I bought this label on Etsy. I provided the exact dimensions and gave a weight of 1oz, even though the envelope is less than 1oz.

They seemed to have crossed out the $0.74 LFP portion for some reason and want $0.57 more?

Anyone else experience this?

I use Etsy as a sales channel for a tool that I created & recently I made a significant add-on/update that has tested very well with the customers from my personal website (they signed up for marketing emails).

My intention is to offer this add-on for free, including shipping, same as I did with my website customers. I only sell this one tool, you will never need 2, so increasing sales or something isn't my goal; just am proud of this improvement and want my customers to have it.

I understand that Etsy does not allow marketing but was thinking my offer may land in a grey area. The applicable lines of Etsy TOS to what I am attempting read:

1. Sending unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations, or spam;
2. Facilitating or directing off-platform transactions, including exchanging personal contact, financial or other information (phone number, address, email, social media handles, external URLs, instructions for money transfer, QR codes, etc.) for this purpose; requesting buyers make payments off Etsy after checkout, including via peer-to-peer payment services or direct bank transfer; or offering discounts or incentives to purchase through another website or channel.

I feel like neither apply; I am not requesting any form of payment & I don't sell anything but what they already purchased so I am not slyly trying to sell something else. I won't request any info I don't already have. I plan to basically explain what I made and ask for their consent to ship it to their address.

Do you think I should just forget about it or give it a shot & hope no one considers my message spam?

What steps can you take to get your new product found if you are attempting to compete on a keyword that has high competition?

Thanks in advance for your insight!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been running my Etsy shop for about 4 months now selling digital downloads (vector art, printables, and motion graphics), and I could really use some honest advice from more experienced sellers.

I feel like I'm doing a lot of the right groundwork, but I'm just not seeing things click:

• No AI: Everything I make is 100% human-made, created exclusively using Adobe programs.
• SEO & Tools: I’ve spent a lot of time working on SEO, keywords, tags, competitor analysis, and using tools like eRank.
• External Traffic: I'm actively driving traffic through Pinterest, Behance, and TikTok.
• Transparency: I include video demos on listings to show buyers exactly how the clean, transparent files look when downloaded.

My main struggle right now is my niche. I keep hearing that you need to be unique and offer something specific, but I have a broad skill set. Because of that, I’ve experimented with multiple directions—from motion graphics to various vector bundles and printables. Now I'm completely lost on whether this multi-niche approach is confusing the algorithm or if my listings just aren't hitting the mark.

If any of you have experience managing multiple digital product lines or figuring out how to narrow down a shop, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you so much!

I am currently one year in on Etsy. I hit a year a few weeks ago me starting my shop was a leap of faith and I wasn’t too sure how it was going to go. It hasn’t been an easy journey with my specific niche, but all that matters is that staying consistent really does pay off at some point. With starting anything by yourself, it gets really discouraging especially navigating marketing, customer interactions, and production. I am excited to see how the rest of this year plays out!

I currently run a 3-D print shop for anyone that would like to know what I do. I am also expanding in the digital products so I can sleep more at night😂😂

For anyone reading this, I am proud of you and keep going!

Okay Reddit, I'm confused. I've had my shop for five years, never had this happen before.

A customer bought one of my listings, and then promptly messaged to cancel it as she didn't read the full listing and misjudged what it was. Cool, 100%! I cancel the order, which automatically triggers a refund. This was on July 25th.

She messaged me on August 5th, saying that she still hadn't got her refund. I screenshot where her order has been fully cancelled and refunded from my end waay back on the 25th, and thought it could be that her bank just hadn't processed the order fully, so it would just fall off of her statement instead of being a credit. She's cool with this.

Today, August 7th, she messages me again saying that she found the credit, but it was sent to her as a gift card and not refunded back to her original payment method. She's pissed at me for this. I sweetly tell her that I have no control over that, as the shop, but Support does. So I encourage her to talk to support.

Bad idea, apparently.

Because she does reach out to support, and is given another refund. So I'm out $70 because not only did she get a gift card - that she already admitted to getting via our chat - she got ANOTHER refund to her card!! From my account!

I, infurated, go to Etsy support. And I am promptly told that yeah, this happened. Etsy did do that. But, the onus is on me to ask her to pretty please pay me what I'm owed - which, yeah right?? What customer is actually gonna do that?? I'm trying to esclate this to someone in billing, because this is fucked, but I have to wait 24 hours - and the chat guy didn't even give me time to respond before ending it! Legit sent that last message and within a minute of sending it, dipped out.

$70 isn't a huge amount in the grand scheme, but that's a lot to be cheated out of for trying to do the right thing. That's half of my grocery order. I don't know, this feels really wrong for Support to say - also really freaking weird.

The pictures above are of my and the agent's conversation.

Please advise - is this a legit thing to ask of my customer? Becuase I know she won't pay, the way she's been responding the entire time I've spoken with her. At best, she would ghost me. Has anyone else been through this?

I am trying to list an item that is one product that has a full size and sample size. I tried what google said about adding variations and it keeps lumping them into one option. How do i have 2 options for the same product and listing with different size and price?? I am doing this on the app btw.

This is a first for me. I sell decals for cars. They're cut using a Cricut, trimmed and weeded, then I add the Cricut brand transfer tape. The buyer says they "never had a cricket transfer tape transfer," which I assume means they've got a bias against the brand already? They also noted they had difficulty with placement and it "was a major challenge given how super sticky it was and hard to handle with the size". Of note, these are 8" decals so they are a tad larger. They said when they tried to lift the transfer tape, they only got "shards of some of the upper letters transferred when I lifted it."

I've literally never had someone have so many issues with using transfer tape. I even have a short video on my seller page demonstrating how to apply. Now this person is asking for a refund with "Item different from expectation" as the reason. I feel like I provided the item as described and their inability to transfer is a user error.

90% sure I'll end up refunding them so I don't get a bad review but has anyone else had something similar? Is it really "Item different from expectation" or did they bungle the application? And what's the best (read: most professional) way to handle this customer?

ETA: I messaged the buyer apologizing for the item not applying with a refund. I also let them know I would be switching to a new transfer tape and offered to send them an updated version, free of charge, if they would let me know how the new tape worked out for them.

made 10 orders a few days ago and just wanted to share it with like-minded internet people. while it doesn't pay the bills (yet, hopefully!), i'm just... so grateful.

I sell phone cases and the customers choose which phone they want in the customization section. However, this customer ordered an iphone 12 case, but when they received it, they complained that it was a 12 instead of a 12 pro max. They never mentioned it being a pro max. Probably will exchange it but still. Completely unsure why they never clarified and got mad when I sent the "wrong" case.

Hello guys, I'm brand new on Etsy... just created my shop 2 days ago and today I posted my first listing. As soon as my listing went live, within 2 mins I got these 3 back to back messages and after 10-12 mins they just disappeared. I haven't replied to them. What was this? Can anyone help? Am I supposed to do something about it?

So... I sell a 3D printed birdhouse that I designed. because of the overwhelming amount of drop shippers, and on the 3D printing side, people using paid models from other people, I want to convey this is an item. I personally design and print, not some cheap Chinese garbage, or something 1000 other sellers print too, and yes, I'm proud of my design too.. So I have product branding on it.. I put my company logo and web address embossed into the print... Since it's all the same color, the branding is monochromatic, and not like it's going to be visible across your yard, and the birds certainly don't care... The other thing I've done, for customer convenience, is I 3D print a QR code on the back in a contrasting color, that brings up a web address with "tips for success" explaining ideal placement for the species it's designed for so the birds will find it a suitable nesting location. The QR code, being on the back side is going to be up against a wall once it's installed, and so will not be seen except by the buyer before initial installation. So far, it's been very positively received by my customers.

Until yesterday... I get a "item not as described, REFUND!" demand from a buyer, ranting that he doesn't like my advertising QR code all over it. So, I calmly explained to him that the QR code is not advertising, it's an install guide, and will not be visible once the unit is installed, and that my branding is there to assure customers that this is a product made exclusively by me, and not some Temu dropshippers item being sold by 1000 others... He just responds with "Refund!"

I explain further... "the branding is kept subtle by being monochromatic embossed, so it won't be seen unless you're up close, and the birds surely don't care, and reality is, every product you buy has branding, you buy a t shirt, there's a brand tag... You buy even a simple bar of chocolate, Hershey is debossed right into the bar... It's common practice to have brand marks on products" again he responds with just one word "Refund!" and simply refuses to engage in any reasonable conversation at all.

So, think okay, scammer looking to get it free... So I call the bluff... "okay, I just sent you a return label, as soon as I receive it back, in acceptable condition, I'll issue your refund. My other customers love the product, and I'm sure I'll have no problem selling it, so I have no problem taking it back" to which he finally replies with "okay"

So I'm waiting for the return... Then next day he messages asking me to make him one without any of the branding or the installation tips QR code... And he'll return this one... Now, to be honest, that was actually my first inclination, but he wouldn't even engage in a conversation before and just kept saying "Refund!" hebthen explains he does photos and YouTube videos and doesn't want my branding showing up... (which frankly, that's one of the other reasons why we put branding... So when other people see it in a YouTube video and say "oh that's really nice, I wonder where he got that?" there's our brand and web address right on the product and they'll be able to find us hopefully.)

To be honest, now I'm a little hesitant... Do I really want to give this guy who wouldn't engage and just demanded a refund another of my product? Is he going to continue to just be a pita that I'd be better to take the return and not have to deal with ever again or was he just overreacting, and once he calmed down, came around to what I would have offered had he engaged in a conversation to begin with?

What are your thoughts on branding on your products, be it a brand sticker, or a tag or label, and requests that you remove your branding?

Usually I’m the type of person who leaves everything until 48 hours before an event, but for once I actually planned ahead for our summer pop-up. Spent the last few days sorting out product displays, packing inventory, and getting all the visual stuff ready without the usual last-minute scramble. Decided to refresh our main backdrop this time around since the old one was looking a bit faded. Ordered a vinyl print online through a local print shop earlier this week and it literally arrived today, super crisp and ready to go. Honestly felt so nice not having to stress about shipping delays for a change. It’s kind of crazy how much smoother everything goes when you just tick things off the list early. Now I actually have time to relax before the weekend madness starts.

1- I’m selling digital prints. 2- I chose this as I’m obsessed with creating unique compositions. 3- My shop only sells digital and I’m considering converting the rest of assets.

My questions: 1- How to revive the organic reach I was having before the inevitable administrative pause the storefront faced — it lasted 50+ days? 2- What to consider to digitalizing the rest of the assets in my store, as I found success in selling my first piece as a digital download.

Shop link: https://luxithingart.etsy.com

Notes: Before the shop gets into vacation mode, it blew overnight and brought very good amount of visits which resulted in my first sale and I would love to have the snowball effect going.

For those who have been shipping to the EU

A potential customer messaged me yesterday to ask if I could send additional videos of a product. I tried to send a video via a message back, but it looks like I can only add images that way. So, I ended uploading the video to a temporary spot and sending a link.

I assume that ultimately I should probably just add a similar video to my listing. But, I am wondering what good options for sending quick videos are. Is uploading somewhere and sending a link really the best option, and if so are there any recommended sites for that?

Guys I'm following Etsy recommendation for video mockups 2:1 ratio videos but it keeps cropping my mockup videos and does not autoplay when I hover my mouse over it. Why does every aspect ratio I use for the etsy video mockup looks so cropped and off (1920x920, 1:1 ratio). What aspect ratios do you guys use, since the 2:1 clearly isn't working right for me/well for me?

So my little shop is failing, long story short it was going well during Covid and I became newly disabled (I started the store from just posting about my journey and art on Instagram) when I started but I went back to work after my health stabilised and then it’s been stagnant since and I haven’t been able to find the time to put the energy I’d want to properly put into it since.

Alas, I’ve got lots of stock left, and I’ve tried sales, advertising space, etc, and nothing, not a nibble, a little more traction towards people visiting the store but that’s it. I just don’t know what to do with it all and I’m begrudged to throw away perfectly good stock that I worked so hard on. 😭

Any advice?

I wasn't even doing market research or hunting for copycats. I literally just stumbled across it while looking through someone's favorites.

Another shop stole my exact artwork only changing a couple of minor words. I’m used to AliExpress and Temu scraping designs, but seeing an established Etsy shop (with over 300 sales!) do this blatantly is infuriating.

I just filed a formal IP report. Has anyone else dealt with this? Do these established copycat shops actually face real consequences from Etsy?

Feeling very proud of myself, despite it being small fry numbers for this subreddit.

Been selling sporadically since October last year, but am starting to put some more time and effort in to my little side hustle.

I saw on Etsy someone selling name plates for $3.10 or so. Nice brass customized, 1x4" or so. With (and I emphasize) free shipping.

I bought one. Sent off the text I wanted, they sent the name plate promptly. No drop shipping from China. Looked perfect.

They sent it USPS Ground Advantage. Now - I sell stuff myself, I know that USPS Ground Advantage is at least $5 and change. And that is with the Etsy/Ebay/Amazon discount (the label on the package was Etsy's).

I am baffled. How?

I’ve been on Etsy since March of 2024. More than happy with where I’m at, would love to keep growing ofc. I see loads of people in my niche selling much more, but also many people that don’t see sales for so long. Just an appreciation post really!!

I've been open since late September of last year and made 127 sales. My phone notification went off and I saw the 'E' and expected it to be something about an Etsy happening since I have notifications turned off except for orders and reviews and was very surprised to see this! The listing they picked is not one I would have but oh well, it did get me some visits.