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Post by chapeaunoir on Apr 20, 2021 18:29:08 GMT
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Post by frakinfashion on Apr 25, 2021 5:36:55 GMT
Well, I don't know about sellers but I can attest to the fact that they aren't attracting buyers. I rarely make back my fees there I think.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Apr 25, 2021 7:48:46 GMT
I really think a lot of the oxygen is being sucked up by drop shippers - either of mass-produced China items (NOT the Chinese sellers who actually design and create their own items, who are wonderful) or drop-shipped mass produced stuff from places like Printful, etc. Silverman wants cheap, ships for free giftie stuff that can be quickly replicated.
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Post by sunsetpainter on Apr 25, 2021 13:36:59 GMT
I've been on Etsy for 8 or 9 years or so. I started using it as an outlet to get rid of the handcrafted stuff I made, and a few vintage things. For years, I just slogged along breaking even, but I didn't care. I wasn't losing anything.
About 3 years ago, I started making some copper wire garden markers, figuring that people would use them to mark plants or trees. Someone asked if I could put a name on it for a memorial for a loved one who had passed. I said sure, I could put anything on it. I would sell about 1 or 2 a month. Made me happy someone wanted my design.
I also make ceramic tile memo boards with a wood stand to set on a desk (sort of like a dry erase board). DH makes the wood stands for them and they look classy. Sold one here and there.
Then all of a sudden last fall around September or so, sales on these 2 items just exploded. I can barely keep up with the markers, and I'll get a run on the memo boards and sell 5 - 10 in a week! I'm not on Etsy's offsite ads and I have NO IDEA why these items suddenly took off. With the way just these 2 items are selling, I'm on track to be forced into the offsite ad program. I can't keep up with the sales now...I hate to think what would happen if they were advertised!
I'm thinking about putting my shop on vacation for a week or so once a month so I don't hit that $10K threshold where they force you into the ad program forever and you can't get out of it.
Etsy was always a wonderful place to get vintage or handcrafted items. I hate all that mass produced carp they are peddling now.
If anyone has any thoughts why these two items took off the way they did, I'd appreciate any insight.
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kritter
Mod Squad
When we lose sight of how we treat animals, we tend to lose sight of our humanity
Posts: 19,883 
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Post by kritter on Apr 25, 2021 14:55:09 GMT
I was looking for some swirly bird flamingos for my yard and most of them are from China. Once they finally get to your house, they are not like the ones that are shown in the pics.
I found two sellers on Etsy that are U.S. sellers that had them in their store. One of them got some bad reviews for drop shipping the China ones from Amazon. I contacted the other one and asked her is she had the flamingos in person or was she drop shipping from Amazon like the other seller.
She didn't reply but she took the listing down.
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Post by jesmelric on Apr 25, 2021 15:30:58 GMT
I really miss the old etsy as a buyer and a seller. I only have a few things listed there, they are double listed from ebay. I make a sale every few months or so. As a buyer it was a lot more fun when there wasn't so much crap. |
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Post by pyrexandpearls on Apr 25, 2021 16:35:37 GMT
I really miss the old etsy as a buyer and a seller. I only have a few things listed there, they are double listed from ebay. I make a sale every few months or so. As a buyer it was a lot more fun when there wasn't so much crap. Me too. I used to love Etsy and bought all sorts of things there - especially handmade soap and the like. I hate what it has become. You cannot trust that things are handmade anymore. I haven't ordered anything in years and I used to order something probably one every other month. |
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Post by RetroMonde on Apr 25, 2021 17:16:46 GMT
No idea why something suddenly takes off- luck, bots, a random blog mention, ya got lucky with Google... could be any or all of these things. It used to be awesome when it happened. But for handmade seller/makers on Etsy with a slim profit margin, the mandatory 15% 'success tax' is a curse. Once they hit that point, if they're serious about what they do, IMHO it's time to consider starting a solo website to get Josh & Co's grabby hands out of their pockets. PS- can't wait to see the hummingbird swing when it arrives! |
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Post by Pantlandia on Apr 25, 2021 17:18:40 GMT
I used to list postcards on there. Ended up like fifty bucks in the hole. Now there are a ton of new 'vintage-inspired' postcards that are printed on demand, but aren't actually vintage.
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Post by frakinfashion on Apr 25, 2021 18:05:53 GMT
Then all of a sudden last fall around September or so, sales on these 2 items just exploded. I can barely keep up with the markers, and I'll get a run on the memo boards and sell 5 - 10 in a week! I'm not on Etsy's offsite ads and I have NO IDEA why these items suddenly took off. With the way just these 2 items are selling, If anyone has any thoughts why these two items took off the way they did, I'd appreciate any insight. Covid deaths could be fueling the markers. All you have to do is be mentioned on a couple of Facebook or Instagram pages and you will see sales, I think. The people affected by this have increased exponentially and still are. |
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Post by sunsetpainter on Apr 25, 2021 19:14:46 GMT
Then all of a sudden last fall around September or so, sales on these 2 items just exploded. I can barely keep up with the markers, and I'll get a run on the memo boards and sell 5 - 10 in a week! I'm not on Etsy's offsite ads and I have NO IDEA why these items suddenly took off. With the way just these 2 items are selling, If anyone has any thoughts why these two items took off the way they did, I'd appreciate any insight. Covid deaths could be fueling the markers. All you have to do is be mentioned on a couple of Facebook or Instagram pages and you will see sales, I think. The people affected by this have increased exponentially and still are. Thanks frakin. The vast majority of the markers are for pets. I was just confuddled by the sudden explosion of orders. |
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Post by chapeaunoir on Apr 25, 2021 22:12:55 GMT
Part of it is the more same-items you make (do not have to be exact, but similar) and sell, the higher in search your items go. Also Etsy is all about personalised items now, so they're pushing heavily on that. If you also got a blog mention, it'll take off. I shut down on the 12% "success penalty" (that's a GREAT name for it!) because I was always near the 10K threshold and the program is just a sick money grab on the part of Josh and his pet CFO - it's opaque and IMHO, pretty close to fraud insofar as how it's administered (even at 2nd hand, you can get charged a fee for selling your item).
etsy is booming but it's turning into a giant Hallmark store. You can still get good stuff there but have to be selective. I know several people who have been frauded there, one over her wedding dress.
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Post by frakinfashion on Apr 25, 2021 22:28:34 GMT
They have the worst search engine there since "key words" are legal spam searches. If you are selling a certain brand of jewelry, your item will be searched to reveal many other brands as well and it's not even your brand first.
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Post by chapeaunoir on Apr 26, 2021 0:55:59 GMT
Covid deaths could be fueling the markers. All you have to do is be mentioned on a couple of Facebook or Instagram pages and you will see sales, I think. The people affected by this have increased exponentially and still are. Thanks frakin. The vast majority of the markers are for pets. I was just confuddled by the sudden explosion of orders. That's really good, though! |
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