to set up my own yoga studio. Very soon I was working 70 hour weeks with no time off and all the related issues. Thanks for being real.

[@jazminelewis833]

How many mock-up photos should we have in our shop

[@FallenAngelBrass]

"If you truly want to succeed on Etsy, bring something new to the table." I've been selling successfully on Etsy for 14 years and THIS is the top tip. Well done!

[@brenondopp]

Congrats on your success over the past 14 years! That's amazing! Thanks so much for watching!

[@KrishnaGKishan]

Like what???can you give any examples?

[@HeartCentredPrints]

Absolutely beautiful, genuine video of all the when's and not if's as an Etsy seller. Thank you for your candor.

[@melod2500]

I loved how you gave us a reality check without overwhelming us! Thank you for this! Your content was beautifully put together!

[@NelsonMusicBeatz]

Great advice my friend, ive been watching your videos lately, nice work!

[@kathyellis1883]

I’m on my stationary bike watching your videos. I just watched three, and covered 20 miles 😂. Your videos are so good I can’t look away. I just want to keep absorbing all your information. I’ll take a break and develop my business plan including my schedule for work, just as you suggested. I’ve been ADHD since 1956, my birth year, and I would’ve barreled down the road making a lot of mistakes because of it. Your suggestions will really help me focus!! Thank you.

[@pablosanchez-arriolamigoya5652]

Thanks for the awesome video!

[@neilgirvan8678]

Brilliant stuff. Thank you.

[@nopseudosleft56]

It really hit home when you said : you're designing for others,not yourself. It's such an important point. Thanks for this great video😊👍

[@kathleenbuckstaff3332]

Huge thank you! Appreciate your kindness and knowledge. Especially "less is more" "experiment" "numbers game based on trend research" "design for others" "not everything you design sells and that's okay". Also super helpful language around managing perfectionism, self-doubt to self-compassion and stress to self-care. Go team!

[@brenondopp]

Hi Kathleen! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this kind comment. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the video and the advice I shared! Keep up the great work and let me know if you ever have any questions! Welcome to the family!

[@melodeelucido1446]

Branon, you are the best. Your honesty and sincerity are so refreshing! Thank you

[@brenondopp]

Wow, thank you! I’m so grateful for your kindness and support! Keep up the great work! Thanks for watching!

[@lathika6442]

Hello Brenon! I so appreciate your coaching vidoes. So many tips. Love your style, sincere and straight to the point. You say what is necessary without all the fluff. I gain so much insight about the Etsy and POD biz from your videos. I've just started selling on Etsy a few days ago and have got two organic sales. A lot more to learn. Curious to see where this takes me. Yes, "Practice self-compassion".

[@brenondopp]

Hi! Thank you so much for the kind comment! I really appreciate it! Congrats on getting your first two sales! That is super exciting and you should be so proud of yourself! I’m so excited to hear about all of the success you have. This is your year! Keep up the great work and thanks for watching!

[@janetm.3126]

Thank you!! I really needed to hear this. I have had one organic sale since I started adding listings a couple of months ago. Going to act on your great advice.

[@brenondopp]

Hi Janet! Congrats on your first organic sale! That is very exciting! Keep up the great work and many more to come as long as you stick with it! How many active listings do you currently have?

[@leonardlynxx]

what a brilliant video, many thanks for posting this, every beginner Esty seller should save this video for future reference

[@RobertoPiazza-ip7kd]

Finally somebody sincere! Thank You so much for this video, I like it.

[@AntonyLe55]

Pretty amazing how the advice applies to more than just Etsy. Great outlook/attitude. Thank you, Brenon!

[@brenondopp]

Hey Antony! It’s good to hear from you again! I’m glad you enjoyed the advice I shared in this video! Thanks so much for watching and for your continuous support!

[@sparrowgeiller9360]

So helpful! Thanks Brenon.

[@brenondopp]

Thanks for watching, Sparrow!

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

I have seen a few sellers drop their prices drastically, at least on "digital only photo or graphic" products, until their new shop gets some sales in. Then they raise their prices. This would not work well on Tshirts or physical merchandise, as a shop would not want to operate at a loss. However, some shops put in a small price discount occasionally to generate sales when it makes sense. Thanks for review and tips.

[@gaston.]

Good tips.. thanks for sharing.

[@brenondopp]

You bet! Thanks for watching!

[@user-jq9bz9vg1z]

Thanks for being honest with us !!! 🤩

[@brenondopp]

You bet! Thanks for watching!

[@charlesfarran1717]

Great honest post.

[@helloeverbee]

We love your transparency, Brenon!

[@brenondopp]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for watching!

[@awlthatwoodcrafts8911]

Some good advice here. I don't know if these are things Etsy sellers won't tell you. If it's a negative, it's the first thing a person will tell you. I started my shop in April. I hand make wood crafts. I got my first sale about 3 weeks in, 2 more a couple of weeks later and then 10 in June and 10 in July and I already have 5 in the first 3 days of August. These are all organic sales. I never asked friends or family to buy something just to give my shop a boost. I haven't really done a ton of work promoting my shop either. Yes, I've done some research for keywords and tags and such, and I've done my homework on how to create good photographs, but that's it. Granted, I'm not blowing the doors off but at the same time, I am making everything I sell by hand. I always try to have 1 or 2 of an item on hand but there are times when I need to make something to fill an order. As for getting suspended, I don't think it's as prevalent for true hand made sellers. I can see where POD and digital sellers are always walking a fine line. It's really a risk/reward trade-off. Personally, that kind of trade-off would drive me nuts. Too many things out of my control. If I stick to making my own things, what could I ever be accused of, even by a bot?

[@cacevedo07]

Thanks! You have another subscriber here.

[@brenondopp]

Welcome to the family! Thanks so much for watching!

[@riverdalepilates9922]

Brenon - lots of wisdom here! Thanks

[@brenondopp]

You're welcome! Thanks so much for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@ibendivanno4270]

Great motivational video 👍🏻

[@brenondopp]

Glad you liked it! Thanks so much for watching!

[@senorG35]

just got my 3rd sale im so excited its all for the same shirt but still exciting to see

[@brenondopp]

That’s awesome!! Congrats! Keep up the great work! 🎉

[@ChipsAIart]

thanks you. this videos will help me a lot! =))

[@TamiT3]

100% agree with the first 4 months. I just opened mine last month. I have had 115 visits but no sales. I keep changing every day. I increased traffic, but no sells. I do print on demand. I have the equipment to do about anything. Now I have to learn the tricks of etsy. Now I'm worried, I have paid for many designs for my apparel!

[@brenondopp]

Thanks for sharing! Keep learning, improving and implementing and good things will happen! Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to see success so don’t quit too soon. You could be just one design away from your store taking off! Thanks for watching!

[@TamiT3]

@brenondopp I just read this, and it's at a time I'm almost ready to shut my shop down. Thank you

[@thisisyoutubehandle]

Thank you for the insight Brenon. Do you recommend to have one-on-one councelling with a pro at the beginning stage to get things running smoothly? If yes, who would you recommend?

[@monky1200]

Been selling for 2 weeks now, about 20 sales in right now!

[@brenondopp]

Woah!!! Nice job! That is extremely exciting and impressive! Keep up the great work! Many more sales to come as long as you stick with it! Thanks for sharing!

[@Thingstoinspire2023]

good one man

[@directlyg]

Ugh the etsy bots 🤬🤣 definitely will get you lol. I wanted to be ready for the holiday and I added 1k listings in Oct 🙉 it was a goal. I must be crazy haha checking trademarks is super important. Great advice!

[@brenondopp]

Right!?!?😂 WOW!!! That is extremely impressive you added 1k listings in Oct.! Nice work, Gloria! What is your secret to being so efficient? Thanks for your continuous support and for watching! Have a great weekend!

[@directlyg]

@@brenondopp it's a matter of creating in batches. All seo then designs then mockups and so on. Blocking out time to do it. Then hammering away. Of course there's more to it but that's definitely the core. My family thought I vanished lol 😆

[@brenondopp]

Awesome advice, thanks for sharing! Uh oh! 😂 Keep up the amazing work you are doing!

[@thepolygotcoder]

thats pretty amazing! So I should put on another 200 items but I never know if I should do instant downloads or POD products?

[@imagecollections6665]

I had £120k sales since December 2019....but this year it's been £6k. Etsy is flooded & the offsite advertising fees are like 30% in total so i'm looking to be less reliant on Etsy. Etsy suspended me twice but let me back on...they also held nearly £7000 of my money for 3 months & had me running the store & completing orders out of my own money over the Christmas sales period. I sell digitally restored repro movie posters but Etsy doesn't care about copyright. They care about money & fees.

[@brenondopp]

Hi! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and thoughts on Etsy. I’m sorry to hear about your sales dropping. Etsy is flooded with sellers but people are still making money and that can easily be you as long as you are selling what people are looking for. There is plenty of money for everyone but you have to do your trend research and put in the necessary work in order to stand out and find success. Just because there are more sellers than before doesn’t mean you can't be one of the top sellers on Etsy. I’m so sorry for your negative experience with having your shop suspended and Etsy holding your funds. I completely understand how frustrating this is and your feelings are completely valid. This is why it is so important to diversify your streams of income and not rely completely on Etsy. I think Etsy does care about copyright and it's not a matter of if you get caught and in trouble-it's a matter of when. I wouldn’t risk selling anything copyrighted. Thanks so much for watching!

[@lovelylyfe932]

I did my first shirt order today

[@Qwijebo]

The market is over-saturated by the same POD products, mugs, cars, stickers.. a lot of sellers are based in China (yes China) that use domestic addresses in order to maintain an account. What they do is copy/paste items already for sale.

[@tutsecret499]

I cant sell. Sold just few for the long time there. The problem is the customers can't find every seller I searched my products. You can find because there are ocean of products. Your item does not come first after the search. It's just like Google where business people is complaining that Google does not put first some business, therefore nobody will find you.

[@MileyonDisney]

I opened a shop in September, starting with ten mugs, and I had $800 in sales in my first three days (all for the same mug!). My sales have been good since, though not quite that spectacular. If you have what people want (and possibly different from everything else on there), they will buy it. My latest hit contains words that EVERYBODY SEES EVERY DAY yet, when I checked searches/competition, searches were high, but competition was ONLY TWO!!! TWO LISTINGS!!! I had my brother also check, just in case there was some error. I have been getting so lucky, finding the right things to put on mugs and shirts. No complaints about Etsy, from me.

[@brenondopp]

Wow, that's super impressive! Sounds like you have figured out a good method for trend research and creating listings in your store that people want! Thanks for sharing your experience! I wish you the best!

[@Kyotopearl]

Question. I’ve been wondering…say…you have Christmas stuff up. When Christmas is over do you let the listings expire out then re upload them or keep them up year around?

[@brenondopp]

Hi! It's up to you. It doesn't hurt to keep them active other than paying the 20 cent listing fee every 4 months if it doesn't sell. Some sellers leave them up all year for the chance to sell and others let them expire and then renew them 3-4 months before Christmas. I personally let them expire and then evaluate if I need to update listing photos, SEO, or the design itself if it isn't selling and then go from there. I think it's total preference though because there are some people who do their holiday shopping year-round. I hope this helps!

[@Kyotopearl]

@@brenondopp thank you that makes sense!

[@FallenAngelBrass]

I think of my shop's appearance as I would any B&M shop. If I have non-selling and off-season items all over my shop, it's going to seem outdated, unappealing and unattended. I keep off-season items deactivated until the season begins. Use every indicator you can to convey the impression that yes someone is minding the store.

[@rashipp4982]

I actually had that happen to me, I bought it off Etsy, and got a letter. I cried and cried. I felt so bad and I Guarantee you i'll NEVER purchase again like that.

[@SauceBlob]

I had one store that made 20k in the first month and then etsy shut it down a month later. They never give a reason so I dont know why but some people say if you make a lot of sales quickly on etsy as a new store they might shut you down.

[@thisisyoutubehandle]

I've heard etsy closes many new stores. All you have to do is to email them and tell that you're an actual person running an actual store.

[@sophie8785]

Maybe I'm just unlucky. Tried Etsy twice with no luck. Next to no views even though my tags were good, the pictures were good and the items were competitively priced. I sell the same items on ebay and they sell reasonably well on it. Etsy is not worth the headache for me, feels like new sellers don't stand much of a chance.

[@brenondopp]

Hi Sophie! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and feelings about Etsy. I personally think there is still so much opportunity for new sellers on Etsy, but I understand the frustration that they may feel trying to get there. Sales may not come as easy or as fast, but if you follow the correct formula for success, you will see sales. It takes a lot of experimenting and trial and error, but if you are willing to commit yourself, you will see results. I recommend going through and watching all of my videos because I teach you everything you need to know from getting your shop up and running and to start making daily sales. I'm glad eBay has been doing reasonably well for you! Thanks so much for watching! I wish you the best!

[@makesuperaffiliatepassivei6338]

"Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationship." - Henry Ross Perot

[@GOTOHOBBIES]

I opened a Etsy shop and regret doing it no customer support and awful experience, I had my account suspended for no reason but saying I violating of Etsy t&c I have appealed but what a way to run a business

[@brenondopp]

I’m very sorry for the negative experience you've had with Etsy. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence with new POD sellers. As long as you didn’t violate any of their policies, you should be able to get your shop reinstated. The hardest part is staying patient while waiting to hear back from them. I recommend using your energy positively and keep doing your trend research and creating new designs while you are waiting! That way as soon as you get your shop back, you will have several listings you can publish. Thanks so much for watching! I wish you the best!

[@aikonawena654]

Lol...new to Etsy, account is suspended :). Love your tutorials.

[@brenondopp]

I’m so sorry to hear that! As you know and have heard, it is unfortunately a common occurrence for new sellers. Hopefully they will get back to you sooner than later! Don’t give up though. If I would have given up after my shop was suspended when I first opened it, I would have missed out on a huge opportunity! Thanks so much for watching! I wish you the best!

[@nabeelhasan4517]

What about etsy advertisement? Cant we get quick sales through it?

[@brendamorales3366]

I create svg and I love Etsy. They send us a lot traffic

[@brenondopp]

That’s great! I wish you the best with your business. Thanks for watching! 👍

[@brendamorales3366]

@@brenondopp you are handsome and entrepreneur, wow I wish in Mexico more guys like you.

[@ndnd9702]

What do you do when everyone gets the same graphics from Creative Fabrica so everyone has the same design on Etsy. How do you stand out or stand a chance with sales? Even when you tweak the designs.

[@brenondopp]

Hi! This is a great question. Creative Fabrica is a great tool but you do see a lot of the same popular designs on Etsy. You would definitely have to do more than just slightly tweaking it to make it more original and unique. Can you change the color scheme to a more popular one? Can you swap out a word or 2 to make it fit into a different niche? Can you swap out a graphic? What products are people selling the graphic on? Is there a different trending product that you could sell it on instead? I recommend trying to combine multiple elements and adding text to make it different than a single graphic from Creative Fabrica. And if anything, always make sure you have really nice mockups so that your listing stands out! I hope this helps!

[@ndnd9702]

Thank you so much this is very helpful, it is always difficult especially because I am not a designer or really creative and trying to fit this around a full-time job. I really appreciate your suggestions, many thanks for replying.

[@brenondopp]

@@ndnd9702 You're welcome! I'm so glad it was helpful. I'm not a designer either, but I definitely think it gets easier with time as you learn how to use different elements and improve your overall art skills. I also think getting good at using certain tools/resources you like helps as well! It's really frustrating to have an idea and not know how to execute it, but there are tons of tutorials out there in basically all programs that can help you learn. I wish you the best of luck!

[@ralphaelconfer9719]

Does the Etsy suspension affect your store's algorithm

[@bl4ckw1z4rd3]

Can you make a video about Bank Statement for Etsy? This week I had my first two sales after 6 months of posting listings on Etsy. Etsy suspended my shop, because I tried too many times to verify the bank statement with the PayPal bank account. I'm a bit desperate, because I can't find anything useful on youtube about this problem. Thanks in advance for any advice !!!

[@brenondopp]

Hi! Congrats on your first two sales! I'm so sorry to hear your shop was suspended. Were you ever able to verify your bank details before they suspended it? Or it never worked? I know of A LOT of shops that get suspended after their first few sales including myself. You have to just patiently wait to hear back from their support team after emailing them through their Help Center. I'm very sorry about your situation and I completely understand how frustrated you are feeling right now. Keep me posted on what happens! I wish I had a better answer for you but unfortunately it's just a waiting game at this point. As long as you didn't violate any of their polices, you should get your shop reinstated.

[@bl4ckw1z4rd3]

@@brenondopp I wrote them an email! Now I have to wait, I'll come back here if I get news. I mention that I did not break any rules

[@brenondopp]

Sounds good! Keep me updated!

[@BNorton63]

Getting purchases from Etsy is to difficult!

[@laurens.7510]

I licensed a character from Asia. I tried to get my contracts to them but crickets... I want to avoid issues. I dealt with a Korean Corporation to get US rights.

[@brenondopp]

Hi Lauren! I’m sorry to hear you are having issues with this. I hope you are able to get everything sorted out. Thanks for watching!

[@AmandaB222]

Brenon I just had my first sale the other day. I did the math, and I did the prices wrong :(. I didn’t see when I was keeping track of the prices for the comfort color shirts. I thought I had priced mine correctly to make a good profit. I did the math and only made $2.31. I’m bummed, and I wonder how you sellers keep up with the prices. And I feel like they will be so high now, and I do free shipping so I have to add that in as well. Any help would be appreciated! I know I’ve commented a lot on your videos! But I do appreciate when you have the time to reply. Thank you so much! 🙏🏻

[@AbdelhakimKabir]

Hey, if you search his videos, you can find one where he talks about his pricing strategy. Where he offers free shipping and he uses a tool to figure out his profit and in the case of having a sale as well. I recommend checking it. It gives so much insight about how to price your products.

[@AmandaB222]

@@AbdelhakimKabir thank you. I found Alura the free calculator that he mentions. If I spelled it correctly lol. And I had to do my prices all over again. Good thing though I am pretty new still and it didn’t take me too long! But I did it. Another thing is I didn’t know that in that sale, etsy did deduct my listings cost from that sale. Which I think threw me off as well. No videos mention Etsy will take that out of your profits, instead to automatically charge the card you have on file to be charged for your listings. So I am now aware of that as well. I think it affected me more since my shop is small and so new. I’ve only been up since July and still have only one sale. I’m doin my best to not get discouraged. It does take a lot of time and work. But thank you for the response! 🙌🏻🙂

[@AbdelhakimKabir]

@@AmandaB222 You're welcome and if anything we're all here to help. I began also in July as well, but I tried different strategies and was lost a bit until I found this channel and it helped me in a way to organize my workflow and how things should be done. And yes, the start is always a long process but to be honest, I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it'll get tiring especially if you have a primary job plus this. But just continue to do so and you will succeed. 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@tutsecret499]

Etsy does not have costumer service. I trying to contact them for many times. I want them to cancel my account one for all. They are charging me fees without me even listing anything. I deleted all my good stuff to force them stop charging me. It seems they don't want to cancel my account. They want to keep me by force.

[@joed5901]

etsy sucks! I can't even get into my shop it keeps going to trying to refister a new store its ridiculous!

[@pavlinsabev4281]

I literally opened a shop 2 weeks ago and in the first 3 days I already had a suspension for no reason lmao

[@brenondopp]

I’m so sorry! Unfortunately, this is extremely normal for new sellers. If you haven’t yet, reach out to Etsy’s customer service through their Help Center to explain your situation. As long as you didn’t violate any of their policies, they will reinstate your shop. In the meantime, keep doing your trend research and creating designs so you are ready to list as soon as you get your shop back! Thanks for watching!

[@rdillon517]

truth is nobody hardly uses etsy.. Better multiple platform sell items. Stick with the online venue that charges the least to sell out of

[@samiraorchard705]

Brenon most say to start a niche store but your video says not too.

[@brenondopp]

Hi Samira! We first started with a niche store and struggled to get sales. It wasn’t until we created a general store that we really started to see success. I think it gives you way more opportunity to reach more customers and design for multiple top selling niches and holidays. I recommend experimenting in different niches until you find ones that do well for you that you can double down on. Even then though, I still experiment as trends change. I feel this way because of my own experience, but it’s up to you what you would like to do!

[@samiraorchard705]

@@brenondopp thank you 😊

[@almdrs]

You people are still treating Etsy like it is a platform where people search for unique, handmade products. That's not their goal anymore. They are redirecting buyers to dropshippers that sell mass produced items. They want money, they want to be another Amazon. That's the reality.

[@FallenAngelBrass]

There is an enormous market for original, handmade goods. Focus on YOUR target market, not on what the entire Etsyverse is up to.

[@brenondopp]

@@FallenAngelBrass I think there is so much truth to this thought! You HAVE to bring something unique and different to the table in order to stand out and find success. Thanks so much for sharing and watching!

[@brenondopp]

Hi Ricardo! I personally think Etsy still is focusing on handmade items, but at the same time, they are doing what they can to stay competitive with their competition. That being said, I don’t think they will ever completely shift their business model to be a marketplace for dropshippers only. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@ArohWisdom-oy7hf]

I won't to get money in esty

[@epicgamerawesomechannelnow2990]

great video but i hate that you say niches and not niches

[@brenondopp]

Sorry! 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@rashipp4982]

Your not designng for yourself lol...I wanna buy everything!

[@versatileduplicity9313]

Good thing is most sellers seem to not know what seo is. Those of us that do, are in a good spot. We also tend to take waaay better pictures and videos.

[@brenondopp]

It's true-SEO and listing photos are some of the key ingredients for succeeding on Etsy! Keep up the good work! I wish you the best and thanks for watching!

[@realjusticeisfreewithtruth9825]

I was making 50$ a day on digital designs. Great reviews and 0$ in sales the last 3 days... I'm sad

[@brenondopp]

I'm sorry to hear this! Keep adding listings and use your energy positively! Hopefully sales will pick back up soon!