How to Get Sales on Etsy as a Beginner

It is not too late to start an Etsy shop as a beginner and still see success from it. Hey guys, welcome back to my Blog. I'm Ahmed, if you're new here. And today I want to squash the myth that it is too late to be selling on Etsy, that you can't be successful as a beginner.

Today, I want to go over how you can actually get more traffic and to scale your Etsy shop when you're completely new. And these are just some things that you can do to help you really get to the next level, especially as a beginner.

So these tips can apply to anyone, no matter what you're selling, because I'm going to be sharing with you kind of how Etsy works rather than how to sell products. Because I have a bunch of other articles talking about how to set up print on demand or digital product shops, but this is more how to get those first initial sales.

Tips to Get Sales on Etsy as a Beginner

How the Etsy algorithm works

So first things first is understanding how the Etsy algorithm works. Now a lot of people assume that they post an Etsy listing and it just flies to the bottom of the earlier on the absolute last page and that's not necessari true. So anytime that you make money on Etsy, Etsy is also making money because you're paying them a fee.

So the more money that you make, the more money that Etsy makes. The way that they do it when you post a new listing is that new listing is getting a temporary boost in their algorithm to essentially test it out.

So this is going to get pushed so that they can see if you're using the correct keywords, if that listing is going to be taken off by the audience, if people are going to see it and start liking it. And if that listing starts to get traction, the they're going to continue to push it because it's getting views and it's getting sales or it's getting likes. So that means that there is an interest in the product.

So obviously they're going to want to push listings that have interest over listings that don't. Now this is why it is so important to do your research and to really optimize your listings. And I know I've talked about this in articles before, I know I go over it in my course, but it's so important and it's what's really going to set you apart from someone that's just posting on Etsy and not really giving a about what they're uploading.

So it's really important that you put the time and effort into looking into your niche, your audience using keywords with SEO. And we're going to get more into that. But that's why this is so important, because that initial time that you're posting that listing, it is going to get a boost.

So this leads me to the next point of optimizing your listings correctly.

Optimizing your listings correctly

Now the, one of the best ways to go about this is to do research in your niche. So if you're selling digital birthday cards, you want to do research on digital birthday cards that are already selling well on Etsy.

This does not mean to copy the listing, but it means to see what is working for other sellers to check out those listings that have the best seller badge, the star seller badge. Or when you see listings that say this amount of people has this item in their cart because that shows that their SEO, their title and their tags are working for what that product is.

Again, we don't want to copy their listings, but we want to take note. We want to take note on what kind of keywords are they using, what do their mock up or listing photos look like? Are they bright lit? Is it more of a dark aesthetic? Take note on all of those small things because they play a role in why these listings are working.

Also want to take note on how many photos do they have? Are they showcasing the product in different ways? Are they using videos? And I really recommend doing this for like a day, going through all the products that you have go through and really do research and just write it down or type it up in a Google Doc.

And then when you're creating the listing, you have everything there to go back and remember, okay, this is what works. And once you get the hang of doing this, it becomes so much easier.

On my first Etsy shop, my niche, I was a little lost in the beginning, but once I really understood my target audience and my niche and what they're looking for, it just completely transformed things for me. But it does take a little bit. So it's important to just put in that time and research and I promise you it will be worth it.

Now obviously it's free to spy on listings on Etsy, but if you do want to take this to the next step and you want to make sure that your keywords are completely optimized and that people are searching for them, then I do suggest using a Chrome extension or a plugin to help you to use the correct keywords.

These are two of my favorites. Here I use E Rank and Sale Samurai. There are a bunch of different websites that you can use. I find that Sale Samurai is the most accurate in my experience. Most of these you are going to have to pay for, while some of them do have free versions.

But it's really worth it because you can see the exact search volume for those keywords super important because if people are searching for what you're selling, you have a way better chance of making a sale.

With your titles we're going to have a typical keyword and then we're going to have long tail keywords. (Keyword: One Word Like "Planner", Long Tail keyword: "Self-Care Planner") So that's multiple words that are going to fit into your niche or what it is that you're selling.

If you're selling a boho art print, you want to make sure that you put that in one of your keywords, whether that's a initial keyword of just using the the word boho or using it as your long tail keyword in your title as Boho art print.

Now the boho art print is going to be pushed to people who are looking for boho art prints. Now if you just put art print and you're not including boho, it's not going to be put into the right customers category and your listing is going to get lost. So it's important to niche down in there and understand where those keywords are important.

And again, if you use a plugin, this will help you get that perfect long tail keyword with a higher search volume but maybe lower competitive listings.

Good Quality Photos

Going off of understanding your target audience, making sure that we're using optimized keywords and our researching, we then want to make sure that our photos are spot on.

Now people are purchasing with their eyes in any aspect, whether that is in store or if we're buying something online. So you have to think like the customer. What would the customer want to see for that product?

And again, that's why it's so important to do that research, to see what's already working so that you can implement different things that other sellers are doing in your own unique way.

You want clean photos that show exactly what your product is. If it's a digital product, you want to show how it's worked or how it can be downloaded or printed and so much more.

So it's really important to be consistent with those photos. Make sure they look good because that is your first impression, you want to stop somebody's scroll.

Be consistent in your Etsy Store

Moving on here to another tip and that is to be consistent in your store. What I mean by that is you don't want to just post an Etsy listing and then forget about it and never come back to your Etsy shop. You want to be consistently uploading listings, especially when you're new, so that you have a better chance of being pushed in the algorithm.

When I tell you it takes one listing, guys, it takes one listing to really pop off your shop. And then you will see more consistency and other listings that you have. Because when people you know start buying and then the listing gets pushed, then Etsy is going to show them other listings in your shop because it relates to that same niche for what they purchase. Actively being in your shop, uploading as much as you can will really help you out.

Duplicate your listings

Now if you're wondering like okay, I do this part time, this is a side hustle for me. I can suggest a really helpful thing to do and that is duplicating your listings. This is simple to do under your Etsy dashboard in your listings you can select the duplicate option and then you can go in to that listing and edit things into it.

Not only is this going to help you create more listings and post them more consistently, you can play around a little bit with your pricing, with your different tags and titles and your mockup photos so that you can see, maybe something will work better.

This is just kind of testing the field, testing the waters, and it takes that extra step of creating a brand new product. Well, yes, you do have to change things around in the listing, but you don't have to create that product all over again, and this is gold.

It is such a good tip, I've used this so many times. I had someone message me on Instagram and tell me that they were so happy that they did the duplicate listings and it made me so happy. And she sent me her results too. And she was like, if I just kept the listing the same as it was and I didn't duplicate it and completely try something new, I never would have known that I could get sales. Because she knew her product was good, she knew it was valuable, but her photos and her tags and titles just weren't aligning.

So by duplicating that, not only are you giving yourself a boost in the algorithm and Etsy, seeing that your shop is consistently uploading, but you're also optimizing that product and giving it a better chance of being seen and making sales and understanding your target audience better. That was a mouthful, but it's just the truth. Definitely duplicate those listings and test out things. I promise it will help you out.

Lower your prices

This is something that it can be a little difficult depending on what exactly you're selling. But if you're brand new and you're selling products that are digital, lower your prices.

So if you've posted, you know, a few different digital products, let's say you've posted a few art prints or planners, lower your price very low. The reason that I say this is when you get pushed in that algorithm and your price is lower than your competition, you're more likely to get that sale and to keep getting those boosts in the algorithm.

And then when you've got a few sales, you can then lift the price because you're going to have a review, you're going to have that push that Etsy saw for that listing. I know it sucks. We all want to make a profit right away. But what you have to understand is if you want this to be something that's long term and it's bringing you consistency, you're going to have to rough it out in the beginning if you you really want to see success in it.

I'm going to talk a little bit more about that in a moment. But if you lower those prices, it can really help you out. If you're selling physical products like print on demand products, I understand that this is a little bit more difficult because you have to make a profit and you still have to pay the print provider.

Run a Sale (24 HR Sales)

So it's just a little harder to do and you don't want to be in the negative side. So what I suggest for that is to raise the price and then create a sale. That way your listings show up on sale and you can run 24 hour sales so that the customers can see while they're shopping that your sale is only lasting for such amount of hours and it increases the intent to purchase.

Don't Give Up Before You See The Success

Now the final thing that I want to talk about today is to keep up the consistency even if you're not seeing the success yet. And I find this to be probably the most helpful tip in this article that I'm making, because if I look at myself, you know, three years ago, trying to sell online, the one thing that I did was I did not give up.

Even when it was difficult, even when I was, you know, creating these products and it wasn't working. I had it so in my mind that it was going to work. I would sit there and spend so much time on it in the beginning because I knew I wanted it to work.

You know, you can believe that or not. It's just the truth of how much time and effort you put into something in the initial aspect and the initial build of it, the better the result is going to come out.

And then look at me, it's something that is now passive for me, but I did have to put in that initial, you know, learning and the initial struggling a little bit.

Treat it as its Successful Before it is

There's one thing that I want you to take away. Treat your Etsy shop as if it is successful before it is. And I promise you that is going to just flip your mindset. If you just post something and then you give up, you know, you're not going to see the outcome. And we're going to say a super cliche saying right now, but if it was really easy, everybody would do it.

I really hope these were helpful to you. Please also check out my other social medias. I post daily tips and stuff on those. And thanks so much for reading.