Debunking 3 Etsy success myths

Above: A product in my shop, the Handmade Raccoons waterproof stickers, main product photo

Don’t fall for bad advice when it comes to launching or improving your Etsy shop! This post pulls back the curtain on why truly thriving shops on places like Etsy aren’t just consistent or trend-chasing, they’re daring, niche-savvy, and full of surprises.

I tried to target some of the bad advice I’ve seen floating around — including on the Etsy forums. I see people be told all the time to become more consistent, to offer fewer product types, or to make more popular products. This isn’t always bad advice, per se, but it is never the whole picture, and it can be counterproductive too.

Let’s dive in.

MYTH #1

Consistency is king.

FACT: It’s more important that the shop be fun for a specific type of customer.

Consistency, adhering to a product niche, standardizing your photos, all of that - it can have value. Don’t get me wrong. But there are a lot of sellers who place too much emphasis on it.

The #1 most important thing to shoot for is that a specific type of customer — people in your customer niche— can come to your shop and have a great time shopping there.

That sense of fun, discovery and excitement translates to sales, as well as dedicated fans.

And it doesn’t require perfect consistency, nor is perfect consistency always better. A little variety can make shopping more fun. And so can a little bit of overwhelm.

A successful shop uses some consistency to enhance the shopping experience, but consistency is just one tool among many — not always the priority.

MYTH #2

It’s enough to just make good products.

FACT: Success on Etsy depends on creating unique twists on popular trends and aesthetics.

Etsy is an incredibly competitive marketplace. Certain categories of products are flooded with millions of items, and most buyers only view the first one or two pages of search results.

It’s not enough to make good-enough products that are basic representatives of their product category. The products you might succeed with in a local craft fair are not going to automatically succeed on Etsy, even if they’re nice and well-made, because Etsy is more competitive — by many orders of magnitude.

Instead, to succeed on Etsy, understand what your customer niche is into — aesthetically, emotionally, financially — and then create a new twist on that experience that is exciting and fun.

Recommended reading: Why isn’t my Etsy shop getting any sales? - especially The Cautionary Tale of the Very Nice, Unremarkable Candle Shop.

MYTH #3

I’ll succeed just by making types of products that are already popular.

FACT: To succeed in a popular product category, you need to be special — to make something new, to create a new twist or take on something.

“Product X is really popular on Etsy, so I’d be successful if I make Product X.”

I think people get a little misled because yes, Etsy is a huge marketplace and a ton of money flows through it every day. Some people are making bank. They’re doing it by selling those types of products. Why not you, too?

To be clear, you should absolutely include research into popular items as part of your overall research (and if you read my blog you will know I’m really into customer research!)

But what’s critical to know is that this is not enough.

Popular products = extremely high numbers of competitors.

That means to get seen at all, by anyone, you need to be really special, or already have super high search rank (ei., a popular, established shop with leadership in that product category.)

You might very well be able to make products just as good as that popular shop you saw, but if your shop is newer and has less shop rank, you will rank far behind them in search.

For newer shops, I recommend instead creating a twist on a popular product that is exciting and new, or targeting a less popular niche with a smaller dedicated audience. This will allow you to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.

-

I hope you enjoyed this list of three Etsy success myths. I have a whole blog exploring niche, customer research and branding here, so poke around and enjoy!