I’ve been on Etsy for 10 years, and I’ve been actively growing my shop for 6 of those years. It’s been the side hustle I just can’t quit. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get more sales. The only reason I’ve been at it so long is that I really love making prints. Last year, I finally saw my hard work pay off. I made as much money on Etsy as I made at my in-house graphic design job (and it paid well).

I still have a lot of work to do, but I’m so proud I reached this milestone. I’ve been reflecting on this success, trying to think of what I’d recommend to someone who’s where I was 6 years ago, just trying to get things off the ground. Of all the tactics I’ve tried, there’s only one that consistently worked.

That is listening to customer feedback. I know that’s probably not the answer you want to hear, but it’s the truth. It may sound overwhelming, but getting customer feedback is simpler than you think.

The toughest time to get customer feedback is in the beginning, when you need it most. Here’s what I recommend - in the beginning stages, when you first start working on your shop, make lots of different products. Variety is key. If you’re an artist, for instance, don’t keep making prints of the same thing. A lot of people have a habit of painting something like flowers (for instance), and then they keep painting different versions of flowers and adding them to their shop. Paint as many different subjects as possible. Use different mediums. It doesn’t matter if your prints don’t really “go” together. Just think of it as a test. Then wait. Maybe you aren’t getting sales yet, but are you getting likes on anything? In this phase, it can be helpful to get feedback outside of Etsy, until your shop gets off the ground. If you have some social media followers, do polls on your stories to see what people like best. Pay attention to what gets the most comments (not likes). At the very least, ask your friends and family.

My biggest advice throughout this stage is to be patient and find joy in the process. Eventually, once you’ve been on Etsy long enough, you will notice that one or two of your products sell better than anything else in your shop. Maybe it’s only a few sales, but I guarantee those few sales will be from the same item. Just try to find trends. This is your customers speaking to you. Once you see a trend, you need to make more of that thing! For instance, if you have an art print of a giraffe that sells more than all your other art prints, make more jungle animals!

PRO TIP: I’ve seen a lot more success from very specific subject matters. It’s tough to compete with every “geometric” or “abstract” print on Etsy. This is probably what you will discover from your trends too.

Once your sales grow (and eventually they will if you stick around long enough), wait for messages to start coming in. Messages are golden. You will probably have people asking for features you don’t offer. If everyone is asking for the same thing, add it to your shop. I used to only sell 5x7 and 8x10 prints. I would constantly get messages about larger sizes. It was years before I finally listened to this feedback, and that’s when my shop took off. I also got requests for alternate colors in certain prints. I listened, and my sales tripled on those items.

Sometimes customer requests may sound impossible. To me, offering larger print sizes sounded that way. Despite that, do everything you can to meet these requests. You can’t let self doubt slow you down. Your success depends on it. You have to go out of your way to offer things other sellers don’t in order to stand out.

For years, I ran my shop based on what I felt like creating. I drove myself crazy guessing what customers wanted, without ever truly listening. I felt frustrated and exhausted. It was only ever going to be a hobby, until I started to see it as a customer-centric business. The truth is, it’s not only about what you want. It’s about providing customers with what they want too. They are the ones purchasing your items.

The best scenario is when you can find a way to make yourself and customers happy. Obviously, if you don’t like suggestions customers make, you don’t have to listen. It’s your shop after all! I definitely wouldn’t listen if it goes against your brand values, undercuts your profit, or sounds like a suggestion that would make you miserable. This is the definition of “selling out.” I get requests for custom artwork all the time, and I have no intention of ever offering this service. It completely goes against my business model, and cuts into my profit big time! My solution to these requests has been semi-custom art - something that makes me and the customer happy.

When you hear a suggestion and think, “wow, I could easily and happily offer that option,” that’s a great place to start. Once you’ve tackled the little requests, you can starting working towards to bigger ones.

If you liked this article, check out my other blog posts on Etsy success.