Ever wondered what separates successful printables sellers from those who struggle to gain traction? Well, you’re in luck, because today I’m lifting the curtain on the top blunders I’ve seen newbies make on Etsy. After years of navigating the ups and downs of online entrepreneurship, I’ve learned things about what works and what doesn’t. So here are 5 Mistakes Beginners Printables Sellers Make on Etsy.
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Etsy Newbies, Listen Up! Avoid These Common Slip-Ups
Let’s talk about some of the mistakes I see Etsy sellers making when they first start an Etsy shop!
Because I think that’s the number one reason people don’t get started, is because they are nervous about making mistakes. Is that you? Are you scared of making a mistake? If so, you have to get over that because you’re going to make mistakes. I have made a ton. Some of them more embarrassing then others. But It’s about knowing that you will make mistakes and just accepting it and deciding to move forward anyway.
Now, some mistakes may apply to all beginning Etsy sellers. However, some are only only applicable to you if you sell or are planning to sell printables on Etsy.
Making this Etsy mistake? Let’s fix it! 5 Mistakes Beginners Printables Sellers Make on Etsy
The first mistake I want to talk to you about is something I see LITERALLY all the time. And it’s probably one of the number one reasons printable sellers don’t getting sales on their listings. You ready for it? It is when you straight up upload your printable as your listing photo.
Are you guilty of doing this?
If so, no shame my friend, no shame! BUT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM! Why? Well, let me tell you… the reason this is huge problem is that well, people can just steal your work. That’s right. If you just upload the design as your listing photo, you’re basically just giving away your printable for free.
Why Buy the Cow When You Can Get the Milk for Free
Why would someone pay you for it, when they can just click on your listing photo and essentially just save it to their computer or take a full resolution photo of your printable and use it for themselves? The answer is that they wouldn’t. That’s why I teach my students how to create great listing photos and I give them three separate ways to do it in both Canva AND adobe photoshop.
They can pick which one works best for them, so that they don’t have anyone stealing their printables. I can’t tell you how many people do this, so we need to make sure we avoid it like the plague.
Why Short-Tailed Keywords Are Killing Your Sales
The next mistake is a problem I see MOST beginner Etsy sellers making. And this applies if the Etsy shop owner is selling ANY item. And that problem i see is people using short tailed keywords. Things like “printable” – “invitation” “birthday” “valentine” calendar etc. The number one way to fail on Etsy is to use these kinds of short-tailed keywords. They are are going to attract the wrong people to your shop. And this will pretty much promise that you’ll get no sales.
The key to getting customers that will buy is to tailor your keywords to the right audience. Search engine optimization is key to getting your listings found. Short tailed keywords are not going to get the job done. That’s why I have this how-to-guide for creating an Etsy listing for a printable. It will help you understand exactly what to include in your Etsy listings. That way, your listings get found and purchased by buyers.
5 Mistakes Beginners Printables Sellers Make on Etsy: Don’t Skip This Step…
The next mistake I see people make is not doing the research on what will sell. So you have probably had an idea for a printable in the past. You might have thought, “That’s a cute idea. Maybe I’ll sell that?” So you make it, and then you list it on Etsy. And then crickets. And the reason you’re hearing crickets is because while your product idea may have been super cute and fun. However, there just may not be a market for it. OR there are already so many people doing it. And you haven’t identified how you’re going to differentiate yourself as a new Etsy seller from those shops that are getting hundreds of sales every month selling the same thing.
It’s all about doing the right research so that you can ask yourself – Is this product IN DEMAND and how can I stand out? Two very important questions you need to ask yourself. Want to know what to ask yourself as you create your Etsy listings? If so, you can grab my free Checklist. In it, I’ll walk you through the exact questions for designing your printables and listing them.
Avoid the ‘Post and Ghost’ Trap to Boost Your Shop’s Visibility
The fourth mistake I see many people making is that they post and ghost. What do I mean by this? Well, they start their shop, they’re all excited, they get one thing listed and then…they just wait and wait and wait to see what will happen. No no no that is all wrong, we have to STOP doing this thing!
Why? Because yes, it’s possible that the first thing you listed is one of a kind, beautiful, and they can’t find it anywhere else. However, the problem could be that first, you aren’t speaking the language of your customers, so you want to go into your shop data and take a look after you’ve listed something to find out if you’re speaking their language and what you should change.
Next, we need to train the algorithm what your shop is all about. If you post one calendar and then leave, the algorithm is going to be like, okay, so this shop is I THINK a shop about calendars, but this person doesn’t seem very committed so we’re not going to push this product. It’s about building out a shop page that looks intriguing to buyers and will show Etsy that you are serious about creating and selling your products with them.
If you just list one item, that does not convey that message. So let’s keep going, let’s build out your products so you can not only learn from that shop data as you grow your shop, but also show your buyers that you are serious.
Why Selling Seasonal Printables Year-Round Kills Your Etsy Shop: 5 Mistakes Beginners Printables Sellers Make on Etsy
Let me set up the next mistake Etsy newbies often make. Okay so, pretend you walk into target in August and you see all this Easter stuff at the front of the store. First, you’re confused right? You’re like, isn’t it summer? When is easter?
And I guess it would make sense if like they were having a huge sale on some of those items, but nothing is discounted. It’s full price and it’s just sitting there. And you’re like, what? Well, that’s the mistake I see beginner shop owners make is listing their seasonal printables all year round. Not only is it confusing the buyers, but it’s also such a waste of money!
Now don’t get me wrong. I sometimes do this by mistake myself. In fact, it’s making me think I need to go check my etsy shop right now and see if I’m making this mistake right now, and I probably am. But, this is exactly why we talk about how, yes, creating a printable ONE time and being able to sell it over and over again is absolutely a passive way to make money. But that doesn’t mean that you just list things and forget about them forever.
There is a list of things you want to continue to keep checking into in your shop if you want to see continued success and this is one of those things You don’t just want to set it and forget it. You want to go in and turn these listings off whenever they aren’t in season.
My Biggest Regret I See New Etsy Sellers Making
Okay that leaves me to my bonus tip. I said there were 5 mistakes that Etsy sellers make but I am going to add one more on because it’s HUGELY BIGGLY important and it’s a lesson I’ve personally been learning myself. And the lesson or the BIG mistake so many newbies make is…. Giving up too soon. And I have personal experience with this because you might know that I recently opened a brand new Etsy shop. I am keeping it’s identity under wraps for now because it’s new and it’s experimental and it’s just not something I’m sharing just yet.
But the reason behind it is that I started my first Etsy shop years ago now, and I have over 12 thousand sales in that shop. And I think when I list a new item in that shop now, it has an easier time selling than a brand new shop, because I have built up that quality score over time. And a new shop doesn’t have that kind of foundation to stand on.
So I wanted to start a new shop where I could start over and really feel what it feels like to be a new Etsy seller all over again so that I could relate better to my students who join my program to learn to sell on Etsy. And let me tell you, it hasn’t been off to a great start. Meaning, I have had the shop open for a few weeks now, and it hasn’t made a sale. But has that deterred me?
NOPE.
Tip 6: Keep Going!
I know that if I keep going, and I follow the things I teach inside the program and I keep an open mind, that this shop is going to get it’s first sale eventually and then it’s going to grow. And I have the personal experience that gives me that KNOWING that it will happen. It’s not an I HOPE it will happen. It’s a I KNOW it will happen, It’s just a matter of time and the right tweaks and changes that are going to result in my success.
So what Im telling you is to not give up. When you know the right tools and knowledge, you will see success. Sometimes it just takes a little time and it takes patience, and it takes doing the work and showing up. But it can and will happen.
So those are my 5 – well actually 6 biggest mistakes I see New Etsy sellers make, so I hope you’ll learn from this video and NOT make them. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, 5 Mistakes Beginners Printables Sellers Make on Etsy. Let me know how I can help you in the comments below!
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