Tricks to Selling Woodworking Projects on Etsy

Proven tips on how to make more money selling woodworking products and gifts on Etsy. Today, I’m going to tell you tips that I’ve observed from using Etsy. Please remember, every business has to be mindful of its own business plan. Some or all of these tips may not be best for your business.
--⏱️Timestamps⏱️--
0:00 Tips & Tricks for Selling on Etsy
0:59 Personalization on Etsy
2:23 Know Trends on Etsy
3:37 Sell Items under $100
4:43 Price Low when Started
6:21 Sell Unique items
7:41 Marketing on Etsy
1. Personalization
What I mean by Personalization is custom engraving, and custom created items. If you cannot provide engraving on items then that’s fine, just know that you will be at a disadvantage compared to sellers who do provide that service. I would say that about a quarter of my sales are custom items, built to specific dimensions. A lot of times, a customer has a direct need, such as a box that holds a particular item. The important takeaway is that you do not have to preemptively offer a world of sizes for your products. If your item has the look that they want, customers will reach out and ask if you can change the size.
2. Know the trends
When it comes to woodworking items, I always recommend dark wood. Within my shop, walnut items dwarf all other species in terms of sales. I know this by observing the trends on Etsy and within my own shop. Search for specific items on Etsy and see how many results you get. What is it about those products that people like? Consider this when trying to identify items that are trending. Sometimes, you can’t figure out what’s going to be popular until you put a few listings up and see what people like. Pay attention to not just sales, but also when people favorite your item. If your item isn’t getting favorited then somethings up that you need to address.
3. Under $100
From my experience, items priced under $100 always sell better. I’m a woodworker so if you are selling other types of items, this may or may not apply to you. The majority of items on Esty are priced towards the cheaper end. From my experience items under $100 outsell everything else in my shop. I believe that it has something to do with the customer seeing a price that has three digits. This $100 range should also consider shipping. This doesn’t mean that you should undersell your items. It means that if you are offering products in the three-digit range, don’t expect to get as many sales because you are significantly reducing your buyer pool.
4. Price low, raise your prices
The biggest challenge to an Etsy seller is competition. Scope out the competition by searching for the item that you plan to sell. Know that you are at a disadvantage unless you are providing a unique item or have proven yourself a trusted seller. There are some things that you can do to overcome this. Build up your sales and reviews by selling lower priced items. This may mean that you price your items a little cheaper than you want until you build traction. If your item is consistently selling out then you know that you can potentially raise the price to meet the market demands. Once you get some positive reviews under your belt, then you may be able to start listing items at a higher price point.
5. Be unique
Etsy is dominated by a few sellers who get massive amounts of sales because they specialize in one item. Whether you want to specialize in one product or create multiple items, try to set yourself apart. What I’ve noticed is that many of the large sellers do not actually make their own products. The obstacle that woodworkers face is that they often want to make their own items, which causes a massive increase in costs and labor.
I urge you to be the alternative. Offer items that are different in terms of size or look. If you plan to make your own items and mimic what these large sellers are doing, you’ll quickly realize that you just can’t compete.
6. Marketing
There are ways to market your products for free and that’s by making sure you have great pictures with a clear description. Simply taking a picture of your item on the kitchen counter will not generate the same amount of sales as staged and edited photographs. Don’t be afraid to put decorative graphics and text on your pictures to describe the items. Show the item from different angles, by itself and in a staged setting. Make sure that your description is clearly written and explains the item. Another reason why you want a good product description is SEO. Repeat key words like “box” “wood box” “wooden box”. All of this helps search engines to find your product listing and serve that to the customer who is Googling “wooden box”.
When I sold projects online, this was BY FAR my #1 item. I couldn’t keep up! newtonmakes.com/shop/p/wood-s...
• My Links •
My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/newtonmakes
Instagram: / newtonmakes
Esty: www.etsy.com/shop/GenWoodworker

[@NewtonMakes]

Here are the plans to my most popular item sold. Customers absolutely loved this! newtonmakes.com/shop/p/wood-storage-box-plans

[@CoffeyCustomBuilds]

This was EXTREMELY helpful information, Billy! I have very much struggled to gain traction on Etsy. Your points were all solid.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

That was an incredibly generous display of experience sharing. Thank you.

[@91wheelz]

As someone who somewhat has and still wants to sell wood projects on Etsy, this video is a big help to me!

[@WilliesDET]

Thanks so much man. Good ideas here.

[@paultay23]

Nice one Billy... Thanks for the tips... I am a hobby woodworker in the UK who has started to selling on Etsy. I am also really interested in Genealogy having about 12,000 members in my Family Tree. I have subscribed and look forward to watching a few more videos' Cheers Paul

[@justinbyers1441]

That's awesome Billy, thanks for sharing the insight of this... i been wanting to try and get into this part, but i am slow on the computer 😂🤓lol, definitely has opened my eyes with the walk through on this topic 👍thanks brother, and thank you for the support off social media to 🙏🇺🇲

[@justinbyers1441]

@@NewtonMakes really appreciate that, and always enjoy your videos, really like how you break down each section and explain that topic makes it easier to keep up , keep making brother, and really appreciate you 👍👊

[@chuckscott6439]

You nailed dude. Great video.

[@NewtonMakes]

Thanks!

[@dennismcaleer242]

I’ve noticed that some Etsy woodworkers sell items with sport logos or brand names like “jack Daniels old #7 for example. Do these people pay a licensing fee? How does Etsy handle that ?

[@NewtonMakes]

They're almost certainly violating trademarks and companies can and do go after them. Disney is shuts down etsy stores often.