When is this "time of year" over? :)

[heathercashart]

Hi,

I've seen so many people say that there are slow sales because of the time of year. When do sales usually pick up for you guys? February? March? Or later??

Just wondering because I finally got my shop all beefed up and now I have gotten zero sales, whereas last year I had a few here & there every once in awhile.

Thanks!
Heather

[Former_Member]

I'm wondering this too. I have a pretty good (even really good, I'm averaging 200 views and 80 faves a day) number of views and favorites, I'm active in teams and forums, I promote, and my prices are normal for photography, but I can't seem to sell anything. :/

[Former_Member]

I'm having trouble too :( Was hoping it would pick up a bit since it's nearly valentines, but hardly anything :(

[Former_Member]

Hmmm, after doing some research, i'd say it depends on what you sell. Away from etsy, i've personally had the best month ever and i've been running my business for nearly a year.
My question is, are you buying? If not, then how can you expect others to buy?

Wooden stuff, furniture and fabrics are selling well.
Jewellery, photos, art and metal stuff - not so much!

Hope that helps! xxx

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

Anastasia Bird from JellybeanHQ says

Wooden stuff, furniture and fabrics are selling well.
Jewellery, photos, art and metal stuff - not so much!
_________________________________________

I just bought a pair of earrings from an Etsy seller. :)

My sales have been so-so, thanks to the blank pink & red tags I have listed. Those were my most popular items in January. If it wasn't for those sales I'd be twiddling my thumbs with nothing to package up and send out.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Don't listen to people telling you about slow times.
There is no general slow time of the year for retail businesses.
Just individual slow times for sellers.
There are high times (holidays shopping season), after which average sales might feel like a slow time.

If you are not selling well, don't blaim it on some fague 'slow time'.
If you want sales, you've got to make them happen (not by sitting out imaginary slow times).

[Former_Member]

Nobody's sitting out slow times, Bea. Like I said, I'm super active in teams and forums, promote on twitter/wordpress/facebook/tumblr as much as I can without being spammy, add new listings every day, I'm definitely working for it and on my shop. The reason I'm not selling may not be a vague "this time of year is slow" thing, but it's also not that I'm not trying.

[Former_Member]

Listen to Bea. No matter what time of year it is, when a seller posts about sales, someone somewhere says it is slow this time of year.

In truth, there really isn't a slow time, especially if you're shipping internationally. You may have super busy times around holidays like Christmas, but there really aren't "slow" internet sales. Not in the traditional sense of the word anyway.

[Former_Member]

BeaG is right. If you are having slow times, then maybe your current marketing plan isn't working at the particular time.

Also, slow seasons don't have to be bad, if you are being proactive and working on your shop to improve things. All hard work pays off.

[Former_Member]

Oh, I agree that there are no slow times. I just resented the implication that I was sitting around waiting for a better time to come by. I'm not. What I'm doing may not be working, but I AM doing things.

[TheRoamingPeddlers]

Just my opinion, but logically people would be paying off credit cards and re-establishing financially after the holidays---I know I am. Waiting for tax returns too, possibly.

My dad has run his own business for 30 years and always claimed January/February was his "slow time."

[Purl1VintageToo]

We were surprised by 6 sales over the weekend! Maybe the football widows shopped vintage during Super Bowl weekend:)

[heathercashart]

I'm confused. If someone has steady sales ALL year, and yet they get significantly less sales every year during January, then how can you say there is no slow time? That doesn't even sound like a logically correct statement. If January is always slower than the other 11 months, doesn't that make January slow? :-P

[TerraRhapsody]

I've been working on my shop a lot more recently, so my answer to this is only based on previous years of not-so-good sales. Last year, I had fairly low sales, then things picked up at the end of September and carried on at a fair pace until the end of December :)

[BrushStrokeOrnaments]

I spend WAY too much time looking at my stats - keeping track of daily views, # of sales, $, etc (I majored in math...what can I say? :)

Obviously, since I sell ornaments, my views/sales are extremely high during the Christmas season. But people do buy ornaments year-round (birthdays, weddings) and I clearly see that my slowest month is Feb. TheSales gradually increase as the year goes on. If you are listing new things often and are, in general, active in your own promotion, then you will eventually get the sales. With all the variables, it's hard to really know what can cause sales to inc/dec... do you now have more competition, have you changed your pricing structure, are the things you make still as popular, are you advertising as you once did, has your views/sale ratio changed (why or why not), and on and on.

As others have mentioned, use your slower times as times to create and develop new ideas/projects!

[joliefemmebydiana]

I have had lots of payoff by being active in promotion and renewing or adding new items to the shop. It may not happen immediately but it does happen. Keep working at it! Sales will pick up!

[ResaWilkinson]

Months just after Christmas some say are slow. I believe it depends on the type of product a shop has and who the customer is. Typically, most jewelry shops and retail use this time for inventory, etc.. However it is also when new trends hit the market for the new year making it a very exciting time for introducing a new look or product. Keep positive and focused thoughts and run your shop as you would all year...with fun and enjoyment. :)

[LovesYouCrafts · Accepted solution]

I think it really depends on what you sell and how you market yourself. We all go through slow periods and busy periods and they don't necessarily coincide with everyone else.

I just looked at your shop, and it's awesome! You have a variety of price points and types of products, as well as themes that appeal to many different types of customers (baby, children, couples, and those of us who love animals!) I am sure your hard work will pay off soon! Keep up the good work!

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106353206/seafoam-agate-necklace-geode-sea-green

[Former_Member]

So sorry - I did not mean to post that listing / photo in this thread :/

[Former_Member]

It is my first birthday as an etsy seller today! All I can say is last month I had nine sales but no precedent to know if it is better or worse. In february last year I had 4 sales, and this year I have had 3 so far. so, its only the 7th, so I am really hoping for some more sales, but, I dont think there is ever a 'slow' time on etsy, just seasons, and that means that if the goods in a shop are 'seasonal', then there is bound to be a slow time for that shop. I have had steady sales all year, I knit, but then, when it is summer in half the world, it is winter in the other half, so, I am hoping it will stay steady for me. I wish everyone great sales this year, just don't get dispondent

[heathercashart]

Thanks for all the responses! I'll definitely use this time to stock up for art festivals, etsy shop, etc. But I just wanted to know in general when the "slow period" usually is - so it sounds like Jan-Feb is the general slow time. That is good to know :) Thanks!

[Former_Member]

My question is, are you buying? If not, then how can you expect others to buy?
Anastasia Bird makes a good point

I purchase from other Etsy shops, like to think that helps and...so many wonderful products to choose from.
Don't give up things will pick up.... it's a daily task ..promoting.
Hope you all get a sale today!!

[WilliamsGiftshop]

For SOME sellers January is always a slow time.
But that mainly depends on your own activity (as it does every other time of the year).

Retail in general has no down time in January. Ask your local shop keepers. Worldwide January is an average retail month.
Yes, some people have no money left after the holidays, but others are spending the money they got as gifts.

I have been selling on Etsy since 2006 and January has always brought me either average or above average sales. And mine is just a small handmade hobby business.

A lot of sellers (not saying you are one of them, OP) face a slow January as a result of having been very busy during the Holidays shopping season and not having been able to work on new products, new product photo's, new listings, new marketing strategies and new promoting efforts. Many of them have less stock (hooray, they sold a lot!) and were simply too busy filling orders to put in the work normally required to keep up steady sales.
So, now it is time to get things back up to speed.

[Former_Member]

Last year started suuuper slow for me.

But this year has been entirely different. I'm currently busier than I was at Christmas. A week into February, I've already reached 40% of last year's revenue.