Etsy's Post-Holiday Slump: Strategies to Thrive After Christmas Sales
Jan 07, 2026🎧 Listen to this blog post as a Podcast instead #96 Etsy's Post-Holiday Slump: Strategies to Thrive After Christmas Sales
January hit… and your Etsy sales fell off a cliff?
Before you spiral, open Indeed, or convince yourself your shop is doomed, take a breath. This episode is here to talk you down and give you a clear, calm plan for navigating the post-Christmas slump without burning everything to the ground.
In this episode, Steph walks you through why January sales drops are completely normal for handmade businesses, how to read your December Etsy stats properly, and the small, practical tweaks that actually make a difference when things go quiet.
You’ll learn how to:
• Understand what’s really happening after Christmas (and why it’s not a failure)
• Use your December data to make smarter decisions instead of emotional ones
• Refresh best-selling products for the new year without creating new work
• Set up simple January offers that don’t add to overwhelm
• Choose one off-Etsy marketing channel to steady your sales
• Build a realistic, calm January plan you can actually stick to
This isn’t about hustling harder or reinventing your entire business.
It’s about knowing which levers to pull when sales slow down… and pulling them with confidence.
✨ Helpful links mentioned in this episode:
📧 Build your email list properly (even if you’re starting from scratch):
The Makers List Kickstart Kit
👉 https://www.handmadebosses.com/offers/KM79eUH7/checkout
📦 Increase your order value without making new products:
Bundle It & Boost It Toolkit
👉 https://www.handmadebosses.com/offers/gCmz6VtE/checkout
📱 Struggling to stay consistent on social media?
Social Media Sidekick (SMS)
👉 www.handmadebosses.com/sms
If this episode helped you feel calmer and clearer, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss future episodes.
Etsy’s Post-Christmas Slump Isn’t the End of Your Business
What to Do When January Sales Go Quiet (Without Spiralling)
If your Etsy sales have suddenly gone very… quiet after Christmas, let me stop you right there.
Your shop is not broken.
Etsy has not secretly shadow-banned you.
And 2026 is not cancelled.
January can feel brutal for handmade sellers. One minute it’s cha-ching cha-ching, the next it’s tumbleweed and you’re refreshing the Etsy app like it owes you money.
This post is here to talk you down, explain what’s actually happening, and give you a calm, doable plan so you can use January properly instead of panicking your way through it.
No dramatic decisions.
No “burn it all down” energy.
Just steady, sensible progress.
First Things First: The January Slump Is Normal
Let’s look at what your customers are doing right now.
They’re back at work.
They’re skint.
They’re eating leftovers and pretending they’re doing a no-spend month.
So yes. Sales slow down.
Think of December like a packed handmade café.
Queues out the door.
No clean mugs left.
Pure chaos.
January is the same café, but now it’s just a few regulars quietly nursing a food hangover.
That doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong. It just means the season has changed.
Before you make any big decisions, we need to check what actually happened.
Check These 3 Etsy Stats Before You Panic
Open your Etsy stats and look at these three things only. Not everything. Just these.
1. Traffic
Did your visits spike in December and then drop in January?
If yes, that’s seasonal.
If traffic stayed similar but sales dipped, that’s a conversion issue, not an Etsy issue.
2. Conversion rate
Rough guide for handmade shops is around 2 to 4%.
If you were sitting at something like 2.5 to 3% in December, that’s solid.
Lower than that tells us where to focus next.
3. Best sellers vs deadweight listings
Which products actually did the heavy lifting in December?
Gift sets?
Personalised items?
Stocking fillers?
And which listings might as well have been invisible?
We’re not judging. We’re collecting clues.
Write this stuff down. January is data, not a verdict.
Work With What Already Sold
This bit is wildly underrated.
If something sold well in December, it’s your starting point for the new year.
You’re not reinventing your business.
You’re just changing the outfit.
Some examples:
Sold personalised baubles?
Turn that into new home gifts, baby keepsakes, birthdays, first day of school.
Sold gift boxes?
Repackage them as self-care kits, back-to-work treats, study bundles, new job gifts.
Same product.
Same skills.
Same materials.
Big brands do this constantly. They just swap the box and carry on.
Quick Listing Tweaks You Can Do This Week
You do not need to overhaul your whole shop. Start with your best sellers.
Photos
Remove Christmas props.
Ditch fairy lights, baubles, fake snow.
Go neutral, clean, cosy if that fits.
Also please remove any outdated Christmas dates or references. Nothing says “I don’t check my shop” faster.
Titles and tags
Shift towards January searches.
Think self-care gift, organisation, winter birthday, new job gift, back to school.
Descriptions
Move from “perfect Christmas gift” to
“thoughtful everyday treat”
or
“small boost when someone needs it”.
This alone can pull your shop out of Christmas limbo and back into business mode.
Simple January Offers That Won’t Break Your Brain
January does not need a massive sale with 97 graphics and a full email funnel.
Small levers. Not giant launches.
Here are three low-faff options.
1. A thank you offer
Email past Christmas customers and say thank you.
Offer a small treat, freebie, or short-term code.
The goal is not slashing prices.
It’s reminding people you exist and making it easy to buy again.
This is also why an email list matters so much in January. Even a tiny list is powerful.
2. A simple bundle
Group products that already go together.
Save the customer a little money.
Increase your average order value.
Same products. New packaging.
3. New year, same you
Instead of “new year, new you”, position your products as small upgrades.
More cosy.
More organised.
More calm.
More creative.
Pick one offer. Run it gently but consistently all month.
One Off-Etsy Channel. Just One.
If January has taught you anything, it’s that relying on Etsy alone is stressful.
Pick one place to focus this month.
Two or three simple emails is plenty.
Behind the scenes from Christmas.
A few January pick-me-ups.
A sneak peek of what’s coming next.
Treat it like writing to a friend.
January is huge on Pinterest.
Batch 10 pins in Canva.
Schedule them.
Walk away.
Social media
Keep it simple.
One behind-the-scenes post
One product post
One review or customer photo
One honest human post
That’s it. Four posts a week, not four a day.
And if socials make you want to lie down in a dark room, this is exactly why the Social Media Sidekick exists. It gives you the posts, captions, hooks, and structure so you’re not starting from scratch every time.
Build a Calm January Plan
January messes with your head. Let’s not let it.
You’re not allowed to bully yourself into big decisions because sales are quiet.
Instead, answer these three questions.
-
What is a realistic sales goal for January?
Cover bills. Match last year. Hit 10 orders. Keep it grounded.
-
What three levers can you actually pull?
Refreshing listings.
Sending emails.
Posting consistently in one place.
-
What support do you need?
Accountability.
Templates.
A system that tells you what to focus on next.
You do not need a new personality or a dramatic reinvention.
You need repeatable habits you can stick to.
Your January Homework
Nothing wild. Just this:
-
Check your December stats. Traffic, conversion, top sellers.
-
Pick one quick win. Listing refresh or a simple bundle.
-
Choose one off-Etsy channel and commit to it for four weeks.
That’s it.
And if you want help with the social side of this, the Social Media Sidekick is there to take that weight off your plate. Done-for-you content, flexible for your niche, and designed to keep things calm and consistent.
January isn’t the end.
It’s the reset.
You’ve got this.
Love Steph xox
👋 Welcome everyone! My name is Steph, I've been running my handmade business full time on Etsy since 2016, and I'm here to help you!
🧡 I'll help you to start an Etsy shop, Etsy ads, show you how to sell more on Etsy, get to grips with Etsy SEO, Etsy branding, Etsy product ideas, finding your target market, identifying your niche and many many more.
🛍️ If you have an Etsy shop or your own website selling handmade products, or want to start one, this is THE channel you need to be subscribed to!
💰 I help makers start, run and scale their handmade businesses. Turning them from an expensive hobby to profitable businesses making 4 and 5 figure months on Etsy and your own website.
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