To suspect there are more sellers than buyers on Etsy?

[Wisterical]

Nobody I know has ever bought anything off Etsy. Do people just look at it to nick ideas and get an idea of how to price their own crafts? I'm asking because people keep telling me to list my own stuff there as it's selling well locally, but I'm not convinced it's worth the time, so wondering what other people's thoughts/experience is?

I bought a lovely silver bangle from etsy about 3 years. I wear it loads and experienced fab customer service. That's the only thing I've bought though.

I absollutely love etsy. I have bought some really lovely handmade clothes on there and could browse the site for hours. i just type in 'patchwork' and I'm gone!

I don't sell my crafty stuff on Etsy - I prefer face to face as can talk to people about it etc. and they can see what they are buying.

I do have a vintage shop though, and that has gone really well this year.

This may be something to do with adding more items, it seems that the more you have on there the more likely you are to get "seen" and therefore the more sales you will have.

When I had more disposable income (pre kids) I used to buy loads of jewellery. I had fun working with a few designers when they had the Alchemy section.

I used to have a page on Etsy but didn't sell anything through it. I put pictures of my stuff on Pinterest with a link to my FB page on the watermark. Drives a sustainable amount of work to my page from genuinely interested buyers where I can have an actual conversation about what they want.

Good grief gu what was it that had a six month waiting list? Please tell...

I've bought so many beautiful things on Etsy, I used to buy stuff every week, now I buy about once a month. I've never sold anything.

There are some really popular sellers on Etsy that sell niche things. They sell everything instantly because their stuff is so high quality, original and collectible. Some of them have long waiting lists for their products and never have anything in their stores. I try and buy their stuff when I can but you have to be on there at the right time. I think you have to know your market very well and be exceptionally talented to make a good living from Etsy.

wibblywobblyfish is a watermark that faint writing across the photo of your item? Maybe bit precious here but I'm concerned about people using my image as their own/without consent so was thinking about watermark but doesn't it ruin the look of the item in the photo?

namechanger22 who are these sellers? I need to look at their shops!

I buy loads on Etsy too - practically every week and have decorated most of the house that way. I mostly buy from UK makers but also Europe and worldwide. I absolutely love it.

Etsy is my first stop for presents. I mostly buy art prints, cards, and stationery for myself!

The sellers I follow the most are Blythe and BJD customisers and dressmakers, plus other doll makers and designers. I also follow miniature craftsmen and designers that make small toys, teddies and accessories - Basically all things doll, 1:6 scale clothes and furniture, Japanese stuff. Some artists are very highly sought after and they sell for very high prices.

I don't just buy stuff on Etsy, I have an obsession with saving all my favourite things on there into various folders, a bit like Pinterest. I have over 4,000 items on there, over 90% of those things have sold. I know instantly when something appears whether it sell within the hour or not.

I've bought a few things from etsy. I love handmade stuff but don't have time to make them myself.

namechanger just looked and those BJD dolls are astonishing, stunning. I make dolls that are pretty much the exact opposite of those

I have a shop in Etsy, I've found my little niche and last week made £1000 alone on Etsy sales. Americans are big spenders and are used to paying high postage rates. Sterling being low for them helps too as well as their import duty is a lot more generous than here in UK.

It's hard work to get noticed though and it takes time to get of the ground. I've spent a lot of time trying to master photography and it's finally paying off. Tags, SEO and pricing formula is also a very big learning curve. I'll admit that when I first started, I thought I'll just bung some of my makes there and they'll bring some money in but sadly it wasn't that easy at all.

I still recommend giving it a go, best thing that happened to me after being a SAHM for eight years.

To add, I get a lot of orders from all over the UK too. So yes, British people do shop and actually buy from Etsy too.

Yes, there are some very beautiful dolls out there, and lots of rich collectors.

helipad congratulations, I'm impressed. What do you make (understand you might not want to say)? I make around £150pw selling where I live - quite a touristy area - in one shop and occasional post on local fb page but probably partly because my prices are too low and people spot a bargain. I only spend a couple evenings making and would happily put more time into it, though reckon should use the time to research first, don't even know what SEO or pricing formula means yet.

I love Etsy! I don't know how much other people use it but I do buy quite a lot on there. I got loads of my wedding stuff on there. Custom veil, bridesmaids dresses, invitations, confetti, guest book, jewlery. I buy a lot of Disney stuff from there and custom gifts like photo frames and prints. Most recently bought a side table which is gorgeous! I just love handmade items especially the lovely people that have made custom items for me. I'd definitely list stuff on there if I was creative

SEO is search engine optimisations, that is how you get found. There are several pricing formulas but I mainly meant a pricing that sells and still gives you an hourly wage as well as a good profit. Etsy is full of sellers who maybe sell loads but only make a tiny profit. I was guilty of that at first too as I didn't think people would pay and I wanted to feel popular . But I've long since raised my prices, I'm more confident in my stuff now and I actually sell more now. I have many competitors who charge a lot less than me but I still sell more.

I make home decor items and personalised gifts and provide a world class customer service But I know Etsy sellers who made 10k in November (Christmas rush). Aiming for that next year!

I buy a lot of Disney stuff from there

All the Disney & other copyrighted stuff is really frowned upon by the Etsy community and it's illegal to sell Disney (and Marvel/Harry Potter etc) unless you have a licence (which will cost thousands and IF you'll get it).

I know "everyone' does it but it's still illegal to gain from someone else's intellectual property.

I buy from both Etsy and Folksy (folksy.com) (Folksy is like the British version of Etsy).

I have occasionally bought from sellers that I have searched for specific items from. However, most of the sellers that I buy from I have either found through Facebook or Instagram. I think some of the Instagram accounts I follow do it as a full time thing so they have more time to dedicate to social media. Having said that, even the people I follow who are doing it as a hobby are pretty active on their business social media accounts, and I think that really helps grow a brand and get customers.

I used to have a beads and jewellery findings shop and sold a fair bit on Etsy. I bought six gin bottle lamp bases on there last week!

Interesting.

I craft and sell as a full time job. I had a minor launch on etsy a few months ago but no sales.

I sell £80K of stuff on Amazon and ebay.