5 Biggest Etsy Seller Mistakes To Avoid & How To Fix Them (For Digital Product Sellers)

Selling digital products on Etsy is a great path. But, there are a lot of common mistakes that sellers often make (including my past self)! Whether you’re just starting out on your journey, or already have an Etsy shop, here are the top 5 Etsy seller mistakes that you should avoid to optimize your Etsy shop performance!

Mistake 1: Insufficient Product Descriptions

Unlike physical products where you can easily showcase the product in photos, it’s a lot harder to do with digital products, which is why having detailed instructions is very important.

Make it clear about what you’re selling and how customers can access the product after purchasing. No matter how good your product is, the most important part is to get people to purchase it in the first place.

So make sure your product description answers all the potential questions buyers may have before making a purchase, because if you don’t, potential customers will most likely buy from other shops that do have more detailed descriptions and instructions!

What should I include in an Etsy product description?

• What the product is and why people need it
• The features and benefits of the product
• What buyers will receive
• What is needed (requirements and technicals)
• Post-purchase instructions
• Any relevant upselling or cross-selling links
• Incorporate keywords for Etsy SEO

💡 TOP TIP: Have a look at the descriptions of the top sellers in your niche to see exactly what you’re up against and know how you can make yours even better!

Mistake 2: Not Offering Previews

Showing a preview of what the item is about, also known as a mock-up, is crucial! For example, if you’re selling a digital planner, buyers will want to know what the planner looks like on the inside so they can get a feel of how they might use it.

Other examples include:

• Selling Lightroom presets and showing examples of the before and after.
• Selling Excel spreadsheets and showing how to input data and examples of the spreadsheets being filled out.

💡 Utilising the video mock-up is another great and more engaging way to showcase your digital product in more depth, which will improve Etsy shop success.

Mistake 3: Ignoring File Sizes And Formatting

The easiest way to know what the industry standard is for your specific category is to look at your competitors. What files are they uploading and what are the file sizes? Doing this research at the beginning will give you a great starting point and will make the process a lot easier, especially if you’re new to the category.

What is the maximum upload size for Etsy?

Etsy allows you to have a maximum of 20MB per upload for digital products. If you’re selling a digital download that’s higher than 20MB, you can create a share link to these files, and add the link to a PDF which will be the file you upload to Etsy. Once the customer purchases the product, they can download the PDF, then click on the link that leads them to the relevant files.

Mistake 4: Inadequate Customer Support

If you already have clear instructions to follow when someone buys from your shop, this will make your customer service life a lot easier! For example, you can include step-by-step instructions within the PDF file that you upload to Etsy for how customers can use the product. You could even do a video demonstration by recording your screen showing people how to use the product.

It’s all about making the buyers life as easy as possible from the moment they click onto your product, to them purchasing and using your product. Let them know that you’ll be there to guide them and answer any queries that they might have, so they never feel like they’ll be stuck alone trying to figure it out themselves.

💡 When customers have a good experience with your shop, they are more likely to leave good reviews too - which is great for the Etsy algorithm and therefore your shop!

Mistake 5: Failing To Differentiate Yourself

When selling on Etsy, it’s likely that other people will be selling in the same niche and will have similar listings to yours, so how can you differentiate yourself from them? Whilst it’s super important to research your competitors, you also don’t want to copy them. Instead, you want to find a way to create something better - so people will buy from you instead of them!

💡 Remember that since the top sellers will likely already be established, people will be more likely to buy from them if they see no difference between their product and yours.

Here are 3 ways you can differentiate yourself from competitors:

1. Create bundles - this means selling lots of different smaller products together in an all-in-one package. Bundles have a higher value and can be more attractive for buyers as they feel like they can get more value for a lower price.

2. Adding bonuses - for example, if you’re selling social media templates, you can also offer a bonus logo template for each of your listings. It should still be related to the overall niche and should add to the perceived value of your product, which can really make you stand out from competitors.

3. Branding - ensure your branding is cohesive, aesthetically pleasing and different from your competitors. You can do this through your shop logo, banner, colour palette and mock-ups.

Learn More

If you’re able to avoid these 5 Etsy seller mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to achieving success! If you want to learn more about how to be successful selling on Etsy, you can check out my free masterclass [here] where I go through my personal roadmap for making over seven figures selling digital downloads on Etsy!

Or, feel free to check out my full YouTube video [here] for more visual demonstrations of what I’ve discussed above.