Good day! Hello everyone! This is Masha Kaganovich speaking, a marketer at Western Bid. Today’s article is based on my research and individual consultations I conduct with people: analyzing their stores, analyzing their niches. And I have identified, formulated, and focused on seven main mistakes that people make when choosing a product to sell. This includes the assortment that sellers fill their stores with on eBay, Etsy, or their own Shopify store. It can relate to print-on-demand, handmade goods, as well as digital products.
Error 1: Your design does not fill the gap in the market
Your design or your product does not fill a gap in the market. In English, this is called a market gap. Well, let’s be clear from the start so you understand what we’re talking about. If, for example, you start producing — let’s say — a mug with the inscription «Best Mom». You understand yourself that this niche is oversaturated, and only a store that already has 20–30 thousand sales can compete in this niche and somehow break through.
This is already a very crowded niche. Once — not so long ago, I think, even a year ago — I looked, and the niche for such mugs featuring animals — cats or dogs — arranged as if 3D inside, or on the handle, or peeking out from the mug, was not yet so saturated.
And obviously, those stores that first found and entered Etsy with this type of product sold very successfully. But over time, when other competitors find, see similar niches, and join in, competition naturally increases, and demand immediately drops. And in such niches, it becomes very difficult to compete.
So, if we just search by the query «Dog Mug», we will see these popular now — the top listings that sell best. And look at how many of them are similar mugs with dogs or cats in 3D. The supply is increasing, and I do not advise a new store to choose products in such oversaturated niches.
Another example: personalized dog ears
Here’s an interesting example about dog accessories. Someone recently came up with an idea — Custom Dog Ear, meaning customized, personalized dog ears. And this became yet another proof that there was demand in the market — a certain “gap” for this type of personalization. People liked it, and they bought. But now this niche has once again become highly saturated. Look at how many identical or very similar products there are now. So, you need to look for those products and designs that are still very rare or not represented at all.
By the way, it’s important not to confuse this with adding such new products that people don’t even find interesting — they have never seen or heard of such things and don’t know what they are, and there are no search queries on this topic.
For example, with this mug — because such a mug can match search queries like cute cup, love cup, or mug. In other words, it might appeal to someone searching for something in that style, right? And if you create, say, a new game — personalized or handcrafted, for example, board game, personalized board game, customized gift — people simply won’t know how to play it, what it is. And therefore, there is no interest in it. And there are no search queries that could lead a customer to this game.
Example of successful adaptation
I’m not talking about the fact that all, again, the games, for example — here is a game where you see: sold, sold, sold, sold, sold. This is a new game, such a game has never existed before. But, on the other hand, there is a very popular game — Snakes and Ladders. I.e., they took it and changed it to fit the theme of skiing. We understand the essence of this game perfectly — up and down, up and down, where you climb up, descend. Everything is clear, but here it adds a certain zest, and we already know its rules, we know how to play it, and it creates curiosity. It’s clear that sales in the store come from this.
Example of an unfilled niche
Take, for example, the gaming theme — it’s such an unfilled niche, where there’s a gap in the market, where, for instance, people play various games and want personalized pieces. And here you go, people sell personalized pieces — great. $6 for such a small item.
Keep in mind that people usually buy 4, 5, 6 of these items at once because they play with a large group. So, they will then use these personalized pieces for other games as well. In other words, a person who’s already looking for something but sees your alternative — and there’s no other like it — understands: “Oh, this is exactly what I want.” And then they might take the risk and buy from you, from a new store, because there’s no other similar product.
Error 2: Copying competitors by new store
If you’re a beginner, the last thing you want to do is completely duplicate and copy listings and stores of competitors. For example, how can you sell a ring on Etsy for $500? Maybe it’s really worth $500, maybe even a little more than competitors. But here’s the thing — zero sales in the store, quite expensive items. I don’t know anything, scroll down and see that there are no sales and no reviews at all.
When I see such a picture — zero sales, zero reviews — it’s clear that I can only buy that item if I really liked it, and I see that it’s better than others, or maybe a little cheaper than a similar item in another store. That means it should have some value proposition so that I take the risk and buy it from a new seller.
Let me give you another example. There was such a great niche — someone came up with a funny, very humorous idea with Kim Jong Un: Live, Laugh, Love. Pretty funny, right? “Live, Love, Laugh” — such an optimistic character. But look, as a buyer, I go to Etsy and see dozens of the same or very similar mugs: one, two, three, four, five, six. Who do you think I’ll buy from? Of course, I’ll buy a mug for $14 or even $20, but from the store that is already well-known and trusted. So, remember: if you don’t have reviews and your store is brand new, it’s better not to copy and duplicate competitors’ products exactly.
Error 3: Absence of Unfair Advantage
The next mistake is when people choose products in which they do not have what is called an unfair advantage. An unfair advantage is when you understand the subject yourself, when you are part of the target audience. You need to understand it, have a direct connection with it to leverage this advantage.
For example, great niches are in sports. But I cannot and will never be able to sell sports products because, again, I am not in the loop. I just don’t follow, I don’t know, I don’t understand anything about it. And if we are talking, for example, about jewelry or products for teenagers — I already understand a bit more about that.
Everyone has their own know-how in a certain field. Maybe you love sports. Maybe you adore pets. And it is precisely in the topic that is closer to you that you will achieve much greater success.
Example with Foodie Dice
Let’s illustrate this idea. One person created a product called “Foodie Dice”. Now this niche is already saturated, but just — literally last year — it was wonderful. There was high demand and very low competition. And now, look at how filled it has become. The store I showed back then, when sales were just starting — when it was one of the first — I clearly remember this listing — now has already 15–18 thousand reviews. And many new competitors have appeared, who will no longer achieve the same results. The niche is gradually becoming saturated.
Error 4: Overemphasis on the production process
Sometimes, people focus too much on the process of making a product — this is often the case with handmade items or when they buy ready-made blanks for print-on-demand. They think: the more I pay for materials, the more expensive and higher quality my product will be. And they tend to emphasize the production process excessively.
There are things where this really matters — for example, the cost of materials. I showed an example with a ring. Let’s take another ring, but this time — not from a new store, but from one with many reviews and a more affordable price.
If someone is searching for a Real Diamond, Ruby Ring made of genuine gold, they will search for Ruby Diamond Ring. And it’s clear that the value and high price here are because it’s made of real gold, a real stone, a genuine diamond. I’m not even talking about the design — it should also be attractive — but what the product is made of plays a huge role, don’t you agree?
Similarly, for example, there could be a search for Alpaca Socks — related to socks made from alpaca. This is very expensive wool, and a buyer making such a search specifically wants socks made from alpaca and is willing to pay more, right?
When materials are not the main thing
But, on the other hand, there are goods where neither the manufacturing process nor the materials play a significant role. For example, a bird feeder, right? Here, 8 people bought it for $30. I think the ingredients — especially if bought wholesale — these small jars, metal parts, velcro — all of this can probably be contained in a dollar. And they sell it for $27. Can you imagine the margin here.
On the other hand, a person might produce such things. This is also a bird feeder — handmade work, very expensive materials, $400. I don’t think the margin here would be 100% or more, because spending so much time manually, coming up with a design, assembling this thing — it’s incredible. And it will rarely be purchased. Maybe once every two months for $400. And there are different styles, another With Base — $500, you see? Or, for example, this one. Okay, people came up with it, and can you imagine how much the wood weighs? Can you imagine the shipping cost for such a bird feeder for $300?
Therefore, if you look at the materials and labor costs, the process of manufacturing doesn’t really matter much to the buyer. So, it’s very important to carefully consider what value your product holds in the eyes of the customer.
Error 5: Incorrect pricing
The fifth mistake is that, unfortunately, people often do not conduct sufficiently accurate market analysis and do not even understand the simplest things, such as pricing their product. More often than not, I meet people who significantly underestimate the value of their product. Your task when creating your product is to find a price after which, for example, at 49.99, you will have the highest sales peak. And then, as soon as you start increasing it, say to $55, sales will begin to decline.
This is not about the initial sales now, not about promoting the store, but about the product for which you already have a tested concept. That is, you know that this product is in demand, that it is being purchased, and you are simply concerned about its pricing.
Error 6: Incorrect assumptions
When choosing a product, people very often rely on false assumptions. This is called assumptions in English. People make some assumptions, for example, the most common — I will give one example related to delivery.
Example with Montessori bed
If you work with wood and see such a product — this is an incredible new interesting niche called Montessori bed. If we go to Etsy and search for Montessori bed, we will see what this bed looks like. Usually, it’s a toddler bed, that is, for a small child from two to five years old, which is on the floor and looks interesting. But it’s not often made with an interesting design — like a house, or, I don’t know, like a car, airplane, or tent. This niche is still not heavily saturated. Products here are likely sold at the cheapest prices — around $269. But products that sell well in this niche are priced at $600, $700, $800 — for example, $885, $585. It all heavily depends on the design. People who sell for $225, without a doubt, could sell such a design at a higher price. There are many mistakes in pricing here.
When a person, say, can manufacture such a bed, they make an assumption: “I will never be able to send and ship this bed. The shipping will probably cost $600. I will never be able to compete because it’s a big heavy item.”
Take, for example, this bed priced at $638, which sells very well. If you imagine all these sticks and envision how this package will look — you can assume it will be about 2 meters long because of the longest stick. Or maybe even less, since it’s a toddler bed — perhaps it will be shorter than 2 meters.
If it’s, for example, a large bed, about 200 cm, the minimum shipping cost will be $300. These beds may look large, but in reality, they are beds for a 2-3-year-old child — slightly larger than a regular crib, about a meter long.
But people assume that it’s a huge bed that will be difficult and unprofitable to ship. Don’t do that, conduct a good market analysis, don’t rely solely on assumptions. Think about what packaging it will fit into, do an analysis, visit our website westparcel.com, enter your country — the United States, your main market — and at least roughly understand how much shipping will really cost. Often during consultations, I hear people say: “Oh, it’s unprofitable, it will never work.”
Error 7: Expectation of quick results
And the last, seventh mistake is expecting very quick results. We have thousands of clients at Western Bid, and you can simply ask the experts who are constantly accepting payments, sending parcels, and just ask: “Here is your average client — how quickly do successful stores understand their range, get noticed?” — all of this happens within the first two years. Don’t expect instant results. This is exactly immediate gratification — the desire to get results quickly — which is generally the main reason why people give up trading and immediately consider themselves failures.
Time for learning
Many of the things I am talking about now — as you may feel and understand — are your own trials and errors. For example, market analysis and understanding this highest point of your price, understanding your own desires, your unfair advantage, studying these niches and the market, and various little nuances of customer demand. All of this takes time. So give yourself time to learn, to understand, and don’t demand too much from yourself in the first three or six months.
Conclusion
I hope this article was useful and interesting for you. Please contact me if you’re interested in a personal consultation, niche selection, or analysis and diagnostics of your stores.
Thank you very much for your attention. See you all!
