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You are here: Home / EARNING EXTRA / Market Research for your Etsy Shop– Earning on Etsy Series, Part 2

Market Research for your Etsy Shop– Earning on Etsy Series, Part 2

February 22, 2014 by Stephanie 29 Comments

You can find out a lot about what sells (and what doesn't) and for how much by doing a little detective work on Etsy. I will show you what has worked well for me. Feel free to share your own advice and experience as well!

Welcome back for Part 2 of my Earning on Etsy series.  Now that you know the basics of Etsy and have thought about what you want to sell, it’s time to do a little market research. You can find out a lot about what sells (and what doesn’t) and for how much by doing a little detective work on Etsy.

Just for the record, I don’t have any sort of degree in Etsy-market-research-ology.  I will show you what has worked well for me.  Feel free to share your own advice and experience in the comments!  I’m going to try to explain things thoroughly so even those of you who are completely new to the Etsy scene can get up to speed.  If something doesn’t make sense, just ask and I’ll try to clarify.

Now on to market research!  

As you think about what you will sell in your Etsy shop, and how you’ll sell it, take some time to look at what’s already out there on Etsy.  You’ll want to do some background detective work on: 

  • What similar items are out there?

Unless you have an amazing novel idea, chances are good that there are people already selling what you plan to sell. Of course it won’t be exactly the same. There will be differences in color, style, materials, and more.

Don’t get discouraged by the sheer amount of friendly competition.  There is always room for anyone selling a well-crafted wonderful product.

  • What is actually selling?

Just because you find an item on Etsy doesn’t necessarily mean it sells.  Finding out if items similar to yours are selling, gives you a clue about how popular your items may be.  Of course this is just one piece of the picture.

  • What is the range of prices?

You’ll be interested in prices both for the product and for shipping.  Take a deeper look at items priced on either end of the price spectrum.  This will give you some background for setting your own prices.

  • What presentation works well (and what doesn’t)?

While you are scoping out the competition, take a few additional notes. What are some creative ways to photograph your items? What kind of pictures grab your attention? You certainly don’t want to copy anyone’s ideas exactly, but you can give yourself some good “dos” and “don’ts” just by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes and browsing around. See what catches your eye.

The answers to these questions will help you shape your own Etsy shop.  Here are some tips I have found helpful that should help you jump start your way to Etsy success.

1.  Find Similar Items

First, start thinking like your ideal customer. If you were a buyer going online to search for the item you are selling, what would your search words be?  Brainstorm for a minute. This won’t necessarily be the listing title, just words that a potential buyer might use to describe what they are looking for.  Write down the words you come up with.  You’ll use them later when you create your own listings.

Right now, you just want a search that will yield results similar to what you’re selling. Don’t be overly specific (“3T pink rose full apron with eyelet lace”), but don’t be too general either (“apron”). Something in the middle ( “girl’s full apron”) should do for now.

2.  Take a Closer Look

How do the search results look?  Were most of the results legitimately what a buyer of your products would be interested in?  If it helps, you can filter the search to show only handmade items, supplies, or vintage items.  Click through several of pages of results to get an overall feel for the competition.

When you find listings that catch your attention, go deeper.   Among your search results, listings that should spark your curiosity from a seller standpoint are:

  • Items very similar to what you plan to sell

While you might see very similar items as direct competition, we are going to look at them as prime candidates for analysis!  You can benefit from that seller’s experience to help inform your decisions.

  • Items similar to yours with a high price

You’ll want to find out if the items actually selling at this price?  If so, what is different about them that makes them worth the higher price tag?

  • Items similar to yours with a low price

If someone is selling at what seems to be a ridiculously low price, don’t let this deter you.  First, is the item really similar? Is it a ready-made item or just a pattern?

How long has the seller been selling? Sometimes new sellers set prices too low and after a few months realize they are essentially donating their crafts to the world. We will address the concern of low price when we talk about pricing.

3.  List vs. Gallery View

The default view for Etsy shops is the gallery view. The large horizontal photos of gallery view easily display eye candy to potential customers. However, for market research detectives, the list view is better.

From the list view, we can see a small thumbnail followed by the full title, price, and number of views. By glancing through the list of similar items, we can see the range of prices easily. We can also see which items have lots of views.

Gallery view vs List view on EtsyUnfortunately, about a month ago, Etsy discontinued list view for searches, leaving only gallery view available.  Once you find a specific Etsy shop with items you want to research, you can still use list view, and I often do.

4. Valuable Research Information

When you click on an item of interest from your search, you will go to the item’s listing page.  Let’s see what we can learn from an item’s listing page.

In addition to typical listing info that a buyer would be interested in, you can click on the tabs to see reviews of the seller’s work and find out about shipping costs.

etsy market research

Some of the best information for market research is at the bottom of the listing page.  We can see when the item was listed, how many views an item has, how many people have saved it as a favorite, and how many treasuries (themed lists curated by Etsy members) it is featured in.

Market Research from Etsy Listing

  • Listing date

The listing date shows when the listing was created.  If an item is re-listed, the listing date is updated to the most recent re-listing date.  Because a listing expires after four months, this date will never be more than four months ago.

  • Views

The number of views can be deceiving.  When an item is re-listed, the views do not reset.  An item that has sold many times and been re-listed each time it sells may show years of views.  An item may also have a lot of views because it is unusual or has a shocking price.

If an item doesn’t have many views, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the item won’t sell.  A recent listing may have fewer views, as could a listing from a seller who is new and just starting to get exposure.  (You can see how long a shop has been open on the left side of the shop, under the shop name.)  A listing may also have few views because the search tags are inadequate.  We’ll address tags at length in an upcoming post in this series.

  • Favorites and Treasury lists

It’s a great sign when people add your item to their favorites or include it in a treasury list.  In your market research, items with lots of favorites let you know what your potential customers are most interested in.  As with views, the number of favorites does not reset when an item is re-listed.  Shoppers can favorite an item without clicking through to the listing, which sometimes results in the unusual situation of an item having more favorites than views.   If an item hasn’t had much exposure, it will likely have few or no favorites.  Once again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a no-go; it could mean that this particular listing hasn’t had enough exposure to build up useful historical data.

Next, I go to see the sold items page.  Just like the shop, the sold items page can be displayed in gallery or list view.  List view is great because it will give us the date that the item sold.  We want to go through several pages of sold items to see if the items we are interested in have sold and how often.  This will give us an indication of how likely our own items are to sell.

Gallery Vs List View in Sold Items on Etsy

Etsy market research isn’t an exact science, but by trying out some searches on items you might like to sell, reviewing current shops and items that appear in those searches, and diving deeper into price, presentation, and sales history for items of interest, you can improve your own Etsy business before you even list your first item.

More in the Earning on Etsy Series

  • Part 1: Etsy Basics
  • Part 3: Setting up your Shop
  • Part 4: Pricing
  • Part 5: Marketing
  • Bonus: Don’t Forget the Taxes!: Tax Notes for Etsy Shop or Small Business

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Filed Under: EARNING EXTRA, Earning on ETSY Series Tagged With: Earning on Etsy

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Comments

  1. Jae Smith says

    September 4, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    Thanks for the great info! Wondering if it’s ok to sell items which were made using a pattern someone else shared.

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      September 9, 2016 at 11:20 am

      Hi Jae! It really depends on the pattern. If the pattern says “for personal use only” then your shouldn’t sell items made from that pattern, but if the pattern allows it, then you can sell what you make from the pattern.

      Reply
  2. Goldie says

    September 17, 2015 at 1:06 pm

    Hi Stephanie,
    I’m still trying to figure out how to view sold items on Etsy. I’ve searched and cannot come up with it. Could you please help?
    thanks,
    goldie

    Reply
    • anne says

      October 21, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      Go to the ‘shop home’ and look down the left column menu.
      Shop sections
      Shop owner
      Shop info
      Actions

      In the shop info section:
      about
      policies
      reviews
      sales <<<<
      admirers

      I've found if they haven't had any sales, it doesn't show the word 'sales' there. hth

      Reply
  3. Thomas says

    June 21, 2015 at 6:24 am

    Hi Stephanie,

    Brilliant series :), I found your articles via google, our site craftysparks.com has information about tags, views favourites on etsy and could be useful for market research.

    Reply
  4. Linda says

    March 5, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    I must not be looking properly; I can’t find where the number of sales (sold items) shows up on etsy shop pages. Has the format/layout been changed lately?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  5. George Perkins says

    January 8, 2015 at 6:26 am

    Great series of helpful tips written in an understandable fashion. I opened a store about a year ago and have found Etsy to be the most over complicated thing I have ever dealt with. This series of yours. has more information in one place that I have found in a year. My only regret is not finding it sooner

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      January 10, 2015 at 9:59 am

      Thanks for your kind words George. I’m sorry that the past year of Etsy has been so complicated.

      Reply
  6. Shauna says

    December 26, 2014 at 3:05 pm

    I feel so inspired by you, largely because we are in a nearly identical situation. My husband just graduated from law school with six figures of debt. He doesn’t have a job yet though, and he still has to study for and take the bar. It has caused me to start thinking seriously about my earning potential and any way I can possibly make money. Etsy is one of those avenues that I’m considering. Thank you for these posts. They give me courage!

    ~Shauna

    Reply
  7. Lacey says

    December 5, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    How does doing your taxes at the end of the year work when you have an etsy shop?

    Reply
  8. Jana says

    November 16, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    Thank you Stephanie! The list view information was just what I looking for and makes life so much easier. I’m looking forward to reading more of your articles and wish you and your family all the best with your debt free quest. Super inspiring!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 11, 2014 at 11:39 am

      Thanks for the encouragement Jana! I’m glad the Etsy tutorials were helpful! Best of luck with your shop!

      Reply
  9. Laura Irene says

    November 9, 2014 at 8:27 am

    I just started on Etsy this year. It has been an interesting experience. The advice here is really helpful to me. I never noticed all the information you pointed out! Thanks so much! I am going to go back and do some research 🙂

    Laura Irene
    http://www.ireneireneart.com

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      November 13, 2014 at 10:11 am

      Best of luck with your shop! I’m glad this post was helpful!

      Reply
  10. lori says

    August 19, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    Hey Stephanie:

    Please tell me how you find the sold items on etsy’s page.

    I think that that is the key to success on etsy, especially for vintage – and havent been able to find it on the etsy site.

    Lori

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      August 20, 2014 at 10:06 pm

      Hi Lori! If you are in an Etsy shop, click on where is says the number of sales (“342 sales”), which is usually on the left side, though Etsy is experimenting with new layouts. Then you will see all of the sold items. If you are in a particular listing description, click on the shop name to go to the Etsy shop, then click on the number of sold items.

      I hope that helps. Let me know if it still isn’t clear.

      Best!
      Stephanie

      Reply
  11. Danielle says

    June 26, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    Hi Stephanie,
    My name is Danielle and I have an etsy shop. http://www.TreasureTurner.etsy.com
    I sell mostly vintage jewelry and vintage Avon. Do you think it is possible to over niche ones self?
    Thanks
    BTW, I love this series!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      June 27, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      Hi Danielle! I’m not sure exactly what you mean by “over niche ones self.” If you mean you’re worried about covering too many niches in your shop, then yes I think that can be a problem. Often if you are doing handmade items and vintage items, you would want to have two separate shops. That just helps the look and feel of your shop to be consistent. I think it’s less important in vintage shops than in handmade shops though. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Seaside Artistry says

        July 18, 2014 at 8:19 am

        @Danielle I visited your Etsy site to get a feel for what you referring to as far as niches, and I understand now what you meant by over-niche. First, a niche is something you really want in marketing. If you can find an underserved or even better, a market that is not being served at all, you will have an opportunity to make some good money until someone comes around and competes with you, shrinking your market share. The trick is to find a good niche that is market viable. Market size (the size of the pie) and ability to grab market share (a piece of that pie) is what’s important. Niche markets are not big pies generally; some are very tiny, and you’d need several of them, depending on the product or service, in order to have a revenue stream that yields profits. Just don’t spread yourself too thin in trying to manage too many markets. I don’t think you are “over niche – ing”, though. As Stephanie suggested, you may want to distinguish your two niches with separate sites or you can just differentiate them on a single site. It looks like you are doing just fine. Hope the feedback helps.

        Reply
        • Stephanie says

          July 18, 2014 at 8:02 pm

          Thanks for your input!

  12. Korilynn says

    February 27, 2014 at 10:40 am

    These are some great tips. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 28, 2014 at 10:34 am

      Thanks for stopping by Korilynn

      Reply
  13. [email protected] Cents says

    February 27, 2014 at 8:37 am

    Hi, I found your post over at Thrifty Thursday. This is really detailed information on Etsy. Nice job!

    On a different note, are you a fan of the show Six Feet Under? Just wondering because of the name of your blog. That is one of my all time favorite shows!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 28, 2014 at 10:34 am

      Thanks Raquel!

      I’ve never seen (or even heard of) the show Six Feet Under. We actually don’t even watch TV, so I live under a rock when it comes to pop culture! 🙂 I just thought mixing the euphemism “six feet under” with the term “six figures” to make Six Figures Under was perfect to describe our “deep in debt” situation!

      Reply
  14. Bonnie says

    February 27, 2014 at 8:34 am

    Great tips! I had no idea all that data was accessible on Etsy because I mostly browse on my phone app. I can’t wait to dig in now!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 28, 2014 at 10:28 am

      I hope you find lots of useful information Bonnie!

      Reply
  15. La Tejana @Debt Free Tejana says

    February 23, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    This series is so helpful. Thank you for putting all the work in to make this. I’ve been in the “collecting” stage of my shop (just getting all the items), this week I’ll be checking this stuff out!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      February 25, 2014 at 4:50 pm

      I’m excited to see what you come up with out of all those bottles and corks 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Etsy Tips For Success – 15 Ideas From Savvy Sellers – MykList says:
    August 14, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    […] 11 – How to Do Market Research For Your Etsy Shop […]

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