Etsy Ads EXPOSED! - Off The Record - EPISODE 1
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- I hope you are as excited as I am for my new no limits series.."Off The Record!".
This is the first episode and we get straight down and dirty with Etsy ads, and I walk you through the realities of Etsy's internal advertizing system, and all the problems I have with it.
Anyone who says making money with Etsy ads is easy has NO IDEA what they are talking about....and to be honest there aren't many videos on UA-cam about Etsy ads....because most people aren't making money with it, and the youtube gurus do not know how to get them to make money!
Get into my comments, I REALLY want to know what you think about this new series...does this grab your attention?....do YOU want more of this expose/truth style content?
Also, tell me in the comments about your Etsy ROAS (return on advertizing spend), I want to know how many dollars profit you are making on TWO YEARS history for every dollar spent.
Thanks for watching!
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Your channel is going to grow really fast.
Finally someone who talk sense,
knows what he is talking about,
and doesn't promess $10000 a day after one week. I subscribe!
Thanks, I appreciate you being here.
Agree, Etsy Ads is criminal and all about Etsy’s pockets and not about helping us.
It does seem that way doesn't it.
After watching this channel and having a 1-1 session I got a wake up call regarding Etsy. I’ve decided to scale down investing any more time on Etsy and launching my own web shop and giving Amazon Handmade a go.
Do you think it's worth starting on Etsy at all if you haven't opened your store yet, or better to skip it and go straight to web shop and all efforts going into that?
Hi Simon, go for it, good luck.
And how is it going on amazon? I thought about this too because amazon is soooooo much bigger but also so much more competition.
You never know, these late night videos might well start a wave of discontent which Etsy will have to take notice of. Their ‘ Sellers Handbook’ is basically a brick wall of non-helpfulness and customer service (for sellers), even worse. Bring it on please!
Thanks Juliet!
@@etsyconsultant I have a question does it bring down an Etsy shop if new categories are added while having categories that already have listings that's selling
@@etsyconsultant For instance if my shop already has 5 categories with 44 listings in each one would I be able to add new categories & listings to the new ones without hurting my Etsy store
@@tronix2214 Hey Tronix, yes of course you can and no it will not hurt your shop. I specifically talk about growing your categories (sections) equally in your NEW Etsy store for category command purposes, and you can watch that here:
ua-cam.com/video/ARm3ipq45ns/v-deo.html
@@tronix2214 Hi Tronix, no it does not.
Thank you for this. I constantly lose money on Etsy Ads and I find it interesting that regardless of how much I spend in a day, it all gets used up. It almost seems that there are people out there clicking for clicking's sake.
Hi there, Thanks for your comment and I hear you. Getting it right can be tricky and eat your daily budget easily.
I completely agree with you.I was using Etsy ads and my revenue was always in negative .But when I stopped using Etsy ads now I make good money.
That's great. I am happy that it worked for you!
100000000000% AGREEE!! etsy take our money and sales does not increase, even if you put more into your daily budget. Shame on you ETSY!
HI Victor, it's so important to make sure that you are making a profit, it can be so easy for any profit to be eaten away with fees and ads.Thanks for your comment, good to have you here.
This is a great idea for a series, and on this topic of ads, this gentleman is 100% correct.
Whenever I experimented with paid ads, my ROAS was never more than 3:1, and not justifiable as said in this video. My SEO is good because I see no increase in sales when I use ads, only an increase in the ad fees claimed. I would make a decent living off of Etsy alone if not for their predatory fees, so they're literally the motivation I needed to start my own website so I can wean myself off of their platform.
Since my store made "too much" money (lol) WITHOUT Etsy ads when I started, I am now FORCED to be enrolled in their offsite ads program. It's literally a racket.
"Since you're making sales without our help, you're now mandatorily enrolled in our ads program so that we can get a piece of your action."
Their 30-day window on claiming ad fees from a return shopper is also predatory. I've had customers click on a listing for a 15$ item, and come back WEEKS later and buy unrelated items worth hundreds, and Etsy charges me ad fees based on that large order! And even more if they come back to purchase more items in that timeframe. Speaking of which, if someone clicks on my ad, but then buys a competitor's product instead, I should be credited that CPC. Why should I pay that CPC fee if a different seller is getting the sale?
The limited access to ads data is literal proof that they don't want you to see the long term performance of ads... why not? If the long term performance worked so well, they would be more transparent to encourage larger investments into it. But they do the opposite, and limit the access. Why? Because you'd see that it's not worth the money.
Interesting points Lanefasts, unfortunately we get charged for the click, regardless of what happens afterwards...I think the whole setup stinks and is not that far from being a borderline scam.
I am a bit confused about how this works, so you mean there is no way to not pay a comission to Etsy on the sales, you are either using Etsy Ads, or if not, they will force you into offsite ads to pay them 12-15%?
@@nedaghrthey force you !
As soon I was selling more they add offside add . I can’t turn it off .
You are so right :) Thank you for telling it like it is because it validated something I saw and couldn't figure out what Etsy thought they were doing. A customer comes in on an ad and then with our discussion, I decide that this person would like a new product I have that wasn't listed yet. I put up the listing, sent it and when it was purchased, i was charged ad fees on it. Thank you for explaining the "why" of this. I do not do ads anymore as they ate up my profits real fast. I did the math and read every line.
Hi there, yes you have to be really careful with Etsy Ads.
I recently tried Etsy Ads as a newer store and little information. After thousands of views, I had 27 clicks and no sales as a result of the ads. It didn't take me long to see that Etsy just found another way to take money out of my pocket. Thanks for this video. It is spot on in my opinion and I am no longer using ads, but instead working to streeamline SEO and social marketing.
HI there, thanks for your comment. Yes Etsy Ads can really eat into your profit.
Same for me, I got 2 sales from Etsy ads running for 1 month. I stoped ads and the shop visits/sales increased, thats weird. .
Thank you for exposing Etsy Ads, it's criminal counting it as an ad sale after 3 days.
Happy to help!
Well Etsy ads helped me a lot to increase my visibility. The store i created this year, so as soon I got reviews and 100 purchases. I turned off my ads and now sales are organic
That's great Brenda, yes some people do find success with ads, but in my experience most (not all) struggle.
How much do you put in your ads? TY
That's kind of my plan. Having some sales and reviews is my goal with ads. If they're not profitable enough after 100 sales I'm dumping them. A store with no sales and no reviews has a harder time getting sales unfortunately.
@@hepthegreat4005 I have over 100 sales without adds but now Etsy automatically add offside adds . And charge me
Keep-em coming! My new #1 YT Etsy Channel!
Thanks Eric...will do!
I realized a month in that I was making more percentage on my own than with Etsy ads. I said , "Why am I spending money to pay them when my percentage from my own work and time is better." I have lost a little over $300, and for what, they didn't make me any profit. So, I will continue to work hard networking, fixing my titles, tags, and anything that needs fixing to make a profit. Interesting video.
Hey Adriana, thanks for commenting. Sounds like a good plan!
At last! Sense about Esy adds. Etsy are still raking in money for things they have nothing to do with or when there's no other option, i.e.Postage fees. Subscribed! Can't wait for the next one!
Thanks for watching Denis!
My shop is 4 months old today. I used Etsy Ads for 3.5 months. Had 30 sales.....but definitely did not turn a profit. I turned off Ads maybe 4, 5 days ago. My views went way down from around 35-43 a day to maybe 5 per day. The last two days though my views up higher than they ever were when I was paying. However, no sales or favorited items. This whole Etsy thing is such a fine art. I'm curently working on building up my shops inventory...as I'm digital.....I'm doing all of your suggestions....but still crickets for the last week. I'm happy my views are up...but I did get 4 sales in one day on much less views. So nothing is really making sense lol But I'll keep going!
Hi there thanks for your comment and sharing, feel free to get in touch to book a call with me, link below:
etsy-consultant.com/services/
Can I turn off the Etsy offside adds?
Totally agree with you! Etsy ads is bloodsucker! It didn't bring any sales. Looking for your next episode! Thank you!=)
Thanks For your comment Yuri, new episode out tonight, it wasn't one I was expecting to make, but I had to...as you will see.
Bingeing your content! So great to get such detailed insights (& validation that some of my gut instincts were right!)
HI Hannah, great to have you here. Thank you!
Nick I real like your thinking and reflexion you are the one who analyze the correct way and understand business, I am soon to start selling on Etsy, before the end of this month, congrats on your videos, and thank's for all that help. Real N.
Hi Noël, thanks for commenting. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
I knew something changed, I just couldn't figure it out. I've had a shop since 2015, and the last 2 years have been SO disappointing regarding ads. What gets me is that I have no data to look at - sure, they give me cute little graphs with seemingly correct data but I want the ACTUAL data of where my money from ad spend is going. They have refused this information to me numerous times.
Hi there Julianna thanks for your comment.
I loved it how he intros the third point 😆 'the first two was really bad but this one is unacceptable 😆😆.
According to my experience if I used Etsy ad, I don't make anything. Looks like the sales number is high but after all the cost and marketing, feels like I am working for Etsy for nothing. I am stayin for customer reviews, and using the platform to level up my listing skills.
My shop started in 2017, I have joined many local business community, watched many UA-camrs Etsy tips, only subscribed this channel because Nik knows what he talking about. Very good tips! Thanks
HI there, thanks for your comment. Feel free to book a call with me if you'd like to work with me.
www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01ae270fc1d9865dcc
I think many sellers mistake Etsy Ads as a more or less permanent solution for steady traffic and profit, but I look at it as a powerful tool for NEW sellers/stores to obtain large amounts of data (which listings are working or not) in a short amount of time as opposed to waiting it out via organic traffic. The "organic" route is sound if you're willing to wait years for growth, but if a seller wants to grow faster and outpace competitors in a competitive market, running Etsy Ads will still be a powerful option. Etsy Ads, as with all other marketing tools should be treated as an investment for the main purpose of providing more exposure for your business. And it's also probably important to note that any type of ad that you run should ONLY be applied to OPTIMIZED listings, listings that you have spent considerable time researching and improving (e.g. listing photos, SEO, items that have actually sold) or else you would just definitely be wasting money.
Yes, listings have to be A1 to maximize performance in ads, but the sad reality is that:
1 The 30 day sale window is extremely dubious for reporting
2 Most sellers simply do not understand the level there listings need to be at to convert
3 Etsy ads is absolutely AWFUL at serving ads for irrelevant or non converting keywords.
@@etsyconsultant Thanks for the comment. I agree. Etsy Ads can be a powerful tool but only to those who are skilled (and patient) enough to wield it. I also agree that Etsy really needs to vastly improve their algorithm in serving the ads to the correct audience. With all the massive AI improvements recently, I don't know what's stopping them from doing so. It's not beneficial at all for them if sellers quit paying for ads because of no sales. By the way, may I ask if it's true that when you run Etsy Ads, it will show 2 results in Search (one Ad and one organic)? And if so, do favorites resulting from either one positively affect the listing's quality score?
All of your videos that I've watched so far have been helpful. I'm currently making digital products to sell and Etsy is the first platform that comes to mind so I am learning as much as I can before I launch my store. I'm so glad I found your channel.
Hi Aelyn, thanks for commenting. Happy to help!
Totally agree, 30 days is greed
I think the timeframe is misleading, but great of course for Etsy.
What annoys me the most about their ads is that they add "related tags" which have absolutely NOTHING at all to do with my product. I have paid for ads for about a week now only because a friend insisted I try it and gave me the money for it. Well after a few days when I checked the stats, I could see hundreds of "related tags" that I could turn off, but before I knew about these, how many times did etsy place my product in front of someone looking for a hamster tunnel, when my product is a cashmere hood? I make these products myself, they are not POD and I have done OK since I began my shop as a side hustle. Same thing goes for when I am searching for a specific item: literally thousands of things pop up that have nothing whatsoever to do with my specific search terms and I have to search through pages of junk to find what I was looking for. This tells me that ads are a total waste of money. Thanks again for being honest. I refuse to watch any more videos by con men and women who have appointed themselves as etsy experts.
Etsy ads is problematic to say the least, I see so many Etsy seller's Etsy ads data and they are losing money because they do not understand all the metrics, or know how ads work.
I am an absolute beginner in all this but an amateur photographer. So I now have opened a store selling (attempting to sell) digital downloads.
Just been open a month with 20 listings and have got 27 views (or is it visits, not sure, still learning).
Planning to add a new listing a day from one of your reccomendations and also following your SEO guide from recent video.
It's more a retirement interest here to learn the etsy process (as i plan to open my own photography website in near future), and find your videos very helpful.
Hi David, and good to have you here! Thanks for your comment.
What kind of digital downloads are you selling?
Yes, you have to get to 100 listings, that is your primary initial goal.
I did 3 days 1.00 a day. No clicks from them but my SEO performed. I found that very honest. I like it a lot so far but I won't use the ad system because it seems useless. Also, I thinknit is good to start building a brand. The plan shoukd be to build out your own store elsewhere imho.
Thanks for the comment Laura
So fascinating! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My issue is whether the cost per click can be manipulated. I'm not sure by whom or from where my ads are being clicked on. For example if my ads are being clicked on by somewhere in Canada, but most of my sales are in the western US, then I can understand that the ads aren't helping me. However, Etsy doesn't provide info as to where and whether the same person is clicking my ads until my budget is used up.
Hi there, thanks for your comment. If any of the sales from Western US then it's working. If none of your sales are from Ads then no they are not working. ( if i understood you correctly).
Could you tell us more about the offside ads, I can't opt out but I can't see any way of tracing the sale back to Google other than asking customers. Great videos, thank you.
Hi you can only opt out when your total sales including shipping, is below $10k.
The problem is the asshattery of what their so-called advanced algorithm decides to do, like guessing which random parts of your title and keywords to advertise your product on. On what planet does "mug" perform well on its own (for a niche mug design). Mug? What kind of mug? Wasting your dollars unless you go in every day to uncheck the bizarre useless keywords their machine chooses...
Agreed..this is another fault in Etsy ads, it will advertize your product for ANY single keyword, and of course the bids are going to be higher.
@@etsyconsultant And that is how my conversion rate dropped..no real relevancy.
I’ve been running an experiment this week. I sell completed items. Some searches come up as “item SVG” or “item png.” I don’t sell designs, there’s no reference anywhere implying I do, and all my photos are of the completed items. I did the math after actually finding ROAS. I spent over $300 in 3 months to make $56. Most of the clicks were completely irrelevant to the item I was selling. Those same items are viewed just fine on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo though. Not worth it at all and is a total sham!
My coworker and I sell similar items on Etsy. I’ve never done ads and she does ads. She makes more money but she spends more money so in the end we make about the same amount each month.
Yes Kai, so in that situation you are better off because you are not wasting time with Etsy ads.
@@etsyconsultant Or giving money to the scamming globalists.
The 30 day window would only be acceptable in my opinion, if they could somehow track that their ad generated the sale.
I was enroled (without consent) in the offsite ads scheme & I often wonder how legit that extra commission is!
You're right, just because something is 'industry standard', doesn't mean it's ethical....just look at the animal agriculture industry!!
Thanks for your comment Hannah.
My ads are the equivalent of every sale they generate being 50% off...so I did a test and ran a 50% off sale for one day, two months in a row. Offering 50% to the customer for one day generated the same $ amount in my pocket as a month of ads.
When I drop Etsy ads they stop putting my listings on the app, which is where most of my sales come from...
That 30 day window too...I spent hours and hours with a repeat customer creating a custom item. Their first purchase was not an ad purchase, and I put the custom reserved link in our messages...Etsy marked it as an ad sale which skewed my numbers by 190.00. I'm sure that's done often, so the ad revenue stats who knows, it might all be fabricated.
I used to spend 3.00 daily on promoted listings, now 10.00 brings in less sales than 3.00 used to. I just want to work on SEO and your lego theory...because it seems like Etsy has a hole in the bottom of the cash drawer these days. My 2023 goals are revamping all my photos, and SEO.
I hear you Elew, none of us really know how "honest" they are being with ads. As you mentioned, at least the old promoted listings system was cheaper!
@@etsyconsultant In the listings, between the add to cart and description? they show other listings to suggest bundle purchases in order to get free shipping. I suspect they calculate these as ads too.
@@elewmompittseh Possibly, there is so much I would like to know that they will never tell us.
@@etsyconsultant Judging by the last 2000 years, I wouldn't trust them to be honest about anything. BTW, do you have a link to a video about your "lego threory"?
Yup! Those extra sales really suck when a customer purchases again on ads or the offset ads. Etsy is all about the money. It's crazy.
Yes, I really disagree with the way that they stand behind "industry standard" as justification for providing a poor ad service.
@@etsyconsultant it's ripping is off.
@@directlyg A leopard doesn't change its spots after 2000 years.
Are you sitting on the floor....? Btw Love Your Videos, so natural, so clear, so good.....
Yes, I was! Now I have upgraded to a chair lol.
I started my shop just before xmas turned on etsy ads found lost money and now account on 75% money hold. Now restarting without ads and scrapped xmas products New start and wiser. Looked at SEO tools but seemed not right so dragged my feet thanks for advise seem to say what I thought but found know where else. Steep learning curve
Hi there, thanks for your comment, what a shame. Keep going though..
Hey, this is just a reminder that the more critics you get the more success is on your way :). That's how it is here on UA-cam. I love learning from you, but keep that in mind, you see a critic think to yourself, "oh I must be doing great" haha. It's the tall poppy syndrome and all that. All the best! Enjoying the content!
Hi Grazyna, thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you are enjoying the content!
I have two very profitable listings that are being juiced with Etsy Ads, but I have nearly 200 listings that are unprofitable when tested with Etsy Ads. Love the service for those two listings though!
Hi Carrie, that's great, and this is something I do see fairly frequently, the problem comes when people don't realize to turn off the ones that don't work...crazy.
Hi Nicholas just checked mine my ROAS 2.5. Was quite shocked by this as it was much higher a couple of years ago
Hi Dan thanks for your message, yes you need to keep an eye on etsy Ads to make sure it's not eating into your profit too much.
I have the feeling that Etsy manipulates the ads system badly. When we turn on ads our sales drop because our conversion rate drops dramatically because of the watch not buy traffic. When we turn them off it shoots back up we tried this many times and its consistent. Last year we spend 100k on ads and the return was x6-10 so pretty decend. This year they are robbing me of my money its completely worthless.
Hi Oranga, thanks for your comment, the ad budget can get spent too easily, you have to make sure it's worth your while when using Etsy Ads.
Thank you again!! Going to look at my Etsy ads carefully, do you or anyone you know look at someone's shop and give advise?
Hi there Linda, thanks for your comment, and absolutely yes, that's my job. Please click the 'hire me' button on my banner.
Yes, 30 days is crazy. I knew nothing about anything a couple of years ago when I started investigating online marketing and saw how affiliate marketing worked- in a similar way- and I thought that was nuts to have such a long term.
It is so bad, and I hate when this gets normalized and Etsy says it's 'industry standard'...it doesn't make it right does it?
Helloooo, your video just pop up in my UA-cam feed. Are you in Paphos, Cyprus? I live in Larnaca. 😁
Hi Boni, yes I'm here in sunny Paphos 😀
Thanks! The Offsite Ads have been just removed.. As for Etsy Ads, I'm waiting if my tags improved yesterday will bring some sales.
Hi there, thanks for commenting! Good luck!
Thank you. New people will never know about this. Ads usually help you make sales not waste money. No sales with ads so far. 🤷🏽♀️😊
Hi Sheila, thanks for your comment. Yes you have to dig deep to find all this stuff out and most people won't know about it.
I agree about the ludicrous 30 day "waiting period"!,Also, I have taken off my advertising for now! I've had 6 sales which I gather etsy will take their advertising fee?
Thanks for being here.
Did $1,200 in sales last month actually "pocketed" around $540ish, fees, shipping, cost of product....but MOSTLY etsy FEES its actually kinda out of control to be honest. Charging us $3 and $4 on a single item that may only cost $17.99 is WILD. That's on top of all the other fees lol. I think we may be better off learning Google ADs and running the traffic to our own websites at this point.
Hi Real, and thanks for your comment. Yes, this is the part that hurts the most, when you go and crunch the numbers and realize the margins are small.
It wouldn't be bad if Etsy provided the service it is supposed to provide sellers. Around 15% for running the website, bringing traffic, and all that isn't terrible - but when you're just money grabbing, giving no customer service or value, and punishing people by closing their stores, deleting listings or putting holds on their income "because they had a surge in sales" it's hard to justify taking any money at all.
As an Etsy Seller, I totally agree with you. I don't use etsy ads.
That's great!
Hi! I have a question, I have listed my Etsy store but I listed too quickly: I have started to list now at 1 or 2 per day. Do you have any recommendations to fix it? Or should I just start again?
Hi Lisa, I would need to have a look at your store to give you the right answer, feel free to book in for a 5 minute mini consultation so that I can guide you, the link to do this is below:
etsy-consultant.com/services/5-minute-zoom-consultation/
I love your videos ! Thanks for the great info!
Great news, thanks for watching!
Wil be watching all episodes, love your content and trust you with the info you providing, you care about the sellers and help sellers 😊
Hi Tracy, appreciate your comment and support!
I think it’s crazy what Etsy is getting away with. I’ve also heard if you get a sale from a click and that customer comes back 3 month a year you still have to pay the click fee or a fee? is that correct? Thanks so much. New Sub.
Hi Barbara, and thanks for subscribing...and for your comment. OK, so once the click is made, you have to pay, that is regardless of anything else that happens afterwards.
You are very right with everything you say. and yet I want to contradict you in one respect. IT IS NOT NORMAL not even a 3-4 day window related to Etsy advertising. It is normal that ONLY when Etsy promotes you and a buyer clicked and bought through advertising directly, you will be charged.Otherwise, you are doing nothing but donating your money to Etsy, hoping for a miracle, which will never come.
Hello, thanks for commenting. I understand your point.
Thanks for this. I’ve very recently opened an Etsy store and apparently I’m running ‘off site ads’. Is it worth sticking with this.?
Hello Bob, that's a great question. It's best to turn off the offsite ads until you start getting regular sales from within Etsy.
I use Etsy odds 2 years ago and 4 years ago and every year it's so difficult to understand how it works so I think you are right they are money with no reason to spend them on odds but if you're competitors use it you can you can say oh my God it's not for me
It benefits Etsy way more than it benefits the sellers.
I have a question about Etsy Ads. For eg. I had 4 clicks for an item yesterday that resulted in a $1.50 spent. However when I click "Searches that led to this ad" I see several "Buyers search for" but 1 had a click. Any idea where are my other 3 clicks?
Hi, give Etsy time to populate your search results.
Thank you for speaking the truth! I hope to never have to use Etsy ads. Quite a number of sellers on UA-cam used Etsy ads and said that it’s ok that they are not making any money through the ads, they just want to drive organic traffic to their store. Does that really work..?
Hi there, yes it does.
Etsy ads are a disgrace I don't and won't use them and compulsory off site ads are insane.
Yes, they are very poor systems that mostly benefit Etsy.
Agreed, however, off-site ad’s are not compulsory unless you are making big money each month. I’ve forgotten the amount but I think it’s $10,000.
Am seeing the same thing here. Past two weeks, 100$ in ad expense versus 90 in sales. From ads. Just not transparent enough for me to get behind it being a new store
How do we connect for a consult?? Thanks you.
Hi there, thanks for your comment. You can reach out via any of the links below:
Website:
etsy-consultant.com/services/30-minute-zoom-consultation/
Upwork:
www.upwork.com/services/product/marketing-a-30-minute-etsy-problem-solver-video-call-with-the-world-s-best-consultant-1351219976669429760?ref=project_share
Fiverr:
www.fiverr.com/s/gBlpDb
AND AND! They attribute even repeat sales to that first ad click. I have had repeat buyers come back and purchase again and directly and etsy still links it to their ad.
I know, it is frustrating!
Agree Etsy ads not so good. I've tried but don't make money. Maybe break even; maybe not.
Thanks for sharing
I used Etsy adds at first. But I never got much money back and sometimes everything I earned was take. Now, I have put my store on vacation because they they won’t let me verify my bank account. And they say if I sell something they are not going to give it to me. I am totally discussed with Etsy.
Hi Donna, I hear you. Just to let you know that the banking verification thing can be sorted out in about 5 days if you persist with their support.
Intriguing subject -- Etsy ads. For all those who had the Option to Opt-Out, the etsy algorythm screens out those who aren't willing to do the adds. My business decreased by more than 60%. Also, according to Etsy, IF I chose to opt-in, my Gross after ad cost would be about 50% --- and from That amount, the other various fees and charges would come. After then addressing my COGS (materials & labor), I'd end up operating in the red. Such greed, even in the business world, is untenable.
Hi Jordan thanks for your comment. To make it work you have to make sure you are making enough profit by raising your prices.
I have a question about ads for digital products, given that there is effectively no marginal cost for a digital product (the cost is all sunk cost, in the product design). Would you still not recommend ads for digital products? I am noticing in my product research (following your process) that the same ads keep appearing in search results pages on Etsy, which means those products are getting multiple times the number of views versus a single listing with no ads. Is that not worth the cost? I guess the unknown quantity is the lost profit, which is then a question of experimentation...
Hi, good question. Etsy ads generally do not work well with digital products due to low selling price, and my advice here is to test it and see if it works for you.
The 30 days window is also used on offsite adds. You sell something and then you try to get your customer to purchase again from you and Etsy will rob you again each time that customers purchases from your store for the next 30 days. 😤
Hi there Mariela, yes it can be costly and frustrating.
I just did an excel spreadsheet & the #’s are horrible. I’m so discouraged.
It is very hard to get it to work, but there is no point in losing money.
Hey! thanks to your videos Ive managed to make my first 4 sells in this week!! wohoo
One question, my banks currency is ILS and my shop currency is USD, so I'm paying 2.5% fee for every deposit,
the question is, is it will be smart to change the shop currency to my banks currency to save those 2.5% - and will it demage or effect my buyers (I guess they will see this wierd currency and might think twice) , would love to have your opinion :)
HI there, great question. Yes definitely keep your shop currency in ILS, the customer will view the price in their own currency. ( You can test this by viewing your store as a customer, go the bottom of the screen and you can view your store in any currency you like). Your order receipts will be in your own currency, but on the packing slip, (if you send these to your customers) will be in the customers own currency. You will save yourself on this 2.5% conversion fee.
I get a lot more traffic from Facebook per $, but not sales. Etsy ads are brining more $, but the return of sales vs investment is not good. I am helping my daughter try to start up an Etsy shop, and after a Christmas season of Etsy ads, I considered doing a video about how the best way to make money on Etsy is to buy their stock instead of trying to sell. The Ads system knows how to vacuum out the corners of the shop to clean out those $$.
Thanks for sharing!
the big question is if an Etsy Ads Sale counts into your quality score. Do you have an explanation for that?
I sell on Amazon too and if a sale is generated through an ad it has the same ranking boost than an organic sale.
If this is the case, Etsy ads might be a useful launch tool.
Hi Tobias, see below...someone else asked the same:
OK so the critical point here is that Etsy runs TWO separate algorithms, one for organic search and one for ads...and they do not cross populate.
So you cannot build organic quality score from ads, and you cannot build ad quality score from organic.
I love your content 👍it help me a lot because I decide to have my Etsy shop
Best of luck!
Thanks
This is a chewy subject, I have turned ads off twice now, both times for 4 months and I pushed my social etc.
The truth is I just don’t get the traffic without Etsy ads, so i feel no need them on. So it’s no orders or regular with ads and lose money!
Hi Tam, thanks for your comment, not a straight forward answer, if you need to feel free to book a call with me via the 'hire me' button in the banner.
My roas on a product I was selling a lot of I thought I was making money on. It’s ROAS was like .52. I killed that thing. Still making organic sells from it
That was the right move, good spot.
Do you think it's worth running ads on a product just starting out (even if it's breaking even after ads) to help build quality score and momentum on the listing?
Hey Starseed. OK so the critical point here is that Etsy runs TWO separate algorithms, one for organic search and one for ads...and they do not cross populate.
So you cannot build organic quality score from ads, and you cannot build ad quality score from organic.
It may help with perceived value of your items and shop by your customers though if you get some nice reviews from your start up sales. Also helps with the sales count which helps with overall buyer trust and confidence. Interesting that the quality score from Etsy doesn’t go up for the organic listings, something to consider for sure. Etsy Ads are a bit of a trap unless you know exactly why you’re using them and you have a plan for turning them off - such as aver getting a few reviews and increasing your sell number to a specific number
@@etsyconsultant that's very good to know!
@@beagrateful431 Valid points, thanks Carrie!
Thank you! I knew it! This numbers 6.5% bla bla is also bul**** I believe. Here are some realtime numbers: When I closed my shop, the numbers was like this: I've made 632€ in total. 330€ spent for Etsy Ads + Etsy Offsite Ads and all that other sh**. 302€ left for me. 250€ I spent for material. The final number is 52€. I wont even say how much time I spent on working hours... Thank you for your videos, Much love, Aian
Real numbers Aian, and something I see all the time, thanks for being here.
industry standard in my experience is the old way, when I get ads on facebook, google, and amazon i can set a dollar spend. so theyre just lying if they are saying its industry standard.
Hi Ritchie, interesting comment.
I have “heard” some of Etsy recently doing more to help sellers in regard to ads and emailing. Is this something I should pay attention to?
Hi Casey not sure what you mean here.
So are you saying don’t run ads unless you have a particular plan ?
In short don't run ads until you prove viability for your products with organic sales.
Hey! is it ok to use Etsy Ads when starting with a new shop to try and get some sales or exposure and turn it off once you got a few sales?
Honestly Andre, I would concentrate on getting your store up and running, perfect your photography and video, make sure your SEO is at a decent level and most importantly get some organic sales under your belt...and then try ads.
Personally i'd never buy from a new store with no reviews because i saw an ad. Id assume it was fishy
When we turn off the promoted listing, the Etsy platform then lowering the exposure of our listings and the traffic will drop dramatically
Hi Budi, if you switch off Etsy ads, then you lose all traffic from Etsy ads, this has no correlation to organic search.
Hi, this an old video on Etsy ads but does anyone know if it's changed now or still the same issue?
It is still exactly the same.
Are Etsy adds and offsite adds different from each other? I just opened my shop and I’m still trying to learn it all.
Yes they are, Etsy ads is Etsy's internal advertising system which you have a daily budget for. Etsy offsite ads is where Etsy advertises on your behalf outside the Etsy platform.
So if Etsy ads runs on SEO then a brand new store which has no seo is wasting money?
Basically, yes.
I do Google ads and seo for off-etsy businesses and I turned off this stuff in my Etsy store for these reasons.
You will still show up on Google organically !! Turn it off because if you do everything else right (SEO, good listing) then you won't need it.
Thanks for your comment Betty!
ROAS of 0.72. Etsy loves to have me on their platform 😂. My best one is 1.27
Lol Eugene, good to have you here.
We do not have a single profitable listing from ads. Absolutely hate the way they're structured.
Horrible isn't it Allan. Its designed to make Etsy a lot of money without giving away how they are doing it.
@@etsyconsultant I have spent hundreds of thousands in Google PPC outside of Etsy. The way Etsy is set up honestly feels like a scam.
I just found out Etsy charges for ads but I didn't opt in for ads..i thought we have to make that purchase ourselves..I'm guessing it's automatic ??
Hi there, you can deactivate Etsy Ads.
@@etsyconsultant ok thanks
I had to figure this out the hard way and the free shipping thing only screwed me as well.
So sorry to hear this!
Super Video ! The thing is that you are obliged to use those ads . Can we refuse to use them?
Hi there, thanks for your comment. Offsite ads is only compulsory if your lifetime sales, including shipping are over $10,000. Anything over this and yes you have to sign up and the fees are 12%. ( if you sign up with lifetime sales under $10,000 the fees are 15%).
Hi Nick...a short while ago you made a video "How Many Listings Do You Need" I left a reply because you said "tell me your store and I will have a look" and check it out or some thing similar. you never got back to me to saying what I'm doing wrong. my store has been open for about 2 months now with 144 items for sale. had about 50 visitors and NO Sales. would you Please tell me what I have done wrong...many thanks...
Hi Rob, yep, I am so busy with my consultancy, that I never got back to you, so I am sorry for this.
Drop your store name again and I will make a note to give you some feedback.
I've turned off all my ads. I'm spending money with no sales.
Yes if they do not work for you, no point in wasting money.
Sounds like I just wasted a week setting up an Etsy store and populating it with physical products, still I had a lot more to list yet so I haven't wasted what I might have done had I not watched this video
Hi Terry, thanks for commenting. If you haven't seen it yet, it will be useful for you to watch my video "Your First 3 Months As An ETSY Seller - How To Do It RIGHT": ua-cam.com/video/4GrTnCReu2c/v-deo.html
I ran ads for one month at 1 dollar a day. Got a few listings favourited but no sales. Switched them off after costing me 30 dollars for nothing. The 4 sales I have had must have come from seo as I don't do social media.
Yours is a typical outcome I hear Gale.
have you ever thought of creating a discord chat for Etsy sellers? thanks.
Hi Alex, no I haven't primarily because I do not have the time to run it!
@@etsyconsultant thanks for your reply. Yeah I can imagine.
could there be a way in which you don't have to run it but Etsy sellers could join and bounce ideas from one another?
I just opened my Etsy store so I am a beginner learning how everything works, I run $1 a day ads and also try to run daily sales, I also run social media ads. Thanks for this info!❤
No problem at all, thanks for watching!
Etsy turn on automatically offside add . Can I turn it off?
Hi, if you are under $10k total revenue per year, yes.
Nick would you turn off offsite ads if possible?
Hi, yes I would.
is there any wIs There Any Way to Recover lost money through Etsy Ads Through Etsy Support? i spent 31$ and revenue is 4$
Unfortunately not.
Amazon seller here, so ads don’t help with organic ranking? Etsy ads sound whack I’m coming from Amazon with a few big seller products I cba with 100s of listings I private label
Ok great!
Thank you for this.
No problem survivor, thanks for taking the time to watch.