You Can Get Less Sales, So Why Can’t You Get More?
- Apr 10
- 7 min read
I get asked all the time: “Jared, how do I grow my Etsy shop?” And for years I’ve offered advice, checklists, and tactics. But here’s the exercise I love most, because it flips the whole mindset.
Instead of asking how to get more sales, ask how to get less sales.
Go ahead. Picture yourself trying to lose money on Etsy.
You’d probably use crappy pictures. You’d ruin your SEO because nobody finds you. You’d skip marketing, stop outreach, and never think about lifetime value. You might even increase shipping time to something like a month out.
And the moment you mentally “do” those things, you instantly understand something important: you already know what works and what doesn’t. The hard part is not knowing. The hard part is implementing the opposite.
The real growth question: what are you doing that stops the customer?
It’s intimidating to grow your Etsy shop. You sit in front of your computer and your brain starts firing off panic thoughts:
“Maybe my SEO isn’t good enough.”
“Maybe my pictures aren’t good enough.”
“Maybe my store name is confusing.”
“Maybe my about page isn’t filled out enough.”
“Maybe I don’t put enough in my descriptions.”
“Maybe I ship too slow.”
Those fears are real. But here’s the twist: you don’t have to “guess” your way to growth. You can reverse-engineer it.
If you can list the things that would reduce sales, you can also list the things that increase sales. Growth is just the opposite direction of the same system.
Do this exercise: choose one “fix” instead of chasing everything
Most sellers do one of two things:
They make 37 changes at once and can’t tell what caused results.
They get overwhelmed and change nothing.
Try a cleaner approach.
Pick only one lever. Don’t redesign everything. Don’t rewrite your entire shop. Don’t start a full new product line while also learning ads, SEO, and photography.
Ask yourself:
If I could only improve one thing, what would help me grow the most?
Maybe it’s pillar two. Maybe it’s pillar three. Maybe it’s conversion.
When you can isolate the next step, growth gets way less dramatic and way more doable. You start checking boxes instead of spiraling into “I’m never going to figure this out.”
Marketing vs. growth: the difference that matters on Etsy
Here’s a simple distinction that can save you months of wasted effort.
Marketing usually asks: “How do we get visibility?”
Growth marketing asks: “What is actually working, and how do we increase it?”
Visibility is not the finish line. On Etsy, you’re dealing with a funnel:
Are people finding your listing?
Are they clicking?
Are they converting into a purchase?
Are customers coming back or buying again?
Growth is about tightening that funnel. Not just pulling more people into it.
And yes, Etsy matters because you are partly dependent on its algorithm. That’s exactly why learning “Etsy hacks” can be a moving target. Techniques that improve your actual store performance are more stable and more repeatable.
Five pillars that build Etsy growth (and how to know which one you need)
I teach a growth framework built around five pillars. Think of them like steps in a staircase. You can start with any step, but you get the best results when you respect the order.
Pillar 1: Deep dive into you (your time, your strengths, your goals)
A lot of people say they want to make a lot of money on Etsy. Then you ask, “What are you doing right now?” and they answer:
“I work one hour a week.”
“I don’t know.”
So the first job is a gut check. Not to judge yourself. To get honest.
Where are you right now?
What are your strengths?
Where should you double down?
And where can you take your foot off the gas so you don’t end up a busy shop owner who wears every hat?
Pillar 2: Understand your target customer (you’re not selling what you think you’re selling)
This pillar is where Etsy sellers often get surprised.
You might think you’re selling “products.” But customers aren’t out there shopping like: “I hope I buy a shelf.”
They’re buying outcomes and emotions.
If someone buys a wall display, they’re thinking:
Will it match my space?
Will it be easy to install?
Will it look good while it holds what I need?
Your listing needs to help them feel that “oh, that’s exactly what I want.”
Then you get specific. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, build a micro niche.
Example: “Mother’s Day card” is not a single buyer. Someone buying for their mom might shop differently than someone buying for a stepmom. And a 20-year-old buyer might think about the card differently than a 60-year-old buyer.
The product is the same category, but the buyer experience changes based on who they are.
Pillar 3: Write SEO that tells Etsy who you’re targeting
Here’s the trick: you can write keywords that are generic, or you can write like you know exactly who your customer is.
When you name the intent and the audience clearly, Etsy can “understand” your listing focus better. Your SEO line becomes a map of who you want, not just what you sell.
That’s also why listing variants can work. Duplicate a listing structure, then adjust specifics so each variant targets a slightly different buyer intent.
Pillar 4: Conversion (make the listing “sing” to the right person)
Once someone lands on your listing, everything has to click.
The goal is not just to describe the item. The goal is to reduce uncertainty:
Does it solve the problem they came for?
Does it match the desire they’re hoping for?
Does it feel clearly different than the noise of competing listings?
One approach is adding interactive shopping-like experiences inside your listing so people feel like they’re shopping within your page instead of comparing across Etsy in their head.
Pillar 5: Scale visibility through ads (when you already have something that works)
Ads are not a magic wand. Ads work best when you already know what your niche and keywords are doing.
Once you have proof that something performs, you can scale visibility through ads by directing budget toward keywords and buyer intent that align with what’s working.
In other words: don’t run ads to “test everything.” Run ads to expand what’s already converting.
How to grow without becoming a crabby-price shopper
Here’s a phrase that should keep you awake at night (in a good way): overly competitive can create crabby customers.
If you aim for the cheapest option, your buyers will expect cheap outcomes. And handmade sellers cannot compete with mass-produced pricing without sacrificing quality.
The better strategy is to move toward being the best.
When you’re the best, you stop chasing every click and start attracting the right buyer.
Fast “hack”: remove choices to reduce friction
One of my favorite conversion improvements is almost boring in its simplicity.
Remove unnecessary choices from a listing.
More options often sound helpful, but they create friction. The buyer’s brain gets stuck. They pause, compare, decide, or abandon.
Instead, build the listing so the customer naturally picks the best version you already know how to make well.
Example mindset from a handmade shop:
If the best version always includes a drawer, stop asking the buyer whether they want the drawer.
If the “best” setup includes features that prevent failure during travel, make them default.
Sell the outcome, not a confusing menu.
This also ties back to shipping. If you can ship faster than competitors, Etsy tends to reward quicker processing time. Don’t be afraid to leverage that. (Also, yes, you can keep your processing time competitive, but don’t try to “win” by being slow.)
Turn middle reviews into better products and better ads
Let’s talk reviews. Everyone looks at the five stars. Everyone enjoys them. But the real gold is usually in the middle.
Think about review tiers like this:
- 5-star reviews:
ego boost and proof of love.
- 1-star reviews:
sometimes just grumpy or mismatched expectations.
- Middle reviews (around 3 to 4 stars):
the valuable feedback where customers reveal a fear or expectation you can address.
That “middle” is where you learn what customers were worried about. And once you address that, your listing becomes more confident. Your product becomes clearer. People feel safer buying.
Then you can promote the improvement.
You can even use those concerns as ad copy hooks, especially when you’re running ads and need to connect faster with the right buyer.
Use a verbal vision and connect to customers beyond checkout
Here’s the part that makes Etsy growth feel like a business, not a vending machine.
If someone buys once, and you never follow up, you’re leaving money on the table. Customers don’t have to be “one and done.”
But follow-up only works when you have something to say.
One common problem: people build an email list, then freeze.
They’ll have 600 subscribers, but they’ve never emailed them because the next question is terrifying:
“Correct. If I give someone 15% off, what do I send them next?”
The answer is your verbal vision.
Vision is not fluff. It’s the story you repeat until the right buyers self-select.
It connects directly to talk triggers. The things your customers will identify with and talk about. The reason they will share your brand instead of just purchasing your product.
When you’re the “best beadboard for true beaters,” for example, your vision isn’t “sell shelves.” It’s “engineer the long-game experience and serve the people who care.”
That identity becomes what you talk about in emails, school groups, and community. And that becomes your reason for repeat engagement.
Pick one pillar, take one step, and stop guessing
So here’s the practical takeaway.
You don’t need to do everything. You need to do one thing that improves your funnel.
Choose the next pillar:
If you don’t know who you are yet: pillar 1.
If you’re not sure who your buyer is: pillar 2.
If Etsy isn’t “getting” your focus: pillar 3.
If you get clicks but no sales: pillar 4.
If something is already converting: pillar 5.
Growth is stepping forward, not spiraling sideways.
And honestly, if you can imagine yourself making less money… you can absolutely imagine yourself building more.
Because the next best move after “how do I get less sales?” is always: “What’s the next step that increases conversions, not just traffic?”
Want a second set of eyes on your Etsy shop? If you’re not sure which “pillar” to tackle next, you can apply for a one-on-one review through my Growth Program. You’ll share your current sales range, whether you run Etsy ads, and what you’ve tried so far—then you’ll be emailed the next steps if we’re a fit.
Work with me!
I offer one on one coaching
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