If you’re on TikTok or any social media platform, it’s likely that you’ve seen videos about starting an Etsy shop. I’ve been seeing them a lot on the TikTok account I use for my Etsy shop (link) and some of the things I commonly see don’t sit well with me. 

In today’s post, I’m going to share a few things I’ve noticed that are common claims about Etsy but I’ve found them to be untrue. This post isn’t meant to discourage anyone on Etsy (you should! It’s so fun) but more to be really transparent about the experience. 

Myth #1: A digital or print on demand (POD) shop will allow you to earn easy passive income

First of all, there are very few sources of income that are truly passive. Yes, it’s true that you can technically “make sales in your sleep” but those claims don’t take into consideration the amount of work it takes to get to having regular sales in the first place. 

Being successful on Etsy isn’t a set it and forget it type of setup. It requires consistent, regular work and knowledge in a wide swath of areas, from SEO to product marketing. These things can all be learned along the way, but are conveniently left out of the catchy videos you see from people trying to sell you a passive income program.

While this might be different for everyone, I wanted to share my experience and time commitment with Etsy before I started seeing sales. It was 4+ months of learning and trying different things before I started to get anywhere near to compensating the effort I was putting in. Even still, I work on my shop at least 15-20 hours a week consistently. I love my shop and have so much fun working on it and that’s the key. Find something that you love and the work will be worth it.  

Myth #2: There’s a “formula” to being successful on Etsy…and you can have it for 4 payments of $79.99

If anyone tells you they’ve discovered the formula to Etsy success, it’s likely that they’re just selling snake oil. There is no formula to guarantee success on Etsy due to the large number of factors that go into success. Search engine optimization is one of the major factors to Etsy success, but product listing photos, design, and even the product concept itself are factors that make it impossible for any sort of guaranteed success. 

The right way to approach growing your shop is to take it piece by piece and spend time understanding different building blocks rather than one magic solution. Understanding the principles of search engine optimization is one of the best things you can do. Learn about how to find keywords on Etsy, read through the Etsy Seller’s Handbook, learn about how to improve your listing photos, etc.

Myth #3: Start with a Canva template and “make it your own”

Another common theme I see is the recommendation to start with a Canva template and simply change a few colors and fonts before listing it for sale. This is directly violating Canva’s policy. A template needs to be heavily modified in order to call it your own—simply changing a few cosmetic things doesn’t constitute an original design and isn’t the most ethical way to pursue running a design business. 

My advice is to sidestep questioning whether you’ve modified a template enough and simply create your own unique ideas! Crazy, right? While it’s important to recognize market trends and incorporate them into your work (for example, emerald green is trending) you should challenge yourself to find different sources of inspiration for your work.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the easier it is to copy, the more likely you’ll have higher competition. When the playing field is level for everyone, that’s the standard. Create something new or design something better. Shoppers on Etsy want unique and creative finds!

Myth #4: People selling courses who share revenue screenshots from Etsy

This is something I see most commonly used as a sales tactic or “click here” attempt on Etsy YouTube videos or courses. While it’s a great accomplishment to even make $1 on Etsy, this is more of an FYI. I feel like the lack of context that typically accompanies is a bit misleading to those who see it. So I wanted to share a few notes on things to keep in mind when you see these posts. 

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