The Top 3 Reasons Why You Can't Make a Living on Etsy Full Time

Yes, we are in the middle of the WHOLESALE for HANDMADE blog tutorials.  I haven't forgotten.  And another one - the one where we left off about pricing - is coming again tomorrow. 
But I wanted to touch on something here that I think some folks need to hear - and it's going to sound like I'm being a negative killjoy, when in fact its just the opposite.

There have been a lot of articles written about how many Etsy sellers quit their day jobs.  I think it's inspiring, and I'm so very happy for these lovely artisans.  Did you hear that part?  Let me say it again: Its inspiring and I'm very happy for them.  I do, however, sometimes feel like some Etsy artisans may take this to mean that they, too, can sell on Etsy full time and make enough to quit their day job.

Let me be frank:  it ain't gonna happen.  Well, it MIGHT happen, but here are a few reasons why it probably won't, and then I'm going to give you some hope about quitting your day job for real.

1.  Etsy is saturated with so many fabulous designers and artisans that it is difficult to make your work stand out.

I've even heard buyers talk about this.  Etsy is loaded with tons of features that make shopping simple, but you know that if you're not renewing items every three minutes  (especially if your product falls in a crowded category)  it will be difficult to be seen by shoppers at certain - if not most - times of the days. 

2.  Relisting items to stay visible can potentially become expensive and therefore counterproductive. 

I have never personally felt that Etsy's fees were that high.  I can see, however, how it may be rather costly for those on a very tight budget to pay the relisting fees over and over again to try to stay in the rankings.  ESPECIALLY if this is your only venue and you're trying to replace the income from the "day job."

3. The biggest reason why you can't sell on Etsy full time (and make enough to quit your day job) is because in order to be successful in your business you MUST DIVERSIFY!

In the few small business groups I've had the priviledge of speaking with locally, almost NO  ONE ever considers this.  Funds diversity is apparently considered something only to be discussed on Wall Street or in conjunction with retirement planning.  But this simply isn't the case.   After all, aren't you working on your craft and/or art in addition to working a day job?  Aren't you already trying to create multiple streams of income?  I can guarantee you this:  each and every one of those sellers on Etsy with high sales numbers AREN'T just selling on Etsy alone.  I bet if you asked any one of them right now, they'd tell you this:  they do craft fairs, they do farmer's markets, they sell at local artisan collectives, they're members of a guild, etc. 


Moral of the story:  You MUST have many different venues through which you sell your work.  You're doing yourself (and your potential buyers) and injustice otherwise.