# Does anybody actually sell things on Etsy?



## FunnyRiverFarm

I was thinking about posting some vintage items for sale on etsy. I usually use ebay but noticed that etsy has fewer fees and listings can stay up for 4 months. I know it probably does not get the traffic that ebay does but does anyone have a very successful etsy shop? Is it worth my time listing things on etsy? I have noticed that some of the prices on vintage items seem to be really inflated on there...do people actually sell their items at these prices?


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## AngieM2

I know that my daughter was doing decently once she settled on one or two items she made. She was doing baby shoes, and the last I saw she had a wholesale order of about 35 pairs and she was selling them about $25 a pair.

She's moved, and her etsy store is in suspension or something, but she was doing what looked like, pretty well.


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## JanS

Vintage is "in style" right now so no surprise prices are up a bit. I don't sell there but I do buy and know others who do too. Just this month I ordered something for a Christmas gift.


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## sunflower-n-ks

You can check to see what is selling. Don't remember the words now, but there is a link for the sales/feedback on the sellers information. That will tell you what they have sold that people have left feedback for. It is interesting to see what items actually sell.


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## skwentnaflyer

I do ok on there, I'm selling beads, not vintage, though.


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## Mid Tn Mama

sunflower-n-ks said:


> You can check to see what is selling. Don't remember the words now, but there is a link for the sales/feedback on the sellers information. That will tell you what they have sold that people have left feedback for. It is interesting to see what items actually sell.


Does anyone know how to check this?


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## sunflower-n-ks

I had a bit if time so went to Etsy and clicked on an item at random. On the right hand side of the screen is the info about the seller. Click on the link that says "feedback" and it will take you to the feedback page for that seller. You can also click on the sellers name and get the same information.


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## LomahAcres

I used to sell on ebay but just didn't like all the changes in fees and feedback etc that were going on. So I switched to Etsy. I don't do vintage, I make children's wear, but it does really well for me. Only about 50% of customers leave feedback (for me anyway), your best bet to see what is selling - find an item, look on the right side of the page for 'Shop' click that. Then look on the left side of the page for number of Sales - example - 205 Sales, you can click that and see everything the seller has sold. There is also a date by each sale so you can see how often things are selling. 

Something to keep in mind when listing on Etsy is that it's backwards from Ebay - with Ebay as your listing starts to expire it makes it way to the top - with Etsy as you list it starts at the top and then falls down. Many sellers will agree with Etsy- it's best to spread your listings out more (don't list it all at the same time, or on the same day) for better viewing and increase chances of sales. 

If you click on the 'community' button the front page, you'll see another that will take you to 'forums', in the 'Business topics' section there is almost always ongoing threads of helpful selling tips.


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## BittyBee

So would Etsy be more profitable for a young lady to start selling handmade goods online than an individual website(as in...buy a domain name, find hosting, and set up shop)?


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## Uncle JD

Shalom, 

I spent a good amount of time checking out Etsy after reading this set of posts. I started an account and hope to begin listing some of my wife's knitted products, some of my leatherwork, and hope to get some of my brother's woodwork and a friend's blacksmithing work. Thanks much for the thread. I had never heard of Etsy until about two days ago. {{{BIG SMILE}}}

Blessings,

JD


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## berrley

The important thing to remember with Etsy is that it takes time. It's easy to get frustrated and give up. Also, the more you have listed the easier it is to be found be buyers.


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## lhspirited

Thank you from me too.


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## unioncreek

I've sold pottery on Etsy and my wife has sold baby booties. You only want to list one or two items at a time, since they just get moved farther down the listings. We list a couple of items then wait a couple of days and list a couple more. The idea being is they check out your item then may just check out the rest of the items you sell.

Bob


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## girlwithasword

Yes, I sell on etsy, and it is a good venue. GOOD PICTURES ARE KEY. as, other people mentioned, spreading out your listings, i.e. don't list 20 items in one day...spread it out. it's a huge market and there's tons of stuff, but people DO love etsy and will spend.


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## johncotexas

Just remember that Etsy was designed more as an outlet for either handmade goods or vintage items. As an artist, I would hate to see the site get bogged down and flooded with people using it as another ebay.


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## materursa

Mid Tn Mama said:


> Does anyone know how to check this?


You can check to see what any seller has sold. If you look at a shop's page, on the left, look at the headings... there will be "shop sections", "shop owner", then "Shop Info". Under that it will tell you when the seller opened the shop, how many items they currently have for sale, and it will say how many sales the seller has made. If you click on the number of sales (ie: 903 sales), then it will bring you to a page that has the photos on all the things that the seller has sold. It won't tell you prices, they disabled that a while back, but, you can see the items and if you click on them, you can see the listing.

HTH,
Amanda


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## Heritagefarm

Would etsy be a good place to sell leather items?


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## tealover

Heritagefarm said:


> Would etsy be a good place to sell leather items?


Yes, leather goods would probably sell good there.

Etsy is anything handmade OR related to handmade. 

For example, if you make soap, you can sell on there. But I think if you sell soap SUPPLIES you can sell on there as well. 

Pics are the key. I will tell you as one who has purchased, that the pics that catch my eyes are the ones that get the clicks.

Also, put up more than one picture. Make them tasteful, and at least do 3 pics per item.

The cool thing is if you do a lot of the same items, you can repost the same pics each time.


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## unregistered6474

Etsy is a very friendly community and the forums are great!

Good photos are key, as well as listing an item almost daily. Only the newly-listed items show up at the top of searches. 

I think that on Ebay people are looking for a deal, while people on Etsy seem to be looking for something unique and handmade (or supplies to make something handmade).


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## VA Susan

I've sold thousands of my cards through local craft shops over the years, but the sales have dropped in the past couple of years. My costs keep going up, so I thought I'd try opening a shop on Etsy last February. So far, the sales have not been so great for me there, but I haven't been adding inventory to it regularly which you need to do so you will be noticed.

Not long ago, a lady from Texas found me on Etsy. She had bought a pack of my cards at a craft shop in VA many years ago and only had one card left. She had held onto that card for years wishing she could find more. It had my name on the back with the copyright date. She searched online and somehow found my shop on Etsy. She signed up and wrote me a Personal Message wondering if I was the same person who did the note cards. There were no listings shown at the time because I'd closed the shop temporarily. So I listed some for her and she bought three packs. 

Etsy is pretty easy to set up and to use. You need to get a Pay Pal account if you don't already have one. You have to pay 20 cents for each item you list as well as a small fee to Paypal when you make a sale. I've had good experiences with all the buyers I've had, so far.


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## Firefly

I don't make things but I did buy a nice ring there. Most items are better than average quality.


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## xix

Another forum people might want to consider is artfire.com. If you sell items that someone would commonly google for, it can be a wonderful venue.

It's doesn't have the traffic that etsy has but all of my sales come from google searches and not from artfire members. One plus is there is only a monthly fee and no transaction fees. They have a lot of tools to help you promote your shop. I started a shop last October and it's gone really well for me. On etsy I probably wouldn't have done as well due to the competition and the relisting games you have to play to keep your results near the top. 

I will mention that some people that do both artfire and etsy really like it and other's don't get the same sales on artfire that etsy does. But they save a considerable amount and people often suggest taking the money they didn't spent on etsy fees and consider doing some promotions/advertising. I haven't needed to promote my shop so far, but I know that if I did I'd stay pretty busy -- right now I'm happy with the sales google results bring.


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