This is a community of Etsy sellers, from brand-new shop owners to high-volume veterans, all trying to figure out why sales are falling, how to get more of them, and whether the platform is worth staying on. The most urgent discussions center on sudden loss of search visibility and traffic, a broken or irrelevant search algorithm, and the rising flood of POD, AI, and copycat shops. Many sellers are also frustrated by fees, payouts, and ads that don't pay off. Some ask for alternatives; some share what little has worked, while others debunk guru promises.
The posters are Etsy sellers at every stage: crochet and plushie makers, bakery owners, artists, and side-hustlers, plus seasoned shops that have made six figures. They range from total beginners asking why they have zero sales to experienced sellers who are suddenly seeing their traffic crater. Their sophistication level is mixed; many understand basic SEO and ads but are baffled by opaque algorithm changes and feel powerless to reverse them.
Many sellers report their shops being completely removed from Etsy search, often since a specific date, causing orders to plummet. A vacation-mode toggle temporarily brings listings back, pointing to a re-indexing bug.
“Shops are being completely **de-indexed**.”
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“Toggling **Vacation Mode** on and off makes the listings instantly reappear in search.”
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“Instead of stable 10-15 orders per day - now it’s 2-3.”
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Sellers say Etsy's search function returns irrelevant results and their own listings disappear even for exact-title searches. Optimizing titles and tags is seen as useless when the underlying search is unreliable.
“Yes, search on etsy is extremely irrelevant”
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“It feels like my shop has just disappeared from search results.”
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“Tried titles, tags, everything. Nah, it’s all BS.”
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Beginners open shops and get few visits and zero sales despite following advice; many struggle for weeks or months before their first non-friend sale. They wonder if they are doing something wrong or need more listings.
“I opened my store five days ago and so far I’ve gotten 26 visits but 0 sales.”
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“I’ve been trying for months but have only sold one thing and it was to a very kind friend.”
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“I have opened my shop 1 month ago and have only 1 listing, i know it is too early but seen others manage to sale within the first weeks made me think 🤔 if i am doing something wrong.”
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Sellers feel Etsy is overrun by dropshippers, AI-generated products, and sellers who steal artwork and shop branding. Genuine handmade makers find it harder to stand out and are disheartened by the platform's tolerance of copycats.
“As soon as Etsy allowed wholesellers and dropshippers, it went so downhill that it's now in the Mariana trench”
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“Dropshipping, AI, stolen artwork… it’s super sad bc I wanted to start selling on Etsy at some point .-.”
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“people copying is so annoying.. at least give credit.”
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High Etsy fees, currency conversion, tariffs, and reduced payouts leave sellers with a fraction of the order value. Some calculate that a $62 order nets as little as $20, making the platform feel unsustainable.
“Etsy has screwed me over for the last time, I'm getting tf off of this garbage platform.”
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“A $62 order(price & shipping included) was made, and then etsy has the fucking audacity to cheerfully tell me my $36 payout is on the way to my bank account.”
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“The fees are steeper and I can’t afford to list lots of things only to get no sales.”
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Sellers who pay for Etsy ads report spending money without getting views or sales, and experienced sellers sometimes advise against ads altogether. Ads feel like a money pit, especially for newer shops.
“We’ve been running ads on Etsy, spending just a couple of bucks a day, and we’re happy to invest more, but right now, it feels like we’re just throwing money into the wind.”
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“Not only have my sales stopped, but I’m also not getting any views at all, despite paying for advertising.”
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Even successful sellers see wild swings: no sales for days then sudden bursts, or years of steady growth followed by a sudden flop. They cannot pin it on seasonal or product reasons.
“I'm making sales but in waves. Crickets for 7 days then 3-5 sales within 2 days (the same or similar items), then nothing for several days and the cycle repeats but often with a different group of items.”
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“My Etsy shop is around 5 years old, every year has been doubling the previous one. Great conversion, high 6 figures annual revenue, amazing reviews, tens of thousands of sales, and then all of a sudden - a flop.”
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Many sellers are frustrated by online gurus who promise easy income through Etsy and make it sound like listing anything will sell. They suspect real earnings are much lower and that generic advice doesn't work.
“All the YouTube gurus are full of shit. They make it sound like you could literally list anything and if you do the rights things you will sell a ton and make it big.”
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“Do people actually make the money that people on YouTube claim to make each month or is this all clickbait propaganda and the real numbers for normal people are a lot lower?”
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An Etsy visibility monitor that tracks listing indexing and sends alerts when a shop drops out of search, with a one-click vacation-mode recovery workflow.
Addresses: Sudden traffic crashes and de-indexing
A realistic 'First 90 Days on Etsy' playbook/checklist for new sellers that sets expectations, covers traffic generation beyond Etsy search, and debunks guru myths.
Addresses: New shops get no traction / first sales are extremely hard
A certification/badge program or shop directory for verified handmade sellers that distinguishes them from POD/AI/dropshippers and helps buyers find authentic goods.
Addresses: Market saturation from POD, AI, and copycats
A transparent fee/payout calculator for Canadian and international sellers that shows true net profit including tariffs, exchange rates, and Etsy fees before listing.
Addresses: Fees and payout structure erode profits
A search-optimization course/tool specifically for Etsy's current algorithm that teaches sellers to diagnose ranking loss and adapt without relying on Etsy Ads.
Addresses: Etsy search and algorithm are broken/opaque
A community-driven alternative marketplace or migration service that helps frustrated sellers move their shops and customers off Etsy.
Addresses: PLEASE give me good etsy alternatives i beg 🙏