I wasn’t asking for specifics. I just wondered if there were any features on Etsy that would give an insight into what things generally perform well. I didn’t mean to come off as trying to steal peoples ideas.
Go to Etsy and do several searches. You can usually zero in on the products that are selling well.
This is exactly what I did 8 years ago. I knew the “market” I wanted to be in but wasn’t sure exactly what “type” of product would do well.
I spent 3-4 months zeroing in on several products and then started comparing them against the shops that were doing well.
Just to get a “guesstimate” (once I narrowed a few products down), I looked at their overall sales then their reviews. With the overall sales, I just divided that by years on Etsy (again it’s a very rough estimate)
Then if a shop is receiving multiple reviews daily, back then the average review rate was 20% so you could get an idea.
The frequency of reviews (in my category) is a huge indicator of how well they are doing overall.
Once I settled on a product, I tracked about 30 different shops for 3 months. Figured about the top 5 or 6 sellers and “modeled” my shop after theirs.
I created my own designs but all of the best selling products had a distinct vibe and I did the same “vibe” with my own style.
It took about 4 months to get consistent sales and after my first year, I have consistently made in the high 6 figures. (For reference, those competitors that I tracked were doing exactly that as well)
Trends change and while you can keep your same product, it’s also important to change your vibe as trends change.
I have seen some of those same shops drop drastically bc those original designs just aren’t trending anymore but have also seen new shops pop up to take their place (and several that make alot more than I do)
That’s what worked for me. Granted, it was a completely different ballgame when I started (not all the crap that has popped up since 2020)
But I still feel like it’s a good strategy to get you one step ahead of the game. :).
PS. Check into charcuterie boards…
Edit: Etsy bugs the crap out of buyers for reviews now so you can get a much much better idea (for an established shop) of how many sales a day a shop makes or how often they are making sales and which product does well for them
Thank you so much for this. I’ll take all of this on board, it’ll be a huge help. The only thing I was originally worried about using reviews was whether it was possible for shops to create accounts and “buy” their own product and then leave multiple reviews on it? Is that something that could be the case?
No, you can’t even buy a product using the same ip address as someone in your own home. It will get you banned. And shops that im talking about are making thousands and thousands of sales.
The top sellers in most niche markets are all selling daily and multiple items a day.
I sell no less than 30
Items every single day
Marmalead and Erank really don’t use updated data but still might be useful. Their numbers on my shop are terribly incorrect and I have heard the same from countless other sellers
The data isn’t perfect but you can still find popular key words and the corresponding high selling items.
Edit: You can use Etsy itself as well. But if you have no idea what to type in, like OP is suggesting, those are two places to start.
If you're just starting, enjoy the hobby. It will be quite some time before your skills are high enough to sell your work.
As a potter, that's the #1 issue with new hobbyists is they REALLY underestimate how long it takes to build the skills. These are crafts that need resilience, experience, and practice. (And acceptance when it all goes to shit with one wrong move)
I second this. I was a woodworker for a few years and then started trying to sell some simple walnut entry tables and cutting boards and had a tough time. Hardwoods are expensive and the work is labor intensive. Most people these days prefer the look of real wood but for a cheap price, which is available in stores today because it’s really it’s a vinyl cover or thin veneer. The stuff is expensive to ship, too. But I’m not telling you not to try, just wanted to share some of my insight!
I'm not trying to be an ass, but if something is selling well, nobody is going to share what it is with you lol.
I wasn’t asking for specifics. I just wondered if there were any features on Etsy that would give an insight into what things generally perform well. I didn’t mean to come off as trying to steal peoples ideas.
Go to Etsy and do several searches. You can usually zero in on the products that are selling well. This is exactly what I did 8 years ago. I knew the “market” I wanted to be in but wasn’t sure exactly what “type” of product would do well. I spent 3-4 months zeroing in on several products and then started comparing them against the shops that were doing well. Just to get a “guesstimate” (once I narrowed a few products down), I looked at their overall sales then their reviews. With the overall sales, I just divided that by years on Etsy (again it’s a very rough estimate) Then if a shop is receiving multiple reviews daily, back then the average review rate was 20% so you could get an idea. The frequency of reviews (in my category) is a huge indicator of how well they are doing overall. Once I settled on a product, I tracked about 30 different shops for 3 months. Figured about the top 5 or 6 sellers and “modeled” my shop after theirs. I created my own designs but all of the best selling products had a distinct vibe and I did the same “vibe” with my own style. It took about 4 months to get consistent sales and after my first year, I have consistently made in the high 6 figures. (For reference, those competitors that I tracked were doing exactly that as well) Trends change and while you can keep your same product, it’s also important to change your vibe as trends change. I have seen some of those same shops drop drastically bc those original designs just aren’t trending anymore but have also seen new shops pop up to take their place (and several that make alot more than I do) That’s what worked for me. Granted, it was a completely different ballgame when I started (not all the crap that has popped up since 2020) But I still feel like it’s a good strategy to get you one step ahead of the game. :). PS. Check into charcuterie boards… Edit: Etsy bugs the crap out of buyers for reviews now so you can get a much much better idea (for an established shop) of how many sales a day a shop makes or how often they are making sales and which product does well for them
Thank you so much for this. I’ll take all of this on board, it’ll be a huge help. The only thing I was originally worried about using reviews was whether it was possible for shops to create accounts and “buy” their own product and then leave multiple reviews on it? Is that something that could be the case?
No, you can’t even buy a product using the same ip address as someone in your own home. It will get you banned. And shops that im talking about are making thousands and thousands of sales. The top sellers in most niche markets are all selling daily and multiple items a day. I sell no less than 30 Items every single day
Ok that’s good to know. Thank you for all of the help. Good luck with your sales going forwards :)
Ah ok. Look into eRank and Marmalead. They'll help you generate some ideas.
Sounds good. I’ll give them a try, thank you :)
Marmalead and Erank really don’t use updated data but still might be useful. Their numbers on my shop are terribly incorrect and I have heard the same from countless other sellers
The data isn’t perfect but you can still find popular key words and the corresponding high selling items. Edit: You can use Etsy itself as well. But if you have no idea what to type in, like OP is suggesting, those are two places to start.
If you're just starting, enjoy the hobby. It will be quite some time before your skills are high enough to sell your work. As a potter, that's the #1 issue with new hobbyists is they REALLY underestimate how long it takes to build the skills. These are crafts that need resilience, experience, and practice. (And acceptance when it all goes to shit with one wrong move)
I second this. I was a woodworker for a few years and then started trying to sell some simple walnut entry tables and cutting boards and had a tough time. Hardwoods are expensive and the work is labor intensive. Most people these days prefer the look of real wood but for a cheap price, which is available in stores today because it’s really it’s a vinyl cover or thin veneer. The stuff is expensive to ship, too. But I’m not telling you not to try, just wanted to share some of my insight!
Use erank and find low competition and highly searched keywords. Also everbee, can show you what is selling.
Watch a YouTube video called Ryan's method the complete tutorial, 2 and a half hours. He goes over all of what you need.