Posted by Sales this month have only been a fraction of what they normally are which has surprised the heck out of me. So I sat down and gave it some thought and came up with possible reasons why:
- Folks might be more cautious spending on non-essentials right now and are cutting back on present giving this year. Quite plausible.
- I’ve heard that Etsy rotates which stores appear in searches to make it more equitable for smaller and new stores. And if this is true, I was possibly rotated out for a few days because it sure felt like my store dropped off the face of the earth!
- The market may be oversaturated in some categories. Certainly with so many people selling stuff online, buyers are spoiled for choice and there is almost always someone willing to sell the same item cheaper.
- Or perhaps the tough truth–I’m not selling what folks want! Gulp.
Despite the slow start, I am mildly optimistic the month will end well. And thankfully sales are picking up and include some interesting bits.
This stocked 1930s industrial first aid kit is heading off to a new home. I paid $20 for it a few years ago at the flea market. I sold the first aid pamphlets inside for $20 last year and now the kit itself for $80.
This Kodak film tin was a $10 garage sale find, sold for $30. Not a great score, but it had meaning for me as years ago both my brother and a cousin worked for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY.
The antique terracotta Egyptian shabti form was a fabulous piece from a private estate sale bought in a large lot back in 2023. Because I couldn’t verify if it was ancient/authentic or a later (though still really old) tourist piece I priced it modestly at $90.
My husband commissioned me to sell off his collection of vintage Mad books and Mad magazines. Not my kind of thing, but I remember my brothers loved these too. This lot sold for $40.
In a few days I will be putting my Etsy store on “vacation mode” and I’m really looking forward to it. I find time away from the biz gives me perspective and a clearer vision of where I want to go with it. Plus I want to enjoy Christmas without all the biz stress.
Hoping your hunting and selling is going well,
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 
Dear Karen, I’m sorry for the slump in December, and hope it will get back to normal levels.
I think most shops everywhere experience a drop recently, and in my opinion the first three possible causes apply. Plus, a section of customer perhaps now buys more from “quick” platforms such as instagram or tiktok? Definitely Etsy handling of stores causes some “blackouts”. In the last days I listed a lot of new lots with (dare I say) good photos, reasonable tags. For a couple of them there was a brief spike and I could see them in the results page, the rest is almost invisible. And perhaps my prices are too high, but I’m not keen on making next to no profit in order to sell.
Business aside, I hope you will have a lovely and cosy time with your beloved ones ❤ Merry Christmas!
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Hello Gabriella! It’s hard to know what 2025 will bring, but I’m definitely buying less inventory and will be scaling back on my store. Like you, I feel like too many of my items are invisible on Etsy.
Hope your Christmas is blessed.
Hugs, Karen
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It started slow for us too, but now it’s going wild. This week has been crazy. I love it anyway, meeting all those new people.
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That’s wonderful. My Etsy store never got to the “going wild” stage!! Perhaps January will be better.
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