A couple of months ago, I met up with over 100 Etsy sellers to talk about what’s really stopping them from growing on Etsy. These sellers came from all kinds of backgrounds — digital, print-on-demand, handmade, and sourced. Some were making $20,000 a month or more, while others were exhausted, ready to give up, and wondering if Etsy was still worth it.

What I discovered in those conversations was eye-opening. There are a few key constraints that hold sellers back from scaling, no matter what type of shop they run. In this blog, I’m breaking down the biggest constraints stopping you from growing on Etsy — and how to finally move past them.

Why You’re Not Growing on Etsy

1. Not Tracking Your Hourly Wage

If you want to treat your shop like a business and not a hobby, your hourly wage must be front and center.

Your hourly wage can quickly become one of the biggest constraints in growing on Etsy if you don’t track it per product. Profit is everything, and your hourly wage shows whether your effort is actually worth it. If you’re not making enough per hour, it’s no wonder your motivation drops — you’re working hard without seeing meaningful returns.

To calculate your hourly wage, you need a profit calculator for each product type. Track your revenue, price, and costs (including materials, packaging, and labor time). Whether you sell digital or handmade items, add in every minute spent per order.

When I tracked my own hourly wage, here’s what I discovered:

• Flower walls: $262/hour
• Sweatshirts: $206/hour
• Floral letters: $204/hour
• Hoop wreaths: $190/hour
• Garlands: $159/hour
• Mobiles: $118/hour
• Maternity sashes: $127/hour
• Flower crowns: $197/hour
• Wood cutouts: $240/hour
• Cake toppers: $91/hour
• Flower supplies (loss leaders): $138/hour

Once you start tracking your hourly wage, you’ll see exactly which products help you grow on Etsy — and which are holding you back. The minute you stop paying attention to this metric, your profitability and scalability suffer.

2. Being an “End of Week” Person

The second major constraint to growing on Etsy is your pace.

I see too many sellers who operate with an “end of week” mindset instead of an “end of day” mindset. They tell themselves, “I’ll get it done this week,” but that mentality slows their business growth dramatically.

Successful sellers move fast. They take daily action instead of waiting for perfect timing.

Take Erica, one of my clients. She came to our Ultimate Etsy Summit and admitted she had product photos ready but hadn’t uploaded listings for months. She said, “They take me hours to make.” I told her: use your three-hour flight home to get them done — even if imperfectly.

She did. She listed her products on the plane, and those listings ended up generating thousands of dollars.

Imperfect action beats delayed perfection every single time. If you want to start growing on Etsy, switch from “I’ll do it this week” to “I’ll finish it today.”

3. Recycling the Same Goals

Another constraint I see all the time is being a goal recycler.

A goal recycler is someone who sets the same goal over and over with a new deadline — but never follows through. For example, “I’ll open my Etsy shop this summer,” turns into “I’ll open it before Black Friday,” then “I’ll open it in January.”

The same happens with sellers who want to replace their income or quit their jobs. They keep pushing the goal further down the road.

Here’s the truth: the more you recycle goals, the harder it becomes to take them seriously.

I’ve talked to thousands of Etsy sellers who say, “I just need to get more sales, then I’ll get coaching.” A year later, they’re still stuck in the same place.

If you’ve been in that cycle, pause and ask yourself:

• Is what I’m currently doing working?
• If I keep doing it, will it suddenly start working?

Breaking this pattern is essential to growing on Etsy. Stop recycling your goals — execute them.

4. Boxing Yourself Into One Customer

This might be one of the most limiting constraints when growing on Etsy: sticking to one customer type.

Many sellers lock themselves into a narrow niche. Maybe it’s wedding decor, religious gifts, or baby items. They convince themselves they can’t branch out because it wouldn’t “fit” their shop.

But when you only target one type of buyer, you cap your lifetime customer value (LTV). You can only sell to them once or twice before they move on.

The solution? Expand your audience with complementary customers — people whose needs overlap with your current products.

For example, if you sell wedding decor, consider adding baby shower, engagement, or anniversary products. If you create teacher printables, add products for parents or homeschool families.

The goal is to find threads of cohesion that tie your different customer types together. This lets you expand your offerings while keeping your shop consistent and on brand.

Deconstraining your business in this way can double or even triple your income potential. It’s one of the smartest strategies for growing on Etsy sustainably.

5. Consuming Instead of Creating is Why You’re Not Growing on Etsy

This one might sting a little.

When I spoke at the Ultimate Etsy Summit, one of the biggest time-wasters I noticed was this: sellers binge-watching YouTube videos, convincing themselves they’re “working on their business.”

The reality? Consuming isn’t the same as creating.

Watching hours of Etsy tips can feel productive, but it doesn’t actually move the needle. Those videos rarely give personalized guidance or account for where your shop is in its growth stage.

Most people who rely solely on tutorials end up stuck. They’ve spent months learning but never implementing.

If you want to start growing on Etsy, stop numbing yourself with endless “how-to” content and start applying what you already know.

YouTube is great for quick tutorials (like how to upload a listing or make a mockup), but it’s not a substitute for strategy, accountability, and execution.

At the end of the day, no amount of content will grow your shop unless you act on it.

The Secret to Breaking Every Constraint and Growing on Etsy

Every one of these challenges — hourly wage, slow pace, recycled goals, narrow niches, and overconsumption — stems from one root issue: inaction.

The sellers who scale fast aren’t necessarily the smartest or most experienced. They’re simply the ones who execute relentlessly.

• They track their numbers.
• They take imperfect daily action.
• They set deadlines and hit them.
• They diversify their audiences.
• And most importantly, they spend more time building than consuming.

If you’ve been feeling stuck or frustrated, I want you to know that you’re not broken — your strategy is. You can absolutely start growing on Etsy this year by removing these constraints and committing to consistent execution.

Final Thoughts: Take Action Now to Grow on Etsy

The biggest shift I see in successful Etsy sellers is this: they stop waiting for motivation and start creating momentum.

You don’t need another video or course before you start listing products. Additionally, you don’t need to “figure out your niche” before expanding your audience.

You don’t need to wait until next month to start tracking your profit.

All of that can be done today.

Remember, growing on Etsy isn’t about working harder — it’s about working smarter. When you focus on your hourly wage, take daily action, stop recycling goals, and target multiple complementary customers, your shop becomes unstoppable.

So, stop letting perfectionism and procrastination hold you back. Open your listings. Hit publish. Track your profits. Build momentum.

That’s how you go from overwhelmed to thriving. That’s how you start growing on Etsy — one imperfect but intentional action at a time.

Growing on Etsy Needs Consistent Action: Take Action Now

I’ve helped thousands of students generate over $10 million in Etsy revenue, and I want to help you too.

Download my 16-Step Etsy Checklist with profit-focused action steps you can use daily to drive more traffic, sales and momentum fast!”

Start with my Etsy Kickstart Course – the exact system you can use to scale your shop to six figures.

Or explore EtSEO, my Etsy SEO software built to help your listings rank higher, faster.

2025 can be the year your shop finally breaks through. These strategies are just the beginning—are you ready to use them? Contact us now and let’s get started!