I stumbled upon a hidden etsy gem this weekend, and I couldn’t wait to share it. Etsy admin is now allowing sellers to join in prototype groups. Basically, you get to try out the new tools and features before they go live on the entire site.
HERE’S THE EXCITING PART: They have a prototype right now with Seller Opportunity Tools. You are able to type in a product name, and it returns the corresponding product categories with the “best opportunity” – i.e., lowest competition for a highly searched term.
Since this feature isn’t live yet, it gives you a head-start to adjust your product titles and tags BEFORE the millions of other etsy sellers see the tool.
For instance, if you are a jewelry designer, you may be frustrated with the huge over saturation of the etsy market. However, did you know if you type in “jewelry”, you will find out that “braille stamped jewelry” is considered an excellent opportunity right now because it has a lot of searches and few sellers?
Here are some other interesting search results:
- Selling tshirts? Foxes are a great opportunity.
- Selling knit hats? Viking and beard hats are huge.
- Selling dreamcatchers? Put a small one on a bracelet.
- Selling cupcake toppers? Almost no one has angry birds listed. (Beware, though – this is a copyrighted item. You can’t use it without a license. But that’s a topic for another day.)
- Selling quilts? Add chevron to your lineup.
- Want to cash in on the mustache trend? Mustache earrings have very little competition.
- Selling party printables? Gender reveal parties are considered a great opportunity.
This is a FABULOUS way to find a inspiration, or increase your sales by targeting a niche market. I am very happy to have found it, but (greedy me) I’m a bit sad it may roll out to the entire selling community soon.
Here’s where you can search for high opportunity items on etsy: http://www.etsy.com/prototypes/inspiration
I have no idea just how long etsy will let us play around with the prototype before they take it down, but I’d head over today and do some searching in your product area.
