So you have been merrily creating away your Etsy creations and realize it's the 4th of July in under 2 weeks so you create something July 4th-ish and it doesn't sell. What gives?
When you are creating things you have to be a bit ahead of the seasons and holidays. How far ahead depends on your niche. The two niches I know are invites and clipart so I will use both those as examples so hopefully you can work out your niche.
Customers who buy invites typically buy about 3 months before their main event. So for a party in September, they are going to be looking to buy invites about May/June time. There are exceptions of course like weddings when the bride might buy many months in advance. And the other extreme is where they suddenly need the invite this week for an event next week.
So if you are doing Christmas invites you would need them to be up by August/September time at the very latest. Then we take into account that Etsy can sometimes take a while ( 1 to 3 months) to position your listings. Suddenly we are looking at April/May. What a headache.
I keep all my seasonal invites up all year and if I want to refresh my range with some new ones I plan about 6 months ahead. Looks like I best get started on my Christmas invites this week!
Now clipart – that is a whole different ball game. My customers who buy my clipart are generally crafters. They are making physical items like mugs and candles to name just a few of their wonderful creations. Christmas craft fairs start in July with several of the craft shopping channels kicking off Christmas with Christmas in July. So they want to be making their crafts in July. So any new seasonal clipart I aim to be starting to list on Etsy in July and then right through till the end of November. My husband is accustomed to coming home in the middle of summer (July/August if the weather decides it wants to play ball) to me watching Christmas films with the fan on full blast as I draw Christmas gnomes.
But again seasonal clipart does sell all year round so I always keep my seasonal clipart up all year and keep the timings in mind for when I want to add new ranges.
If you want more support and inspiration, why not join the Passive Income Society? It’s packed with resources and a community that’s all about helping you succeed on your Etsy journey. Or, if you’re curious to learn more, check out our review of this amazing opportunity. If you are just starting on your Etsy journey you might be able to make use of these 40 Free Listings with Etsy
