Is anyone else having a dismal month?

[frighten]

January was good, February was okay, but so far, this month is my worst in the 8 years I've had this shop open. Is this a widespread thing, is there something I don't know about changes etc. or is it me? I know you may not know the answer to that. I hate when this happens. 

[EclecticBeadWorks]

Most likely it's Etsy's testing and Tax time.  March is typically slow from what I've gathered.  So, Yes, my shop has not done well in March.  My shop is about 27 months old and my shop had not doing well at all and last October I had enough of the advice I was receiving.  It was not working for me.  I changed everything about how I list my items around the end of last October and my shop took off!  Everything was better by a land slide!  My views and visits shot up and my sales increased by a leaps and bounds and I was so excited about this new way of listing my items.  Things were going well until March.  Sales trickled in compared to the last 4 months.  So far to date for March my orders are the same amount as last March. But I'm hoping they increase in the next 11 days.  It's so frustrating.  I know that Etsy is testing how our listings are being seen in search.  It's also Tax time, but other then that, I too hate it when this happens.  Today is now day 5 without a sale.  I went 5 days earlier in the month without a sale but then I got 5 orders in 2 days.  For my shop this is really good.  But yes, this is a wide spread thing.  Apparently March is always a super slow month for most.  So if you had a booming March for 8 years until now, it's probably Etsy's fault with all their testing they are always doing and that big crash that happened a couple weeks or so ago when Facebook and Instagram were down as well for 24 hours or so.  

[frighten]

@EclecticBeadWorks Just looking back at last March, it was slow, but okay. The longest I went without a sale was 10 days that month but this month, I'm going on day 18 without a sale and that has rarely happened. 

[EclecticBeadWorks]

Oh gosh, that's a long stretch without a sale.  I'm sorry.  I truly think it's Etsy and all their testing.  I think people get error messages as well when they go to purchase.  Who knows if it's happening to our shop or not.  It very well could be.  Do you have a mentor or Facebook group that you follow for advice?  I couldn't do this Etsy stuff on my own so I've always been in Facebook groups.  The one I'm in now is really great and you get the most up to date info on what Etsy is up to.  It's a free group.  There is free help and also everything you need to know is in the group for the finding.  Or you can pay for tutor sessions.  

[frighten]

@EclecticBeadWorks I haven't ever had one person convo me to say they were unable to purchase. I have seen it reported though. It's times like this when I feel like I've become obsolete and Etsy is trying to push me out. I know that's just a "woe is me" attitude and I'm in control of my destiny but I'm just frustrated at the moment. If you'd care to share any tips about how you changed up your listing strategy, please do. The thing about listing new items is that I have to create something new to do that, and when I am depressed because I'm not making any $, it's hard for me to muster the creativity to make something new under those conditions. Ugh, listen to me. 

[EclecticBeadWorks]

Hi.  I totally understand because this is happening to me right now.  I'm mostly one of a kind, pretty much, boho jewelry higher end and I think I'm getting a bit burned out on trying to come up with new designs.  I was told over a year ago that this might happen.  Like you, I'm fine when my shop is busy with sales and convo's etc but when it's slow self doubt sets in.  Even though I continue to get amazing reviews and have many repeat customers.  It's the sales that generate my creativity and keep me going.  I work everyday, off and on, on my shop.  I can recommend this group and you can join for free and decide for yourself if you want to follow the plan.  I will tell you that the plan is pretty much what Etsy tells us to do.  Tell Nonna I sent you.  Glenda Carlson/eclecticbeadworks because she is all about "paying it forward" and so now by giving you this information, I'm paying it forward.  Even though my shop is slow I'm committed and trust her methods.  www.facebook.com/groups/480566662101698  I'm not sure this link will work on here.  If not, this is the name of the Facebook page.  Etsy Help-Free Coach and Tutoring.  The Home of the 5 Steps.  

I looked at your shop, I hope you don't mind.  It is totally awesome and I love it!  So unique!  Keep on keeping on.  I will too.  Anytime you want to vent or talk about anything I'll be here.

[frighten]

@EclecticBeadWorks Thank you. I looked at your shop as well and you make beautiful jewelry. I'll check out the group.

[EclecticBeadWorks]

Thank you!  I hope things pick up for all of us!  It's a weird Etsy thing.  I'm sure it has to do with their new test with how discriptions are seen in search now.  

[MaliakeiBags]

@EclecticBeadWorks:

Thanks for posting this FB link. I'm awaiting a response from them to join their group!

[Lionfishvintage]

Sorry people are having a slow sale month. I don't really keep track anymore. IMHO , the retail biz is wackadoo and I can rarely predict when people will buy except MAYBE at Christmas. 

This may be even more true for vintage since sometimes it takes that 1 certain person to find my item which I usually one have 1 of.

[frighten]

@Lionfishvintage yes, it is unpredictable  but when i get these prolonged lulls, it just seems like more than normal ups and downs. i hope things are more or less normal for you, carolyn. i was just curious if others are experiencing what i am. i'm too lazy for caps apparently. lol.

[Lionfishvintage]

Frighten. Sorry if I sounded dismissive. I hadn't read your entire comments till now.

18 days is a long time w/out a sale. Your shop is very creative and unusual . Love the eerie feeling to it!

No- things have not been normal for me for a long time here.

Hope the lull ends soon for you.

[blithebutton]

I'm having a dismal year, tbh, every month down 50% yoy since January.  Nooo idea why.  Having some instagram sales is boosting me a bit and I still plan to launch some new product lines here hoping it's just that my inventory is stale or something.

[frighten]

@blithebutton sorry to see that. i'm glad your sale is working and you have some new lines. i feel like keeping the train moving is important. january was good for me for some reason. 

[blithebutton]

Yeah, I listed a bunch and saw a slight uptick in sales but nothing close to what I usually see this time of year as a supplies shop.  People usually order a lot from me to get them through the year in Jan/Feb/March and then it gets a little more quiet until the summer, and then quiet until Christmas.  I've been on Etsy 11 years and really could see a discernable pattern for the past 4 years and then this year happened, but if I know Etsy, it should change, or at least I hope it will.

[MiladysSewingBasket]

Sales = Non Existant.  Thanks Etsy.

[HauteVintageJewels]

Hi, @frighten My sales this month have been ok, but overall my sales have tanked from previous years.  I had a sale the other day and then the customer contacted me in ALL CAPS saying that they needed to cancel immediately.  She had tried repeatedly to correct her address and the system wouldn't let her make the changes.  She also tried to contact Etsy and well, you know how that went...dead silence.  The auto-corrections that the system was forcing to the zip code and unit number were completely wrong.  She had just given up and was having a complete meltdown.  Thankfully, I was able to calm her down and assured her that I would make the changes.  Why is it that I can make the address changes but a buyer is unable to correct their own address?  I've never run into this kind of forced address correction at any other site when I was buying something.  As a result of this ridiculous system function, I came very close to losing this sale. 

I directly attribute the slow sales, now and overall, to the constant changes that Etsy makes to the site.  Every day or so, something else is being tweaked that doesn't need to be.  In my mind, I see a bunch of rogue millennials (sorry if anyone is a millennial) sitting around faces stuck in their phones making little changes willy nilly.   It is difficult to navigate the site now to find anything and then if you do, checking out and address issues like the one above can really turn a buyer off.  It's totally frustrating.  

[vlmkpyae]

@HauteVintageJewels. i am only able to buy anything from any shop using a paypal guest link because i hit the very same glitch your buyer did! it just plain would not let me fix my address and had i let etsy check me out i never would have gotten the few things i have bought on this site since february. etsy's checkout interface is greatly flawed. had i not really wanted what i purchased i would have given up and not even thought to contack the seller because the seller's info is showing, at least to me, very tiny and i can't say everybody can see it. if you get buyers used to amazon they might not even know there are shops but think esty just grabs the available item from a warehouse somewhere. yes, i am serious. i thought you'd want to hear this because the first time i bought on this site i found myself thinking i was on a new interface for amazon's third party sellers.

no, i don't see this as positive for sellers of unique vintage nor handmade goods and i hope they fix it soon. esty is supposed to be for artists, crafters, and vintage collectors, or at least it was created to be. i'm sorry things are going wonky for all of you. pretty sure buyers don't like it either. i hope the ptb listen to all of our site feedback.

good luck!

[PosieAndMarmalades]

Hi,

I've never had regular sales but i feel i've been dropped into an Etsy abyss....i have views and favourites which is always great but I feel totally invisible and as though my stuff is not good enough to sell. I keep plodding on but it is feeling pretty disheartening right now. 

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

I've had weird months like that. A few years ago I had a month that was only 25% of my average; month before was fine and the month after was fine.

Oddly enough, this past 9 months (since I got a full-time away from home job) I've put minimal effort into my shop and my revenue is up 60% over last year for March, but only 4% for the  year to date over last year. But still, I think the secret is to just list and renew and let the chips fall where they may! I haphazardly post to my business Facebook page and that's about it. No rhyme or reason to what correlates to what around here.

I have gone over a week without sales more times than I can remember, but a lot. 

[spookyboutique]

I've had a few sales... but yeah, it's been pretty dead ;{

[TheGoodLuckDuck]

It's 2 months for me, actually, February and now March. Added plenty of new stuff, the most beautiful I've made so far and haven't made one single sale. 

But that won't discourage me, at least not yet ;)

[MaliakeiBags]

March has yielded some pretty good sales so far.

When things get slow on Etsy I seek out local craft fairs to reduce inventory.

Find upcoming markets via Etsy Local at: https://www.etsy.com/local/

All the best!

Malia K

[MaliakeiBags]

@frighten:

I see you are in Philadelphia, PA.
Your items would sell if you don't mind vending at craft fairs.

Find upcoming markets in your area via Etsy Local at:
https://www.etsy.com/local/

What I like about craft venues is meeting buyers face-to-face!
Sales are on-the-spot -- no shipping, packing, returns, postage costs, etc.
Just a flat booth fee and a day license fee (for state tax) if applicable.

All the best!

Malia K

[frighten]

@MaliakeiBags I do like in person fairs, and usually do pretty well at them if the traffic is there. I did a couple last year and applied to one this year so far but didn't make it in. It was oddities focused and I don't think my stuff was weird enough. The issues with fairs for me are the high entrance cost of some of them ($200 for a recent one that I decided not to apply to) and that I don't have a car. I'll take a look at that link because I haven't looked in a while. Thanks.