One of the first questions new sellers have on Etsy is, “What actually sells well on Etsy?”
The last thing you want is to invest your precious time and effort into creating a product only to find out that no one wants it.
In this actionable guide, let me show you a few ways I use to find products that sell well on Etsy. I’ll keep the methods very practical so that you can easily follow along for your Etsy shop.
Let’s get started.
The Etsy search results are a goldmine of information, giving you direct insights of what sells well on Etsy. Pay attention to badges like “Popular now” and “Bestseller”, both of which signal high demand for those particular listings.
If a search result page have many listings with those badges, then it’s likely that the product or the entire category is in high demand and selling well.
Action Step: Search for products in your niche and pay attention to the listings with “Popular now” or “Bestseller” badge. This can give you a good idea of in-demand products.
Have you noticed the auto suggestions when you start typing in the Etsy search bar? Those suggestions are powered by what actual Etsy shoppers type in. The more frequently a keyword is searched, the higher it ranks in the auto suggestions.
For example, when you type in “necklace,” you may see suggestions like “necklace with name,” “necklace for women,” and “necklace charm.” Because those keywords come up pretty high in the suggestions, it’s likely that they have good level of demand.
Action Step: Experiment with typing different keywords relevant to your products into the Etsy search bar. Mark down the auto suggestions that stands out to you.
Etsy regularly rotates the products it features on the homepage and other pages. They are likely indication of what’s popular with Etsy shoppers (at the end of the day, Etsy wants to make as many sales as possible!)
The homepage often showcases ‘popular gift categories.’ By clicking into these categories, you’ll also find sub-categories and featured items. Think about what you can make for those popular categories.
Also, pay special attention to listings with badges like “Popular now” and “Bestseller,” as well as popular shops with a high number of sales.
As mentioned, shops with thousands and thousands of sales are likely to be selling high demand products. You can find top Etsy shops by simply browsing Etsy, or you can use tools like Alura to help you speed up the process.
Action Step: Visit Alura’s best selling Etsy shops page (it’s free!) to gain insights of what kind of products are selling well on Etsy. Similarly, you can use tools like EtsyHunt or eRank.
If you are already selling on Etsy, checking your competitors can provide valuable insights.
Many new sellers don’t know this, but if a shop doesn’t hide their sold listings, you can view their recent sales by clicking the sales number next to their shop name:
This gives you a clear idea of what’s been selling in your competitor’s shop. Also, their review sections can reveal listings that are frequently sold, which indicates good demand.
Action Step: Pick 5 of your competitors with the most amount of sales. Check their recently sold listings if they are not hidden, and the top selling products in their shop by looking at the recent reviews.
Knowing what sells is only the beginning. After identifying high-demand products, focus on developing your skills to create high-quality items, establishing your unique selling proposition (USP), and optimising your Etsy listings.
For further learning and resources, consider joining the GYC Etsy Academy 2.0, which offers extensive materials to help you kickstart your Etsy shop.
