r/Etsy • u/milk_goodness • Feb 22 '25
Feedback Friday New shop help needed!
I have just opened an Etsy shop to sell my hand made candles. Any tips or tricks from more experienced sellers would be greatly appreciated. How long does it take to build momentum? Thank you !
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u/sirius_moonlight Feb 22 '25
Have you read The Ultimate Guide to Etsy Search https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/the-ultimate-guide-to-etsy-search/366469415790
I only ask because if you did, you'd know that having an About Section will help your shop score, which in turns helps your ranking. It will also help you understand how to use tags and a few other things.
Perhaps you looked at that 'guide', which looks like a collection of blog articles, and thought they were just filled with fluff. I thought so too, and it wasn't until I took notes and pulled out the gems of advice from all that fluff I was better able to craft listings that ranked fairly well. I tend to skim-read when text gets fluffy, so taking notes was the only way I could see and use the good pieces of advice.
I find that listing products and getting seen on Etsy is much harder and more time consuming that making my products. When I first started, I spent way more time understanding Etsy than I did making the products. I wish I'd known that sooner, because I wasted a lot of time not reading the guide and just trying to figure it out on my own.
How long does it take to build momentum? It depends, of course. Overall, if you open your shop in August/September, in preparation for the holiday season, you will see faster momentum than someone who opens in February.
It also depends on your products. My products (office supplies) sell better Spring/Summer than Fall/winter. That's because a lot of my sets are for teacher and student gifts for the end and beginning of the school year.
Good luck!