In the Basket - 18th April 2025

 🔥 Hot Topic: Sales Feeling Sluggish? You’re Not Alone! 🐢

If your Etsy shop has been quieter than usual lately, you're definitely not imagining things. Many sellers are noticing a slowdown, and bigger economic shifts are likely playing a part. Between rising living costs and recent trade tensions making headlines again, consumer confidence has taken a hit. Translation: buyers are being a little more cautious with their wallets.

🌎 Why It Matters Now

When shoppers feel unsure about the economy, they tend to cut back on non-essential purchases (like gifts, home decor, and accessories, the heart of many Etsy shops). This slowdown isn’t a reflection of your talent or effort, it’s part of a bigger cycle lots of small businesses are feeling across the board.

That said, slower periods can be golden opportunities if you use the time strategically. 📈

🛠 What You Can Do Right Now

• 🖼 Update Product Photos
  Fresh, bright, clear images sell. If you’ve been meaning to redo older listings, now’s the perfect time to set up a mini photoshoot.

• 📝 Polish Up Listings That Aren’t Moving
  Dive into your shop stats and look at listings with low views or no sales. Could you punch up the descriptions? Add better tags? Refresh the titles? Little tweaks can make a big difference.

• 🏷 Rethink Your Tags and SEO
  Take a closer look at your keywords. Are you using all 13 tags? Are they buyer-friendly (think: what someone would actually type into search)? Refreshing your SEO can boost visibility just in time for the next sales wave.

• 🎃 Prep for Fall and Holiday Season
  Yes, really! 🎄 Seasonal shoppers start hunting early. Brainstorm new listings, update old ones with holiday themes, and prep any promotions you might want to run when things pick back up.

💬 Bottom Line

It’s totally normal for sales to ebb and flow, and the best shops use the quiet spells to level up. A few strategic moves now can set you up for a very busy (and profitable!) second half of the year. You’ve got this! 💪✨

❓ Ask Me Anything:

"How do I write the perfect Etsy title to get more views and sales?"

Great question! and you're smart to ask! 📈 Titles are one of the biggest drivers of search visibility and buyer clicks. Here's how to craft a title that works:

• ✏️ Put your Best Keywords First
  Etsy prioritizes the first 40 characters of your title, so load the front with the most important keywords buyers would actually search. Think "personalized leather wallet" before "gift for him, birthday ideas."

• 🧠 Be Human, Not a Robot
  Gone are the days of cramming a dozen awkward phrases into one title. Write like a real person! Clear, natural-sounding titles build trust and help your SEO.

• 🔍 Think Like a Buyer
  What would you type in if you were searching for your item? Use simple, direct language, no need to get too fancy.

• 🛠 Use Pipes or Commas to Organize
  If you want to include secondary keywords, you can separate phrases with a "|" or commas. Example: "Boho Macrame Wall Hanging | Neutral Home Decor | Large Tapestry."

✨ Title tip: Check your shop stats to see which listings are getting views and sales, then model future titles after your winners!

Have a question? 🤔 Hit reply and ask, we might feature your question here in next week’s issue.

Where Did All the Sellers Go? 👀

You might’ve noticed, Etsy feels a little... quieter lately. That’s because it is. Recent research suggests that over the past year, the number of active sellers on Etsy dropped from 7 million to 5.6 million. 📉

And it’s not just sellers. Active buyers also slipped, from 92 million to 89.6 million. 🛒 Plus, Etsy’s quarterly and annual Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) posted modest declines.

This trio of slipping metrics suggests Etsy isn’t just riding out a temporary dip, it’s facing bigger, structural challenges in the marketplace.

What’s driving the change? Rising fees, fiercer competition, economic pressure on buyers and sellers, and Etsy’s own push to remove bad actors (like counterfeiters and dishonest resellers) from the platform. 🚫

What this means for you:

•  ✅ Less competition in many niches
  With fewer sellers active, your products have a better shot at standing out, especially if you’re keeping your listings fresh and optimized. Now’s a smart time to review your shop and highlight your bestselling (or best-reviewed!) products. 🌟

• ✅ A cleaner, more trusted marketplace for shoppers (and for you!)
  As Etsy cracks down on bad actors, buyers are looking for genuine, high-quality items. Make sure your shop feels professional: update your branding, polish your policies, and highlight handmade, original work where you can. Trust sells. 🛍️

• ✅ More opportunity to grow through smart branding and service
  With fewer sellers, shoppers will notice thoughtful details. Invest a little time in tightening your SEO, updating product photos, and refreshing your About section. Even small improvements can help you capture new customers and keep them coming back. 📈

💬 Bottom Line:
The Etsy landscape is evolving, and sellers who stay flexible, creative, and customer-focused are set up to thrive. 🌟 Now’s the time to polish your shop, sharpen your listings, and get ready for the next wave of buyers!