Day 16 – Sold Listings

Etsy give you the option to show or hide the items that have sold. If you choose to show them then the number of sales shown on your shop homepage will turn in to a link and visitors can see what listings have previously sold. There is an ongoing debate about whether or not it is a good idea to show your sold listings, so here are a few pros and cons to showing sold listings so you can decide for yourself.

Pros for Showing Sold Listings

• It presents a stunning showcase of your past achievements.
• If you sell one-off items, your sold listings can show customers what you have created before which might encourage custom requests.
• If you sell duplicates of the same item, a customer can click on a sold listing to view the active listing to purchase for themselves.
• Buyers feel confident when they see you have sold a particular item several times.

Cons for Showing Sold Listings

• Competitors can easily see your best sellers.
• Customers might see old or expired listings which you can no longer recreate.
• If your shop has changed direction over time, your previous sales might be completely different to your current shop items.
• Let’s face it, we’re all a bit embarrassed by how we used to photograph our items and we want everyone to forget about it.
• People can favourite sold items, even if they are no longer available, which may lead to disappointment.
• Potential privacy concerns for customers, particularly for public custom orders which may include names.

HOW TO

To change the display of your sold listings, go to Settings > Options > Sold Listings. You can change it at any time if you change your mind.

End of Day 16

We’re now half way through the month-long challenge!! Pat yourself on the back if you’ve made it this far!