The TRUTH about Etsy Print on Demand | 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting

I'd agree there are way too many YouTubers telling us how to "get rich quick". If it were that easy we'd all be millionaires. I started my Etsy shop 2 years ago and have built up a decent passive income as a side hustle, but I have invested the hours to get where I am. You just gotta work at it and have realistic expectations.

As an accountant by day and freelance artist by night, I'm super impressed how candid you were in this video about the hidden seller fees, sales tax obligations, VAT requirements, and resale certs. So many Youtube content creators will gloss over this stuff, and small business owners get burned during tax time. Very impressed you pointed these things out!!!

Great to see this video. I ran a popular Etsy store for years and closed down earlier this year. Between the high fees, and the policies (some have since changed regarding automatic refunds) it was not worth it for the small profit and large time investment on my end. I had a customer click on the "contact seller" button to thank me for the fast shipping, and somehow Etsy took that as a problem, refunded the buyer in full and told me that it was out of their hands. That was the final straw. I closed the store immediately and haven't looked back since. I found it a lot better to focus on producing stock and attend craft markets in person where outside of the site fee, there was no hidden costs. The added bonus is I can see people enjoying my products in person

Finally!! A business oriented approach to what being an etsy seller is actually like. I have an MBA and 20 years of experience in business and still had a tough time deciphering all the fees, time, and opportunity costs. You totally nailed it. Appreciate your video!

I think that the evolution in business practice in Etsy itself has made a difference as well. Since going public the type of product they allow has changed. At its inception it was a makers market and catered to hand made sellers or artisans. Once they went public it was flooded with cheaply made and mass produced pieces. It has gotten to where you can’t always trust the photo of items either. New stores have trouble breaking into the market because consumers are becoming less trusting newer products.

What I appreciate about this video 6 minutes in, you are so honest about the fact that just Etsy doesn’t tell you how many stores don’t make money at all

Thanks so much for this unbiased "non influencer" break down of the platform. I've seen a lot of those types of videos over the years and even tried out a few strategies before finding out that a lot of them don't really practice any of the things they say and primarily make money not from what they preach but from selling courses. So it's good to see a more objective perspective on POD businesses.

Good to know I'm at least doing better than I thought I was 🤣 I was starting to feel really down compared to all the gurus saying how easy it is. But I've made 300 sales in 6 months and earning about $12/hr after all costs. Not bad but also nothing to shout from the rooftops about either 😂

This was the video that I needed to see. Like you said, so many, I would comfortably say 95% of content creators, lure us in with the HOPE of making money, rather than the actual facts of it. You've got a very easy sub and like. Please keep this up! Thanks!

Thank you for your down-to-earth, rational, multidimensional, truly educational video about this topic! Really needed a reality-check 😌

You are awesome. What an eye opener! I run a shop on Etsy and now I know why I have been scratching my head althese days. Thanks buddy!

this is by far the most comprehensive dive into this topic. I deeply appreciate you and this video.

I’m glad you’re pointing out sales vs profits. So many people overlook it

You deserve more followers and views for your unbiased review and not just hyping people up while leaving important details or pain points out.

Great video. You quickly learn how difficult or complex it is to do any of these 'side hussles' by just doing one.

Just want to say thank you for being real and truthful. Really appreciate that.

Thank you for a calm and level-headed video in this space. I tend to bounce off videos as soon as excited promises of glorious results are made. But I stayed to the end on this one (and subscribed), because you were balanced and measured. Much appreciation.

Great video, would love to see more videos like this. Lots of claims online about profitable side hustles everywhere, some are clearly better than others. It's great to see someone looking at the data and presenting it properly.

Thanks, William! This video helped me decide whether or not to open up a shop on Etsy. For those who are successful on Etsy, great work. For me, I'm too lazy and too frugal to pay all those fees to consider doing all that for ten dollars an hour. I'm sure there are people who actually owe Etsy money for opening a shop and just walk away. Your honest review is much appreciated!

Finally. Someone who is honest. Thank you. Saved me a lot of time and hassle. I appreciate your honesty.