2025, My Litmus Test for Selling on Etsy

I’ll be honest, my store motivation continues to dwindle because my Etsy sales are still well-below normal for the fourth month in a row. I can’t just write it off as a blip anymore. I’m coming up on my 13th year of selling vintage stuff on Etsy with 700 interesting items and Star Seller Status so my sales should be rock solid. But they just aren’t.

And I’m not alone in this. In one of my social media Etsy groups there have been a number of threads about this very issue. One seller shared that previously she had been able to live off her Etsy income. Now it just pays the rent. Another seller posited that people are spending money more on experiences now (travel, concerts, etc) rather than stuff. And that’s likely true. Some suspect that the political climate/economy here in the U.S. could be a contributing factor. Another suggested that the rise in others opening online stores is to blame. While yet another person wondered if Etsy isn’t as popular anymore as a shopping venue. And I think it’s likely a mix of all these things.

So I may be nearing the end of this business venture. There is a point when it becomes…well, pointless. Too much work, investment of money, spinning of wheels. And the thing is when you’re not getting sales, you think about not getting sales a lot. It’s in your brain all the time and so annoying!

So it’s okay if I need to shut this down. I’ve had a good run and a lot of fun. Nothing lasts forever and if this door closes another will open.

So this year, 2025, will be the litmus test. Unless I start selling enough to make it worth my while (I have yet to come up with that number!), I’ll start liquidating and shutting down in 2026. And this blog will go away too.

Till then I am buying just a very few things and still writing.

Bargain room library book sale

Decided to see about buying a few books in the bargain rooms. (Paperbacks are $1, hardcovers $2) Found a handful. Of the four I’ve listed so far, two have already been put in carts, which while encouraging often means nothing.

The best part of this shopping outing was chatting with another gal in line while we waited for the doors to open. Turns out Danette also has an Etsy store too, mostly focused on jewelry supplies. We’re talking about thrifting together at some point.

Two Goodwill finds

My neighborhood thrift store yielded up these two small slab pottery plates. They were a collaborations by master ceramicist Jan Schachter and artist Peggy Forman and so intriguing. My only hesitation is that they will likely be long tail and appeal to just a small group of people. How many people will want a plate with feet on it? Hmmmm. Still, I think they’re wonderful. (Feet plate listed for $48, torso plate for $40.)

Downsized stuff from home

I’m continuing my efforts to downsize more of my personal belongings and I am finally letting go of this antique quilt coverlet. Made by Auntie Dede in 1924 it has no batting between the front and back so it makes a perfect summer blanket for the country house.

I also listed two more of my antique “The Grammar of Ornament” pages. I know I won’t be framing these and it seems pointless to hold onto them.

Moving forward

Honestly it’s not all doom and gloom, just more of a reckoning. And on a positive note, reclaiming the space in our house and garage currently taken up with store inventory will be a big plus.

All the best,

Karen