← How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Ep 170 | The Introvert’s Path to Success on Etsy -With Debra Hudson
00:55:19
Today we’re tackling the advantages of Etsy for introverts AND how to get sales on a super unique, innovative product that hasn’t been sold there before. Debra’s incredible hair drying headbands aren’t selling well on the platform—so we’re...
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- [00:01]
A
Hey, my name is Lizzy Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate the life they dream about. If you want to launch, grow, pivot or scale your Etsy shop, or you've always wanted to develop the mindset and skills to run your own business, then I'm your girl. I've had that entrepreneurial spirit going strong since my very first lemonade stand and now I'm a work at home mama with multiple online companies and a full time Etsy shop. All while being present with my kids for the everyday chaos and most important milestones. On this podcast we'll talk about all things business, mindset, Etsy, creativity, dazzling our customers, and so much more. There's plenty of room at this table for you, so scooch on in and let's go. I'm holding nothing back. Welcome to how to sell your stuff on Etsy. I'm so glad you're here. Hello my friends. Welcome back to the podcast. This week I feel like I'm starting to sound like Ms. Rachel. My hello my friends. If anybody has little kids and you have YouTube ever playing, I mean only the like the YouTube kids, but Ms. Rachel's always like, hello my friends. I feel like I'm giving Ms. Rachel. Anyway, I'm already digressing. Welcome back. I'm super excited to share today's show with you. It will be far more mellow because we are speaking to you. My introvert loves, which I am technically an outgoing introvert. I'm going to get emails and DMs saying that is not accurate. But if you do the research on introvert versus extrovert, it has to do with where you get your energy. And if you gain your energy from being alone, you are technically an introvert. And if you gain your energy from being around people, you're technically an extrovert. So I am an outgoing, meaning I can talk to anybody and have a lot of energy. Introvert. I gain energy from being alone. But anyway, we're sort of talking more from the more like old school approach of that today. Like introvert being more shy, more reserved, less likely to be loud and make a scene like your girl Lizzie. It's going to be the most wonderful conversation. I'm going to tell you about Deborah here in a minute. I want to make sure you know what's happening that tonight, tonight February 27th, Thursday, February 27th is the live SEO workshop there. I will not be selling the replay. So if you can't make it Tonight, it's from 7 to 8:30pm Central Time time. You will get a recording within 24 hours but it will not be available after this. It's just going to be for the folks who come or register today or earlier. So hopefully you're listening to this the Day at Airs and you can jump on that if you need it. You need SEO help if you're new to Etsy, if you're struggling with Etsy, and particularly if you're not getting views on your product. That is when you need help with SEO. But I'm also going to spend 30 minutes doing shop audits and answering FAQs. So if you're needing a little one on one help, this is the easiest, fastest way to get it. The other big thing coming up is in about a month on February, not February, on Thursday, March 27th is the long awaited AI workshop for coloring pages. There is a huge, huge demand for coloring pages right now. Lots of Etsy shops are brand new and they are cleaning up. They are selling a ton. If you want to come to that. You're going to want to grab a seat in the show notes today for the at the AI coloring page workshop. Now let me tell you about Ms. Deborah, who would call herself a very shy introvert. And she emailed me about her Etsy shop, which she launched in October of 2024 and had not been getting sales. And she reached out to me for some help and she said, lizzie, really, really shy. But I'm wondering if it would help other people if we kind of do like I come on the podcast and you can, I can ask you questions to help with my shop. And I thought that was actually a great idea because how many people are out there feeling like starting a business is so outside of their comfort zone? Putting themselves out in the world is absolutely terrifying. But like Deborah, they want to do it, they want to find it within themselves. They feel drawn to start and they need that nudge. Deborah comes from like a data analyst background, lots of numbers, but very, very reserved. And we were about to start, you know, we got on the, in the green room and we started talking and she's, I said, you know, I was like, are you nervous? She's like, you know what Lizzie, this is so, so, so far out of the stratosphere of my comfort zone that I'm not nervous. Like it's just, and I'm like, ah, you're in such fight or flight, you can't even be nervous. She's like bingo, right on the nose. That is how how we got started. And she just absolutely nailed it. We had the most wonderful conversation. I know it's going to encourage so many of you. Let's go ahead and bring her on and have a much more calm conversation, because I am trying to match the energy in the best way that I can and encourage some of you who are looking for that nudge to take a step into Etsy. Let's welcome Deborah to the podcast. Deborah, hi. I'm starting very Calm right now because. Welcome to the podcast. I know I'm pushing you out of your comfort zone, but thank you for coming, for having me. Well, this was at your suggestion, and I love it. And I literally had to stop you when we were talking in the green room because what you were saying needed to be on air. So we're gonna back up and your vulnerability is about to help a lot of people. Tell me what you were just saying about why you started your Etsy shop. And also, if you wanna back up, even to you, freaking out about hitting record would be fine, too.
- [05:31]
B
That the freaking out part was because when you said live, I literally thought it was going to be live to everybody, and that was a little bit much. But what I was saying earlier is one of the main reasons why I started this little company was because I'm really shy and introverted. That I think. I think it's fine to be shy and introverted if that's how you are. But the thing is, you miss out on a lot by not speaking up for yourself. It's just, you're afraid to be vulnerable, and it's all okay. It's okay to be shy, it's okay to be vulnerable. But the thing is, if you want to change it, then you have to do things to change it. Starting this company, I knew, would force me to be vulnerable and not shy and put myself in uncomfortable situations like this podcast. And I'm all for that because, you know, I just want it to be where I can go to someplace and be myself and not worry about, you know, the whole goal is not to be seen and not to be heard. I just want to go to the event and be myself and enjoy the event and not, you know, try to disappear like all shy people would. So. And this company has definitely started to help me with that, for sure. I mean, I think a year and a half ago, before I started this company, there is no way that I would have volunteered to be on a podcast. No way. No way. And so I already feel like, it is really helping not be so shy and introverted.
- [07:23]
A
Let me ask, this is really interesting now. I was born in 1981, and I feel like my sisters are almost 10 years younger than me. We're still technically both millennials, but I'm like, on the older end of millennials. Some people want to call me Gen X and I want to punch them. Although no shade to Gen Xers, I just feel very millennial. But. But she's a young millennial, and I feel like in her generation, the idea of being introverted and shy, whereas before I was at the tail end of when we were raised, and they were like, no, you need to come out of your shell. You will miss out on opportunities. You can't be. So I was never reserved. I mean, could you tell? But people who were, were, like, really encouraged like that. Not that it was wrong, but that they were going to miss out on something. And I feel like since then, and for sure, my kids generation as well, it's sort of the era of the introvert to me. Do you feel that way, Deborah, or.
- [08:26]
B
Tell me about you. And I just think it's so kind of sad because to be shy is painful. It's horribly painful. Who would.
- [08:34]
A
What makes it painful? You have to teach me, because I have no grid for this. I could make friends with the brick wall. Sometimes I really feel a little jealous of people who are more introverted.
- [08:45]
B
Oh, well, no, that's why as a child, they, you know, they don't want you to be shy, you know?
- [08:53]
A
Okay, but do you still feel that way? Do you still feel like you shouldn't be shy? Like, you need to change that? That, like, is that what you need to change or is it a certain result that you want to get that needs to change?
- [09:04]
B
I think it's more like, let's say in a corporation, you know, you're having a meeting and everybody's telling maybe what they're working on. Right. Well, the shy person. Person will understate what they're doing. They'll just say a few words and move on, even though maybe they did the best project. Okay, Right. And especially because in a corporate world, it is all about who speaks up for sure. So. Or just even with business, you know, or Etsy or. Or whatever, it's going to be the person, you know, you don't hear the person that doesn't speak.
- [09:41]
A
See, this makes me wonder, though, like, we could even get into, like, a male, female conversation about this because, like, is it shyness or is it partly women being told Kind of like the cultural concept of don't be too much. Be really humble. Put your own needs aside. You know, is it like, what if we really boiled it down? Because are there shy? I actually know some people who are more shy and introverted, who have the best boundaries of anyone I know. And you might think I'd be the first one to scream my accomplishments from the rooftop, but on the contrary, I've had to really teach myself to advocate for. I literally, just before this recording, was in a very complicated situation where I had to force myself out of my comfort zone to say no to something, like, to stand my ground. So I'm wondering, and I'm not. I'm only asking for the point of conversation. Is it really a shyness thing or an introverted thing? Or is it something. Is it something about advocating for ourselves?
- [10:42]
B
I think the difference is, let's say if you go to a party and your goal is not to be seen. Okay, that's. That's shyness.
- [10:50]
A
But is that bad?
- [10:51]
B
It is. Because you feel so uncomfortable.
- [10:54]
A
But you just said it was your goal.
- [10:56]
B
It is my goal to not. My goal is to go to a party and not feel uncomfortable.
- [11:02]
A
Okay.
- [11:03]
B
You know what I mean? Or, like, to be in this podcast and be okay with, like, I may say something stupid or, you know, or whatever the case may be, you know, just be okay with being yourself. You know, you don't need to be the center of attention because that's, you know, I guess, another set of problems. But you don't have to be the person that wishes they could just go to the basement. Right? I'm at the party, but I'm in the basement. Right? No one can see me. I'm okay. Yeah. I think that's the difference is when you're in a social setting, you just become so uncomfortable and so un at ease.
- [11:44]
A
So do I. So do I. This is what I love about this. And I am not saying that there are not more or different challenges for somebody who feels really shy to the point where they, like, miss out. I actually. I like anything that someone says they want to change about themselves. I am like, go, girl. Do it. Like, we all. We all should get out of our comfort zones because we only have one life. But what's so interesting is that whether you're introverted or extroverted, you don't want to be noticed or you want to be the center of attention. We're all trying to. We all have the same thing. It's like, all the same pain of, can I just be myself and it be okay? Will I be accepted for who I am or do I have to conform to something? Am I going to be judged for X, Y and Z? Can I be seen and find my people in this world? Will anybody understand me and, like, just cherish the person that I am with my eccentricities? And for me, it's letting it all hang out and being too loud and maybe like, accidentally talking over someone because the ADHD takes over and I'm so hyper and excited. You know what I mean? Or on the other hand, like, I don't really say much. I don't really. I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm not bringing them to the conversation. I have to kind of be pulled out of my shell a little bit. Like, we are all sitting there asking the same question of, like, do I belong here?
- [13:02]
B
Do you know Brene Brown?
- [13:03]
A
Yes. Love her. See, notice the over the top reaction that I need to tuck back in right there. Deborah, keep going. Brene Brown. Love her.
- [13:11]
B
Yeah, so do I. And I love her, too. And she's all about trying to do things out of your comfort zone all the time. And that's why I started the company, because I was like, man, this is like, man, just so, I don't know, out of my comfort zone. Like, so completely out of my comfort zone. And I want to do it because I know that will make me a better person. I know it. And so I just was like, I'm doing it because like you said, we have one life. That's it. That's it. And I'm, you know, I'm not going to say my age, but I'm running out of time here. I got to just. At some point, you know, you're just kind of coasting and I gotta do it before I start that coasting period.
- [13:58]
A
Okay, well, mad props to you. You are so cool. You're gonna shrug it off. That's fine. You are so cool. You're so beautiful. I don't. You don't look like you're running out of time. I want to, like, copy paste your skin to my face. But we'll just skip that topic for right now. What has been the scariest part of the Etsy piece with, like, you know, knowing that you've come to this with, like, I'm really pushing myself out of my comfort zone. What's the scariest part then?
- [14:25]
B
I. I really didn't know what I was doing. And so I don't know if I saw it on a YouTube video or maybe it was just something that Somebody said, but they said, the first thing you need to do is sell to your friends.
- [14:38]
A
Oh, gosh.
- [14:39]
B
I was like, okay.
- [14:40]
A
I know, but that's what I was.
- [14:42]
B
Like, okay, I. I can do that. Like, I can tell my friends about this. And I told my friends about this, and of course they wanted to buy them just because they're my friends. Right.
- [14:52]
A
Good, good friends. They can leave you some good friends.
- [14:54]
B
Good friends. They are good friends. But then I nearly have a panic attack because I'm like, well, what happens if they don't like it? And then after listening to your podcast, you're like, you don't even need to tell your friends. I'm like, okay, well, there we go. But that was so scary. But also, the reason why it was so scary was because, again, I was worried what my friends would think of me. At the end of the day, it was just like, if my friends was selling something, I would just buy it to support them. I wouldn't even care about the quality, whatever. I would just be like, I just want to support you. And I know that's how my friends were. But just opening myself up, saying, this is what I created. What do you think of it? It's really not always. Yeah, yeah, that was the scariest part. But that's also where I know that I needed to improve the most. So I feel like that definitely accomplished that. Now, knowing what I know now, a year later, would I sell to my friends? Absolutely not.
- [16:05]
A
Well, what happened? What did they think?
- [16:07]
B
They just were my friends, you know, in fact, I was reading a book, and they were saying it was the difference between, like, a coach, like, hiring a coach, and, like, you know, asking your friends for opinion. Your friends are going to tell you what they think you want to hear?
- [16:27]
A
Sure.
- [16:27]
B
They're just going to be encouraging. We love it. It's awesome. Whereas a coach is going to be, like, telling you straight on. And that's how my friends were, you know, like, they just were so kind and, you know, it was. It was awesome. But after I read that about the difference between your friends and a coach, I was like, yeah, that is very true, you know, because I just felt like everything was perfect.
- [16:55]
A
Yeah. Yeah. Well. So, well, let me ask you this, though. Did it. Did it give you more confidence to step out more? Or did it. Yeah, you're nodding. Yes. Okay. Well, I mean, there's a means to an end there. Right?
- [17:05]
B
Like, I just realized that they didn't think less of me.
- [17:11]
A
Sure.
- [17:12]
B
It's almost like, you know, if, you know, if you're worried about how you're gonna be seen or perceived, Nine times out of ten, you're blowing it way out of proportion.
- [17:22]
A
Right.
- [17:24]
B
And I just realized, like, you know, I kept on thinking, well, what would you feel? Because your friends are like your friends. That's why you're friends with them. You have things in common. You think the same way.
- [17:34]
A
I hope so. Well. Or not. Yeah, Actually, I'm. I do not have people who think the same way. But that's. Yes, ideally, they're going to. They're gonna support you and have some kind of common ground.
- [17:44]
B
Yeah. And so it just. Yeah, it did. I guess it did maintain its objective because I realized, wait, it was really scary, but it was fine. It's fine. Not that I would be. Like I said, I don't. I wouldn't do it again, but.
- [18:03]
A
Yeah, but you just proved one of my favorite points. You've just proved one of my favorite things to say. There is no wrong way to do this. It doesn't matter what coach you choose to listen to. I am not the only authority. It drives me crazy when there are people out there who insist that they are the authority. There are lots of different ways. And it's one way to tell your friends, take that draft of confidence and let it give you the courage to step out into the world. Which feels scarier or if it feels terrifying to share with your friends. The beauty of the marketplace is you. This is the ultimate introverts business. No one even has to know who you are.
- [18:41]
B
I read about, I heard that on one of your podcasts and I was like, oh, dang, dang.
- [18:50]
A
Are you a print on demand or digital product Etsy seller who's tight on time or still learning all of the Etsy secrets? I totally remember the days of having no idea what what product to create next before I learned how to make those informed decisions so I can really identify with where you're at. I know how stressful and frustrating it can be to just create listing after listing and see little to no results. You wonder what you're doing wrong and just. You just want someone to tell you what to create that's actually going to sell. Where are those opportunities? So let me give you a leg up with my weekly trends and opportunities report. You just join my membership and every Monday I'm going to send you an email with a list of examples exactly what is trending right now with a video tutorial showing you how I found those trends and how to apply them in your shop. We're taking guesswork and Time, extensive time off of your table. I'm also going to send you five print on demand and digital product opportunities that are growing in demand right now, helping new shops make sales and still have very low saturation in the marketplace. So your tight schedule, your newbie status doesn't have to hold you back anymore. Going to help you earn while you learn. You can grab my free demo to start and see an example of what the weekly trends and opportunities email looks like right from the show Notes. See what you're going to get and I will see you on the inside soon. You have assembled some questions for me so that we can. Well, and let me actually ask this real quick. Apart from challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone, take some risks. What are your goals for your Etsy shop?
- [20:18]
B
So, I mean, my Etsy shop is a little bit different, I think, because, you know, I've been watching all your podcasts and, you know, basically what I'm selling now, what I my original product was a hair drying headband. This came about because I do a lot of water activities outside and my hair was always wet outside. If it's 50 degrees, you're going to be cold because your hair is wet. And you know, it's just, you know, you're outside, you have wet hair and you're just cold and you're just, it's just not enjoyable. So I just kept on looking for, you know, hair towels that you could wear outside that would dry your hair and keep it off your head. And the other thing is when your hair is wet and you can't take care of it, it gets really tangly. Yeah.
- [21:12]
A
And you've got that natural curl.
- [21:14]
B
Yeah. And you're just like, oh my gosh, there has to be a solution to this. And I just couldn't find one. So then I just came up with this idea, like, oh, if you sew a type of towel inside a headband, you could put your hair in the towel and just look like a headband. And so that's, that's my company. But I really, the reason why I also started it was because I knew that I couldn't be the only one with the problem with this problem of wet hair outside.
- [21:47]
A
Yep.
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B
And so I originally started like you with Shopify, but that was so overwhelming to me.
- [21:55]
A
Yep.
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B
I literally was like, I can't do this. And so my husband is my main encourager. He's like, just don't quit. They always say you quit too soon. I'm like, but I just am so overwhelmed. And then he's like, well, how about if we try Etsy? I think Etsy is going to be a little bit easier. So then I switched to Etsy, and then I was like, I kept on listening to your podcast and you're like, well, you have to have a couple products. So I was like, okay, I need to think of another product. I already, like, was sewing headbands. I was like, oh, scrunchies. You know, scrunchies are easy enough. I can sew those. And so I started selling scrunchies. And that actually is what I've been selling, is scrunchies.
- [22:39]
A
Those are moving better than the headbands.
- [22:41]
B
Yeah. I think there's a lot of education required for headbands.
- [22:45]
A
Yes.
- [22:46]
B
For your anger, especially. Yeah, I know. And you said that through social media, which, I mean, I never really have done social media, and I was trying to do social media, but to be honest with you, there's just a lot even on Etsy, because, for one, you have to take pictures, so you need product photography. And, you know, my trade by background is, you know, computer science slash data science. So I. I just do not take pictures. And product photography, I mean, that is of itself like this big mountain to climb, right? Yeah. And then so you have product photography, you have setting up the website, you have just, you know, the designs of the product itself, learning how to sew it, what sells the research. So for now, I'm kind of putting social media on the back burner just because it's just a lot to do. Everything.
- [23:51]
A
What would you like? Like, okay, for you to look at this business and say, this was a success. What does it need to accomplish?
- [23:58]
B
I saw your. You did a YouTube video on goals, which I really liked.
- [24:04]
A
Oh, you did? Okay.
- [24:05]
B
Yeah, I really like that. And I was thinking about that, about my goals, what my goals would be. I don't know. I guess I feel like my goal was always just to put myself out there, like, to try.
- [24:20]
A
So it doesn't need to make any money.
- [24:22]
B
I just don't want to lose money.
- [24:24]
A
Deborah, stop it. Tell me how much money you want this thing to make.
- [24:28]
B
I honestly don't know at this point. I haven't gotten there yet because, like, with my product, I actually got a patent for it.
- [24:37]
A
Good. Okay, that's good. I would have recommended that, but. Hey, guys, the episode she's talking about, the YouTube video on goals, it was. It was podcast episode 162, 2025. Goal setting for your Etsy shop. Also, just be ready for a kick in the pants. If you choose to push play on that, keep going. Okay, so right now you want to break even. You want to stretch yourself. Would you be mad if it made you a couple thousand dollars a month?
- [25:02]
B
Oh, I would not be mad. I mean, I would love. I would love to sell them and make a lot of money. I guess I just feel like, you know, how your goal should be stair stepping A, B and C. Right?
- [25:17]
A
Yeah. You don't want to go from where you are right now. Like, I'm gonna make a million dollars this year. That would not be recommended. Right.
- [25:22]
B
And so right now I feel like it's more just being comfortable. I think right now that's my first goal. You know, like creating products and just being comfortable for here for a little while.
- [25:35]
A
Okay.
- [25:36]
B
And then once I feel, okay, this is good, then I can really start promoting and being happy with my product because, you know, I'm still figuring my products out. Right. And I want to be proud of what I'm producing. So I think that's where I'm at right now is just trying to, you know, develop a good product and be proud of it and then. And then, you know, worry about the numbers later or, you know, I wouldn't mind.
- [26:04]
A
Yeah, you wouldn't mind. I think. Well, let me. Let me speak to this for a few minutes, and then. And then we can dig into your, you know, the questions that you feel like you'd really like to ask. But I'm sure there are a lot of people listening that are identifying with a lot of your story and your. And your. And your shop. A lot of times people come to Etsy and they have a specific product in mind that they want to solve a particular problem. And that is. That is great. What we need to remember is that Etsy is a marketplace that is led by a search engine. So when someone comes to shop on Etsy, they are going to the search bar and they are typing in exactly what they want. They have something in mind. They want a product printable wall art for their baby's nursery. They want a piece of jewelry to give their niece for their birthday. They want, you know, a. A women's T shirt for. Because they love to read. They want some. You know what I mean? There's something. And they are going to type those words in the search bar of what they are looking for. So when someone is trying to sell something that is very specific to solve a specific problem, it can be the best product in the world and not necessarily get seen or get a lot of traction on Etsy. I know you know this, Deborah, but I'm gonna, I'm gonna talk. Who's new listening. I also, this, this applies to artists as well. And there's, I'm not sure when this episode's gonna fall, but there's, there's either already been or there soon will be an episode with a, an artist, a painter who is selling her personal work on Etsy. Because that's a big pain point, just like yours. They're very similar issues. You know, if, if you were at an opening, if you were at like a market, you know, a craft market, and you had a beautiful booth with your hair headbands there and you were talking to people about how they work and you had pictures of you on the river rafting or was. It was a kayak, right, Going over a thing and you're showing, people are going to walk by and say, oh my gosh, I need that. Or oh, how cool. This is a great stocking stuffer for my, you know, grandson who likes to river raft. Or they're going to think, oh, I can send this to camp with my daughter this summer. And they are going to see it and be immediately drawn in just like an art, an art piece at a gallery, at a craft show. But they're not necessarily going to Etsy.com and searching for hair drying headband for river rafting sport enthusiasts. You know what I'm saying? Yes. So while you have a spectacular product, I can say that because I've seen it and actually I need one, you're going to hit a certain capacity on Etsy just using the marketplace because we can use something like a tool like everbee to do the research and see how many people are searching for any of these related keywords. You made a great point earlier saying, just like it requires some talking, it requires a story, so why. And the scrunchies are definitely going to be easier, but with your headbands, I mean, maximize what you can on Etsy. You'd have to drive traffic there with social media, like we talked about reels or Pinterest pins, mostly reels. But to be honest with you, what I would do, if that was my main goal, if my thing was, I am so passionate about this hair drying headband, I would actually not do necessarily do my own social media because that's how you create all that content. I'd be using influencers. I would be getting samples out to several influencers, as many as I could, you know, like depending on how busy you want to be, and let them create content for their audience for you and they will drive traffic to your Etsy shop or to your website. And that is the way to make that blow up.
- [29:28]
B
I know, but it's just. I know, it's so overwhelming.
- [29:33]
A
I'm just telling you the truth. I'm telling you the truth. And so here's the thing. If you want to be introverted on Etsy, we go after the scrunchies and other things that are related and you set the hair drying headbands aside. But if you're coming to me and you're saying, lizzie, this is my passion, that's how you sell it. Because here's the thing, if there's not thousands and thousands of people searching for it actively on Etsy, they're never going to know it's there because it's a search engine. It doesn't say anything about the quality of your product is freaking awesome. Okay, but like, if I was trying, like it's, it's. And yours isn't even that obscure. But this happens a lot where people come, they're like, well, Etsy doesn't work. I'm like, well, you're not selling something people are searching for. So how is Etsy going to create the traffic if no one knows to look for it? It's the same thing with someone who's got a patent, like a new thing. Now if we talk about scrunchies, for example, and you maybe went into more like decorative headbands and baby headbands and things like that, I would tell you now we're onto something because there is actually a lot of traffic for especially bows, ribbons, headbands, scrunchies. And I would say, you know what we're going to do, Deborah? We are going to harness trends and we are going to get you like, and it would be a matter of volume. We're going to get you, you know, 10 to 20 different coquette little bow pattern head, you know, head scrunchies going. We're going to get you another 5 to 10 of the 12 de joie. We are going to get you. We're going to go down these micro niches and you know, we're going to do checkers because that's very 90s. We're going to do disco. We're, you know, I would say look at the trend report and incorporate trends and then just get like, you know, five different products for each. You'll be so busy you'll have to hire seamstresses.
- [31:11]
B
That's where I was coming to next is I was thinking, well, I'm already making the headbands. I could just sell headbands too.
- [31:18]
A
Totally.
- [31:20]
B
So I think that is my next task. But I have a quick question for you. Like how often do you change your pictures and put new products up? I mean, because I know my products are physical. So it's a little bit different than print on demand or something like that.
- [31:40]
A
Yeah, no, I mean that would be, it'd be very similar to like my sign shop or now my laser engraving shop, which I'm just starting. I'm like back in the beginner seat with you. I haven't made any sales yet, only got a couple listings up. So it's going to come down to. And yours is different because I can still use mock ups for my. And I picked, I picked my product on purpose so I can use mockups. There's nothing wrong with what you're doing and you're just going to have to find a really good setup. What's going to happen is you're going to get enough listings up and you're going to try different things. This is what happened with my signs. Some setting for your photography is going to work and then you're going to reuse that one over and over and over for everything going forward. So what I, what I would do first, let me actually, I feel like, I feel like your. Yeah, you know what girl, you've got a bunch of these in people's carts so you need to stop sweating so much. I think your pictures, the way you're doing it right now are fine. Are you going to level them up later? Yes. What I don't do, I don't change it. What I do is like right now my goal is to get up. Well, I mean I'm trying to go aggressive so you know, like 50 to 100 listings in the next few months. But, but Deborah, you told me your goal is to get out of your comfort zone and break even. My goal is to build a six figure company.
- [32:47]
B
Okay.
- [32:48]
A
Okay. So here's the thing. As you go, you need to ask yourself each week you have a little coffee or tea date or two champagne, whatever you want, whatever you do you girl with yourself and say what do I need or want this to accomplish? I'm going to feel good at the end of this week if I, you know, reach out to a few influencers. That's outside of my comfort zone. Or I'm going to feel good if I come up with a new design for a scrunchie or I'm going to feel good and like I've achieved my goal if I've made X sales. Okay, so then we reverse engineer it. You'll love this. This is all data. So it's like, okay, I'm not making the sales yet. Well, the only way I can make more sales is either to get, you know, create content, to get word out about my product. That's not really what you want to do with Etsy. So then the other option is to create more products. And there's no. It's always going to be what's comfortable for you. And if you're not meeting your goals, then you've got to push harder. Go ahead.
- [33:39]
B
So let's just say if I. And I do want to redo my pictures, and for anybody listening out there, I have a tip, because I was struggling with pictures for, like, so long, but I realized that if you buy a framing mat.
- [34:01]
A
What's that?
- [34:02]
B
A framing mat is. You know how frames have. Or is it called a mat board behind it. You know, where there's a frame and then there's kind of a border of a different color inside of it.
- [34:16]
A
Okay, that's like.
- [34:19]
B
It's like kind of cardboard, but different.
- [34:21]
A
The matting. Yeah, the mat. Like. Yeah, like an art piece. Matting. You said the correct word. I just didn't know what it was. Okay.
- [34:27]
B
I think it's called a mat board.
- [34:29]
A
Okay.
- [34:29]
B
But those work so good to put your pictures on.
- [34:33]
A
Okay, so.
- [34:34]
B
Or your product on. You know, I do. I'm trying to redo my pictures because you know how you say, just start?
- [34:43]
A
Have I said that before?
- [34:45]
B
In fact, I think you should have. On a lot of YouTube videos, they have counters of how many times a person says something. I think we should start counting.
- [34:56]
A
It should be. Just start.
- [34:58]
B
Yeah, we should count how many times you say that in a video.
- [35:01]
A
Take a shot every time I say let's just start. Just kidding.
- [35:06]
B
So I started, and now I'm redoing the pictures because.
- [35:10]
A
Same same. You will. That you will forever do that.
- [35:14]
B
So I'm redoing the pictures. But yeah, that matte matting board is really nice because it absorbs the light so well. And. But let's say if I start putting headbands out there, how many headbands would you suggest me making to put out? I mean, how many different styles?
- [35:37]
A
Okay, so first I'm just gonna say I really recommend people with a small product get a light box in addition to your. What you're. Yeah, I'm gonna link one that I like in. In the show notes. But just having the board, like lighting is so important. So I'm just gonna add that. So Deborah, we're gonna go back to your goal. You're asking how many listings to get up? And I'm gonna say, well, how aggressively do you wanna go after this? What is your financial goal?
- [36:03]
B
So basically what you're saying is the number of products you list is somewhat correlated to how much money you make.
- [36:12]
A
Yes. In the sense of simply just supply and demand. So it's not, it's not, it's simply about your give. Every listing you add, what is. It literally says this in the top of my Etsy shop right now. Hang on, we're gonna read this from the, from the source itself. Where does it say this? A quick guide to getting your first sale. And I mean I'm 235 sales in on this. This is my, I'm reading this off of my PNG shop number four suggestion. Add more listings. Remember, more listings means more chances to be seen by buyers. So bottom line is it's not. People think, oh, you just throw up a bunch of junk. No, no, no, no, no. But if what you have up so far isn't creating the result that you want, you have two choices. One, you drive more traffic to what you have there. Because the traffic that Etsy is sending, whether it's because of your SEO or it's because of your product, whatever it is, the traffic is not enough. You'd have to drive more traffic and then you can diagnose from there or you add more things that people can buy and the rate at which you choose to do that should correlate to your goals. You want to be a six figure seller, more is better. Where can you max out? I'm trying to add at least and I, this is only because, because I'm running so many businesses, my physical product shop, I'm trying to get at least three new products in it every week. If it was my only focus and I needed to, I wanted to drive faster, I would be trying to get five up a day.
- [37:37]
B
Five up a day.
- [37:39]
A
So then do you six figure shop though, Deborah? Not my goal. Isn't you know what I'm saying? Like for you, if you got one new one up a week or one new one up every other week, that would be fine.
- [37:50]
B
Then when you do you take off products as well?
- [37:54]
A
No.
- [37:55]
B
Or never?
- [37:56]
A
No. And I, you asked earlier about changing out pictures. I don't, I just hit copy on the listing and I put a new picture and I add a new listing of the same thing. And I test different pictures.
- [38:08]
B
Okay. So that will help a lot.
- [38:11]
A
Yeah. Don't change your existing listings. I wouldn't. I don't change SEO. I don't change pictures. All I do is copy it, make whatever change I want, and then run it as like. In marketing, we call it like a B testing. You're testing more than one and we're seeing what's going to. I do the same thing for. For. For my other. You know, for like the coaching. The Etsy coaching. Not coaching, but like selling courses and things like that. I test different approaches to see which one sells something better. So it's the same thing with your Etsy. Etsy listings.
- [38:39]
B
I know in one of your podcasts, I think it was your latest you. Or maybe it was a short YouTube video how you had said you just became a best seller. Okay, what is that?
- [38:51]
A
It would have been A best seller is on a listing. So when a listing performs at the top of its niche, it's getting more sales than the average listing in its niche. It can become a best seller on Etsy. So that would be per listing for your shop. As a shop owner, you can become a star seller. But that wouldn't have anything to do with, like, how much you're selling. It has more to do with are you shipping things on time? Are you responding to customers? Are you getting good reviews? It's more about the customer service you provide than it is about, like, the data of your sales.
- [39:24]
B
Yeah, Well, I just feel like, I don't know, like, we're all learning, we're all growing, right?
- [39:32]
A
Absolutely. You're doing great. And I mean, you're asking all the right questions. And thousands of other people have the same questions. Do you have any others? We're coming to the end, but do you have any other things? You really wanted to make sure. We talked about things.
- [39:46]
B
So, I mean, you answered about stars.
- [39:50]
A
Oh, bestseller, star seller.
- [39:52]
B
Yeah. And putting the number of products. Yeah, I think that's all. I guess my one quick question would be. And now I've forgotten. It was something that I wrote down earlier.
- [40:05]
A
That's okay. Think about it for a second. Think about it for a second and I'll say this. So a couple things to assess for people while they're. They're going through this journey. If you're not getting views on your listings, you should be able to look at your stats and see if your listing is being seen. If it is not being seen, it is always an SEO problem. That is what's going to determine. Now, it could be One of two things in SEO either. Number one, you're not using the best possible keywords to get seen, and so you need SEO training. Or it could be like Deborah, where you are selling something that people aren't searching for. No reflection on how amazing your product is. It's just Etsy. Let me throw out a funny example. So we live on a farm, right? Sometimes we need to buy manure for the garden. I can't. Manure is something people buy every single day for gardening. But I'm not going to find it on Etsy. Actually, I don't even want to know. Don't even DM me. I don't even want to know. I'm just saying there are certain things that might be very, very popular in the marketplace that Etsy's just not the place to buy them. And that is when you've got to look at something else. If you do need the SEO help, if you need to get to the bottom of that, the day. You're listening to this February 27th Thursday. Tonight is a live SEO workshop. It is only tonight. I'm not selling it beyond today. I might do another one later in the year, but I don't know. You guys know I'm always stretched super thin. So if you are not getting views, you need to be in that workshop and you want to get. Grab that right away. Did you think of your question, Deborah?
- [41:33]
B
Well, it just made me think of, you know, how you said, if you're not getting views, how do you know? Because, you know, it's not like there's some magic number. Right?
- [41:42]
A
Right. You're like, so how many views should I be getting? Yeah, right.
- [41:46]
B
Yeah. What is that answer to how many.
- [41:50]
A
Views you should be getting? Enough to be getting sales.
- [41:54]
B
Is there a ratio between views versus sales?
- [41:58]
A
You know, there are, but it would be so subjective per product. It would. Only if I, if I said anything about that here, I would. I would mislead a whole bunch of people. So it totally depends. We all need to look at this from our own lens. Am I getting. If we reverse engineer it, am I getting the sales that I want? No. Okay, well, then it's. Am I getting if I'm not getting the sales, Am I getting the views if I'm not. If I am getting quite a few views, you know, if I'm getting hundreds of views, thousands of views. If it's under a hundred views, you might need to increase your SEO. But it might also be like you, Deborah, where people aren't searching for it to the level that you want. You've maxed out the Etsy Marketplace for your product. So the first question is, if I'm not getting sales, am I getting views? If you're getting views, then the problem is something with your listing. There is someone selling something way better, and you need to improve how you're positioning your product. Your photos need to be better, your listing needs to answer more questions, your pricing needs to be more competitive, your turnaround time needs to be faster. Something like that. It's something about how you've positioned the product. But if you're not getting views, again, it's like it's an SEO or demand issue, which is also just an SEO issue. So I think it's always though, am I getting the results that I want? If I'm not getting enough, if I'm getting a thousand reviews, but I'm not getting sales, there's something wrong with the product. The way you're positioned, can you review.
- [43:17]
B
Your product without buying it?
- [43:20]
A
View, not review. Sorry if I said it wrong. View. Are you brand new to Etsy, about to get started, or struggling a bit to find your groove? What I'm about to say is just for you, okay? I can completely relate to where you're at because I think I can help you achieve success faster. When I first started my Etsy shop, it was not one of those success stories that we hear, you know, on the big YouTube channels, even on this podcast, where I just had crazy success. And it took off right away, right? I all but failed for my first six months, just like a lot of new sellers. And so it's very relatable. And the issue for me was I didn't understand demand, for one, I didn't understand SEO. I was way too broad in my search terms, and I didn't know how to position my product so that customers just couldn't help but click add to cart. And so once I learned those things, I went from making about $25 a month in sales to $6,000 a month and up. And in the holidays, I would even have $13,000 a month, like at my shop's peak. And the thing about me, if you've been here for a minute, you already know this. I'm a terrible gatekeeper, okay? When I figure something out, when I crack a code, when I get excited, I cannot help but tell everybody who wants to listen. It's like either my best asset or my toxic trait. I can't decide. But I put everything that you need to know to fill that beginner knowledge gap into a low Ticket just under three hours be course that I have called Six Figure Secrets to getting started on Etsy. In it I'm teaching you how to find what's in demand for your niche, how to find and use trends, how to start your shop if you're worried about that part. SEO strategy to find the micro niches where the opportunity is, how to understand the Etsy algorithm and a ton more. The whole thing is bite sized videos. Not long form, just small bite sized videos, zero fluff and to the point. You could get the course today, go through the less than three hours over the next couple days, launch your shop this weekend and have sales coming in as soon as Sunday. So let's get you the few missing pieces of the Etsy success puzzle. Those little tweaks you need to make so you can start making the sales that you deserve. Because I have never been more convinced that there is room at this table on Etsy for everyone. And the opportunity is so ripe right now. I am in the numbers in the data every day and my mind just keeps expanding on the possibilities. Okay, so as a special treat, use the code save50 to save $50 on the six figure secrets course today. That's $50 off with a coupon. Save 50 and by all means DM me or shoot me an email when those sales start popping because I want to celebrate with you.
- [45:50]
B
The other question that I did remember, let's say you have a lot of items in your cart. How do you convert those and what significance does that mean? Like how would you rate something in your cart versus a view?
- [46:06]
A
Okay, this is a great question. So Deborah's referring to like if you go look at your shop like a buyer, like you go into another browser or you hit that button in your dashboard near the bottom on the left hand side where you can look at your shop, it'll kind of got like fuzz flying in front of me. It'll show you like and you've got, you've got a few of these. It'll say if people are liking your product. It'll say like up to you know, 20 in, in shoppers carts. There'll be like a little red message there and that's meant, that's put there by Etsy to help convert, to help people feel more comfortable with buying the item. And it usually max, it depends on the browser you're in. Chrome maxes out at 20 where it'll say oh it's in 20 plus people's carts. I've seen them. If you go into an incognito window. I've noticed you can see the actual number. So like sometimes I'll go over there and I'll see and you're thinking it's in 20 plus carts. It's in like a thousand carts. It's crazy to see. So one way you can convert those is you can set up in the marketing tab, you can set up an email, it's called an abandoned cart email. And you can send them like a coupon code. And it will only go out to the people who, how do I say this? It'll only go to the people who are subscribed to Etsy's marketing emails. A lot of people unsubscribe, so it won't go to every single person, but it's something that you can do. Another thing you can do is run a sale, a temporary sale. And they'll, if they're on Etsy, like they'll get like a little notification saying that the item that they like is on sale. You could go and just assess it, like go into an incognito browser, search the keywords and see. Or you wouldn't even have to be incognito. Filter by bestseller and see, like, compared to the best sellers of that product. What's different about yours? People clearly like it. Adding it to cart is way better than a view. It would be like this. Like, a view just tells you your SEO is working. A favorite tells you this is pretty good. People might come back later. An add to cart is like a step above a favorite. Like, okay, they might actually buy this. And then obviously a purchase is the best possible scenario. So having it in people's carts is a really good sign. I don't, I personally, this is just because I'm testing things all the time. I don't spend time on abandoned cart emails. I don't do anything. When I see it in people. People's carts. I take it as cool. This is doing well for me. What else could I create like this? Because it's doing well. But those are some things that you can do to create the conversion. And it's a great question.
- [48:24]
B
You've really done a good job about taking this big black box and making it into digestible pieces.
- [48:36]
A
Oh, good.
- [48:37]
B
Yeah, you have, you know, your answers are very succinct. You know, like, you know, you have this problem, then you do one of three items, which is so helpful because that's what you do to a big problem. You break it down.
- [48:51]
A
Yes, that's my favorite thing to do is to communicate about these things and Also, just like, just to cheer you on, Deborah, keep going. Listen to that good husband of yours who encourages you. I think it's enough that you're even just getting out of your comfort zone. But, like, how cool would it be if you came back in a year and you were bringing in a few thousand a month? You know what I mean?
- [49:09]
B
I know, I know. That would be the dream.
- [49:11]
A
I mean, so if you really wanted to go the money route, you're gonna have to do. I'm reiterate this. You're gonna do one of two things. If you want to go headbands, they're awesome, but you're gonna have to do more outside comfort zone. Reaching out to influencers or doing social media yourself. I personally recommend the influencers if you want to study that more. You want to study Allison J. Prince. She teaches that better than anybody. Actually, the product boss is pretty good as well, but I haven't studied. I haven't actually purchased her things like I have with Allison J. Prince. So that's one way to go if you're not quite there yet. And here's the thing. I actually, when people say, hey, I just started my Etsy shop. What social media should I do? I'd say none. Figure out Etsy first. It's a big enough black box, to Deborah's point, it's a big enough black box figure. And if you're like, I want to make this work, then, okay, we pivot to something where there is demand, like your headbands, your scrunchies, your things like that. And if you want to make sales fast, you need to work toward the trends or you need to work toward the niches. You need to use patterns and things that are playing into the trends. If you have no idea what the trends are, I send a weekly email. I have a membership where you guys can get a weekly email. I'm going to tell you what the trends are, how to apply them, even give you product opportunities. So if you have no idea, trust me, when I did, signs, trends scared the pants off me. I had to grow into this person who understands trends. So I'd be more than happy to break that down for you as well. But that's. That would be for. If you. If you're like, Deborah, you were saying, lizzie, just tell me what to do. I'd say, are you ready? I'd say, I want you to get a hundred listings up that are scrunchies and headbands by the end of this year, minimum.
- [50:37]
B
I think that's awesome. Honestly, I really do. Because I think I was reading my. About anxiety. I just read a lot. And the definition of anxiety is when you don't think that you can accomplish something. And I feel like, you know, with this Etsy shop and just because it's a new product and it involves a lot of social media and just knowledge and stuff like that, that's too big. Like, that's too much like you were saying. So just do something smaller to start off with, like the headbands and the scrunchies and then build into that next phase. Because I feel like, yeah, when you have anxiety about something, it's because you don't feel that you have the ability and the skill set to accomplish it. So then just take a little piece, you know, like you said, well, maybe that's too big for now. So start on something that you can fit into your comfort zone and that you can feel confident that you can do. And so I think that's a great solution, Lizzie. I really do. I think I'm going to be starting listing some headbands soon.
- [51:49]
A
I'm so excited. And then the next email I'm going to get from you in a few months potentially depends on how fast you go, because I really want you to have 100 up by June. But I'm going to let you do you. I'm going to let you do you. The next thing you're going to say to me is, lizzie, how do I manage this? I'm selling too much and I'm working all the time. And we're going to be. I'm serious. And we're going to be talking about how. How we're going to delegate, how we're going to have enough profit margin to pay for someone else to do it. Are we going to have someone come in and help? Are we going to. Are we going to hire a company to make them for you? How are we going. Are we going to move to print on demand.
- [52:26]
B
Or. I'm gonna say, okay, I'm ready for social media now.
- [52:30]
A
Well, that's gonna be the next email you're gonna get past that hump of. I can't. I'm trying to make enough. I'm trying to increase my profit margin, but I don't have any more time. And then you're gonna get past that hump, and then you're gonna be saying, okay, I want to scale this. How do we do the influence? How do we get on now? We need to get on social media. We need to open our own website. We're gonna be Building an email list. And I'm gonna be like, this is where you get, you know, Alison J. Prince, and you learn about. You learn about influencers for the headbands or you just scale out the scrunchies. So that's going to be. That's going to be the path. Right now we're just going to focus on, let's figure out Etsy. We're going to sell something that's in demand. If we want to do it quicker, we're going to incorporate trends or at least niches, particularly like micro niches, and we are going to. We're going to smash the thing that is Etsy. But, Deborah, you've already won. You came here saying, growing up, they were always saying, come out of your shell, get out of your comfort zone. And you felt like you shrunk yourself down and you didn't get to be yourself. And now you reach out to me and say, you know what I think we should do? I think you should coach me in front of thousands of strangers, even though I'm an introvert and I'm so scared. I'm not scared.
- [53:40]
B
That's pretty much it. Just go for broke, right?
- [53:43]
A
You've already won. So thank you for your courage. Thank you for bringing your creativity in the world, because we would be a sadder place without you taking the steps that you've taken. And thank you for hanging out with me.
- [53:56]
B
Oh, thank you. It's just my pleasure to talk to someone I watch on a weekly basis.
- [54:03]
A
I know. Here we are, like friends in real life.
- [54:07]
B
Yep.
- [54:09]
A
Okay, well, thank you so much for this. This was such a great conversation. I know. It's just going to nourish so many people if been hanging out with us. We just want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here with us. We hope that you are encouraged. We hope that you learn something. We hope that you have that extra, you know, like, think of us as your besties who have just tested your product. And we're like, girl, you better do this because the world needs it, because that is what we are saying to you. So until next week, you guys go make something awesome. I love y'all. Take care. And that's a wrap on this episode of how to Sell youl Stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog, courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you. Awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.