Sales down but in particular sales from the USA

[LindisfarnePrintsUK]

Hi there, we have always had very good sales from the USA often accounting for 60% approx of all sales. Suddenly in December they virtually stopped completely, very unusual in the lead up to Christmas. Then in January they miraculously started again but last month and continuing this month they have disappeared completely.

Has anyone else experienced this or have any idea why this should be.

Thanks

[BengalLooms]

Exactly same issue. Something is very wrong with Algorithm in Etsy since last few months. Irrelevant people being shown or people confined locally being shown etc all kinds of weird traffic patterns. 

all the sellers need to make noise, this overdo of AI nonsense is actually ruining business. If this continues then better to shut shop on Etsy. 

[Vintorious]

Since you are in the USA already, this should not be an issue for your shop. 

[Vintorious]

Sorry that this is happening in your shop: you have some remarkable items, and I honestly cannot see why you would have erratic traffic. Have you considered targeting US shoppers with a Mothers' Day sale or promotion? (I am aware that ours is later than yours.)

[NeilBarrPhotography]

Yep, and the EU. The last from there was early January (though admittedly, I've had to remove a lot of countries due to the packaging laws which would explain some of that). Nothing much from the US apart from 2 cards in the past 2-3 months. I used to have overseas orders nearly every day or two. Overall it says my sales are up, but it doesn't feel like it. Amazon Handmade was way down for a while but is picking back up (I only do UK to UK there) and the offline stores have been not too bad this year.

I did adjust my postage (which yes, can be high if shipping frames with glass overseas) late last year after leaving it for a while and haven't adjusted most items to the recent price increases this year. Even so, the rises were minimal. I'm more concerned if talk of this localisation stuff and showing sellers nearer you is a thing, or just assumptions.

[WalkingPineDesigns]

My sales seemed the same as yours and dropped to nothing for the the last 2 months straight. Never happened before. Ever since gift mode I haven’t gotten any sales. Not even a private message.  They keep taking those listing fees though.  How many more things am I supposed to make to keep me inventory fresh? They say to check out trends. Maybe I should melt all my jewelry down and buy gold?  It seems all they offer in gift mode is generic stuff I can get on Amazon.  I’m very disheartened and social media is a bust too ever since Instagram totally changed their platform so no one can get new followers unless they already have tons of followers already.   Catch 22. How do you market when those platforms have also sabotaged themselves? 

[ShopVanZell]

I am a new shop selling only in the US. I can see how that is a mistake because sales are nonexistent.  Even with running adds

[BagmakerSupply]

@ShopVanZell: The pool of available dollars seems to be shrinking and you are in a very competitive niche.

Plus as a new shop, Etsy gave your shop and your listings a temporary boost in search and it is possible that the honeymoon period is over.

Ads only work if your listings rank high enough in search to be shown anyway. Your listing must meet the search requirements to rank high enough to be considered for an ad slot. Then, and only then, Etsy will "auction" off the available ad slots to those qualifying listings that they think will generate the most revenue for them. Even if your titles and tags are perfect, the results that search now returns may very well mean that your listing will be shown as ads but are they being shown to the right people?

As an aside, you are including some trademarked names in your listings so you need to include YOUR licensing information for any trademarked and copyrighted names and images in the listing, otherwise buyers (and Etsy) may conclude they are counterfeits.  Including the licensing information will show that you are not selling those items illegally.

[AAANativeArts]

It is an election year in the US, and people in the US always tend to spend less before a national election. With the recent attempt to assasinate Trump, and President Biden stepping down last minute,  there is more uncertainty than usual. Interest rates are also climbing in the US, which makes people more reluctant to spend money. It will probably improve some after the election. But that is still 4 months from now.

[GlassyFields]

@AAANativeArts 

Totally agree. Election years bring some uncertainty and wariness while people wait to see what happens. This one is even more so with more drama than usual.

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