🛑 Why More Products Won’t Fix Your Etsy Sales Problem

And what to focus on instead if you want consistent sales without burning out

If your sales have slowed down lately, you might be thinking…

“I just need to add more products. One of them has to take off eventually, right?”

Totally understandable thought. But here’s the truth: more listings aren’t always the answer.

In fact, if your current listings aren’t converting, adding more will only create more noise - not more sales.

Let’s break down why the “just add more” strategy doesn’t work (and what to do instead that actually gets results).

💭 Myth #1: More Listings = More Chances to Sell

This is one of the biggest misconceptions in the handmade world. We assume that a shop with 200 products must be doing better than one with 20. But Etsy doesn’t reward you for quantity - it rewards you for conversion.

A smaller shop with 20 giftable, optimised listings can outperform a 200-product shop that feels scattered and unfocused.

But here’s the nuance:

Every listing is like a lottery ticket in Etsy’s search system. The more high-quality tickets you have, the better your chances. But if you’re listing random, unrelated products, you’re just throwing in dud entries.

✅ What works better?

Multiply your bestsellers. Turn one good product into 3–5 strategic variations - gift sets, colour options, personalisation choices. These listings will support each other in search, and together, they build momentum that lifts your shop up in Etsy’s rankings.

Example:

A jewellery maker had one necklace that consistently sold well. Instead of creating 10 new, unrelated items, she made 5 versions of that one necklace - in silver, gold, rose gold, with initials, and in a ready-to-gift box. Those 5 listings drove more traffic, more clicks, and more trust with buyers.

💭 Myth #2: “One of Them Might Take Off”

This is the classic “throw spaghetti at the wall” approach - uploading a bunch of different things, hoping one magically sells.

But here’s the thing: Etsy’s SEO depends on clarity. Uploading candles, stickers, crochet hats, and tote bags in the same shop? That confuses Etsy and your buyers.

✅ What works better?

Pick one audience. One product category. One niche. Curate around that. When you build depth instead of breadth, Etsy knows who to show your products to - and buyers instantly understand what your shop is about.

Quick win: Ask yourself, “What do I want to be known for?”

Build around that.

💭 Myth #3: More Products = More Trust

Nope. In fact, the opposite is usually true.

When a shop is full of scattered, random products, buyers struggle to trust it. They don’t know what you’re good at. It doesn’t feel cohesive. And that lack of clarity leads to fewer clicks - and fewer sales.

✅ What works better?

Focus. If you’ve got one product that sells, build around that. Offer different sizes, colours, packaging options, or seasonal variations. That’s what builds authority and trust.

Example:

One shop was selling resin keychains, digital prints, and crochet baby hats… and nothing was selling. Why? No clear message. No clear customer. When she niched down to just personalised keychains (and created variations), her sales started rolling in.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Sam vs Lydia: A Tale of Two Sellers

Sam uploads 10 more listings - all unrelated. She spends hours writing titles, tweaking photos, and ends up exhausted… with no real increase in sales.

Lydia looks at her top 3 products, adds a gift set option to each, updates the packaging to feel more seasonal, and focuses her marketing.

She sells more. She works less. And her weekends? Back.

🎯 What To Do Instead: Smarter Variations

Here’s your homework this week (and yes, it’s simple):

1. Look at your top-selling product
   
   
2. Brainstorm 3 variations - colour, size, gift bundle, seasonal packaging
   
   
3. Create one variation this week
   
   

This isn’t busywork. This is strategic growth.

Every new variation of a converting product is another high-quality ticket in Etsy’s ranking system - and that’s how you build visibility without adding chaos.

🛠 Want Help Making Your Listings Better Before You Multiply Them?

If your listings aren’t converting yet, don’t scale the problem.

🎁 Grab my Product Listing Makeover Kit - it’s a £17 plug-and-play toolkit to help you improve your titles, tags, descriptions and photos fast (without redoing your whole shop).

👉 Click here to grab it

💬 Final Thought

Adding more products isn’t bad. But it only works if your existing listings are already doing their job.

✅ Start with what’s working

✅ Build smart variations

✅ Curate with clarity

You’ll save time, reduce overwhelm, and actually see results - without creating another 10 products you’re not excited about.

Keep going - and remember, success doesn’t come from doing more. It comes from doing what works.

Love Steph & Team HB 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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