The Handmade Shop: Etsy Business Strategy for Makers with Physical and Digital Products

Hosted by Sarah Waggoner

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253

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Aug 2026

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About the show

If you want consistent, daily sales on Etsy without relying on social media, you’re in the right place. Hosted by Sarah Waggoner, Etsy sales strategist and owner of a top 0.1% Etsy shop, this podcast teaches you how to grow your Etsy business. This show is for handmade sellers who are ready to build a shop that actually gets found by the right buyers. Inside each episode, you’ll learn how to: - Increase your Etsy sales organically - Build product lines that drive consistent traffic - Understand your Etsy stats - Create listings that convert - Grow your shop without ads, social media, or cha

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60 recent

September 8, 2026Episode 2558 min

255. The Mistake That Kept Me From $100K

I went from $500 to $35,000 on Etsy in one year. Naturally, I thought six figures was next. It wasn’t. Instead, I spent the next two years working harder than I ever had, publishing more listings, reworking products, giving up nights and weekends, and watching my revenue crawl from about And eventually, I started wondering if maybe this was just how big my shop could get. In this episode, I’m taking you back into those two years, because I can see something now that I absolutely could not see while I was living it. I realized the keywords I was building my shop around could only add up to so much traffic and revenue. I was trying to work harder inside a strategy that literally could not carry me to the number I wanted. When I finally changed that, I hit my first $100K year. Then my first $200K year. If your Etsy revenue has been sitting around the same number for longer than you want to admit, I really want you to hear this one. What my Etsy business looked like when I went from $500 to $35K Why I assumed $100K would naturally come next What two years of barely growing actually looked and felt like Why working more hours and publishing more listings didn’t solve the problem How you can rank well for keywords and still have a strategy that limits your revenue What I finally realized about the searches I was targeting Why your current revenue might be a limit in your strategy, not a limit on your shop What changed before I went on to hit $100K and then $200K on Etsy Free class: Create $5K Months on Etsy With Part-Time Hours - https://sarahjwaggoner.com/freeclass Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner What You’ll LearnMentioned in This EpisodeYour Next Steps:

September 1, 2026Episode 2549 min

254. Small Fixes vs. Real Fixes on Etsy

Some Etsy fixes work just enough to keep you stuck. You turn on ads and get a couple of sales. You run a discount and move a few products. You post on social and someone buys. So of course your brain goes, “See? That worked.” But did it actually grow your shop? In this episode, I’m giving you one simple test you can use to tell the difference between a small fix and a real fix. Because a small fix gives you a temporary bump while you are actively feeding it time or money. A real fix changes your baseline. It keeps working after you stop pushing. And that difference matters a LOT if you are trying to build an Etsy shop that gives you steady sales without requiring you to constantly pay, post, discount, or hustle for the next order. We’re also talking about why ranked listings behave more like assets than temporary marketing tactics, why your keyword strategy might still not be producing enough traffic, and what to look at before you spend another six months fixing the wrong problem. What You’ll Learn The one-question test that separates temporary fixes from real growth Why Etsy ads, sales, and social media can feel more effective than they actually are How to tell whether a strategy is raising your baseline or just creating a temporary spike Why keyword strategy is the lever that can keep working after you stop actively pushing What ranked listings build over time that paid traffic cannot Why your keywords can still be “working” without adding up to your revenue goal How to stop spending time and money on fixes that never become assets Mentioned in This Episode Watch: Why Your Keywords Aren’t Adding Up to Your Revenue Goal: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Free class: Create $5K Months on Etsy With Part-Time Hours: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/freeclass Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner

August 25, 2026Episode 25315 min

253. Why Your Brain Loves Useless Etsy Tasks

You know that thing where sales are slow, so you check your stats again. And again. Then maybe you make a Pinterest pin, reorganize your shop sections, redo a perfectly fine product photo, or spend 45 minutes reading what other Etsy sellers are doing. You know none of it is really moving your shop forward. So why is it so freaking hard to stop doing it? That’s what we’re talking about today. Because there are some very real reasons your brain would rather choose the easy, familiar task with an immediate payoff than the harder work that could take weeks to show results. And when sales are slow, that pull gets even stronger. I know because I did this exact thing when I was building my Etsy shop while working full-time as a physical therapist. I spent hours scheduling Pinterest pins months in advance because it felt productive, while avoiding the harder work I actually needed to learn. In this episode, we’re getting into the psychology behind busy work, what it’s actually costing your shop, and how to finally break the cycle. Why busy work feels so satisfying when your Etsy sales are slow The connection between feeling powerless and reaching for easy tasks Why the work that actually grows your shop can feel harder to start How busy work can become a hiding place from decisions that feel risky Why working hard and making progress aren’t necessarily the same thing How to recognize the busy-work loop while you’re in it Three ways to start protecting your limited hours for work that actually compounds Free class, Create $5K Months on Etsy With Part-Time Hours: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/freeclass Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner What You’ll LearnMentioned in This EpisodeYour Next Steps:

August 11, 2026Episode 25210 min

252. The Back-to-School Reset Every Etsy Seller Needs

Back-to-school season is about to change your schedule. The question is, what is it going to do to your Etsy shop? Whether you're about to get a whole lot of working hours back or lose every bit of flexibility you had this summer, one thing is true for everyone: your routine is about to change. And it's that messy transition, not the number of hours you have, that derails so many Etsy sellers. In this episode, I'm sharing the two biggest mistakes I see sellers make during the back-to-school shift, whether they suddenly have more time or a lot less. We'll talk about how to protect your momentum, why consistency matters more than intensity, and what deserves your attention as we head into the busiest selling season of the year. If you want your shop to keep moving, even when life gets chaotic, this episode is for you. Why the back-to-school transition disrupts Etsy shops, even if your schedule improves The biggest mistake sellers make when they suddenly have more time The biggest mistake sellers make when they suddenly have less time What you should protect during a busy season to keep your shop growing Why consistency beats overhauling your shop How to stay on track as Q4 approaches Free Sales Audit Workbook: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast/ 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner What You'll LearnResources Mentioned Your Next Steps:

August 4, 2026Episode 25111 min

251. Your August Q4 Checklist for Etsy Sellers

The best time to list your Q4 products was back in June. You didn't do that, most likely. But before you start beating yourself up, here's what I need you to hear… Being late is not the same thing as being too late. If you're sitting there convinced you've already missed your chance to have a successful holiday season on Etsy, this episode is your reality check. Yes, you're behind. But the biggest mistake isn't that you didn't start in June. It's deciding there's no point in starting now. In this episode, I'm walking you through what I'd tell one of my private coaching clients if they came to me in August feeling completely overwhelmed. We'll talk about why listings need time to gain traction before Q4, why there's still plenty of opportunity left, and how to make smart decisions that give your shop the best chance of getting found before holiday shopping ramps up. If you're feeling behind, this is the pep talk you actually need. Why being late isn't the same as being too late How Etsy decides where your listings rank Why waiting another week makes Q4 harder Why niche holiday keywords are your biggest advantage right now What products you should focus on instead of creating an entirely new holiday collection The three priorities every Etsy seller should focus on this month Free Sales Audit Workbook: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast/ 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner What You'll LearnMentioned Resources Your Next Steps:

July 21, 2026Episode 2508 min

250. How to Diagnose a Struggling Etsy Shop

I am going to admit something that sounds a little terrible…I love looking at a struggling Etsy shop. Not because I’m happy that they’re not succeeding, but because a slow shop is a puzzle, and finding the one thing holding it back is my favorite part of this whole job. Before I was an Etsy seller and coach, I was a physical therapist, and I still think like one every time I look at a shop. The biggest thing PT taught me is that the spot where you feel the pain is usually not where the problem started. A knee that hurts is often a hip or an ankle issue showing up further down the line. Treat the knee and the patient is back in a few weeks, because nothing actually changed. Your shop works the same way. "I'm not getting sales" is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom. In this episode I walk you through exactly how I trace a slow shop back to the real cause: what I look at before I ever open a single listing, the questions I ask once I get into the data, and how I tell a traffic problem apart from a click problem apart from a conversion problem. By the end you will know how to stop changing random things and start asking the one question that actually leads somewhere: why? What you'll learn: Why "my shop isn't selling" is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and what to look at instead The physical therapy lesson that changed how I evaluate every single shop The very first thing I do when I open a shop (and why it is not what you would expect) The exact questions I ask when someone tells me their traffic dropped The four questions to keep asking until you get underneath the symptom Resources Mentioned: Apply for 1:1 Coaching and diagnose your shop with me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Run the free Sales Audit Workbook on your own shop: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast/ Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner

July 14, 2026Episode 24912 min

249. Loss Leaders Don't Work on Etsy. Here's What Does.

Everyone keeps telling you to price one thing dirt cheap to pull in new customers. It works great at Costco. On Etsy, it just hands your money to a bargain hunter who never comes back. So if a cheap price is not how you win that first sale, what is? In this episode I break down why loss leaders fall apart on Etsy (hint: there is no front door for a deal to pull anyone through), and then I give you the actual way to win a first-time buyer without dropping your price by a single dollar. A first-time buyer has no history with you, no loyalty, and about ten seconds to decide whether you are the real deal or a stranger they should skip. Your job is to be the easiest, safest yes in a search full of competitors. I walk you through the three things that make that happen, plus the concrete trust moves you can go set up today. What you'll learn: Why the loss leader advice everyone repeats was built for stores with doors, and why Etsy does not have one The three things every first sale has to clear, in order, before a stranger will buy Why getting found and getting clicked are two completely different problems (and most sellers only work on one) Why a first-time buyer needs more proof than a repeat buyer, and exactly what proof to give them Four trust moves you can set up today, including the one that does more work than all the rest How to win the buyer who wanted what you actually make, at the price you actually charge Resources Mentioned: Run the free Sales Audit Workbook on your shop: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast/ Apply for 1:1 Coaching (one spot left for the summer at time of recording): https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Your Next Steps: Work with Me: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Join my Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner

July 7, 2026Episode 2487 min

248. Why Charging Less Is Costing You Sales

Etsy sales are slow, so you lower your price, because cheaper means more buyers, right? Wrong, and it's costing you on both ends. There is always someone cheaper than you, so the price shoppers leave for them anyway. And the quality buyers, the ones who actually came to Etsy ready to pay for something special, read your rock-bottom price as "the cheap version" and scroll right past. You end up stuck in the middle, where nobody buys. In this episode I break down why competing on price on Etsy is a game most makers were never built to win, why a low price pushes away your best buyer instead of attracting more, and why the person shopping on Etsy was never shopping on price in the first place. If you've ever discounted out of fear and wondered why it didn't move the needle, this one reframes the whole thing. What you'll learn: Why most makers will never be the cheapest (and why that's a strength, not a flaw) The reason dropping your price doesn't bring the flood of buyers you picture How your price works as a signal before a buyer reads a single word Why a low price loses the quality buyer, not just the bargain hunter What "stuck in the middle where nobody buys" actually looks like in your shop What to compete on instead of price, so the right buyer sees the value first Resources mentioned in this episode: Free Sales Audit Workbook: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast Your next steps: Work with me inside the Etsy Visibility Accelerator - Join the Waitlist Here: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Join the free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative Follow me on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Chat with me on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sarahjwaggoner

June 30, 2026Episode 2476 min

247. The Five-Second Test Your Listing Has to Pass

In this episode I reframe what a view actually is on Etsy, why a click that doesn't convert is a flat no rather than a maybe, and why dumping more traffic on a page that doesn't sell just means more people leaving faster. I walk through the short list of questions every shopper is silently asking before they'll hit add to cart, why an unanswered question sends a warm buyer straight to the shop next door, and a five-minute test you can run on your phone right now to find exactly where your best listings are leaking sales. What you'll learn: The reason more traffic makes a non-selling listing look even worse The short list of questions running through every Etsy shopper's head before they buy Why an unanswered question on your page is the same as a bounce, every time The five-second-per-question test you can run on your most-visited listing today The two leaks that cost you the most orders How to look at your own listing the way a stranger with eleven open tabs would Resources mentioned in this episode: Free Sales Audit Workbook: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/auditpodcast How to Increase Your Etsy Prices Without Losing Sales: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/how-to-increase-your-etsy-prices-without-losing-sales/ Your next steps: Apply for 1:1 coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Get on the Etsy Visibility Accelerator Waitlist: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator/ Follow me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahJWaggoner Come say hello on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Join the free Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative

June 23, 2026Episode 2467 min

246. The Summer Survival Guide for Etsy Sellers

Summer hit and suddenly your Etsy shop feels like a project you'll "get back to in September." Sound familiar? This episode is for the seller who hasn't quit, but has quietly started coasting. Life got fuller, energy shifted, and the shop slipped down the priority list. That's normal. What you do about it matters more than the fact that it happened. I'm talking about how to stay connected to your business this summer without white-knuckling it through every week. Not a pep talk. A realistic plan for what "enough" actually looks like when your schedule is unpredictable and your motivation is uneven. I share the one expectation shift that removes most of the guilt, why picking one priority this summer beats having seven, and why forcing yourself to build your business in ways you hate is the thing most likely to make you want to quit. If you've been waiting for permission to slow down without actually stopping, this episode is it. What You'll Learn: Why comparing June you to February you is setting you up to feel like you're failing How to define what "enough" looks like before summer defines it for you (and why that changes everything) The exact questions to ask yourself to identify the one bottleneck worth focusing on right now Why trying to fix everything at once is especially costly during a season when your schedule is already unpredictable What happens when you stop building your business in ways you hate and start focusing on what actually works for you How to stay connected to your shop without forcing consistency that doesn't fit your current season Resources Mentioned: Summer of Search Workshop Series: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/summerofsearch/ Workshop 1: Choosing Your Most Sellable Niche and Product Direction — $47 Workshop 2: Keywords and How Buyers Actually Find Your Products — $47 Workshop 3: Conversions and Turning Favorites and Visits into Sales — $47 Or grab the All Access Pass and get all three for only $97 Your Next Steps: Free Live Masterclass: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/freeclass/ Etsy Visibility Accelerator: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/etsy-visibility-accelerator 1:1 Coaching: https://sarahjwaggoner.com/coaching Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjwaggoner/ Join the Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theheartlandcreative