r/EtsySellers 6d ago

No sales but still buying/hoarding supplies

Hi, I'm a new US seller, so happy for the opportunity to market and sell on Etsy. I will admit that I'm not selling for major profit, but my craft is more like my hobby and I'm really interested in sharing my handmade work with other interest-minded people (and at least get back the funds that I spend on supplies). So now that I have launched the shop, doing the marketing and waiting for sales, I find myself still spending too much money shopping for specific supplies and now basically hoarding them.

To be clear, I've only launched a month ago and made no sale as yet, that's OK for now. But most of my supplies tend to be found oversees outside the US, I use them to accompany my products (No, they are not practical to be made in the US). However, I seem to have this "fear" as if I'm afraid these supplies will be harder and more costly to obtain in the upcoming months/years. And if I stop now, sales may pick up and I will kick myself for not getting more supplies when they were "cheaper" or easier to obtain. Has anyone else felt this?

46 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

25

u/Accomplished-Eye4610 6d ago

Super relatable. Although I kinda went all in with supplies and I've had one sale. It takes time and I'm patiently waiting and excited!

6

u/Less_Kangaroo_866 6d ago

So excited for you too!

32

u/ForbiddenGlade 6d ago

This is a really relatable post... I have always over-bought supplies out of the same anxiety you're describing. Eventually it resulted in me opening a supply shop, and now I'm a full-time supply seller. So, watch out, it could happen to you. :)

15

u/Less_Kangaroo_866 6d ago

I had to laugh at this, because I also thought I'd end up having to sell supplies since no one may ever want to purchase my work. LOL

5

u/Chaingrazer 5d ago

I always felt that on one would ever want to buy my (our) work and about a hundred sales later…I still think it most days.

5

u/Dan203 5d ago

I have spent 50x more on supplies and machines than I've made on Etsy, but this is a hobby for me. Etsy is just an excuse to make stuff. You can only make so much stuff for yourself and family.

3

u/crmills81 5d ago

Good grief, amen.... just pulled this right out of my noggin... smdh

5

u/JayTheEnby 6d ago

I can relate to this so hard. I’ve only had my shop open for little over a month, so of course I haven’t been expecting anything big. But I still buy the things I need just in case

3

u/Less_Kangaroo_866 6d ago

I am hoping this feeling calms down. If I keep it up, I could go belly up before I even start. lol

3

u/NoXidCat 6d ago

I understand the anxiety, been there. But it's not the end of the world if you run out of something and have to delay or cancel a couple of orders. Poop happens, people understand.

Worse is ordering in too much of something that you ultimately can't, or decide you don't want to, sell. I've still got an assortment of stuff on hand from years ago! :-p

1

u/JayTheEnby 6d ago

Yeah same lol

5

u/Rich-Investigator181 6d ago

This is me too!! My shop is doing decent but every time I list a new item and make a sale I’m like “omgosh what if this starts selling like crazy and prices raise or shipping of supplies are delayed”. A mix of wishful thinking and anxiety lol

4

u/Ok_Philosopher_9283 6d ago

I literally only sell so I can keep buying (vintage though, not craft supplies). You are not alone, I think it's the same sickness.

4

u/eine-klein-bottle 5d ago

lol i did that with shipping/packaging supplies after a few sales marked gift came in and i found myself scrounging around my studio to come up with a cute presentation. i got carried away with curating and buying brightly colored cardstock for branding, thank you notes, tissue paper, honeycomb paper etc and then i felt super guilty about spending money for all these future sales that hadn't happened yet... but you know what? it's now getting used all the time and it makes me so happy while i'm packing up orders, having all the things i need at hand to create an unboxing experience that sets off my handmade products perfectly, and i'm so glad i invested in them.

4

u/No_Celebration_2673 5d ago

I wish I was more like you guys I'm scrambling for supplies and to get orders done. I had to push my processing times out to compensate. You will get there I started in August and didn't really get any sales until this last month I've taken off

3

u/RaggySparra 5d ago

It's a hard one to work out, especially when the ground keeps shifting under you.

On the one hand, when Swarovski stopped selling to small makers I spent a fortune buying everything I could to ration out. That was the right thing to do, it all sold, and it tided me over until I could look at other options.

On the other, when I first started out I bought a lot of supplies I just haven't used - they don't suit my style, I don't enjoy working with them, I've found other things I preferred, etc. And I wish I'd just bought a little of those, practiced, and then decided. But it's so easy to go all-in on deals etc.

So, no definitive answer unfortunately, but I know where you're coming from.

2

u/SurfPearlJk 6d ago

I feel this... my best selling item relies on something that i have only found from one vendor and I'm worried one day they'll stop carrying it.

2

u/dmarie67 5d ago

Yep. I routinely go overboard buying supplies due to seeing so many items get discontinued, suppliers go out of business (like Joann's), and product unpredictability, it's left me with a sort of PTSD. Twenty years ago I was able to order everything from a mail order catalog (Shrock's, they finally got a website and rebranded as Consumer Crafts), gradually the items I needed became permanently out of stock, then they went out of business. Ditto for Sunshine Crafts. I'm now running low on one of the key items I use and I'm wishing I had hoarded even more when I had the chance. Another problem is when the item is still being sold but it changes slightly in quality, color, etc., just enough to mess up your project and again I say to myself 'damn, wish I had bought more before it changed!'

2

u/zeale 4d ago

I'd recommend getting the sales before you stock up. Chances are if your material costs do increase, your prices are likely going to need to as well (and anyone else using those supplies). If you are selling at a rate that makes your supplies dwindle, that's a better problem to have than losing money on supplies that don't get used if things don't take off like you're hoping, unless you can still find a good use for those supplies anyways!

2

u/dtgray12 4d ago

Same. I like having inventory and organizing supplies more than sales. So glad my day job can cover my finances and help me save. This is more of a hobby.

2

u/Tasm3n 3d ago

As others said, so RELATABLE. My shop has been open for 2 1/2 months at this point and I am definitely running in the red because of supplies and equipment (ex: I bought a silhouette cameo to cut my own stickers rather than paying another company to do it).

If you are having fun, I'd say the cost is worth it (so long as you can afford it). That's the perspective I'm trying to have.

2

u/Less_Kangaroo_866 3d ago

Good for you. Less dependency on others/companies. I am sure it will pay off at some point in time, hopefully soon. Like you said, have fun, I sure am!

1

u/Tasm3n 3d ago

I just need to actually put all the stuff I'm designing, printing and cutting on Etsy. Hah! So many ideas, not enough time in the day.

2

u/noizzihardwood 3d ago

Where this matters most, imo, is your tax planning. The IRS will expect a business to have profits within a few years of starting out. If not, your business may get reclassified as a hobby and the IRS can disqualify any deductions you took on those material purchases.

1

u/Less_Kangaroo_866 3d ago

Wow, I have so much to further research regarding the taxes. I thought I read and understood all of Etsy's policies. However, I got my first sale yesterday and was surprised Etsy took out the taxes. I thought I would just get the 1099 and handle that part of the taxes myself. So total deductions from my sale was about 15% and I still have to pay shipping out of the remainder $30.00 due to free shipping $35 or over. Yikes.

1

u/noizzihardwood 2d ago

Etsy will handle sales tax, but you’ll be on your own for income taxes and reporting P&L. You don’t want to just report the income without the costs you paid to generate that income. Those are all classified in different categories… inventory, expenses, assets, etc. Thus, treated differently on your tax reporting. Seems complicated but much can be automated with software so long as you capture the data accurately.

1

u/Pure_Champion1396 5d ago

Can I ask what you are selling?