There's a lot of information out there about how many listings you need to get sales on Etsy. Unfortunately, a lot of it is outdated and just plain wrong. So how many listings do you need to get more sales on Etsy? Are more products always better? It's a little more complicated than you think. Let's talk about why.
Why quantity matters
Etsy is unique as a platform in that the quantity of listings you have matters to the search algorithm. That means when you have more listings relating to a certain set of keywords, you'll be more likely to rank for those keywords as long as your listings are quality.
More listings mean more opportunities to get found in Etsy search and gives you your best chance for getting more new customers.
Having a full Etsy store is also important to help buyers feel comfortable purchasing from you. If you came upon a shop with only a few items, you'd probably be less confident that they were a legitimate business that would provide you with a good customer experience.
So if listing quantity is so important, let's figure out how many listings you need.
Is there a magic number of listings?
Despite the Magic Number Myth, there is no specific number of listings that you need to start getting found in search results on Etsy.
The number of listings you need will vary by shop because there are a lot of factors involved in the Etsy search algorithm.
What factors influence how many listings you need
There are a variety of factors that influence how many listings you need on Etsy to get more traffic. Next, we'll talk about some of the most influential.
Niche saturation
Saturated niches mean you'll need more listings to create a full product line and start getting found in search results.
Learn more about what a product line is here.
There are both digital products and handmade items that have millions and millions of results for competition on their keywords. That doesn't mean you can't pick a saturated niche because those products can sometimes have a lot of demand from customers. You just might need more listings to start getting traffic from Etsy.
Your SEO formatting
Etsy is a big search engine, so following Etsy best practices for SEO is important no matter how saturated your niche is. You want to use long-tail keywords and make your titles easy to read. Learn more about SEO best practices here.
Product photography
You can have thousands of listings, but if your thumbnail image doesn't intrigue buyers, no one will click on any of them. Make sure your first image makes your product easy to understand and entices buyers to click to see more.
Each Etsy shop can have its own photography style, but the photos all need to be well-lit and not blurry to get buyers interested in what you're selling.
Your marketing strategy
While social media marketing isn't a requirement to get traffic to your Etsy shop, sending social media followers or email list traffic can be a great way to get more visible on Etsy without creating a lot of listings.
Let's say you do a big social media post and send all that traffic to your Etsy shop. Because this is warm traffic from an audience that knows and loves you already, the listing will probably convert really well. A listing that has a high conversion rate is more likely to move up in the Etsy search algorithm, even if you don't have a lot of other listings to help boost its visibility.
How many listings you need to get your first sale
While there is no magic number of listings that you need to get your first sale on Etsy, you'll want to start by setting a goal for your first full product line.
Most sellers will want to start with 20-30 listings in a non-saturated search. If you are formatting your listings properly, that will be enough to get you your first sale.
How many listings you need to scale your business
After you get a handful of sales, it's natural to want to scale your traffic in a way that's a little more focused. No more throwing spaghetti at the wall, right?
It's not different at this stage in that fact that there's no specific number of listings you need to start scaling your traffic.
You'll want to focus on expanding the keywords that you're getting found for by creating new listings that are designed to saturate new niches.
If you've been making mugs for teachers, for example, you can expand that same product to moms, grandmas, dance teachers, coaches, and sisters. You aren't wasting money developing completely new products, but taking a successful product line into a new set of keywords.
What's the minimum number of listings I need before opening?
There are two ways to think about your Etsy shop launch plan.
If you have a large audience through social media or an email list that you've grown, I recommend setting a launch date that will allow you to have anywhere from 20-30 listings. They should fill at least the first page of your shop. Then you'll create a launch event to help you get sales quickly.
If you're like most Etsy sellers, you don't have a large audience to market to and you can start with just one product.
While you'll need more Etsy listings to get traffic, a few listings now is better than a full shop in 3 months because you're short on time.
Can you have too many listings?
You can have too many Etsy listings in your shop. There's no specific number, but here's how you'll know if you have too many listings:
Your customers are getting confused.
Your potential customers can't find what they're looking for
You're having difficulty managing your shop because you have too many SKUs
You're running out of inventory because your cash flow is spread too thin with too many different products
What to avoid when creating more listings
Throwing up hundreds of listings without a strategy behind them is one of the biggest mistakes that Etsy sellers can make. This creates what I call a “Garage Sale Shop.”
Think about what happens when you have a garage sale. You have a ton of different product lines, but aren't important for any one thing. If your neighbor walks over because they're looking for a treadmill, you might only have one choice for them, right? If they don't like it, they're going to leave and head over to the department store that sells 12 different models.
The same thing happens in your Etsy shop.
If you want to be important for a certain product, focus on developing a product line around it when you're creating new listings.
How to easily create more listings
I know you don't have a ton of time to make an unlimited number of listings in your Etsy shop. So how can you create multiple items quickly and efficiently?
Brainstorm ideas
I love to batch work and brainstorming listing ideas is no exception. Set aside an hour or two to brainstorm new product ideas. Then when you are sitting down and creating products, you'll have a lot of ideas to choose from.
Use your current inventory for other products
Nothing cuts profits down like introducing a ton of new products. New products mean more inventory which can hurt cash flow and make storing your raw materials difficult at home. Spend time finding ways to use current raw goods in new products to maximize profits.
Copy old listings
Did you know that you can copy listings on Etsy to easily create a new draft? Then all you need to do is make a few edits before publishing.
Just click on the cogwheel on any listing as shown below to find the “Copy” option.
Conclusion
While there is no magic number of listings you need on Etsy, you can combine these factors to estimate the number of listings you'll need to have for your next product line to start getting traction on the platform.
Don't forget to grab a copy of my framework below so you can create your own personalized Etsy plan!
