Etsy Sellers Optimizing POD Margins
327 posts across 34 communities in the last 30 days; 28% from r/EtsySellers.
“Hi! I'm posting to ask for some advice, as artists or buyers. My project is to make a 'collection box' of merch. Everything that will be inside is handmade (except one). There will be 7 items inside; a sticker, a sticker sheet, a bookmark, a notepad, a print, a wooden pins and a…”
“I want to open up an ETSY shop, and I'll be selling physical products, really not sure which ones will do some SEO/research to find the best ones. I think we cannot use etsy seo tools without connecting ETSY shop? And I do not want to open up the shop before deciding the niche…”
“Hi all! My Etsy store is just getting off the ground. Just passed 60 sales, which may not sound like a lot but it's better than 5! I'm at the point where weighing my packages on my food scale, printing the labels on my inkjet printer on 8.5x11 paper isn't cutting it anymore. I'm…”
Aspiring and early-stage creative business owners are struggling with the practicalities of launching and sustaining their ventures. They face challenges like market saturation, lack of guidance, technical hurdles, pricing concerns, and operational logistics, often while balancing other commitments like education or full-time jobs. This pain is compounded by a desire to create unique, handmade products.
SOURCES (60)
“Hello, new to Etsy. Wanted to know if it's legal to use AI generated human mock ups for clothing. Of course I am trying my very best that the clothing is accurately reflected in those images from size down to texture. What are the official…”
“Hi everyone! I’m a homemaker looking to start a personalized gift side hustle from home. This would be my first laser. I’d like to make wooden signs, clear acrylic name signs, cake toppers, and engrave insulated tumblers. Maybe metal tags later, but those can wait. My starting budget is around $3k for the machine, but I can spend more if it saves time or means I won’t need to upgrade anytime soon. Anyone here making similar stuff? What machine would you recommend? Also, besides the machine itsel”
“I was selling a lot of pet supplies quickly on local apps and recently recieved a bunch of cheap branded promotional items and ive been grinding trying to flog these off. One product i think has promise is a bone shaped clip on leash waste bag dispenser (comes in cellophane with full waste bag roll and carabiner) which i am contacting apt complexes with dog parks and vending machine operators to maybe fill up a corner or sumn. Then I got a side project of reaching out to groomers/doggy day car/b”
“Before picking Etsy or Amazon, try taking one physical product all the way through making and packing it. You might love designing it and hate making the twentieth one. Better to find that out on a small batch. [re: Feeling stuck with a business]”
“What do you guys price your customs at and why ? I've been charging $7/minute for mine with an iphone 17 pro camera and a ring light stand as my equipment. Partner thinks I'm underselling myself. submitted by /u/tylewnol [link] [comments]”
“With the sheer plethora of mass produced items on Etsy now, I'd like to know I'm supporting a small business/artist. I'm looking to buy a set of notecards - blank inside, ideally a variety of designs, that come with envelopes too. I like keeping a stock for writing cards to people any time of year. Art wise, I veer towards florals and nature but abstract can be cool too. Thanks! submitted by /u/Thoughtful-Mongoose [link] [comments]”
“Okay all. I am looking at getting into 3d printing with the sales on printers this holiday season. My main thing I want to get into is printing petg cologne bottle caps for my collection. The hard part is finding the objects, resizing/adding Boolean shapes in blender/etc., and then adjusting in slicer. Is there any repository somewhere that has perfume/cologne/fragrance bottle caps already designed? It is just a lot of free time, that I don't have a ton of, to make the individual files. Than”
“Any new sellers in the group? I am about to launch my first product and was wondering if any other new sellers would like to connect and support each other during the journey? submitted by /u/LifeAttitude6308 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I'm posting to ask for some advice, as artists or buyers. My project is to make a 'collection box' of merch. Everything that will be inside is handmade (except one). There will be 7 items inside; a sticker, a sticker sheet, a bookmark, a notepad, a print, a wooden pins and a phone grip. My question is, do you think 37€ (+7,50€ shipping) is a lot? (41$+8,4$) Because I have an issue with pricing my work. I make my own design and create everything myself as much as I can, I spend lo”
“I want to open up an ETSY shop, and I'll be selling physical products, really not sure which ones will do some SEO/research to find the best ones. I think we cannot use etsy seo tools without connecting ETSY shop? And I do not want to open up the shop before deciding the niche I'll be working on. And a youtuber named " Tatyana Savage " said that you should have your listings ready before opening shop, so you can get use of the ETSY visibility boosts that lasts 30 days, it start”
“I spend hours daily to generate designs and put them on T-shirt mock ups then post them on Etsy with tags and description, i was wondering if there is anything automated for such thing? submitted by /u/Immediate-Cash-6947 [link] [comments]”
“I had no idea that the links were not working this whole time lol I see they moved to Rakuten? So do we have to manually change every link I'm assuming. Such a pain because I have hundreds to do manually. But also, should I be swapping them to Rakuten or Impact? I think I've seen that Rakuten is not merging with Impact or something? So should I sign up to Rakuten still or just Impact? submitted by /u/DeanMachineYT [link] [comments]”
“My stuff is handmade so has no barcode that would be on any sort of product database. What are we crafters meant to do? I send to the EU and America as a "gift", with no paperwork, always valued under the import tax upper limit. I sell pet beds so it's not insanely expensive stuff. I'm a home-based business so if anyone checked the sender address they'd see a council house in a cul-de-sac which is why the "gift" category works fine for me. I just CBA with the rule”
“honestly stop chasing the expensive models for simple product clips. just use capcut templates and film raw footage yourself with ur phone, its way cheaper and usually converts better since it looks authentic. dont overthink the ai part, high volume just needs u to be consistent with trends rather than having perfect render quality. [re: Cheapest AI video gen for UGC TikToks? Seedance 2.5 / Higgsfield too pricey for my Shopify store]”
“Hi i recently started my shop and I’ve finally settled on like a one stop rave shop vibe where I sell rave type items like keychains, beaded things, stickers, etc. So far I haven’t had any sales and I’m still getting things around to list (it’s a lot because I’m also trying to do only my own designs for everything). So far how do things look? Any advice is appreciated thank you!! https://thethorncherrymi.etsy.com submitted by /u/KiwiChokes [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I make scrub caps, but I don’t work in healthcare, I just love sewing/crafts and ended up opening my shop lol. (im not promoting) I mainly make stretchy knit bouffant caps, but I’ve been wanting to branch out. There are SO many scrub cap styles out there, and since I’m not the one wearing them for an entire shift, I figured I’d ask the people who actually do! If you wear scrub caps regularly, what do you think is the majority go-to style? or if there's something you wish was more readily”
“I'd compare your delivered price with the few listings shoppers see right beside yours. A reasonable product price can still look expensive once shipping is added. [re: I started my own footwear brand in India, but I'm struggling to get orders. What am I doing wrong?]”
“Before you DIY the whole thing, one split saves a lot of glue. Keep the kits and the decals in Shopify, and give the consultations and the course a single page each rather than folding them into the store theme. A booking page and a course page have different jobs than a product page, and once they live inside the theme, every change to one fights the other two. The other thing worth checking now is what Etsy was quietly giving her for that 10 percent, mostly an audience and a checkout people al”
“Yeah, quality control is definitely something I've been thinking about. I'd want to order samples and test everything before selling anything. I'm not really looking to print products myself though, which is why POD appealed to me in the first place. [re: Be honest, is starting an Etsy shop in 2026 a terrible idea or am I overthinking it?]”
“I had no idea that the links were not working this whole time lol I see they moved to Rakuten? So do we have to manually change every link I'm assuming. Such a pain because I have hundreds to do manually. But also, should I be swapping them to Rakuten or Impact? I think I've seen that Rakuten is not merging with Impact or something? So should I sign up to Rakuten still or just Impact? submitted by /u/DeanMachineYT [link] [comments]”
“I have a small online shop for a niche market. One of the things I sell is rings in different dimensions, 48 mm, 52 mm, etc. I like to keep some inventory on hand in case I get an order and my printer is on the fritz or whatever — I only do a few sales a week, enough to justify my printer — so I'll go see what I have and jot down a print list, open the 3MF and enable or disable objects from it. Then I realized I should just use ChatGPT voice to take notes for me and create a nice pretty tabl”
“Thank you, this is really helpful. I’m going to start with one niche and get samples made before ordering anything. Appreciate the push to validate demand first! [re: Feedback Friday: Rate My Ideas | October 16, 2026]”
“Hey I'm a fiber artist who make tapestry portraits from India, I've been getting international orders lately, I'm wondering if I start a website will it all make it easier, my market is in UK , USA ,Australia, etc Also I have some work patterns, which is a digital product. submitted by /u/ineedaglowup2021 [link] [comments]”
“I’ve heard good things about shopify but is it worth it? I’m an artist who would like to sell handmade items but also digital prints on merch, etc. Is Etsy better? submitted by /u/SteggytheDino [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! My Etsy store is just getting off the ground. Just passed 60 sales, which may not sound like a lot but it's better than 5! I'm at the point where weighing my packages on my food scale, printing the labels on my inkjet printer on 8.5x11 paper isn't cutting it anymore. I'm going to buy a thermal label printer and postage scale. Looking for recommendations. I was hoping to get a Wi-Fi card printer since not all the computers I have can do Bluetooth. But I can't find any”
“The businesses that overlap thematically (coaching, handcrafted products, homesteading life stuff) can probably live together on one IG and one TT without confusing people, since the audience is likely the same person. The art business is different enough that it probably warrants its own profiles once you're ready to push it. One YT for everything is risky because the algorithm rewards topical consistency, so viewers who subbed for coaching will tune out when an art tutorial lands. Pick one”
“can you be lowkey about selling on etsy? can i just post one item (with color varieties) and expect any sales at all? for background, i have a full time job and have been crocheting potholders as gifts for Christmas this year in my downtime. i enjoy it and some extra money would be really nice. im not trying to make it a full time job or survive off of it. but would my listing just get lost? do etsy algorithms favor pushing shops that have consistent activity, new items regularly, many items of”
“Hi everyone, I am new here and to the Etsy selling world ☺️ I have wanted to have my own little “shop” to sell stickers and other handmade stationary things. I have just been too “scared” to do this but my question is for people who have a shop (maybe in the same kind of category), what would you advise and look out for? What are some tips you wouldve loved to know before starting selling on Etsy and how was the shipping experience/ process for you guys (especially from EU)? I have seen videos a”
“I'm thinking about starting a small business on Etsy or Shopify selling print-on-demand and digital products. I've got loads of ideas for different themed collections, including notebooks, journals, planners and other stuff. I want to make things that are actually fun and a bit different from the usual generic designs. But I keep wondering if the market is already way too saturated and I'd just be wasting my time. I'm not expecting to make loads of money overnight, but I'd lo”
“She wants to sell press-on nail kits for which Shopify feels like the best bet, she also has downloadable decals (digital products) that she's been selling off Etsy but Etsy charges like 10% so she wants to move that over to Shopify too. Not going clean. She sells 1:1 consultations and made to order kits but has been handling that with calendly and spreadsheets. Is working on a course and may drop that on Kajabi or something else. Its getting unwieldy and we are considering building the whol”
“Good morning, everyone! I’m creating an Etsy sweatshirt with up to six grandchildren’s names on one sleeve. I’d like each name in a separate text box, but Printify’s Etsy integration currently allows only five personalization fields. Can HelloCustom take a comma-separated list and place each name into its own text element? Can it update just that sleeve while keeping the other artwork unchanged? I’d appreciate any advice from anyone who’s tried this. Thank you! submitted by /u/CORCAM”
“Hello all! Looking for some shop advice on maybe how to reach a target audience with this listing. I’ve been designing an item that has been extremely useful to me, and after many design iterations I finally had a product that I use myself every day. I figured maybe others might be interested as well. The problem: when playing a record, the sleeve can either be put back into the storage area, or it sits on top of your speaker or desk. Solution: “Now playing” desk stands are a solution for this,”
“Hello all! Looking for some shop advice on maybe how to reach a target audience with this listing. I’ve been designing an item that has been extremely useful to me, and after many design iterations I finally had a product that I use myself every day. I figured maybe others might be interested as well. The problem: when playing a record, the sleeve can either be put back into the storage area, or it sits on top of your speaker or desk. Solution: “Now playing” desk stands are a solution for this,”
“I just thought of this and didn't know what to think about it. I sell physical items and what I've done is offer $5 shipping on items I can eat the cost of and other items I've made calculated shipping on items that I'd rather not eat the cost of. I also offer free shipping on orders over $35. But I was thinking, does this drive off customers when they add different items to the cart? What do yall think? submitted by /u/germflux2020 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone, I am looking to start an Etsy store and I came across this guy on Instagram who does the 50% split where he Handles all your Etsy store from listings to branding etc. So I wanted to ask if anyone has worked with him or knows someone who has worked with him on an Etsy store to let me know whether it's worth it or not and whether I should invest here or not? submitted by /u/Usual-Information895 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! Desktop UV printers seem to be getting pretty popular lately, and I'm curious if anyone here has bought one to make custom products to sell on Etsy. How has it worked out for you? Are you happy with the results, and do you think it's been worth the investment? I'd love to hear your honest experiences. Thanks! submitted by /u/EitherJuggernaut5788 [link] [comments]”
“So i’ve been in the candle business for about a year now and i’ve recently started going to vendor shows, with the amount of blind boxes i’m seeing in tiktok and other social media i’m considering doing different size / price range blind boxes! They would include a candle maybe some of my wax melts & car scents. Do we think this would be a good idea to help get rid of some of my summer & overstocked scents? I was running a buy 1 get one 50% off and buy two get 1 free deal and it helped b”
“Etsy shop, mostly dark tees and a few hoodies. The POD partner was fine until a rush order sat for nine days and the print looked soft. I bought a small heat press and started ordering gang sheets so I can ship the one-color stuff myself. Last batch was from dtf transfers wholesale, no minimum, priced by the inch, PNG at 300 DPI. Pressed cotton at 300 and the black tees looked sharper than the POD ones. Hoodies still feel a bit thick on the print. Do you still send everything to a POD shop, or o”
“With respect, you're listing 4 t-shirts at £90 each and all with a 4-5 week lead time on a .store domain I'd be absolutely willing to bet that nobody is going to buy a random t-shirt from an unknown brand at that price (especially when it's not available for dispatch) and bouncing. The website itself looks perfectly fine, it's nice and tidy and information is clear etc so I'd bet a combination of complete lack of credibility in terms of reviews, existing brand and that price”
“Hey, I created this shop after thinking a lot on how to bring my dad's offline market experience to online. Though i have upload good photos of listing. I was thinking what else i could do to make it look natural and trustworthy as my products are getting favourites. Still needed a third person perspective submitted by /u/no_use_of_account [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone! I’m a mum of 2 from Australia and I’ve been working on a little business idea that I’m really passionate about. I’m wanting to create my own baby and children’s brand starting with a collection of unique comforters. Both of my children have heavily relied on their comforters for comfort and reassurance and I know just how special they can become to a child. I want to create something magical that children will grow attached to and families will remember for years to come. I’ve spen”
“Hi all. Completely new to selling handmade work, and completely new to Etsy. I opened a new shop a few weeks ago. I have 3 listings so far. I have done all the visibility requirements, I’m running a sale, my photos are decently attractive, I’ve done pretty much everything and I think it looks okay. My views average about 7 a day. And I am nowhere near my first sale. Im wondering what I can do to get it going? I just started a $5/day ad campaign to see if that’ll bring at least a little more traf”
“I sell on Etsy, I love it. To exemplify the opportunity of Etsy is what I want from my life of craft. I make lampworked glass. Etsy has battles to be its better self. Artificial Intelligence. Drop shippers. Losing the narrative of craft for capital appeal. I have one solution. The Etsy Giving Fund The PayPal Giving Fund makes it possible for me to sell my work at 100% benefit to charity in eBay. And I do. The charity function on eBay is an amazing opportunity. My proposal is that Etsy engineer a”
“Yeah but which of these companies outside of H&L are actually doing that? I haven’t heard of any of their customers at they can’t live without Wordsmith, Sandstone, Chamelio, GC AI. Even if customers aren’t saying that for H&L, they have other moats so it doesn’t matter. My point exactly is what are these other companies doing to truly distinguish themselves, otherwise I can just go with one of the labs or H&L and call it a day. [re: No moats left in legaltech]”
“I took on a few custom orders on the side, mostly personalized keychains and small wooden tags. The blanks are cheap, so I thought it would be an easy way to make a little extra money. The problem is the unpaid time on tiny one-off jobs. A single order usually turns into several messages about font choices, file tweaks, and placement checks. I recently picked up an Aliencell, and while it definitely helped speed up my production, I still have machine costs, wear, and wasted materials to cover. M”
“Hi all, I run what I’d call a successful Etsy shop. It’s my main income and I basically make a living from it. I genuinely love Etsy, and I can’t complain about the fees, because the platform brings me so many customers I wouldn’t reach otherwise. The one thing that bothers me is not really “owning” my store. I know shops can get suspended or shut down, sometimes for reasons that seem pretty random, and when your livelihood depends on it, that’s a scary thought. According to eRank, I’m in the to”
“Hi guys, do any of you use tools to research on Etsy? are any of them worth using? submitted by /u/Substantial-Fan9676 [link] [comments]”
“Ive been making crafts for a long time and trying to sell them for a while, I've got good products but don't really have the time to keep marketing myself and trying to push people to my Etsy page. I've seen some online platforms like Fondacos, but was wondering if anyone has any experience with these platforms that can actually put your products into real shops submitted by /u/liamht [link] [comments]”
“Long story short- a local buyer reached out to me on Etsy interested in having me create a custom design for their company’s holiday gift. Since it would be for a large amount of people, there’s no way I could hand make that many, so after brainstorming they suggested maybe purchasing the printing rights to this custom design for X amount of items printed. Of course stipulations would be in place etc. My question is, is this something that I can do through Etsy? I would love to not move it off t”
“I made these bracelets...I used to post on Instagram but not active currently.....any tips for me? submitted by /u/Melodic-Credit2381 [link] [comments]”
“Hey OP I wish I was creative! Anyway, most retail shops on supplier terms feel this at some point, I reckon. Square has two reports that help. Category Sales shows what sells each week. If you’re on Square for Retail Plus, Inventory Sell-through filtered by vendor shows which supplier’s stock sells before the 60 days are up. Put those next to your supplier invoices by due date in one weekly spreadsheet, and you’ll be able to track each bill coming and what and when to reorder. Which Square plan”
“1: You must include a shop link. https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtsyChicJewelry 2: You must ask at least two specific questions about different aspects of your shop. I struggle with photo lighting the most. I know natural lighting is the best; however, I do not live in a regularly sunny climate. I have tried a light box and disliked the shading. You can see this in a few of the earrings on the tan background. I did purchase a new lamp that has foldable arms and tried it with the white background, as”
Hello, nervous newbie to this all here! After what feels like years of build up I finally opened my Etsy shop today. Any feedback appreciated ☺️ Feeling a bit overwhelmed about next…
“I design and sell my own products at a premium because there aren’t any copycats yet. About 4 times a week I get messages like this with people either asking to buy my “files” or asking if I can give them some information on the design. This is why I don’t upload anything I design to any maker sites. There are people out there who are constantly trying to copy you, saturate the market, and drive down the price of the items you sell. submitted by /u/Feisty-Emotion-13 [link] [com”