What Should I Sell on Etsy?

Wouldn’t it be GREAT if you could push a button, and up pops a bulls-eye niche and product that would guarantee you a lifetime of sales?

Ahhh it’s nice thought huh?  Well, unfortunately, that button doesn’t actually exist (boo).

But as a multiple six figure Etsy seller, what I can give you is a few tips that can help you discover what YOU should sell on Etsy.

Here are 6 Tips that will help you discover what to sell on Etsy.

     1. When you are choosing a niche and product, it is important to see if there is actually a demand for your type of product.  

 For example, if you make jewelry, dog collars, or funny t-shirts, you know that these products already are selling in the marketplace.  But if you design onesies for iguanas, you MAY have a difficult time finding a customer for your item.  

 A big misconception that many people have about selling on Etsy is that they have to sell something truly unique to stand out and compete against the slew of other Etsy sellers.  

Yes, it is important to differentiate your items from everyone else’s by your unique style and flair, but if no-one is looking for your item to begin with, you are going to have to do an awful lot of advertising to bring awareness to your items.

Let’s look at it this way.  If there is competition for your type of product, that can be a good thing. Competition most likely means that buyers are already in the market looking for your type of product.  If you can put your “special sauce’ on whatever it is the market is already looking for,  you may gain that competitive edge.

There are a few great tools that can help you find out what your customers are actually searching for. Erank and Marmalead  are two of the top platforms. These online tools are great for gathering all types of stats and information about products, search volume, competition and more.  

     2. Pick a product or niche that you ACTUALLY LIKE.  

I know this sounds strange, but if you don’t like the product that you selling and wouldn’t use it yourself, it will show up somewhere, somehow.  You won’t be as “invested’ in your business as much as you would be with a product that you love and believe in.

If you are truly investing time and energy into developing a business, it should be something that you can feel proud of.  YEESSS!

Imagine selling a faulty product that is thrown together because you actually don’t enjoy the process of creating it in the first place!  You will have a bunch of unhappy customers, dozens of complaints and probably a miserable time in your business.

Remember, if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life!

     3.  The riches are in the niches.

I’m sure you have heard this phrase before.  It is even more relevant today in the crowded e-commerce space. 

Do you really want to know how to knock it out of the park?

Niche down and then, niche down some more!

But Stephanie, aren’t I missing out on a TON of business when I niche down too much?   Great and valid question.  But, the answer is a flat-out NO!

IF you are too many things to too many people, you won’t be able to resonate with anyone because you will cause confusion for your buyer.  

A confused buyer is not a buyer at all.  They simply move on…

Remember, you are dealing with a very educated buyer that usually knows exactly what they are looking for.  If you can be the “ONE” to give them several choices and varieties of what they are looking for, you will win them over.

TAKE AWAY TIP: If you are trying to be everything to everyone-you will end up being nothing to no one. 

     4.  Ethically “Steal” from your competitors.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Good artists copy, but great artists steal”.  Did you ever stop to think about what that means? 

Think about it, anyone can copy what another shop is doing.  What I mean by the word copy is literally that-COPY.  Almost like a clone, with no originality or uniqueness to make it their own.

But an ethical way to “steal” from an already existing Etsy shop is to take an idea that seems to be working and make it your own.   In other words, put YOUR stroke of genius on an idea that is already selling.

This is not only genius, it’s just plain smart.  It will save you a ton of time trying to come up with what you want to sell because you already have a gage for what is selling.

SASSY REMINDER: Don’t try and reinvent the wheel.

     5.  Find a product that is actually PROFITABLE.

If you are to start an Etsy shop to actually pull in a profit, you need to figure out if there is profit to be made.

Let’s say, for example, you crochet adorable and cuddly baby blankets.  They take you 6 hours to make along with $12.00 worth of supplies.

You are selling them for $37.00 each.  

Let’s do the math. 

Sale price  $37.00

Expenses:  $12.00 for materials

                     $2.35 Transaction fee

                     $.20 Listing fee

                     $.50 for packaging supplies

                     $.75 for fixed costs

Total expenses $15.85

Now let’s subtract to get our profit.  $37-$15.85=$21.15

THEN, we need to divide that number by the number of hours it takes to make your item.  $21.15 divided by 6 (hours)= $3.52 per hour.

$3.52 per hour.

Yeah, enough said.  Can you say burn out warning ahead?

It is imperative to know your numbers.  

It’s one thing to start an Etsy shop out of sheer love of your craft.  Which is totally o.k. if that is your goal.  But for most of us, we want to turn a profit and trading A LOT of time for little money is not how you want to run a business.

Try increasing your prices gradually to see if your customers are willing to pay a premium price for premium product.  (With my past experience, they totally are willing).

     6. TEST, TEST and continue testing.

No silly, not like the tests you took in High School.

The type of testing I’m talking about is testing your product to the market.

Let’s say you are super pumped and you picked a great niche, a product that seems to be in demand and you open your shop.

But then,

You hear nothing but crickets chirping.

What do you do next?

I always tell my students to test everything.  Maybe your pricing is a little off or your product’s color scheme doesn’t jive with your customers.  Maybe it’s something as silly as the layout of your Etsy shop.  Or maybe there aren’t enough choices for your customers.

Whatever the reason is for lack of conversions (sales), you need to continually test and tweak until you hit the nail on the head.

Don’t feel like a failure if your first try at an Etsy shop isn’t gangbusters.

With a little time and a little TLC you can turn almost any Etsy shop into a profitable one and live the life you were created for!

So there you have it!  6 Tips “What should You Sell on Etsy”.

But hang on a moment.  If you are still reading this,  you probably want more! You are finally ready to dive in and actually figure out what you want to sell on Etsy so you can start making a part or full time income on this amazing platform.

Well HELLO, I’ve got you covered!

If you can raise your hand and answer YES to any of the below-keep reading!

Have you been thinking about opening up an Etsy shop, but you just don’t know what you should sell?

Have you been going back and forth with several ideas wondering which one may actually work?

Are you ready to take that next step and finalize your idea and niche so that you can start making money ASAP!

If you can raise your hand and say yes to anyone of these questions, I have a great workshop that you may greatly benefit from.

I designed this workshop for all of you that are struggling and wrestling with what to sell on Etsy.

It’s conveniently called “What Should I Sell on Etsy?” Discover your perfect and profitable niche.

And you can access it right here for only $27.00  (with your coupon from this blog post)  Use coupon code  BLOG10

 

And as always, I’m always available via my website, YouTube, or my Private   Facebook page to help you along the way!