I realize that when people talk about selling things on Etsy, they never actually discuss the cons.
You’ll find tons of articles talking about how to get sales on Etsy and how to get the most out of the platform. You know… all the raving positives. Yes, Etsy is awesome but there are some drawbacks that you need to know about and most importantly how to work around them!
So what is it that hinders sellers on the platform? I’ve seen several things so let’s discuss them.
Pricing Your Products
Pricing your products on Etsy can make earning a nice profit a bit difficult.
So many sellers underprice their products. It’s probably because they just don’t know how to price what they are selling.
This basically causes a domino effect of everyone underpricing their products in order to be competitive. You don’t want to find your self in a race to the bottom when it comes to your product pricing.
You want to find that happy medium, be competitive yet still make a profit. After all, you are in business to make money not simply kill time.
The Amount of Control Sellers Have
Another issue I have noticed is the amount of control sellers get to have over their shops.
As a seller on Etsy, you give up lots of control over your shop compared to the control you would have if you were selling at places like Shopify, etc.
You don’t get the same amount of communication with your customers as you would with your own stand-alone shop. Your shop layout and the amount of fees you pay can be an issue. Also, did you know if you make more than $10,000 a year they will automatically add you to their offsite ad campaigns and you’ll be charged a 12% fee?
I mean, it’s not the worst thing that could happen. The ads mean more exposure and possibly more customers but that’s 12% that you were unable to make your own decision on.
These are just some of the things that Etsy has more control over than you do.
Issues with Etsy SEO
You don’t get much from Etsy in terms of SEO. When you operate an online business, your search engine optimization is critical. You have to have your shop SEO ready if you expect search engines to drive traffic your way. Traffic equals sales! So yes, this is pretty important. Some of the best-looking shops with amazing products fall way below the radar and don’t get noticed. Why? It’s because their SEO was seriously lacking.
So what do you do to fix this problem? I offer a solution. Check on my course below, Etsy SEO Strategy for Makers. This step-by-step guide teaches you how to fix your search engine optimization and have customers flocking to your shop. Click HERE to learn more about it.
Brand Position and Selling Things on Etsy
Etsy has reposition their company and brand as a whole. They used to be a genuine handmade marketplace. They have since gone through the growth stages that happen to lots of companies. The brand has added revisions consisting of focusing more on creative and unique goods rather than “handmade goods”.
People are allowed to sell pre-manufactured items, vintage products as well as handmade.
The consequences of these changes for crafters like you and me are there is less of a push for strictly handmade and offers a bit more of a “unique product” approach. This has diluted the market somewhat when it comes to selling things on Etsy that are handmade.
Growth Inhibitors
Because of all these changes, Etsy has produced issues I like to call “Growth Inhibitors”. These are things that affect your shop’s growth on Etsy. The ones I have noticed the most are:
- Difficulty in getting customers to purchase more from your Etsy shop.
- Limitations on organic and paid traffic
- All customers are Etsy customers and not yours
- Your products are not front and center. They want customers to shop “everyone’s” products.
Share Your Thoughts
Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and let me know what you think about all of Etsy’s changes and how it has affected your shop.