I feel like the ugliest truth about Etsy is that they no longer police for handmade items that are truly handmade. I make jewelry and I cannot even tell you how many times I am competing with people reselling imported junk and artsy does nothing. It brings down price points and is super frustrating.
I have noticed that many sellers are buying off of eBay and selling for the same price on Etsy. I can not for the life of me figure out how these sellers are making $$. Like you, I made handmade items and it's is hard to compete with professional photography and cheap junk
you mean Etsy is like a swap meet? I wonder if they only care how sellers help Etsy to make $$$$. Etsy is in the business of making $$$, they are not in the business of judging hand crafts or artistic talents. There has to be another platform where they only accept art created by the site members, no resellers no imported items. Only created by members
I have ordered on Etsy things that appeared to be made in the USA, and I’m all about supporting USA businesses. Only problem, the items took forever to come and of course that little gold oval sticker and customs packaging. Annoying.
@@danamadera6512if you want US only items the best way to do a search for what you are looking for is to they USA at the end of your search. I am an American living in Scotland and have found when buying gifts for family back in the US, this is the easiest way to do it so I am not paying a fortune for shipping.
I thought something was Up with that I'm seeing stuff for someone Etsy that I've seen on Amazon and I'm like wait a minute I thought you could only sell stuff on Etsy that was handmade or vintage which makes me wonder if they're buying stuff from Amazon or reselling it on Etsy. I bought a pair of Barbie earrings from Amazon and saw them a month later on Etsy same design and everything!
She could not have explained Etsy better. So on point. Once, I mentioned the word Tiffany because a customer asked me can they have this and that in Tiffany blue. When it was time to create a reserved listing for her, I put In what she said which was Tiffany Blue item etc. Etsy snatched it down sooo fast and warned me. I was in shock. So, anything can go left even when you think you are doing the right things. Etys is also a hit or miss,You just never know. I have stuck with things people can't find or something came straight from a thought. This allowed me to separate myself from the competition. This has been working quite well. If anyone is thinking about opening a shop, I say go for it. Don't be scared, take steps even if it just the name. Trust me, you will feel good and eager in taking steps everyday. No point in waiting until tomorrow,next month or next year. Good luck to you all.
I love your feedback! And filling in where there are holes in the market is a perfect strategy. I totally agree with not waiting until tomorrow... get out there and try somethings. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish.
Speaking as someone who had the misfortune of working their Support for a year, you could not PAY me to sell on their platform. The reason support is so bad? Is because the company farms out support to third companies and is HORRIBLE about not sharing information! I have been a support contractor for other companies, and in the previous one if I had a question I could just ping an employee or get up from my desk and walk over to an employee in the correct department. But not this one, no siree!! There was literally NO way to contact a company employee except sending up the ticket and praying they actually did something with it. (Spoiler: They usually didn't.) Also? They didn't tell us about easily predictable problems. There was a period when I had multiple sellers call me near to tears because every time they sold a product, it showed as sold out no matter what the quantity set. The only reason I was able to help any of them was because my background in tech support gave me troubleshooting skills to figure out what was going on. The solution was a change to the shipping system so the sellers had re-approve their shipping info. That's it, a five minute fix once we knew what the problem was. AND THE COMPANY DIDN'T TELL US!!! The support people are usually trying their best, but believe me, as someone who was there: if the person you talk to is able to give you any help at all, it's IN SPITE of the company, not because of them.
I knew they were using outside sources and from another countries because communication of understanding what I am trying to convey sometimes is a problem. and I don't like the idea that someone in another counry have access to my information. This is why we have so many scammers
Are you an Etsy seller seeking clarity and solutions to the intricacies that Etsy fails to divulge? Look no further! I bring forth over 5 years of dedicated experience as a stalwart in Etsy support, ready to empower you with the insights and resolutions you deserve. As a seasoned member of the Etsy support ecosystem, I understand the frustration of navigating through opaque policies and undisclosed details. That's why I am committed to bridging the gap between ambiguity and clarity for Etsy sellers like you. Here's how I can assist you: 1. Bank account verification and change 2. Account suspension and reinstatement guidance 3. Optimization of Etsy Ads and Offsite Ads 4. Addressing shipping concerns with precision 5. Elevating your Star Seller scores 6. Shedding light on reserve on account fee intricacies, and much more. My ethos revolves around fair and transparent pricing. I value the hard work and dedication you invest in your Etsy endeavors, which is why my charges range from $5 to a maximum of $500, tailored to the complexity of your concerns. Your success is my priority, and I am here to ensure that every penny you invest in your Etsy venture yields profitable returns. Let's embark on this journey together towards Etsy excellence. Reach out to me at sellerhelpline247 via instagram only, and let's revolutionize your Etsy experience, one concern at a time.
Just listing is a full time in itself, but what I really hate the most is that what they really care is for themselves. Etsy is very arbitrary when it comes to their rules. You have no chance to ask, to defend yourself and their customer service is completely none existent. Like you, I had an item in my store for years and they suddenly deactivated it. It took some days to come back to my listings. No email was sent to us, so we do not know what - if - anything was wrong. No explanation and if I want to ask anything in the forum I get their " oops". Never get the forum to work. I really hope that one day someone comes with a platform JUST for HANDMADE.
OMG, you have hit the nail on the head. It is sooooo frustrating when you don't know what you did to anger the Etsy gods and there is no one you can talk to to help you get any answers.
Yeah they really suck. I’m really just starting to see sells on their site ands only stay because it’s so much traffic coming through Etsy but it’s not a real advantage. By the time I make my sales it’s time to pay them and I swear I barely see any of my revenue unless I sell in person, on my personal site and Facebook.
@@jessicakillian3738 I actually did all the math this weekend. It does not worth to sell there. My son has a store and I list them. His items are handmade and it takes minimum 6 hours- some more to make and he gets about 5 to 6 dollars/hour. He just told me he better go flip hamburgers at Mc Donald's for 15/hr. AND Etsy still wanted to charge additional 15% more for them to put out a Christmas commercial on TV. We are moving soon and we will close the store and look for another option to sell handmade. They are selling lots of drop shipping and the chine-- are everywhere. First I don't buy from them any more. We all handmade should jump the ship.
@@GoldenPhoenix0311 You are so right. We should jump the ship. My son has a store and I hate to list his stuff. That page has a bunch of stupid stuff to fill up that buyers do not care and does not appear at the items' page. Also he is making less than 5 to 6 dollars an hour with all the charges, when he sells. He sold 2 items for Christmas. After we refused to pay more our views went down significantly. USPS will be increasing charges in January and I don't see an advantage to sell on Etsy anymore. I am looking for other ways to sell.
The main thing to know is that unless you pay, you will NEVER be found on Etsy. Not only are you paying to post on Etsy, but you have to pay extra to be found. They go out of their way to use a randomization algorithm so that ONLY those who pay can be found.
@@hannahmitchell87 completely true,I tried it out just to see. With my ads I was selling 10 items a day I stopped the ads for two weeks and I got 5 orders in two weeks. I started it up again and now I'm back to better than before
@@hannahmitchell87 do what works best for you, I've been selling on etsy for not even 3 months and made over 4k so far.. I'm just stating the facts, I made that 4k when I had my ads up, I took them down just to see for 2 weeks, I made less than 200 those two weeks, started my ads again and back to getting my bag
Omg I ran into making something I hate on accident. 😂 Learn from me: I had this great idea to make custom planners (I’m a stationary shop) and I made ONE before I listed it. Listed it and it was super popular! But I HATED making them, it was just WAY too time consuming and not enjoyable and I didn’t/wouldn’t have known that until I started getting orders. I decided to carry them out until the end of the year and discontinue the product. It’s your shop, do something you enjoy.
This was my experience with complicated VRoid hair presets! I decided to make a more simple version. I had offered the first for FREE and it got a lot of attention. The simple one took me way less time and I listed it for $10. Took a while (Gumroad) but it sold ONE. I feel way better! Maybe try to keep at it but in a way that feels more comfortable!
Etsy sucks my will to live😅I’ve been a 5 star Seller for over 14 YEARS. They put a “Reserve Hold” on my Shop where they hold 75% of all my sales until items have tracked shipping. Reason? “A sudden sharp increase in sales” I do a ton of custom work, so this has genuinely harmed my business.
I just looked up who owns Etsy and who the CEO is. Now that I know they are of the international clique, I will rethink whether to sell there at all or if there is an alternative not run by people who see others as "cattle".
OMG!!!! That happened to me too!!! I WAS LIVID!!! But I figured out how to get through it. I also learned that if you make Star Seller they will sometimes remove the hold.
I had this when I was new. When you’re notified of the reserve, it mentions that if you reach star seller, they’ll remove it early. They did remove mine as soon as I got to star seller. I wish they’d just hold 100% or 0% tho because it messed up my tracking in my bank register.
Etsy does a great job making it difficult to locate too many rules and regulations. They rarely respond to inquiries, too, but are quick to take action. Yes, Etsy Support is a nightmare on every level. You are absolutely right on that and everything else. I'm phasing out my shop. The marketplace has altered significantly in the last decade and doing in-person only. I make money at shows instead of paying Etsy (renewal fees, etc.). Nice job, people need to hear all sides.
ETSY IS NOT WORTH IT! CLOSED MY SHOP FOR A WEEK AND A HALF - AND I MISSED MY VALENTINES PROMOTIONAL FOR T-SHIRTS, AND I SAW OTHER STORES STEALING MY DESIGNS. ETSY IS A HASBEEN PLATFORM. THE SQUEEZE ISN'T WORTH THE JUICE. THEN THEY STOPPED MY BUYERS FROM RECEIVING ANY MERCHANDISE, DELAYED AND WEEK THEN 2 WEEKS, THEN 3 WEEKS, NOW GOING ON 4 WEEKS. CONTACTED ETSY SUPPORT AND THEY SAID, THAT INBOX IS NOT MONITORED. FUNNY, NO SUPPORT FOR THE ETSY EMAIL SUPPORT INBOX, CLASSIC ETSY, NO SERIOUS BUSINESS WOULD INVEST TIME AND MONEY IN A LOWBROW BUSINESS SUCH AS ETSY.
I found a website that only sells handmade: can't write it here as a htts but will try to spell it: My Community Made. I definitely am done with E--y!!
Before watching this video, I looked at the one from Kate Hayes, who talks about setting up an Etsy shop online. Boy oh boy, do they make life difficult! Too many rules and the more rules there are, the more complicated the venue and the less likely people are to use them.
Thank you for your honesty because there are so many successful Etsy sellers who made it look so easy to be successful. It’s a lot of hard work and sales are hard to come by. Etsy remains as a side hustle for me. No way can I make a living selling on Etsy at this rate..😅
So true! It's a lot of work! I also find it fun... I like trying to figure out the right strategy to make sales. But I'm with you... I'm not ready to make Etsy my main source of income but it's a good side hustle.
You are a very gracious sales woman. To help others in this manner is priceless advise. Not alot of people would di this. This makes you top notch. Wishing you the best of luck with your business.
Really appreciate that you don’t have this all glitter and smiles look about you. You feel real and beautiful with the battle scares in your smiles. So refreshing. Thank you
I love patronizing Etsy sellers, and considered opening up my own shop (because selling at local craft shows has been hit or miss.) I appreciate the honest feedback and straight talk. Thank you for sharing!
I don't know what to do about buying instant digital downloads... They make it so hard now. It used to be so easy when they put it in my email, now I have to fight for what I buy.
Etsy support is awful and I thought that’s why they upped their fees to make it better but they did not. They make us reply in 24 hours to customers but I contacted them over chat and they said they would get back to me within like 72 hours, well over two weeks later I finally got a response and it was basically like a form email that didn’t help me at all. 😑
All very valid points. I have been on Etsy for almost 8 years now, but mainly sell through my website and wholesale these days. I also had a physical store. I always wonder why someone would base their entire business on Etsy sales because it could disappear in the blink of an eye without any control over it on your part. I've made videos about my thoughts as well, especially after having two people I know who were six figure sellers get shut down unexpectedly and go from the good life to....nothing.
For me personally, I'd want my business on one platform because it makes it so much easier, mentally, for everything to be in one place. I'd only have to check one thing, worry about one thing, and market one place. However I would still be pretty terrified of the reasons you explained, so if I was to start a business I'd have to seriously consider that decision, and I would probably end up having to base it on more than one place.
This “Out of the blue shop cancelation with no explanation as to WHY,”happens on redbubble also so BE careful on there as well! They too have very strict rules.
@@Bigkrisp_Man never put all your business eggs into one basket. ESPECIALLY if you don’t have complete control of that platform. Even in-person stores have online sales as well right? 😊
I think the worst part of Etsy is their fees. You have to charge super high prices just to make a profit since Etsy acts like a pimp . It's hard because the average person isn't gonna pay some wild price for something they could buy from someone else who isn't pricing to make up for fees
THANK YOU for being real. I see so many videos from people on TH-cam trying to sell their workshop masterclass and not giving the full story to newbies. Subscribed.
You are so welcome! I think it's important to show the good and the bad. If you go into selling on Etsy with a realistic view then you have a better chance of being successful and not quitting when things are less than perfect. Thanks for subscribing. :-)
Thank you for saying there are some products you just don't want to make! You are the first creative who's said what I thought at times. Folks loved one item I had, yet making it took too long and I didn't enjoy it. I've tried to rearrange things, make a limited number--yet still not feeling it😸 I no longer sell on Etsy. I remember when Etsy was private and really all about handmade. I am happy for your continued success!
@@shawnshalest_hws you are soooo right and I’m so glad you said it!!! @Lisa-Lin B I’m thankful you made this comment. When I watched the video, I was thinking, “ok duh, so just don’t make that product a listing” and then she explained how it came about and I related on SO. MANY. LEVELS. 🤣🤣🤣 As a creator who has been terrified to make the Etsy jump, I could just as well have told myself “ok duh, just DON’T post that super cute shirt on your FB page” which would never work🤣😘 Y’all are both awesome! Thanks for an amazing dose of perspective!!!
The problem I have, is that people love the small tables I make. It’s very cheap tho !! $30 each !! I have things worth hundreds, but everybody seems to skip pass that and purchase the small tables. It’s not enough money bruh !! 🤦🏿♂️
Thanks for all the great info… some good stuff! As a graphic designer that sells digital designs I was taken aback when you referred it as passive income. I sit at my laptop all day, drawing and creating designs… I can hardly see how that’s considered passive LOL no different than an office worker in an office. Believe me it is both mental and physically tiring :)
Lol... I feel you. Passive is never really passive in my opinion. A lot of work goes into it and then automation takes over. But if you want to keep growing then you are still working in the background to make it better. I almost want to stop using that word...lol
Yess absolutely this! I work full time in graphic design as well and I've come to realize that this "passive" income side hustle is definitely not passive lol. It's almost become a second full time job for me. Basically I'm working on it as soon as I'm not at work, so I spend the majority of my time on my computer. Honestly it's gotten to the point that I'm more passionate/interested in my Etsy design work than my actual job (but unfortunately Etsy can't be a sustainable option for me atm). One of the biggest things I've learned from this, it's alot of work to design items, get good mockup/physical photos (hours of editing), list items, keep up with finances, run a social media for your store, and keep up with customers.
Isn’t passive income considered a side/secondary income? It really doesn’t matter how many hours a day/week are spent on a computer or how tiring it is in this case. It really only matters if it’s your main income or secondary when talking about Passive income, right? Or am I wrong in the definition of passive income?
Wow!!! Every single thing you spoke about hit home. I opened my shop this past October. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, my shop took off. I just had to put my shop on vacation 2 weeks ago so I could get caught up on orders, create new products, restock materials and inventory, and most importantly rest lol. Thank you so much for sharing all this TRUTH!! ❤❤
This makes a lot of sense, I feel like a lot of people starting out that have never had a business before really need to hear this. It's work, you have to plan, crunch numbers, spend a LOT of time getting it up and running, handling customer service, as well as building to the point where you can get it to that sweet spot place that you can spend a couple hours/day vs 10 hours a day. But it's not going to do it itself. . YOU are going to hvae to get the business going. Great video!!
Etsy used to be only for hand-made and vintage. They don't support the vintage sellers at all, and they make it hard for them to list certain items by making certain words and phrases off limits. For example you can't use the word "ivory" when describing the color of an item. Another problem now is they no longer make sure people really are selling items they made in hand-made. They allow cheap resale junk. They also don't make sure sellers are being honest about where they are shipping from. I ordered an item that said that it shipped from Michigan. When I received it, it was clear it came from overseas. One item didn't fit properly it was impossible to send it back because of the cost of shipping. The seller lied about where they were shipping from. The shop is still there.
I absolutely love this video! Thank you for being so honest. I love what I do, I love my shop, but everything isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Excellent video 🥰
Your comments are spot on! Excellent video. Well edited, too. One of my issues with my Etsy shop was with their "Reserve" system (Holding back 75% of my sales until they are satisfied with my process. I was totally unaware of the "reserve", but that's my fault. I should have dug deeper into their rules. Thanks for this video! Good stuff.
Great video. For someone who is just starting to research selling on ETSY there is a wealth of good information here. Sitting through other introductory videos, that make the business sound so good (dare i say easy?), one wonders what the real day-to-day challenges are. You covered many good points and your experience is valuable in educating a newbe. thank you.
This is my first time coming across your page.This is actually the first video I've seen, so far. What caught my attention is that, to me, you came across extremely genuine and direct when explaining the negative side(s) , yet very important aspects, you personally experienced as an entrepreneur with/through Etsy. There are a lot of pros and cons to a lot of similar sites that I find some people "might" be willing to speak on, but not go into much detail about. So as an artist myself, I've been looking into & trying to do more of a detailed dive in gathering as much info as possible to make sure I make the right choices, as I am looking to start my own business venture. But in just trying to make sure I have all(if not most) of the correct knowledge so that I'll be making all of the right decisions from the beginning. It call all be so nerve wrecking though. We're all hoping & trusting that we do finally launch our businesses, that we hope that we did all of the right research, & enough of it too. But when I do launch, all I can do it is cross my fingers & trust that I do made all the right decisions for it to be successful. Anything from there forward will all just be a learning experience from then on, & that any mistakes made, I immediately learn from them and correct whatever changes necessary adjustments to better my business. My apologies for the long text though, but I guess I said all of that to say, "Thank You" & I "Appreciate" you sharing your personal experiences of the negative things to expect or watch out for....So I'll most definitely be subscribing & hoping to find a few more gems amongst your videos.💯
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am happy that you found this video helpful. It's sometimes hard to figure out what is needed. I LOVE being a business owner and I love teaching others how to become business owners but I need them to know it's a hard road. It's rewarding... but hard. But I believe if you are prepared for the hard road ahead and you have a community behind you... YOU CAN DO IT!
Thank you for your honesty and transparency. One of my ugly truths about being an etsy seller is the time consumption involved in creating new listings. Ugh....I have 2 shops on Etsy and have been selling on Etsy since 2011.
Thank you so much for leaving this comment. You are so right. Posting new listings is very time-consuming, especially when you are just getting started. And you have to put in the time to create a listing that will get views. Thanks again for sharing.
I tried Etsy and it was hell. I unintentionally violating there rules. I reach out to them over and over and over and over again only to keep getting an automated response. They shut my shop down and i still don't know why. way too stressful. i would not encourage anyone to sell on Etsy. I thought i was the only one. Thanks for your vid, great information.
Im working on pulling off Etsy as soon as I can build up my channel to help supplement. Ive done very well there but Im getting to the point I dont want to pay them anymore! LOL Fees on shipping charges now is a downer and their customer service is terrible. Edit to add, Im with you on pulling stuff even if it sells if you cant stand it. Ive been there!
OMG… I’m with you on the fees on shipping charges. The shipping charges are just pass through to the carriers. I have to remind myself that the strategy is to try to get people over to my personal site.
@@shawnshalest_hws Yeah the shipping fee thing sucks! Ive been on Etsy with a couple shops since 2013. Im partly getting to the point I dont want to do any made to order anymore either but I need to build my supplement first! LOL
Almost everyone breaks the rules on Etsy!!!! They say you have to make everything you sell unless it is vintage but all the sellers say "Hand Made"!!! I was trying to follow the rules and hand-make all of my items and when I realized everyone else was lying about making the items they sold I closed down my store and went to eBay to sell. I immediately started selling my items and love working on eBay.
As a shopper, it frustrates me to see all the mass produced, made in China items on Etsy, labeled and priced as Handmade, that are available from many other sellers on regular Amazon. When I shop Etsy, I want truly Handmade items by small business owners. I used to report those listings to Etsy but it seemed like nothing ever happened.
@@kaylakitty3814 There is something bigger going on here. I live in Australia and while you can't even send a letter down the road for under $1.10, somehow Chinese businesses are able to sell cheap items for as little as $1 including free postage all the way from China to Australia. Obviously, governments and big businesses have made some special deals with the Chinese communists behind our backs.
Not everyone who says they have Handmade products are lying (mine are truly Handmade). However, I agree that the use of the word Handmade has been radically distorted beyond belief. Having an idea then farming it out to a mini-factory scenario is most definitely NOT Handmade, for example.
Etsy hasn’t paid me for a month! No reason, no one will return my emails, horrible customer service! Going to the AG of New York to file a complaint. I’ve been a seller since 2011, when they sold two years ago things have gone downhill.
This was insanely helpful, thank you so much. Have officially dissuaded me from starting a shop, and that’s honestly a good thing. Take care and be well!
I've been considering starting an etsy store and your channel has been a wealth of information. You've got a new subscriber and binge watcher. Keep the great videos coming. 👍🏽
We rarely give positive thumbs up. In your case you are our first thumbs up . Well done. You're transparent honest realistic . A fresh difference from do many misleading TH-camrs
Just came across this channel. Love your "frankness" and have found your advice gives me hope in what has been a very depressing beginnings to my selling items on Etsy. Thank you.
This has happened to my shop, like 10 times in the last 2 months. They keep deleting stuff with no info. It’s terrible! My situation was different I have a spiritual shop. It seems like if I use specific words they delete it. Honestly it’s annoying
Thank you so much for this useful reality check. Developing my business in an ecological way is so important to me and this is a great awareness booster about what to pay attention to.
I finally made my first sale after several months of creating my store, soon after, my store got shut down for “counterfeiting”. In the meantime, my customer product is floating around somewhere. I can’t cancel Oder because my account had been suspended permanently. I sent a message to support as I’m awaiting a response. So frustrating.
Send them a list of stores selling Disney designs, horror movie characters, and other clear copyright breaches along with a follow up asking why your store was closed and for an opportunity to rectify the issue once they let you know why it was closed.
@MJ-on2qv That isn’t good advice so much of your communication is screened and sorted by type of issue. You are not going to get a response by reporting others. I am wondering if you can reporting copyright? That is very different than counterfeit.
That transition 👏 legit sis! Great tips too, I really need to get into this. So sick of workin' for the man and building their riches up while being put down, so dope you work for yourself!
I have sold on Etsy now for many years and it used to be all handmade niche items and now they just allow anyone and everyone with digital items and it's just not the same!
It's always refreshing to see content about the downside of a side hustle. Almost all make everything sound SO easy and full-proof, and it just doesn't work that way.
My first item that took off on Etsy and I was getting an actual steady income from this product and after I started making them, I realized this was not such a good idea. I had thought so many different types of products on Etsy. I didn’t expect the demand that there was so I didn’t pre-mix for the anticipation of the higher demand. So as these orders keep coming in and I’m not able to keep up with the pace, I just wanted to pull my hair out. I completely understand and agree with you on that point.
This came up in my news feed & I am SO glad I clicked on it as I am literally considering opening an Etsy shop! I'm now going to review your other post for good info. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm forever grateful. 🌹
Thank you for this post especially about your custom t-shirt/experience and analogy and making activewear products, and how the process may not be worth the profit, profit and how the whole dang thing effected you and your fiance significantly. This is very helpful. Hope you and yours continue to be blessed, and you are all finding joy with what you are creating and making!
I love your voice for some reason. 😂 I know that was weird... It was weird for me too! Great video, I was blocked in Etsy for a week when I first started and it was the worst experience trying to figure out what was going on!!
I appreciate your frank and honest assessment of selling on Etsy. I keep tossing the idea around and keep coming back to the idea that it takes more to make my handmade cards than I can sell them for.
Yes! I was selling so many tutus back in the day but it sucked the joy out of making it. Too many layers of tulle. Anything too labor intensive now, I no longer make.
You are absolutely gorgeous and so well spoken and on point! I have never purchased off that platform nor do I have any listings but I do know many artists who use it. This video is extremely informative and I enjoyed watching. Now subbing!😊
Several years ago, I had a wonderful shop on Etsy. I had sales and was happy, but I was learning the process. I started being harassed by a random person that was not a customer; s/he was saying random unsolicited things about my pictures (the pictures were high quality with nothing in the background). It was super annoying and plain disrespectful. Then out of the blue, Etsy sent me a notice that my hashtags were in violation. I had many handmade products listed. I spent a couple of hours going through what I thought was each listing to remove hashtags that I thought were in violation. I missed a couple and my shop was closed. Wonderful product descriptions locked and lost. I was so disappointed. I wrote Etsy, but was told it was my second violation. When the first was days before. I wrote them again, but received no reply. Such a let down!
Etsy is bully. They ruin your shop in a flash without contacting the seller or even explaining WHY they took down a listing or put your shop on hold. They don't give you any guidance if they do tell you what the problem is. And as you said, they simply don't reply to their sellers.
I don't even know why the algorithm sent me your video, but DAMN 🔥 You have some AMAZING advice! The multiple listing idea is genius!! I love a smart, strong business woman 💪 ❤ Thank you for the video! I'm sure one day I will be able to share your knowledge and experience!!xx
I agree with many of your points but on the other hand, there is a nuance to understand in my eyes: these points are valid in the sale in general, and not only on Etsy, and the sale online is difficult.
I Sell Digital Stuff On Etsy Too And I Had A Problem A While Back Where a few People Would Buy My items, Edit And Download than ask me for a refund because the link didn't work, etsy says no refund on digital, but I had this one girl put a case of scam on me on St then after she did that she inboxed me and told me if I give her a bunch of free products she will take down the scan report and if I don't give it to her she will write a bad review. I had some crazy chick on etsy trying to extort me LOL you can't make this stuff up. Meanwhile I gave her the $5 refund because I got tired of her messaging me at 3:00 a.m. she wrote the main review Line saying I threatened her life and now my etsy shop have a 4 stars
You did an amazing job explaining all of this. I'm over here shaking my head as I watch. As a small planner sticker shop owner, I totally agree with everything.
So appreciate this info. I havent sold any of my work yet, but im getting ready to. Its scary to enter into this phase. Your information is very complete. Thank you so much.
Wow, I'm a new seller and was thinking about where to sell my art, I've been watching A LOT of videos on Etsy, Zeller, RedBubble etc etc, thank you so much because NO ONE I watched was saying anything, like what you said. AGAIN Thank you so so much.🙌🙌
Thank you for this! Recently got a one star review only because the person didn't read the description as it was a digital product and they thought it was going to be delivered in the mail. I contacted the seller but there is no way to reply to reviews or at least I don't know how to if there is. So my five star reviews went down from there it really made me frustrated 😑
I really hate it when that happens. Sometimes buyers don't realize that those reviews are very important to us as sellers. And sometimes they do and still try to be hurtful.
You can reply to reviews, go to dashboard , below it where there is list of people favouriting and purchasing your items, find the review you want to reply to on the list, click on the star not the name of the buyer, and then reply the review. You can contact the buyer through there first to resolve the issue and have the person delete or edit the review because the review cannot be edited or deleted once you reply it, make sure to reply only the 5 stars or the reviews you are okay with, to give room for future editing when the issue has been resolved.
I had a similar experience with a customer. They didn't read the description that explained they would get their purchase as a custom .pdf file by email. Originally they gave me a bad review because they were waiting and hadn't checked their email yet. I replied immediately to their review and explained the problem, but they never took down the negative review. I paused my shop shortly afterwards (for other reasons), and just recently opened up again, and now that last bad review is still there at the top of the list! I think it may be scaring people. Even though I have consistently good previous reviews below it.
Thank you for the reality check. Too many people give smoke and roses. As an Etsy buyer I've been burned by an artist who over estimated their ability. It took me > 6 months to get a custom created item. Only thing that stopped demanding a refund was the artist stayed in contact and low price tied up, and I really wanted the item.
Well they rope you in with that 20 cent listings fee....but then when you sell something there's a fee for the total....that's including the price of the item shipping, taxes, everything...then a transaction fee ...for the price of the item...then a separate shipping fee.....it's like they charging you shipping fee twice.....their fees are like some kind of voodoo ...
I was so happy to be able to purchase a digital product for our company. However, regardless of the directions, written or in a video, if I still had an issue downloading I would contact the shop owner. You know what I received after reaching out for help? Nothing, crickets, nada! So I’ve basically flushed $5 for nothing. Needless to say, I don’t purchase any digital products anymore! Thank you for taking your time to record this video and uploading it! As I understand it, it takes quite awhile? Congratulations on your success on Etsy! Sending love and light!
New subscriber here- thank you so much for this video… you said so many things us Etsy sellers can relate to! I had a few items that I made over the years (I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2009) that became my big sellers…but, like your shirt, had a large margin for error and were extremely time consuming and I very much disliked the whole process. About a year and a half ago I got a Glowforge and found myself making more and more things on my Glowforge and finding myself really enjoying the process of designing and making certain items. After some urging from a friend of mine who knows how much I disliked making some of the things in my shop, I finally bit the bullet and removed those items. While my sales did take a bit of a hit, I am much happier knowing I don’t have to make that stuff anymore. I’m now focusing on coming up with new products using all of my skill sets, but only products that I don’t dislike making. Nice to know others go through this as well. Thanks again! Will be checking out more of your videos after this one!
Are you familiar with Etsy "re-listing" fee? Did you know that "everytime" you sell a single quantity, you are also charged a 0.20cents "re-listing" fee? For example, if you have qty 999, and sell 1 item, and you are left with 998, you are STILL being charged a 0.20cents of "re-listing" fee even though you have 998 at hand? Why are they charging "re-listing" fee, when nothing is been "re-listed?" What do you think about this practice? I want to see what other sellers think...
This is so true. Thanks for uploading this video. They will put the list down and don't even explain what did you do that was wrong. They did it to me with some coins I put and I don't remember what was wrong with the picture or the coin. It's very frustrating....😔
Ebay is worse! They make it so difficult. You cant even sell new stamps because they might be counterfeit but other people overseas can sell counterfiet shit all the time.
OMG!! I am so GLAD I came across your video! I'll be launching shortly and you touch based on everything I was wondering about! The bad and ugly!!! p.s. You just gained a new subbie!🎉
This is a good video but I have to say, I will forever be indebted to you Gardner 😇you’ve changed my whole life I’ll continue to preach about your name for the world to hear you’ve saved me from a huge financial debt with just little investment in money market, thanks so much Ms Rose.
Not a lot of people are aware of this new market, only a handful know how it works, I was fortunate to meet this woman above, I paid for her to teach me, I like do things myself you know, it's been a hard but productive process,
2020 was a rough year for me as I lost my job as a college teacher due to the pandemic. I got introduced to Ms, Gardner, I opened up about challenges I was facing here in Norway, during my time working with her, I was able generate weekly returns on my investment.
I was skeptical at first meeting someone online this days carries enough risk, there's a site she introduced me too, and I got the white paper of the work, In over a month, I was able to tripple my portfolio , she's been a mentor and friend
It hasn’t been easy trying to invest as a newbie with few knowledge. I’m trying to create a new stream of passive income. How can i reach out to her? she could be of great help
Boy am I wishing I had watched this video & read these comments before dealing with those people. My shop was up for 1 week & all of a sudden shut down & told I was completely prohibited from selling anything on there. Ip address included. All with things I design & make myself. No reason why, support was crazy to deal with 3days for a general response that was so random & generic. Direct questions, but no direct answers? I just said, screw em. Talk about stress! I have a brick & mortar to manage as well as taking the time to plane, cut & sand everything I made. I was soooo done, I doubt if I will ever go to their site again. Not even to buy anything. None of the other platforms gave me any issues. I have to applaud you for your success there.
That really SUCKS! I've been hearing this same thing happening more and more. Have you thought about selling on Shopify? If not, I have a Shopify tutorial coming out this week.
Anything that is worth doing is never sunshine an roses. Never. Its really hard. I think too many times people think they can upload a product and the money will come rolling in. People instinctually know a site that someone is working on their brand with "all in" mentality and other shops where they sit back and hope. This vid is a good reminder
I can relate i have been selling for 2 years and i thought i was knowledgeable watching tons of youtube videos Im still learning things but some people are gate keeping and I had to buy a course and learned new things ppl are not telling but i get it make your money
I just closed my Etsy Store because of the Plaid dibacle. Given everything that my research has turned up on Plaid, I refuse to allow them to handle my money. Just no. Etsy has a lot of nerve shooting their Bread and Butter in the bank account like this.
I held out as long as possible regarding Plaid - but Etsy kept allowing customers to purchase from my shop even though they refused to give me my money until I did their banking "verification" BS. It came down to the line and they threatened to suspend my shop. So to get my money I went through the verification by doing it MANUALLY - not by giving them my banking password and having them do it automatically. I still do not agree with the Plaid terms of service and I am looking to set up shop elsewhere.
@@shawnshalest_hws Read their terms and see for yourself - basically you give Plaid permission to use your banking details from ANY device you use to access your bank account, you give them permission to use your details in any way they want, and you give them permission to allow THEIR (Plaid's) CLIENTS to have access to your banking details, now and IN THE FUTURE. All without knowing what specific details, WHO their "clients" are, and what anyone is going to do with those details. Stop money laundering? Total BS. Make it safer for your customers? More BS. Prevent fraud? Need I say it again? These are all terms designed to make you think YOUR PRIVATE TRANSACTIONS are somehow now OK to let ANYONE know about.
@@hannahmitchell87 It's a third party service that Etsy is using in the USA (for now) to supposedly "verify" sellers banking details. Etsy is withholding payments if you do not "verify" your banking details through Plaid. Forget about any verification you might have already given in order to set up your shop - that evidently doesn't count. Resist it and Etsy threatens to suspend your shop. This happened to me - they kept allowing people to purchase from my shop and didn't give me the money until I verified details with Plaid. Do not use the automatic method to verify when Plaid arrives in the UK because you will have to give your banking password to Plaid! Use the manual method instead. I find it to be a very intrusive way of capturing more of our personal private (banking) details and giving it away to Plaid and Plaid's clients (whoever they are - we're not told) for now and in the future.
I’ve had an Etsy shop selling handmade goods . I decided to add imported handmade goods from Africa and Etsy decided to deactivate half my listings even my handmade ones listed for the past 4 years . Etsy stated that didn’t have to give me a reason , this is unacceptable ! Ive closed my account and sell on eBay without issue .
It's no wonder you're saying Etsy's worth it if you sell for more than $10K per month. The real ugly side of Etsy is that a seller makes on average $1800 per year in revenue. Imagine putting in all the time and effort and only getting $1800 revenue per year.
You are so right, Etsy can be super hard and depending on what you are selling it is very competitive. I have another Etsy shop right now that is still in the early stages and I am definitely not making a profit... yet ;-)
@@shawnshalest_hws I have tried 4 different Etsy shops. Only one is giving me profit. (And that's if I don't value my time. If I were to deduct an hourly salary I would probably have no profit.)
What's more is that according to Erank I've sold more than 86% of other Etsy shops in my best selling shop. And I'm very far from making a full-time income from it. So only the very very few are able to live from their Etsy shop.
Etsy ADS could be great for starting a shop. Doing a Flash Sale + Optimizing Listings + Activating Etsy ADS will result in sales. After getting the first sales and some reviews for the shop things will start rolling. Don't focus on profits at the start focus on getting sales and getting your Star seller badge :)
Yes, they need to do better about their notification because they suspended my account and the prompt said that they sent me an email, but no email ever came. Even if you click the banner, it would redirect you to some generic answers that really provides no clue about what's going on.
@@kingofascalon Update. They finally reactivated my account. I still don't know why it was deactivated so I have no idea what to watch out for, other than copyright infringement, which I checked all the elements in my designs for. It took them about 5 days to resolve this issue. So I'm out here still trying to guess what I did wrong🥲
So sorry to hear that. And I'm sure working with Etsy support was not that easy. But it is good to hear that you were able to get your shop opened back up.
How did you get such great pictures of your glitter tshirts? I have a wall art item but it is very difficult to capture the glitter paper it's printed on. Please let me know. Thank you!
Hi! I did it by creating a digital mock-up. I used Silhouette Studio software and added a pattern of the different glitter colors. I believe you can also do it in photoshop. Let me know if you’d like me to do a quick tutorial video.
Thank you so much. This is the first video that I have watched about Etsy, you have explained everything so well. I will now binge on your other Etsy videos.
Thank you for this!:) I'm an etsy seller now for 4 years & i'm alone on this, so there’s definitely no way to make a lot of d items, hence, less sales. Very time consuming on making d products, but it’s okay, it’s more about d passion for me❤, than d money.
I would recommend both. Etsy will bring you customers and Shopify will give you stability as you grow. When you advertise, send people to Shopify because you own it.
There's this one store that has easily made almost $1 000 000 in the last two years selling printable art. They don't even have to run ads because whatever art term you enter, their work pops up. They have Pinterest and Instagram as their SEO but their actual store brand is non-existent and they use such ugly mockups. I have a good brand and I'm going to launch soon but I'm so scared it's going to flop. Idk how they do it lol
@@shawnshalest_hws I don't even know where to begin with listing them honestly. I'm so stressed about losing money with the listings because of me not really knowing what to do about the listing information and tags. I've literally got all my listing images and videos ready for each listing and packaged everything for my customers but I'm stuck on that. Branding is up on every platform, I'm just stuck on all the information needed to list products atm
Maybe self promotion. Facebook and Instagram is a good way to self promote and you can use apps from the Google Play store to make cool looking photos for a product.
I did OVER 5000 sales and made a living until 2021, and it abruptly changed. I left. I applied for several work from home positions at Etsy and was denied. So I got a job and I have no regrets after living in my basement in pajamas for almost a decade. I have insurance, life insurance and I’m working on my retirement. I’m grateful for my opportunity but when I was one of the original shops on the platform, but it was clearly time to move on. Don’t lose your houses being stubborn waiting for things to pick up, because it might not.
Be careful because having multiple listings for the same item is not allowed based on Etsy policies. I also got an item deactivated, and I am afraid to put it back because I already lost a shop a few years back and it was hard for me to get back on Etsy.
Tired of not getting Etsy Sales? I can help... www.workwithshawn.com/esc
I feel like the ugliest truth about Etsy is that they no longer police for handmade items that are truly handmade. I make jewelry and I cannot even tell you how many times I am competing with people reselling imported junk and artsy does nothing. It brings down price points and is super frustrating.
I have noticed that many sellers are buying off of eBay and selling for the same price on Etsy. I can not for the life of me figure out how these sellers are making $$. Like you, I made handmade items and it's is hard to compete with professional photography and cheap junk
you mean Etsy is like a swap meet? I wonder if they only care how sellers help Etsy to make $$$$. Etsy is in the business of making $$$, they are not in the business of judging hand crafts or artistic talents. There has to be another platform where they only accept art created by the site members, no resellers no imported items. Only created by members
I have ordered on Etsy things that appeared to be made in the USA, and I’m all about supporting USA businesses. Only problem, the items took forever to come and of course that little gold oval sticker and customs packaging. Annoying.
@@danamadera6512if you want US only items the best way to do a search for what you are looking for is to they USA at the end of your search. I am an American living in Scotland and have found when buying gifts for family back in the US, this is the easiest way to do it so I am not paying a fortune for shipping.
I thought something was Up with that I'm seeing stuff for someone Etsy that I've seen on Amazon and I'm like wait a minute I thought you could only sell stuff on Etsy that was handmade or vintage which makes me wonder if they're buying stuff from Amazon or reselling it on Etsy. I bought a pair of Barbie earrings from Amazon and saw them a month later on Etsy same design and everything!
She could not have explained Etsy better. So on point. Once, I mentioned the word Tiffany because a customer asked me can they have this and that in Tiffany blue. When it was time to create a reserved listing for her, I put In what she said which was Tiffany Blue item etc. Etsy snatched it down sooo fast and warned me. I was in shock. So, anything can go left even when you think you are doing the right things. Etys is also a hit or miss,You just never know. I have stuck with things people can't find or something came straight from a thought. This allowed me to separate myself from the competition. This has been working quite well. If anyone is thinking about opening a shop, I say go for it. Don't be scared, take steps even if it just the name. Trust me, you will feel good and eager in taking steps everyday. No point in waiting until tomorrow,next month or next year. Good luck to you all.
The sign I needed🪄
I love your feedback! And filling in where there are holes in the market is a perfect strategy. I totally agree with not waiting until tomorrow... get out there and try somethings. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish.
😂😂😂 MY LISTING was banned for saying little blue box because yes it was a Tiffany blue. I like OLD Etsy where stuff was truly HANDMADE!!!!
Tiffany Blue is trademarked. They are animals about their brand like Disney. So many shops over the years are taken down from it.
Wow. .... and it's trade marked lol that's crazy because it's so common of a name and color. Thanks for sharing 🤗 I'm working on my store woo-hoo!
Speaking as someone who had the misfortune of working their Support for a year, you could not PAY me to sell on their platform. The reason support is so bad? Is because the company farms out support to third companies and is HORRIBLE about not sharing information! I have been a support contractor for other companies, and in the previous one if I had a question I could just ping an employee or get up from my desk and walk over to an employee in the correct department. But not this one, no siree!! There was literally NO way to contact a company employee except sending up the ticket and praying they actually did something with it. (Spoiler: They usually didn't.)
Also? They didn't tell us about easily predictable problems. There was a period when I had multiple sellers call me near to tears because every time they sold a product, it showed as sold out no matter what the quantity set. The only reason I was able to help any of them was because my background in tech support gave me troubleshooting skills to figure out what was going on. The solution was a change to the shipping system so the sellers had re-approve their shipping info. That's it, a five minute fix once we knew what the problem was. AND THE COMPANY DIDN'T TELL US!!!
The support people are usually trying their best, but believe me, as someone who was there: if the person you talk to is able to give you any help at all, it's IN SPITE of the company, not because of them.
How sad. Glad you got out!!
I knew they were using outside sources and from another countries because communication of understanding what I am trying to convey sometimes is a problem. and I don't like the idea that someone in another counry have access to my information. This is why we have so many scammers
what platform would you use to sell then?
Are you an Etsy seller seeking clarity and solutions to the intricacies that Etsy fails to divulge? Look no further! I bring forth over 5 years of dedicated experience as a stalwart in Etsy support, ready to empower you with the insights and resolutions you deserve.
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I honestly didn’t know Etsy had any real support😂. As a seller I have never been able to speak to a real person
Just listing is a full time in itself, but what I really hate the most is that what they really care is for themselves. Etsy is very arbitrary when it comes to their rules. You have no chance to ask, to defend yourself and their customer service is completely none existent. Like you, I had an item in my store for years and they suddenly deactivated it. It took some days to come back to my listings. No email was sent to us, so we do not know what - if - anything was wrong. No explanation and if I want to ask anything in the forum I get their " oops". Never get the forum to work. I really hope that one day someone comes with a platform JUST for HANDMADE.
OMG, you have hit the nail on the head. It is sooooo frustrating when you don't know what you did to anger the Etsy gods and there is no one you can talk to to help you get any answers.
Yes no more things on there is not handmade
Yeah they really suck. I’m really just starting to see sells on their site ands only stay because it’s so much traffic coming through Etsy but it’s not a real advantage. By the time I make my sales it’s time to pay them and I swear I barely see any of my revenue unless I sell in person, on my personal site and Facebook.
@@jessicakillian3738 I actually did all the math this weekend. It does not worth to sell there. My son has a store and I list them. His items are handmade and it takes minimum 6 hours- some more to make and he gets about 5 to 6 dollars/hour. He just told me he better go flip hamburgers at Mc Donald's for 15/hr. AND Etsy still wanted to charge additional 15% more for them to put out a Christmas commercial on TV. We are moving soon and we will close the store and look for another option to sell handmade. They are selling lots of drop shipping and the chine-- are everywhere. First I don't buy from them any more. We all handmade should jump the ship.
@@GoldenPhoenix0311 You are so right. We should jump the ship. My son has a store and I hate to list his stuff. That page has a bunch of stupid stuff to fill up that buyers do not care and does not appear at the items' page. Also he is making less than 5 to 6 dollars an hour with all the charges, when he sells. He sold 2 items for Christmas. After we refused to pay more our views went down significantly. USPS will be increasing charges in January and I don't see an advantage to sell on Etsy anymore. I am looking for other ways to sell.
The main thing to know is that unless you pay, you will NEVER be found on Etsy. Not only are you paying to post on Etsy, but you have to pay extra to be found. They go out of their way to use a randomization algorithm so that ONLY those who pay can be found.
are you saying that only sellers who pay for ads get sales?
@@hannahmitchell87 completely true,I tried it out just to see. With my ads I was selling 10 items a day I stopped the ads for two weeks and I got 5 orders in two weeks. I started it up again and now I'm back to better than before
@@BreeBrog that's interesting but different to OP's assertion that you'll never get any sales if you don't pay for ads
@@hannahmitchell87 do what works best for you, I've been selling on etsy for not even 3 months and made over 4k so far.. I'm just stating the facts, I made that 4k when I had my ads up, I took them down just to see for 2 weeks, I made less than 200 those two weeks, started my ads again and back to getting my bag
@@BreeBrog good for you, that's awesome! ☺️
Omg I ran into making something I hate on accident. 😂 Learn from me:
I had this great idea to make custom planners (I’m a stationary shop) and I made ONE before I listed it. Listed it and it was super popular! But I HATED making them, it was just WAY too time consuming and not enjoyable and I didn’t/wouldn’t have known that until I started getting orders. I decided to carry them out until the end of the year and discontinue the product. It’s your shop, do something you enjoy.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Sometimes you just don't know until you try something.
This was my experience with complicated VRoid hair presets! I decided to make a more simple version. I had offered the first for FREE and it got a lot of attention. The simple one took me way less time and I listed it for $10. Took a while (Gumroad) but it sold ONE. I feel way better! Maybe try to keep at it but in a way that feels more comfortable!
What’s a vroid hair preset, please? Thanks.
What is your store. I need some stationery.
Just a thought, ( I've done same thing) would u do a paid subscription for this planner? Would it be worth the time?
I like to watch the videos that show the “ugly” side.
We can’t make all mistakes ourselves. Thank you for putting this up.
There are eay better alternatives to etsy! 😂 I just posted a video about it ❤
Etsy sucks my will to live😅I’ve been a 5 star Seller for over 14 YEARS. They put a “Reserve Hold” on my Shop where they hold 75% of all my sales until items have tracked shipping.
Reason? “A sudden sharp increase in sales”
I do a ton of custom work, so this has genuinely harmed my business.
I just looked up who owns Etsy and who the CEO is. Now that I know they are of the international clique, I will rethink whether to sell there at all or if there is an alternative not run by people who see others as "cattle".
OMG!!!! That happened to me too!!! I WAS LIVID!!! But I figured out how to get through it. I also learned that if you make Star Seller they will sometimes remove the hold.
How much money do you make on Etsy???
I had this when I was new. When you’re notified of the reserve, it mentions that if you reach star seller, they’ll remove it early. They did remove mine as soon as I got to star seller. I wish they’d just hold 100% or 0% tho because it messed up my tracking in my bank register.
They did the same to my daughter with no warning or explanation why.
Etsy does a great job making it difficult to locate too many rules and regulations. They rarely respond to inquiries, too, but are quick to take action. Yes, Etsy Support is a nightmare on every level. You are absolutely right on that and everything else. I'm phasing out my shop. The marketplace has altered significantly in the last decade and doing in-person only. I make money at shows instead of paying Etsy (renewal fees, etc.). Nice job, people need to hear all sides.
ETSY IS NOT WORTH IT! CLOSED MY SHOP FOR A WEEK AND A HALF - AND I MISSED MY VALENTINES PROMOTIONAL FOR T-SHIRTS, AND I SAW OTHER STORES STEALING MY DESIGNS. ETSY IS A HASBEEN PLATFORM. THE SQUEEZE ISN'T WORTH THE JUICE. THEN THEY STOPPED MY BUYERS FROM RECEIVING ANY MERCHANDISE, DELAYED AND WEEK THEN 2 WEEKS, THEN 3 WEEKS, NOW GOING ON 4 WEEKS. CONTACTED ETSY SUPPORT AND THEY SAID, THAT INBOX IS NOT MONITORED. FUNNY, NO SUPPORT FOR THE ETSY EMAIL SUPPORT INBOX, CLASSIC ETSY, NO SERIOUS BUSINESS WOULD INVEST TIME AND MONEY IN A LOWBROW BUSINESS SUCH AS ETSY.
AMEN their customer support is the worst in the world. just like dealing with DMV
I found a website that only sells handmade: can't write it here as a htts but will try to spell it: My Community Made. I definitely am done with E--y!!
@@sophiahuber4756 There are alternatives but they do not have Etsys traffic. Etsy is better than Amz.
Before watching this video, I looked at the one from Kate Hayes, who talks about setting up an Etsy shop online. Boy oh boy, do they make life difficult! Too many rules and the more rules there are, the more complicated the venue and the less likely people are to use them.
Thank you for your honesty because there are so many successful Etsy sellers who made it look so easy to be successful. It’s a lot of hard work and sales are hard to come by. Etsy remains as a side hustle for me. No way can I make a living selling on Etsy at this rate..😅
So true! It's a lot of work! I also find it fun... I like trying to figure out the right strategy to make sales. But I'm with you... I'm not ready to make Etsy my main source of income but it's a good side hustle.
@@shawnshalest_hws yeah, its good for just getting started and dipping your feet into the water.
Your not going to get nowhere being negative
You are a very gracious sales woman. To help others in this manner is priceless advise. Not alot of people would di this. This makes you top notch. Wishing you the best of luck with your business.
I quit etsy. I was doing digital download art. Now I resale on Poshmark, FBM, and Mercari. So much easier.
What is FBM?
@@christineoneal666 Factbook marketplace
@@debeauti2877 Thanks!
Etsy is too competitive.
Are you experiencing success on these platforms?
Really appreciate that you don’t have this all glitter and smiles look about you. You feel real and beautiful with the battle scares in your smiles. So refreshing. Thank you
I absolutely LOVE your transparency and willingness to help others in their businesses. Bless you 💖
Thank you so much. I do enjoy helping others start businesses.
I love patronizing Etsy sellers, and considered opening up my own shop (because selling at local craft shows has been hit or miss.) I appreciate the honest feedback and straight talk. Thank you for sharing!
I don't know what to do about buying instant digital downloads...
They make it so hard now.
It used to be so easy when they put it in my email, now I have to fight for what I buy.
Etsy support is awful and I thought that’s why they upped their fees to make it better but they did not. They make us reply in 24 hours to customers but I contacted them over chat and they said they would get back to me within like 72 hours, well over two weeks later I finally got a response and it was basically like a form email that didn’t help me at all. 😑
All very valid points. I have been on Etsy for almost 8 years now, but mainly sell through my website and wholesale these days. I also had a physical store. I always wonder why someone would base their entire business on Etsy sales because it could disappear in the blink of an eye without any control over it on your part. I've made videos about my thoughts as well, especially after having two people I know who were six figure sellers get shut down unexpectedly and go from the good life to....nothing.
For me personally, I'd want my business on one platform because it makes it so much easier, mentally, for everything to be in one place. I'd only have to check one thing, worry about one thing, and market one place. However I would still be pretty terrified of the reasons you explained, so if I was to start a business I'd have to seriously consider that decision, and I would probably end up having to base it on more than one place.
Wow, that's outrageous !
This “Out of the blue shop cancelation with no explanation as to WHY,”happens on redbubble also so BE careful on there as well! They too have very strict rules.
Moral of the story: If you make a lot of money on Etsy, and that's your primary source of income, save a large chunk of it!
@@Bigkrisp_Man never put all your business eggs into one basket. ESPECIALLY if you don’t have complete control of that platform. Even in-person stores have online sales as well right? 😊
I think the worst part of Etsy is their fees. You have to charge super high prices just to make a profit since Etsy acts like a pimp . It's hard because the average person isn't gonna pay some wild price for something they could buy from someone else who isn't pricing to make up for fees
THANK YOU for being real. I see so many videos from people on TH-cam trying to sell their workshop masterclass and not giving the full story to newbies.
Subscribed.
You are so welcome! I think it's important to show the good and the bad. If you go into selling on Etsy with a realistic view then you have a better chance of being successful and not quitting when things are less than perfect. Thanks for subscribing. :-)
Thank you for saying there are some products you just don't want to make! You are the first creative who's said what I thought at times. Folks loved one item I had, yet making it took too long and I didn't enjoy it. I've tried to rearrange things, make a limited number--yet still not feeling it😸 I no longer sell on Etsy. I remember when Etsy was private and really all about handmade. I am happy for your continued success!
That one had to be said... lol. Sometimes it is not about the money. It's no way to do the work that needs to be done if you hate it.
@@shawnshalest_hws truth!!
@@shawnshalest_hws you are soooo right and I’m so glad you said it!!! @Lisa-Lin B I’m thankful you made this comment. When I watched the video, I was thinking, “ok duh, so just don’t make that product a listing” and then she explained how it came about and I related on SO. MANY. LEVELS. 🤣🤣🤣 As a creator who has been terrified to make the Etsy jump, I could just as well have told myself “ok duh, just DON’T post that super cute shirt on your FB page” which would never work🤣😘 Y’all are both awesome! Thanks for an amazing dose of perspective!!!
The problem I have, is that people love the small tables I make. It’s very cheap tho !! $30 each !! I have things worth hundreds, but everybody seems to skip pass that and purchase the small tables. It’s not enough money bruh !! 🤦🏿♂️
How do u sell now? I was considering Etsy but several negative points make me rethink.
Thanks for all the great info… some good stuff! As a graphic designer that sells digital designs I was taken aback when you referred it as passive income. I sit at my laptop all day, drawing and creating designs… I can hardly see how that’s considered passive LOL no different than an office worker in an office. Believe me it is both mental and physically tiring :)
Lol... I feel you. Passive is never really passive in my opinion. A lot of work goes into it and then automation takes over. But if you want to keep growing then you are still working in the background to make it better. I almost want to stop using that word...lol
You are so right!
Yess absolutely this! I work full time in graphic design as well and I've come to realize that this "passive" income side hustle is definitely not passive lol. It's almost become a second full time job for me. Basically I'm working on it as soon as I'm not at work, so I spend the majority of my time on my computer. Honestly it's gotten to the point that I'm more passionate/interested in my Etsy design work than my actual job (but unfortunately Etsy can't be a sustainable option for me atm). One of the biggest things I've learned from this, it's alot of work to design items, get good mockup/physical photos (hours of editing), list items, keep up with finances, run a social media for your store, and keep up with customers.
@@hobisdimples94 Girl, who u telling? My laptop is my boo thang. 😄
Isn’t passive income considered a side/secondary income? It really doesn’t matter how many hours a day/week are spent on a computer or how tiring it is in this case. It really only matters if it’s your main income or secondary when talking about Passive income, right? Or am I wrong in the definition of passive income?
Wow!!! Every single thing you spoke about hit home. I opened my shop this past October. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, my shop took off. I just had to put my shop on vacation 2 weeks ago so I could get caught up on orders, create new products, restock materials and inventory, and most importantly rest lol. Thank you so much for sharing all this TRUTH!! ❤❤
What product do you sell @ star budgets
@@dazzle___8700 I sell budgeting items. Savings challenges, cash envelopes, money bags…..❤
This makes a lot of sense, I feel like a lot of people starting out that have never had a business before really need to hear this. It's work, you have to plan, crunch numbers, spend a LOT of time getting it up and running, handling customer service, as well as building to the point where you can get it to that sweet spot place that you can spend a couple hours/day vs 10 hours a day. But it's not going to do it itself. . YOU are going to hvae to get the business going. Great video!!
Etsy used to be only for hand-made and vintage. They don't support the vintage sellers at all, and they make it hard for them to list certain items by making certain words and phrases off limits. For example you can't use the word "ivory" when describing the color of an item. Another problem now is they no longer make sure people really are selling items they made in hand-made. They allow cheap resale junk. They also don't make sure sellers are being honest about where they are shipping from. I ordered an item that said that it shipped from Michigan. When I received it, it was clear it came from overseas. One item didn't fit properly it was impossible to send it back because of the cost of shipping. The seller lied about where they were shipping from. The shop is still there.
I absolutely love this video! Thank you for being so honest. I love what I do, I love my shop, but everything isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. Excellent video 🥰
Thank you so much!
Your comments are spot on! Excellent video. Well edited, too. One of my issues with my Etsy shop was with their "Reserve" system (Holding back 75% of my sales until they are satisfied with my process. I was totally unaware of the "reserve", but that's my fault. I should have dug deeper into their rules. Thanks for this video! Good stuff.
Great video. For someone who is just starting to research selling on ETSY there is a wealth of good information here. Sitting through other introductory videos, that make the business sound so good (dare i say easy?), one wonders what the real day-to-day challenges are. You covered many good points and your experience is valuable in educating a newbe.
thank you.
This is my first time coming across your page.This is actually the first video I've seen, so far. What caught my attention is that, to me, you came across extremely genuine and direct when explaining the negative side(s) , yet very important aspects, you personally experienced as an entrepreneur with/through Etsy. There are a lot of pros and cons to a lot of similar sites that I find some people "might" be willing to speak on, but not go into much detail about. So as an artist myself, I've been looking into & trying to do more of a detailed dive in gathering as much info as possible to make sure I make the right choices, as I am looking to start my own business venture. But in just trying to make sure I have all(if not most) of the correct knowledge so that I'll be making all of the right decisions from the beginning. It call all be so nerve wrecking though. We're all hoping & trusting that we do finally launch our businesses, that we hope that we did all of the right research, & enough of it too. But when I do launch, all I can do it is cross my fingers & trust that I do made all the right decisions for it to be successful. Anything from there forward will all just be a learning experience from then on, & that any mistakes made, I immediately learn from them and correct whatever changes necessary adjustments to better my business. My apologies for the long text though, but I guess I said all of that to say, "Thank You" & I "Appreciate" you sharing your personal experiences of the negative things to expect or watch out for....So I'll most definitely be subscribing & hoping to find a few more gems amongst your videos.💯
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am happy that you found this video helpful. It's sometimes hard to figure out what is needed. I LOVE being a business owner and I love teaching others how to become business owners but I need them to know it's a hard road. It's rewarding... but hard. But I believe if you are prepared for the hard road ahead and you have a community behind you... YOU CAN DO IT!
Thank you for your honesty and transparency. One of my ugly truths about being an etsy seller is the time consumption involved in creating new listings. Ugh....I have 2 shops on Etsy and have been selling on Etsy since 2011.
Thank you so much for leaving this comment. You are so right. Posting new listings is very time-consuming, especially when you are just getting started. And you have to put in the time to create a listing that will get views. Thanks again for sharing.
I tried Etsy and it was hell. I unintentionally violating there rules. I reach out to them over and over and over and over again only to keep getting an automated response. They shut my shop down and i still don't know why. way too stressful. i would not encourage anyone to sell on Etsy. I thought i was the only one. Thanks for your vid, great information.
Thanks for your realness & honesty! Total newbie here.
Im working on pulling off Etsy as soon as I can build up my channel to help supplement. Ive done very well there but Im getting to the point I dont want to pay them anymore! LOL Fees on shipping charges now is a downer and their customer service is terrible. Edit to add, Im with you on pulling stuff even if it sells if you cant stand it. Ive been there!
OMG… I’m with you on the fees on shipping charges. The shipping charges are just pass through to the carriers. I have to remind myself that the strategy is to try to get people over to my personal site.
@@shawnshalest_hws Yeah the shipping fee thing sucks! Ive been on Etsy with a couple shops since 2013. Im partly getting to the point I dont want to do any made to order anymore either but I need to build my supplement first! LOL
Almost everyone breaks the rules on Etsy!!!! They say you have to make everything you sell unless it is vintage but all the sellers say "Hand Made"!!! I was trying to follow the rules and hand-make all of my items and when I realized everyone else was lying about making the items they sold I closed down my store and went to eBay to sell. I immediately started selling my items and love working on eBay.
I haven't looked into eBay yet. Maybe I should give it a try.
As a shopper, it frustrates me to see all the mass produced, made in China items on Etsy, labeled and priced as Handmade, that are available from many other sellers on regular Amazon. When I shop Etsy, I want truly Handmade items by small business owners. I used to report those listings to Etsy but it seemed like nothing ever happened.
@@kaylakitty3814 There is something bigger going on here. I live in Australia and while you can't even send a letter down the road for under $1.10, somehow Chinese businesses are able to sell cheap items for as little as $1 including free postage all the way from China to Australia. Obviously, governments and big businesses have made some special deals with the Chinese communists behind our backs.
@@kaylakitty3814 bc nowadays, mass produced stuff is allowed on Etsy. It wasn’t like that several years ago.
Not everyone who says they have Handmade products are lying (mine are truly Handmade). However, I agree that the use of the word Handmade has been radically distorted beyond belief. Having an idea then farming it out to a mini-factory scenario is most definitely NOT Handmade, for example.
Etsy hasn’t paid me for a month! No reason, no one will return my emails, horrible customer service! Going to the AG of New York to file a complaint. I’ve been a seller since 2011, when they sold two years ago things have gone downhill.
I understand about the shirt. A love/hate relationship. Sell things which bring you JOY❤❤
This was insanely helpful, thank you so much. Have officially dissuaded me from starting a shop, and that’s honestly a good thing. Take care and be well!
I've been considering starting an etsy store and your channel has been a wealth of information. You've got a new subscriber and binge watcher. Keep the great videos coming. 👍🏽
Thanks so much!
I'm finally about to start my esty shop, so I definitely appreciate this video and glad I found your page.
We rarely give positive thumbs up. In your case you are our first thumbs up . Well done. You're transparent honest realistic . A fresh difference from do many misleading TH-camrs
Just came across this channel. Love your "frankness" and have found your advice gives me hope in what has been a very depressing beginnings to my selling items on Etsy. Thank you.
This is so real 🙄 I just posted a vid about other options instead of etsy
This has happened to my shop, like 10 times in the last 2 months. They keep deleting stuff with no info. It’s terrible! My situation was different I have a spiritual shop. It seems like if I use specific words they delete it. Honestly it’s annoying
Thank you so much for this useful reality check. Developing my business in an ecological way is so important to me and this is a great awareness booster about what to pay attention to.
I finally made my first sale after several months of creating my store, soon after, my store got shut down for “counterfeiting”. In the meantime, my customer product is floating around somewhere. I can’t cancel Oder because my account had been suspended permanently. I sent a message to support as I’m awaiting a response. So frustrating.
So sorry to hear that... Etsy has some pretty strict rules in that area.
Send them a list of stores selling Disney designs, horror movie characters, and other clear copyright breaches along with a follow up asking why your store was closed and for an opportunity to rectify the issue once they let you know why it was closed.
@MJ-on2qv
That isn’t good advice so much of your communication is screened and sorted by type of issue. You are not going to get a response by reporting others.
I am wondering if you can reporting copyright? That is very different than counterfeit.
That transition 👏 legit sis! Great tips too, I really need to get into this. So sick of workin' for the man and building their riches up while being put down, so dope you work for yourself!
I have sold on Etsy now for many years and it used to be all handmade niche items and now they just allow anyone and everyone with digital items and it's just not the same!
It's always refreshing to see content about the downside of a side hustle. Almost all make everything sound SO easy and full-proof, and it just doesn't work that way.
Thanks so much for this incredibly valuable information
As someone just kicking off, I found this so helpful. Thanks for being so generous with what you've learned. Subscribed! :)
Thank you so much 😊
My first item that took off on Etsy and I was getting an actual steady income from this product and after I started making them, I realized this was not such a good idea. I had thought so many different types of products on Etsy. I didn’t expect the demand that there was so I didn’t pre-mix for the anticipation of the higher demand. So as these orders keep coming in and I’m not able to keep up with the pace, I just wanted to pull my hair out. I completely understand and agree with you on that point.
I totally understand. You just never know.
What's the name of your shop?
This came up in my news feed & I am SO glad I clicked on it as I am literally considering opening an Etsy shop! I'm now going to review your other post for good info. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm forever grateful. 🌹
Great advice for selling on just about any platform. Revenue and profit are absolutely not the same.
Thank you for this post especially about your custom t-shirt/experience and analogy and making activewear products, and how the process may not be worth the profit, profit and how the whole dang thing effected you and your fiance significantly. This is very helpful. Hope you and yours continue to be blessed, and you are all finding joy with what you are creating and making!
Thank you!
I love your voice for some reason. 😂 I know that was weird... It was weird for me too! Great video, I was blocked in Etsy for a week when I first started and it was the worst experience trying to figure out what was going on!!
I appreciate your frank and honest assessment of selling on Etsy. I keep tossing the idea around and keep coming back to the idea that it takes more to make my handmade cards than I can sell them for.
Yes! I was selling so many tutus back in the day but it sucked the joy out of making it. Too many layers of tulle. Anything too labor intensive now, I no longer make.
You are absolutely gorgeous and so well spoken and on point! I have never purchased off that platform nor do I have any listings but I do know many artists who use it. This video is extremely informative and I enjoyed watching. Now subbing!😊
Thank you so much :-)
Several years ago, I had a wonderful shop on Etsy. I had sales and was happy, but I was learning the process. I started being harassed by a random person that was not a customer; s/he was saying random unsolicited things about my pictures (the pictures were high quality with nothing in the background). It was super annoying and plain disrespectful. Then out of the blue, Etsy sent me a notice that my hashtags were in violation. I had many handmade products listed. I spent a couple of hours going through what I thought was each listing to remove hashtags that I thought were in violation. I missed a couple and my shop was closed. Wonderful product descriptions locked and lost. I was so disappointed. I wrote Etsy, but was told it was my second violation. When the first was days before. I wrote them again, but received no reply. Such a let down!
Etsy is bully. They ruin your shop in a flash without contacting the seller or even explaining WHY they took down a listing or put your shop on hold. They don't give you any guidance if they do tell you what the problem is. And as you said, they simply don't reply to their sellers.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. It's scary to have your entire business in Etsy's hands.
Thats way It's always good to have a second online shop.
That person maybe was jealous of you too.
Sounds like it is being run by the international bullies punishing Kanye West atm.
Just did the research and yes, it is, including the CEO. Don't expect them to care about sellers unless you're one of them.
I don't even know why the algorithm sent me your video, but DAMN 🔥 You have some AMAZING advice! The multiple listing idea is genius!! I love a smart, strong business woman 💪 ❤ Thank you for the video! I'm sure one day I will be able to share your knowledge and experience!!xx
Thank you for commenting. I'm happy the algorithm sent me your way. :-)
I agree with many of your points but on the other hand, there is a nuance to understand in my eyes: these points are valid in the sale in general, and not only on Etsy, and the sale online is difficult.
I completely agree... many of the things I pointed out can relate to running a business in general.
Hey! So happy I found your channel! Bravo! I'm a Digital Etsy seller! Heck yes its stressful. Thanks for the real video!
I'm happy you found me too! I love chatting with other Etsy sellers.
I Sell Digital Stuff On Etsy Too And I Had A Problem A While Back Where a few People Would Buy My items, Edit And Download than ask me for a refund because the link didn't work, etsy says no refund on digital, but I had this one girl put a case of scam on me on St then after she did that she inboxed me and told me if I give her a bunch of free products she will take down the scan report and if I don't give it to her she will write a bad review. I had some crazy chick on etsy trying to extort me LOL you can't make this stuff up. Meanwhile I gave her the $5 refund because I got tired of her messaging me at 3:00 a.m. she wrote the main review Line saying I threatened her life and now my etsy shop have a 4 stars
You did an amazing job explaining all of this. I'm over here shaking my head as I watch. As a small planner sticker shop owner, I totally agree with everything.
So appreciate this info. I havent sold any of my work yet, but im getting ready to. Its scary to enter into this phase. Your information is very complete. Thank you so much.
Wow, I'm a new seller and was thinking about where to sell my art, I've been watching A LOT of videos on Etsy, Zeller, RedBubble etc etc, thank you so much because NO ONE I watched was saying anything, like what you said. AGAIN Thank you so so much.🙌🙌
Oh wow! Thanks so much for your comment. I’m happy I was helpful.
@@shawnshalest_hws absolutely!
Thank you for this! Recently got a one star review only because the person didn't read the description as it was a digital product and they thought it was going to be delivered in the mail. I contacted the seller but there is no way to reply to reviews or at least I don't know how to if there is. So my five star reviews went down from there it really made me frustrated 😑
I really hate it when that happens. Sometimes buyers don't realize that those reviews are very important to us as sellers. And sometimes they do and still try to be hurtful.
You can reply to reviews, go to dashboard , below it where there is list of people favouriting and purchasing your items, find the review you want to reply to on the list, click on the star not the name of the buyer, and then reply the review. You can contact the buyer through there first to resolve the issue and have the person delete or edit the review because the review cannot be edited or deleted once you reply it, make sure to reply only the 5 stars or the reviews you are okay with, to give room for future editing when the issue has been resolved.
@@liamlovesgames7958 yeah I have contacted the buyer and screen shotted proof that I sent it with the date! Thank you I will do that
I had a similar experience with a customer. They didn't read the description that explained they would get their purchase as a custom .pdf file by email. Originally they gave me a bad review because they were waiting and hadn't checked their email yet. I replied immediately to their review and explained the problem, but they never took down the negative review. I paused my shop shortly afterwards (for other reasons), and just recently opened up again, and now that last bad review is still there at the top of the list! I think it may be scaring people. Even though I have consistently good previous reviews below it.
Thank you for the reality check. Too many people give smoke and roses. As an Etsy buyer I've been burned by an artist who over estimated their ability. It took me > 6 months to get a custom created item. Only thing that stopped demanding a refund was the artist stayed in contact and low price tied up, and I really wanted the item.
Well they rope you in with that 20 cent listings fee....but then when you sell something there's a fee for the total....that's including the price of the item shipping, taxes, everything...then a transaction fee ...for the price of the item...then a separate shipping fee.....it's like they charging you shipping fee twice.....their fees are like some kind of voodoo ...
I was so happy to be able to purchase a digital product for our company. However, regardless of the directions, written or in a video, if I still had an issue downloading I would contact the shop owner. You know what I received after reaching out for help? Nothing, crickets, nada! So I’ve basically flushed $5 for nothing. Needless to say, I don’t purchase any digital products anymore! Thank you for taking your time to record this video and uploading it! As I understand it, it takes quite awhile? Congratulations on your success on Etsy! Sending love and light!
Thank you so much 🙂
New subscriber here- thank you so much for this video… you said so many things us Etsy sellers can relate to! I had a few items that I made over the years (I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2009) that became my big sellers…but, like your shirt, had a large margin for error and were extremely time consuming and I very much disliked the whole process. About a year and a half ago I got a Glowforge and found myself making more and more things on my Glowforge and finding myself really enjoying the process of designing and making certain items. After some urging from a friend of mine who knows how much I disliked making some of the things in my shop, I finally bit the bullet and removed those items. While my sales did take a bit of a hit, I am much happier knowing I don’t have to make that stuff anymore. I’m now focusing on coming up with new products using all of my skill sets, but only products that I don’t dislike making. Nice to know others go through this as well. Thanks again! Will be checking out more of your videos after this one!
Hi! And welcome to the HWS family. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
@@shawnshalest_hws thanks so much!😊
Are you familiar with Etsy "re-listing" fee? Did you know that "everytime" you sell a single quantity, you are also charged a 0.20cents "re-listing" fee? For example, if you have qty 999, and sell 1 item, and you are left with 998, you are STILL being charged a 0.20cents of "re-listing" fee even though you have 998 at hand? Why are they charging "re-listing" fee, when nothing is been "re-listed?" What do you think about this practice? I want to see what other sellers think...
This is so true. Thanks for uploading this video. They will put the list down and don't even explain what did you do that was wrong. They did it to me with some coins I put and I don't remember what was wrong with the picture or the coin. It's very frustrating....😔
Exactly!
Ebay is worse! They make it so difficult. You cant even sell new stamps because they might be counterfeit but other people overseas can sell counterfiet shit all the time.
This video is very helpful 👍 do you have a video on how to setup a digital product on Etsy? Thank you!
OMG!! I am so GLAD I came across your video! I'll be launching shortly and you touch based on everything I was wondering about! The bad and ugly!!! p.s. You just gained a new subbie!🎉
Thank you so much. I'd love to know if you have any other questions or topics you'd like me to cover.
Excellent info! I'm not a seller but it was great to hear from the seller's point of view.
Thank you for helping open my store yesterday. I finally did it!! ❤
This is a great video! I’m on the fence about opening an Etsy store. There’s pros and cons to everything.
You are so right! But you'll never know until you give it a try and see how you like it.
This is a good video but I have to say, I will forever be indebted to you Gardner 😇you’ve changed my whole life I’ll continue to preach about your name for the world to hear you’ve saved me from a huge financial debt with just little investment in money market, thanks so much Ms Rose.
Not a lot of people are aware of this new market, only a handful know how it works, I was fortunate to meet this woman above, I paid for her to teach me, I like do things myself you know, it's been a hard but productive process,
2020 was a rough year for me as I lost my job as a college teacher due to the pandemic. I got introduced to Ms, Gardner, I opened up about challenges I was facing here in Norway, during my time working with her, I was able generate weekly returns on my investment.
I was skeptical at first meeting someone online this days carries enough risk, there's a site she introduced me too, and I got the white paper of the work, In over a month, I was able to tripple my portfolio , she's been a mentor and friend
It hasn’t been easy trying to invest as a newbie with few knowledge. I’m trying to create a new stream of passive income. How can i reach out to her? she could be of great help
@ROSEGARDNERBIS
Boy am I wishing I had watched this video & read these comments before dealing with those people. My shop was up for 1 week & all of a sudden shut down & told I was completely prohibited from selling anything on there. Ip address included. All with things I design & make myself. No reason why, support was crazy to deal with 3days for a general response that was so random & generic. Direct questions, but no direct answers? I just said, screw em. Talk about stress! I have a brick & mortar to manage as well as taking the time to plane, cut & sand everything I made. I was soooo done, I doubt if I will ever go to their site again. Not even to buy anything. None of the other platforms gave me any issues. I have to applaud you for your success there.
That really SUCKS! I've been hearing this same thing happening more and more. Have you thought about selling on Shopify? If not, I have a Shopify tutorial coming out this week.
Anything that is worth doing is never sunshine an roses. Never. Its really hard. I think too many times people think they can upload a product and the money will come rolling in. People instinctually know a site that someone is working on their brand with "all in" mentality and other shops where they sit back and hope. This vid is a good reminder
I LOVE YOUR COMMENT! So true!
I can relate i have been selling for 2 years and i thought i was knowledgeable watching tons of youtube videos Im still learning things but some people are gate keeping and I had to buy a course and learned new things ppl are not telling but i get it make your money
I just closed my Etsy Store because of the Plaid dibacle. Given everything that my research has turned up on Plaid, I refuse to allow them to handle my money. Just no. Etsy has a lot of nerve shooting their Bread and Butter in the bank account like this.
I held out as long as possible regarding Plaid - but Etsy kept allowing customers to purchase from my shop even though they refused to give me my money until I did their banking "verification" BS. It came down to the line and they threatened to suspend my shop. So to get my money I went through the verification by doing it MANUALLY - not by giving them my banking password and having them do it automatically. I still do not agree with the Plaid terms of service and I am looking to set up shop elsewhere.
@@DesignCutters This is interesting... can you tell me more about what you don't like regarding the Plaid terms of service?
@@shawnshalest_hws Read their terms and see for yourself - basically you give Plaid permission to use your banking details from ANY device you use to access your bank account, you give them permission to use your details in any way they want, and you give them permission to allow THEIR (Plaid's) CLIENTS to have access to your banking details, now and IN THE FUTURE. All without knowing what specific details, WHO their "clients" are, and what anyone is going to do with those details. Stop money laundering? Total BS. Make it safer for your customers? More BS. Prevent fraud? Need I say it again? These are all terms designed to make you think YOUR PRIVATE TRANSACTIONS are somehow now OK to let ANYONE know about.
What's Plaid? I haven't heard anything about it? (Am in the UK if that makes a difference, maybe?)
@@hannahmitchell87 It's a third party service that Etsy is using in the USA (for now) to supposedly "verify" sellers banking details. Etsy is withholding payments if you do not "verify" your banking details through Plaid. Forget about any verification you might have already given in order to set up your shop - that evidently doesn't count. Resist it and Etsy threatens to suspend your shop. This happened to me - they kept allowing people to purchase from my shop and didn't give me the money until I verified details with Plaid. Do not use the automatic method to verify when Plaid arrives in the UK because you will have to give your banking password to Plaid! Use the manual method instead. I find it to be a very intrusive way of capturing more of our personal private (banking) details and giving it away to Plaid and Plaid's clients (whoever they are - we're not told) for now and in the future.
First time watching a video from you and I see in your background "A goal without a plan is just a wish" that is my life motto, simple subscribe.
I’ve had an Etsy shop selling handmade goods . I decided to add imported handmade goods from Africa and Etsy decided to deactivate half my listings even my handmade ones listed for the past 4 years .
Etsy stated that didn’t have to give me a reason , this is unacceptable !
Ive closed my account and sell on eBay without issue .
That sucks! And yes, that is exactly how they treat you. They give you no reasons at all.
It's no wonder you're saying Etsy's worth it if you sell for more than $10K per month.
The real ugly side of Etsy is that a seller makes on average $1800 per year in revenue. Imagine putting in all the time and effort and only getting $1800 revenue per year.
Yeah that’s shit
You are so right, Etsy can be super hard and depending on what you are selling it is very competitive. I have another Etsy shop right now that is still in the early stages and I am definitely not making a profit... yet ;-)
@@shawnshalest_hws I have tried 4 different Etsy shops. Only one is giving me profit. (And that's if I don't value my time. If I were to deduct an hourly salary I would probably have no profit.)
What's more is that according to Erank I've sold more than 86% of other Etsy shops in my best selling shop. And I'm very far from making a full-time income from it. So only the very very few are able to live from their Etsy shop.
It's definitely a numbers game. I'm so happy that you brought up accounting for your time. That is a very important part of profitability.
nice video, i just join Etsy and its so hard to get sales.
It can be hard at the beginning. Just make sure your listings are optimized. You can also try running a small flash sale to get yourself noticed.
You have to bring in your own clients, from other social media, especially.
Don't pay out for Etsy Ads (really not worth spit).
Well ofcourse no bizz is gonna go without stress or problemen otherweise lotta people be succesfull and not many would quit very fast 😄
Etsy ADS could be great for starting a shop. Doing a Flash Sale + Optimizing Listings + Activating Etsy ADS will result in sales. After getting the first sales and some reviews for the shop things will start rolling. Don't focus on profits at the start focus on getting sales and getting your Star seller badge :)
@@ecouturehandmades5166 nobody has that shit. Most people have less than 100 followers on social media. So be quiet
Yes, they need to do better about their notification because they suspended my account and the prompt said that they sent me an email, but no email ever came. Even if you click the banner, it would redirect you to some generic answers that really provides no clue about what's going on.
Currently dealing with this
@@kingofascalon Update. They finally reactivated my account. I still don't know why it was deactivated so I have no idea what to watch out for, other than copyright infringement, which I checked all the elements in my designs for. It took them about 5 days to resolve this issue. So I'm out here still trying to guess what I did wrong🥲
Thank you so much, I am to am at the beginning of my journey and am grateful for your comments.
I got hacked and Etsy shut my shop down! Took almost a month to get it open again.
So sorry to hear that. And I'm sure working with Etsy support was not that easy. But it is good to hear that you were able to get your shop opened back up.
How did you get such great pictures of your glitter tshirts? I have a wall art item but it is very difficult to capture the glitter paper it's printed on. Please let me know. Thank you!
Hi! I did it by creating a digital mock-up. I used Silhouette Studio software and added a pattern of the different glitter colors. I believe you can also do it in photoshop. Let me know if you’d like me to do a quick tutorial video.
@@shawnshalest_hws Yes please! I would love a tutorial video if you have time. Thank you in advance.
Thank you so much. This is the first video that I have watched about Etsy, you have explained everything so well. I will now binge on your other Etsy videos.
Thank you so much.
The first real video I’ve watched yet about selling on Etsy
Thank you so much! :-)
Thank you for this!:) I'm an etsy seller now for 4 years & i'm alone on this, so there’s definitely no way to make a lot of d items, hence, less sales. Very time consuming on making d products, but it’s okay, it’s more about d passion for me❤, than d money.
Iuuur
would you recommend Esty or shoptify printful for me? I am an artist that has a few sports related designs I'm in the process of creating
I would recommend both. Etsy will bring you customers and Shopify will give you stability as you grow. When you advertise, send people to Shopify because you own it.
Only #1 was related to etsy, but #2 onwards were still informative and good reminders :)
There are eay better alternatives to etsy! 😂 I just posted a video about it ❤
Whew the T-shirts! I only make them sporadically now because of the hassle. I now mostly do graphics and sell sublimation blanks.
I know exactly what you mean. My business model is moving more towards blanks as well.
There's this one store that has easily made almost $1 000 000 in the last two years selling printable art. They don't even have to run ads because whatever art term you enter, their work pops up. They have Pinterest and Instagram as their SEO but their actual store brand is non-existent and they use such ugly mockups. I have a good brand and I'm going to launch soon but I'm so scared it's going to flop. Idk how they do it lol
Just do it💘
Don't be scared... go for it! It may take you some time to build your listings strength so they can compete but you can do it.
@@shawnshalest_hws I don't even know where to begin with listing them honestly. I'm so stressed about losing money with the listings because of me not really knowing what to do about the listing information and tags. I've literally got all my listing images and videos ready for each listing and packaged everything for my customers but I'm stuck on that. Branding is up on every platform, I'm just stuck on all the information needed to list products atm
Maybe self promotion. Facebook and Instagram is a good way to self promote and you can use apps from the Google Play store to make cool looking photos for a product.
@@aalb8019 just watch more videos and do more research reading about listing.
I did OVER 5000 sales and made a living until 2021, and it abruptly changed. I left. I applied for several work from home positions at Etsy and was denied. So I got a job and I have no regrets after living in my basement in pajamas for almost a decade. I have insurance, life insurance and I’m working on my retirement. I’m grateful for my opportunity but when I was one of the original shops on the platform, but it was clearly time to move on. Don’t lose your houses being stubborn waiting for things to pick up, because it might not.
Be careful because having multiple listings for the same item is not allowed based on Etsy policies.
I also got an item deactivated, and I am afraid to put it back because I already lost a shop a few years back and it was hard for me to get back on Etsy.
Hi, you can have multiple listings for the same item in the same Etsy shop. You cannot have the same listings in multiple shops.
Thank you so much for your videos. Im so blessed i found your videos. Im in the process of making things to open an Etsy shop with. Thank you.
Thank you for this video. I always like to hear what everyone else is not saying.
You’re welcome! It’s good to know the good and the bad so you can be prepared.