Maximizing Etsy Sales: My Journey with Digital Products
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Chapter 1: The Beginning of My Etsy Adventure
It all started on a lengthy drive back from Los Angeles a few months ago. I tuned into a YouTube channel where a creator shared their success story about running an Etsy store focused on digital downloads generated largely through AI tools like MidJourney and DALL-E. Initially, it sounded almost too good to be true, a common refrain among success tales in the online space. Nonetheless, I’m always eager to explore new "passive" income streams, believing that my only investment would be time and a few $0.20 listing fees on Etsy. That evening marked the start of my journey.
Fast forward 48 days, and I'm not just surprised by the results; I'm genuinely amazed by what I've learned along the way.
Throughout my decade-long entrepreneurial journey, I've explored various online business avenues, constantly seeking ways to establish passive income streams. My background includes working with large tech and media companies, supporting multi-billion dollar initiatives, and overcoming challenges in projects across 20 countries.
Despite my love for my current work, I'm always strategizing my escape into a more passive income lifestyle. From affiliate marketing to stock footage sales, I've tested a wide array of ventures, experiencing varying degrees of success.
While I believe in the potential of scalable side hustles to generate decent passive income, I avoid projects that bore me, knowing I won't commit fully and will waste my time. I’m willing to experiment, but if something fails to captivate me long-term, I’m quick to move on.
For those curious, here’s a brief overview of my experiences with online entrepreneurial endeavors:
Failures:
- Multi-Level Marketing (MLMs) — of course!
- Stock Photography — too saturated for my liking, though persistence may have paid off.
- Blog Writing in 2007 — starting a blog solely for AdSense didn’t yield results, but hindsight reveals it was a prime opportunity.
Moderate Successes:
- eBay — flipping DJ gear for five years, but it lacked scalability.
- YouTube — like many, I hoped for success, but the constant content creation led to burnout.
Proven Successes:
- Stock Drone Footage — I uploaded over 2000 drone clips to stock sites five years ago and continue to earn monthly.
- Writing Articles on Medium — I've begun to see consistent earnings after just a few months.
- Etsy Digital Downloads… Let’s explore further.
Chapter 2: Launching My Etsy Store
The YouTuber I followed had been selling on Etsy since the boom in 2020. His various ventures ranged from Print on Demand merchandise to digital downloads, with the latter standing out due to its low entry barrier. As I had been creating AI images for fun, I decided to open my first Etsy store in September.
Fortunately, I already had an Etsy account, which eased my concerns about potential account restrictions faced by new sellers. However, the process was still a learning curve. I utilized numerous YouTube tutorials for guidance on account setup, policy understanding, and best practices.
A special shout-out to several YouTubers whose step-by-step instructions were invaluable in getting me started.
Section 2.1: The Initial Days
I can’t deny that the first few days posed challenges. I felt like I made every mistake possible, even with the help of great tutorials. It took me an entire week, working 8–10 hour days, to refine my process.
For those unfamiliar with Etsy, creating and listing products involves several critical steps, and when uploading numerous listings, it can become tedious and time-consuming. I’m a huge fan of AI and automation, and once I figured out the workflow, I dedicated more time to automating tasks than to product creation. This allowed me to list over 300 products in my first two weeks.
Workflow Steps:
- Niche Research: ChatGPT + eRank + Etsy Search Suggestions
- Content Brainstorming: ChatGPT + browsing Etsy
- Content Creation: MidJourney, DALL-E, Leonardo.AI
- Content Formatting: Canva
- Cover Photo Creation: Canva
- File Format Preparation: Cloud Convert
- Listing Creation & Mock-Ups: MyDesigns.io
- Keywords, Titles, and Descriptions: ChatGPT and MyDesigns.io AI features
- Daily Sales Creation: Axiom
Once multiplied by 300 products, the time commitment becomes evident. I spent considerable time on Zapier and Make.com to develop automated workflows, but MyDesigns.io was the most significant time-saver, enabling mass uploads, bulk mock-ups, and streamlined Etsy uploads.
Section 2.2: Sales Figures
The first weeks were far from easy. Etsy restricts new stores from running ads until they are at least 15 days old. By then, I had already uploaded hundreds of listings but recorded only four orders and 182 visits, which was disheartening. I was determined to activate ads and aimed for 100 sales by year-end.
Once I turned on the ads at $5 a day, my visits surged over 200% the first day, resulting in two sales. My sales fluctuated over the following weeks.
Interestingly, I discovered that high traffic does not always lead to high sales. On one day with five sales, I had fewer than 30 views, while on days with over 180 views, I made just one sale. This discrepancy likely arises because Etsy promotes a broad range of products, not all of which will resonate with shoppers.
Sales Overview:
- Most of my products are priced between $2 and $4, with bundle discounts.
- Spending $5 daily on ads can significantly impact profits.
After running ads for 30 days, I switched them off to see the outcome.
LOL 🤣
You can see the immediate drop in sales after I stopped the ads. But the story doesn’t end there.
Sales initially plateaued for about a week, then something unexpected happened: organic sales began to trickle in daily. Although my views have decreased to around 10 per day, I still make 1–2 sales daily without paying for those views. Remarkably, I haven’t added a new listing since turning off ads. Talk about passive income!
Chapter 3: Key Takeaways from Selling on Etsy
- Upload a significant number of products initially to gain traction.
- Not every product will succeed.
- Creating attractive listings involves many time-consuming steps—leverage tools like Canva and MyDesigns.io for efficiency.
- Ads are crucial for generating traffic at the start, but if your products are strong and your SEO is optimized, you may not need them long-term.
- Invest time in creating compelling cover photos and mock-ups.
- A/B test your listings by using different titles, tags, and descriptions.
- Expect that only about 5% of customers will leave feedback, even if prompted.
- The market isn't over-saturated; thorough research can help you find your niche.
What are your thoughts? Have you ventured into selling on Etsy? Are you interested in digital products? Do you believe this model is sustainable? Share your insights in the comments!
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Chapter 4: Additional Resources
Uncover the 9 secrets for boosting your digital product sales on Etsy in 2024.
Discover why selling digital products on Etsy may not be the best option and explore alternative strategies.