Etsy sales down 70% -- Can Anyone Help??? Please!

[#1]

If anyone out there can help, we would very much appreciate it.  We've been selling on Etsy since 2012 and have loved it -- until now.  Our sales are down 70% year over year and we have no idea why.  If you search for items, you can't find our products.  It's like we've been shadow banned.  I've tried calling Etsy and the person I spoke to told us that we're doing everything right.  Has anyone experienced something similar and figured out what to do about it?  We're willing to try whatever is needed. 

Desperate in PA

[vintageNCtreasures]

Not everyone will see the same things with search.
What I see won't be what you see or what another seller sees.

With your search you might not being seeing your items since #1 you can't buy your items so the search algorithms decide to show you something different that is why some of us are seeing you on page 1. 

I see the antique clover brooch on page 1, 2nd line 1st slot.

I rarely wear jewelry but if I did, I wouldn't shell out $1,00's or $1,000's or $10,000+ dollars on a ring, necklace, earrings on any online site. 
I want to actually see/hold it and be 100% sure it was what it was supposed to be. 

I'd never sell expensive items like this on Etsy, you have ZERO seller protection if anything goes amiss with an order, even if it shows delivered and signed for, it won't matter. 
I wouldn't want to sell a $300 item let alone up to a $12,000+ item here. 

[BibsBobsNoveltyGifts]

I do not think Their issue is the cost of Their items or the fact Buyers would like to be holding and checking it before buying (which i understand fully and to an extent Agree) but they have been selling the items for 13 years on Etsy so all that is irrelevant and does not solve their issue which is views etc

[CoquetteBath]

I appreciate that you've had a lot of great sales here.

and I don't doubt, for the minute, that you are pricing fair and that you run an ethical shop.

but a lot of folks don't. And especially online, it is very easy for fraudsters to take people's money and not deliver value.

You have no seller protection over $250. You are selling most items (if not all) for WELL over that threshold. A few items I noted were in the mid thousands.

That's not pocket change for most folks. And when one is selling wants (which most of us are) and the economy is a bit rocky (which it is for a lot of people) coupled with the absolute fraud I've personally experienced in buying similar goods online...

as I mentioned before, it is caveat emptor.

If you're doing what you've always done, well that's likely an issue as previously said. Pricing is an issue. Overcoming objections and fears is an issue. There's a ton more competition everywhere and Etsy seems to be prioritizing lower priced (or higher inventory) shops. I make everything I sell and I can make a lot of everything...not so you. So I think vintage sellers are already at a bit of a disadvantage.

I'd review your presentation, update photos (always works for me...) and revisit your pricing. If you are pricing based on the current gold market...but you paid at the market in 2010...that could be an issue. People may be looking for a bargain. Give them some. If you can. If you cannot or do not wish to do so, I get that.

but, as I said prior, I won't even consider a jewelry purchase of any significant value that I cannot pick up and examine in person. JMO. HTH

[Celticcatphotos]

I think many sellers are having the same problem with being found.

[SeaandSouth]

I agree. I think Etsy can do more to help their sellers. Many of us are tanking. 

[FrenchChiffonDesigns]

It's exactly the same for many shops including mine. Our products and prices are not at all the same but the boat we are are all sailing in is

[DesDesVintageFashion]

@TrademarkAntiques Fab pieces, I have favourited a few for what is worth... as many have said, your shop looks fine, looks more like a high end auction catalogue. Although selling on ETSY is a challenge these days, I would not say price point is the only issue - There are plenty of people buying expensive items online including myself - I have bought expensive art and jewellery from auctions online without seeing them - it is all about trust of the seller and knowing what you are buying. Plus, you can alway contact the seller for more info and pics. Reputable dealers will not cheat their buyers. Why would you? It will kill your business. So I would imagine you have repeat buyers? 

Perhaps your items are more at home on sites like 1stdibs and Vestaire Collective and even eBay? It is worth expanding and selling on different platforms. Things have really changed on ETSY. Previously I didn't even advertise and was doing okay selling vintage home decor, usually wake up to a sale. No longer, as traffic suddenly went downhill and has never recovered since 2023. You have to do the marketing yourself these days.

Recently I read 70% of buyer on ETSY are from the US; there is a lot of volatility in the US at the moment, which will most certainly influence people's expenditure even if they can afford it. 

All the best to you. 

[KateTeesCollection]

I'm in an entirely different category but my sales suddenly plummeted this month too. I had a lot in February and suddenly things just tanked. Views and sales. It's unusual given the momentum I've been building over the last 3 years. Every month has been better than the previous (with the exception of Q4 sales obviously being higher) until this month, where sales are suddenly at a trickle. I'm just here looking to see if that's being experienced by others, how I can fix it or if I did something wrong. There's no indication that I did so I'm stumped. Unfortunately, this is the sole income for my family at the moment so the sudden deep drop in sales is also not sustainable for us. We are struggling this month. Hoping things somehow return to 'normal' soon. 

I agree that I don't think it's the price point that is the cause - the items you have listed appeal to specific customers, not bargain shoppers, so those types of customers weren't shopping your store to begin with. IMO, it has to be another reason. Good luck. You have beautiful items.

[RusticBucketsSouth]

Perhaps the tide has turned, along with the economy for luxury goods and higher end antique jewelry, just a thought.

[Duckwells]

I sell vintage and am doing fine.  My theory is that Etsy is shadowbanning high end shops.  They have made it clear there is no seller protection over $250, and they seem to have little appetite to deal with disputes.  Your items put you at risk for unscrupulous buyers, and when Etsy refunds your account, you will inevitably appeal.  

[PlatypusDream]

Etsy's reputation with buyers is trash. 

It is hard to find actual quality jewelry on Etsy. The search engine has changed completely over the years from exact keyword matching to a more browsing / gift guide style.

Shoppers are shown resold Temu and Shein trash before they are shown real handmades and vintage. We sellers know how to shop here, how to filter the search engine to show us what we want, but many other shoppers just get frustrated and leave.

Even I go to Google to find what I want on Etsy, because it is easier to find things that way than to wrestle with the way search is set up here.

Rock bottom prices of mass market crap here cheapens the appearance of genuine antique shops like yours.

I've even had some of my antique pattern buyers tell me they are leaving and never coming back because of what's happening here.

You need to advertise off of Etsy to draw your own crowd of buyers. You can no longer rely on Etsy to give you organic traffic. Sad but true.

[VintageDreamBeads]

We are all in the same boat! Sales are down for many sellers right now.

[SimpleSilverAndGold]

I'm going to suggest that you consider adjusting color in some of your 1st item photos. I'm somewhat vision impaired, and to my eyes, the black background sucks some light from the item. You could choose a shop section with fewer items (?bracelets) and bump up brightness on all those listing 1st pix, then see if that brings sales to that section.

Maybe the AI analysis has my vision deficiency, lol. Experimenting costs nothing and may bring enlightenment.

[SimpleSilverAndGold]

@TrademarkAntiques   Also -- choose search terms that one/some of your items should normally appear in, and run the search. Refine the results to choose 'etsy picks'. this will show you the items that etsy prefers for those search terms.

I've learned a lot from doing that on my own items.

[TheVelvetPrincess]

OH MY GOD I LOVE YOUR SHOP. I am mad for a good spoon ring. Your shop is stunning. 

[TheVelvetPrincess]

Your problem is economic fear in the world. You shop is stunning with a high quality item and good SEO as far as I know. Do you follow any trades for you market? You don't have any bread and butter items in your shop to keep you going while the economy calms down. I would make jewelry the first word in your announcement an example " Jewelry that is Antique, Vintage, and Historical quality." I love the black backgrounds but you rarely see etsy feature an item with a black background. Have ypu ever sold on Ruby Lane? That used to be a great collectors site. Blesings hope something helps.

[TheVelvetPrincess]

Lean in on earrings the number one selling jewelry item and wedding jewelry on a white background. Even in a slow economy folks with drop cash on weddings.

[ModerneMe]

I have to say, sales are really terrible over the last two months.  I went from selling 20-30 items a weeks to about 5 a week.  I just think people are tightening their purse strings….

[GieseDeseiGns]

You're selling wants like most of us, people are holding onto funds for needs right now, so anything in your price range would get hit, sorry to say. I see it as a bumpy ride for awhile unfortunately.

[Marmalady]

Most of it is probably the economy -- people are not going to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on jewellery if they are worried about the price of utilities & groceries going up day by day.

But there are things you can do which might help boost your search results:

Think of different terms people might use when searching for your items
eg the "cruise ship" charm -- add "ocean liner" in your title & tags
The "baby carriage" charm -- in the UK we would call it a "pram" or "perambulator" -- so add those terms

You also need to get your Policies legal for the UK / EU:
a) Return Policy -- buyers have minimum 14 days after receipt to inform you of intent to return for full refund, a further 14 days to actually return. Choose the 30 day option on Etsy.  Buyer to pay return postage. Without this policy buyers have a full year to request a refund and you have to pay return postage if you want it back
b) GDPR compliant Privacy policy -- Etsy have a template,
c) Address & contact info of where you conduct your business. Etsy have a Sellers Details section in their Policy template

For the EU, you also need a GPSR representative based in the EU that holds your safety assessment for your products (your items might be exempt -- you will have to research this)
For some EU countries you will also need a Packaging Licence

[AntiqueARTGarden]

Just looking at your shop, the only thing I can figure is it is expensive( some very) jewelry, and because of the insano politics in this country now, consumers are pulling back on purchasing. Especially anything over $500., much less in the $1000s., which is most of your items.  Best of luck!

[ChuckPetersonDesigns]

Very slow here too. Time to work on improving my websites, refining things. It is frustrating.

[KarlasCrafts]

The exact same thing is happening to my store. I am a star seller. I have over 700 listings. I ship within 24 hours. My pictures are the right size...I am doing everything Etsy says to do, but my store is dead. I have had a total of 20 views and 7 visits, this whole entire day. When I do a search, I can't find any of my items. I don't know what is going on. 

[moonbeamgifts]

Your products are very pretty but sadly, I am not your target market.    I am not accustomed to wearing $400-1,000 on my lapel or finger so in the event that I actually had an event to attend, I'd probably miss most of it making sure the jewelry was still there and not on the floor somewhere.   

Could you add any lower cost items into your offerings?    That might help bridge the gap, especially in today's current economy.    I'm pretty sure it's going to get worse before it gets better so best to try to look ahead.   It won't be the big bump to your dollar balance that your current sales likely are but small sales do add up.

[Boretrolondon]

As a vintage clothing seller, I've been noticing a similar trend: lower visits and sales than usual. I'm guessing this could be attributed to the current economic uncertainty, but I'm holding onto the hope that things will return to normal soon. If you're feeling uncertain, know that you're not alone! We're in the same boat, questioning the future. Stay strong and keep doing what you love! This challenging time will pass, and things will bounce back.