Thanks for that nice overview, Jess. I am in the UK and have been selling on Etsy for 16 years. Right now sales are the worst they have ever been. On Etsy I sell handmade silk cord and embroidery patterns. They sold pretty well over the years, bringing in a stable income. Sadly, the cords are now competing with machine made cord and low cost supplies from China and people are using AI to come up with embroidery patterns - so it's not surprising that sales are down so much. However those two items are still doing better than the art side of my business (prints and greetings cards from my own watercolours) which has been wiped out by AI art. I am currently rethinking where I want to go in future but I suspect producing original work at a higher price point will be better than relying on low cost items for the Etsy customer base.
Your points are true. Give yourself time. Three years in a row on Etsy and each year has seen my sales double. I list 259 items, each available in 6 sizes (diameters), with a choice of 7 frame colors. I hate Etsy’s fees. I don’t buy their shipping labels or paid advertising, but it’s a better marketplace than the others…EBay, Bonanza, FaceBook, Craigslist and Mercari, which was great during Covid. I won’t sell on Amazon. Keep creating, your time will come.
Handmade jewellers should leave Etsy and set up specific sites where they work together in a collectives so they don’t have to compete with all the tat. What we need is a site wheee we can connect with other ppl to create local collectives and regions based websites.
I've been on Etsy since 2014. Last year started the decline in sales rather than growth, and this is my worst year in business ever. I agree with all the points you made. I also think that many of the people who started businesses during the pandemic (in hopes to make a quick buck like many people claim you can do on Etsy) will not stick with it. So I'm hoping some of the saturated market starts to decline as people close up shop. I'm fortunate to be able to stick with it during the slow sales since it is not my family's only source of income. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I've thought of closing up too because it's harder and harder to make a sale. I just love what I do, so I'm sticking with it for now.
Thanks for this video Jess! I agree that it's a tougher time right now, but it seems like that is just retail across the board! The world and people's buying habits are also changing rapidly so it's been interesting figuring out what works now and what does not. Parts of my business are down compared to my highest years, but others are growing!
Wow Jess - you summed it up perfectly- it’s my worst year ever, and I am also left wondering what the best move is. Online sales have tanked and in person as well. It’s really a tough time for so many people and Handmade businesses will continue to suffer. It’s a question of how long we can go before there is a lift in the economy.
Hi! I'm in the UK. Been running my business since 2012. There has been a huge change in sales over the past few years. The pandemic was my busiest time and it's been extremely quiet since, until this year where it's picked up a bit. However I've had to pivot, I was predominantly a candle seller (who also made decorations) but have changed direction and focused on the later. People seem to still be buying items for parties or personalised items so that where I've morphed my business too. Doing OK at the moment. I think it will eventually make a full circle. Just got to hang in there.
I’ve been on Etsy since 2012. Sales were always good. 2020 and 2021 were my most profitable years. It’s been downhill from there and it’s frustrating. No idea what to do right now.
We live in a disposable society. Handmade has been disappearing all of my lifetime (50 years). My grandparents were hand made people too. They made many things with wood and paint. Today, they couldn't get enough sales if they were alive, to pay a months rent over a year's sales. Artists that are making money, should be thankful. It's tough out there. While the money crunch we are all in today will make people think more carefully about their purchases, it's hard to convince someone that your 100 dollar hand made belt will outlast the 30 dollar belt they can buy at the local Walmart. If people were not attracted to the cheap prices, then artists would not struggle and the cheap imports would have a hard time selling. But people DO want that cheap import stuff. Less people every year want and will pay for, handmade quality items. The buyer pool shrinks, at least, until people have a reason to change their minds or trends change. But even then, it's the nature of people to want a deal and spend less money on a given item. This puts makers in a funny position. Either they have to find a way to find the few people willing to buy their goods, or they have to find a way to sell cheaper. You are right. It's not a simple answer of is handmade dead. It's more like handmade started out in a puddle, then a pool, then a lake, then an ocean, then a universe of water. The willing pool of buyers has shrank, in an ever growing sea of competitors making "things". The offerings have gown to an incontrollable amount of "stuff" people can buy. Just like Etsy, it started out as a small pool of handmade items by artists. Now it's a sea of everything, from everyone. It didn't just happen that way. Buyers wanted it that way. It happened because Etsy gave buyers what they wanted. Maybe artists have to ask themselves, do people WANT what you have to sell? Are people willing to pay your asking price for the items you make? How many people will buy your items?
You so are so correct I'm afraid. Handmade anything is a tough go and anyone might have better luck playing the lottery. Horrible to think it's gotten to this point.
Thank you so much for this video. I was thinking to talk about it in my channel. That what happening today with handmaid businesses. We cannot compete with China sellers pricewise. Yes, we can compete with quality, but many people tend to buy cheap staff from China. Also, once your design getting popular, you can see it in Temu or AliExpress in a week or two exactly same product, and they don't care about plagiarism. I think Etsy should stop letting China manufactures sell on Etsy. It was made as a handmaid platform, but now It's a platform for anyone, but local sellers. Thanks again.
I'm just getting started and intend to watch your videos on establishing an etsy shop, as mine never sells anything. One person who came to my home to buy mushroom impregnated logs looked at my wire/resin jewelry i just started making and declared it "totally sellable" ... ???
I have just closed my knitting shop after 12 years on the high street. Completely due to lack of sales this year. Last year was slow - but still growing and busy - this year has just nosedived month after month. It was not the rent or the rates - or expenses - it was solely lack of footfall on the street - no one making for re-selling - no one sticking with one thing.
To make a handmade business profitable will be very very tough for all the reasons you mentioned but I don't see it getting better anytime soon or if ever. Money will continue to be tight for the majority and the 20 percent of people making more than enough and can spend on whatever will have literally millions to choose from. It's a numbers game that handmade shops will lose. Sorry I'd love to be more optimistic.😥
I have been making Handmade goods since the 70's. My items have changed. I am an ADHD crafter person. I have lived through ups and downs. It will shift back.
Thanks for that nice overview, Jess. I am in the UK and have been selling on Etsy for 16 years. Right now sales are the worst they have ever been. On Etsy I sell handmade silk cord and embroidery patterns. They sold pretty well over the years, bringing in a stable income. Sadly, the cords are now competing with machine made cord and low cost supplies from China and people are using AI to come up with embroidery patterns - so it's not surprising that sales are down so much. However those two items are still doing better than the art side of my business (prints and greetings cards from my own watercolours) which has been wiped out by AI art. I am currently rethinking where I want to go in future but I suspect producing original work at a higher price point will be better than relying on low cost items for the Etsy customer base.
Your points are true. Give yourself time. Three years in a row on Etsy and each year has seen my sales double. I list 259 items, each available in 6 sizes (diameters), with a choice of 7 frame colors. I hate Etsy’s fees. I don’t buy their shipping labels or paid advertising, but it’s a better marketplace than the others…EBay, Bonanza, FaceBook, Craigslist and Mercari, which was great during Covid. I won’t sell on Amazon. Keep creating, your time will come.
Handmade jewellers should leave Etsy and set up specific sites where they work together in a collectives so they don’t have to compete with all the tat.
What we need is a site wheee we can connect with other ppl to create local collectives and regions based websites.
Love that idea.
I've been on Etsy since 2014. Last year started the decline in sales rather than growth, and this is my worst year in business ever. I agree with all the points you made. I also think that many of the people who started businesses during the pandemic (in hopes to make a quick buck like many people claim you can do on Etsy) will not stick with it. So I'm hoping some of the saturated market starts to decline as people close up shop. I'm fortunate to be able to stick with it during the slow sales since it is not my family's only source of income. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I've thought of closing up too because it's harder and harder to make a sale. I just love what I do, so I'm sticking with it for now.
Thanks for this video Jess! I agree that it's a tougher time right now, but it seems like that is just retail across the board! The world and people's buying habits are also changing rapidly so it's been interesting figuring out what works now and what does not. Parts of my business are down compared to my highest years, but others are growing!
I'm glad to hear parts of your biz are growing! I'm having a similar experience.
Wow Jess - you summed it up perfectly- it’s my worst year ever, and I am also left wondering what the best move is.
Online sales have tanked and in person as well. It’s really a tough time for so many people and Handmade businesses will continue to suffer. It’s a question of how long we can go before there is a lift in the economy.
It's a tough one, hey?
Hi! I'm in the UK. Been running my business since 2012. There has been a huge change in sales over the past few years. The pandemic was my busiest time and it's been extremely quiet since, until this year where it's picked up a bit. However I've had to pivot, I was predominantly a candle seller (who also made decorations) but have changed direction and focused on the later. People seem to still be buying items for parties or personalised items so that where I've morphed my business too. Doing OK at the moment. I think it will eventually make a full circle. Just got to hang in there.
I’ve been on Etsy since 2012. Sales were always good. 2020 and 2021 were my most profitable years. It’s been downhill from there and it’s frustrating. No idea what to do right now.
I'm about to start beading handmade jewelry on Etsy, and I'm excited 😊!! Thank you for your positive post !! 🙏👍😘
We live in a disposable society. Handmade has been disappearing all of my lifetime (50 years). My grandparents were hand made people too. They made many things with wood and paint. Today, they couldn't get enough sales if they were alive, to pay a months rent over a year's sales. Artists that are making money, should be thankful. It's tough out there. While the money crunch we are all in today will make people think more carefully about their purchases, it's hard to convince someone that your 100 dollar hand made belt will outlast the 30 dollar belt they can buy at the local Walmart.
If people were not attracted to the cheap prices, then artists would not struggle and the cheap imports would have a hard time selling. But people DO want that cheap import stuff. Less people every year want and will pay for, handmade quality items. The buyer pool shrinks, at least, until people have a reason to change their minds or trends change. But even then, it's the nature of people to want a deal and spend less money on a given item. This puts makers in a funny position. Either they have to find a way to find the few people willing to buy their goods, or they have to find a way to sell cheaper.
You are right. It's not a simple answer of is handmade dead. It's more like handmade started out in a puddle, then a pool, then a lake, then an ocean, then a universe of water. The willing pool of buyers has shrank, in an ever growing sea of competitors making "things". The offerings have gown to an incontrollable amount of "stuff" people can buy. Just like Etsy, it started out as a small pool of handmade items by artists. Now it's a sea of everything, from everyone. It didn't just happen that way. Buyers wanted it that way. It happened because Etsy gave buyers what they wanted. Maybe artists have to ask themselves, do people WANT what you have to sell? Are people willing to pay your asking price for the items you make? How many people will buy your items?
You so are so correct I'm afraid. Handmade anything is a tough go and anyone might have better luck playing the lottery. Horrible to think it's gotten to this point.
Thank you so much for this video. I was thinking to talk about it in my channel. That what happening today with handmaid businesses. We cannot compete with China sellers pricewise. Yes, we can compete with quality, but many people tend to buy cheap staff from China. Also, once your design getting popular, you can see it in Temu or AliExpress in a week or two exactly same product, and they don't care about plagiarism. I think Etsy should stop letting China manufactures sell on Etsy. It was made as a handmaid platform, but now It's a platform for anyone, but local sellers. Thanks again.
I'm just getting started and intend to watch your videos on establishing an etsy shop, as mine never sells anything. One person who came to my home to buy mushroom impregnated logs looked at my wire/resin jewelry i just started making and declared it "totally sellable" ... ???
I have just closed my knitting shop after 12 years on the high street. Completely due to lack of sales this year. Last year was slow - but still growing and busy - this year has just nosedived month after month. It was not the rent or the rates - or expenses - it was solely lack of footfall on the street - no one making for re-selling - no one sticking with one thing.
I'm so sorry to hear that.
To make a handmade business profitable will be very very tough for all the reasons you mentioned but I don't see it getting better anytime soon or if ever. Money will continue to be tight for the majority and the 20 percent of people making more than enough and can spend on whatever will have literally millions to choose from. It's a numbers game that handmade shops will lose. Sorry I'd love to be more optimistic.😥
I have been making Handmade goods since the 70's. My items have changed. I am an ADHD crafter person. I have lived through ups and downs. It will shift back.
Thank you for this perspective!
❤❤
I love selling on Madeit here in Australia. Great to hear it get a shoutout 🫶🏻
Yes! It's a great local platform.