This article is completely straightforward; I will tell you seven main common mistakes step by step. If you can avoid, learn, and correct these mistakes within yourself, I guarantee your handmade business will grow.
Good day, I am Masha Kaganovich, a marketer at Western Bid. Let’s get straight to the point.
Briefly about the main: Success in handmade business depends on the balance between creativity and market rules. Main mistakes made by beginners include ignoring customer demand, lack of strategic planning, and weak store structure (absence of cross-selling). To increase sales, it is necessary to focus on trends, develop a unique style, and use psychological pricing triggers.
Mistake 1: Producing products without considering demand (for oneself, not for the customer)
The first, most important mistake I often talk about is that people make products for themselves, not for the buyer. That is, they create what seems beautiful, artistic, and wonderful to them, but their buyers do not like it. Or it doesn’t meet demand.
When you enter the market and try to offer something to the customer, you first need to focus on what customer demand is. You must never consider your customers idiots or people with poor taste.
Often, I show things that are in demand in the West. And people comment: oh, these Americans, they have bad taste. That’s not right! The main rule is — you need to love your customer. Well, and before loving, at least respect them.
You may be a brilliant artist, as is known, yes, neither Van Gogh nor Modigliani sold a single painting during their lifetime. But we are not talking about art now; we are talking about sales. In sales, it is necessary to focus on customer demand.
Yes, everyone understands this topic already. I discuss it many times.
Mistake 2: Chaos in processes and lack of strategic sales planning
Let’s move on to topic number two. Mistake number two, rather, is lack of planning. All processes should be strategically thought out and built ideally before starting sales. That is, chaos should not arise, or no situation where I can’t produce enough orders before Christmas, the busy season in October or November. Or I don’t have time to send these orders, or I can’t publish enough products in the store.
Often, a person faces this situation where they say: I couldn’t predict that such a thing would happen, that I would suddenly get so many orders. Or I didn’t expect my advertising budget to run out so quickly. That is, we constantly encounter things that surprise and upset us.
Analyze your own mistakes — not someone else’s but your own store’s mistakes — and ask yourself: how much of what surprised me, even unpleasantly, could have been predicted? If you sit, analyze, think, write out the process, then 90% of what happened could have been calculated and foreseen. Do that.
Mistake 3: Lack of a golden mean in communication with the customer
The third mistake I often see is when a person complains that they have terrible customers, returns, negative reviews, or even just a lack of reviews.
Overall, I see this mistake very often — that a person does not express their thoughts clearly in communication. I would like to advise everyone to express themselves, communicate your thoughts to your customer, ask direct questions, but unfortunately, it depends on your character.
Type 1: Always agrees
For example, a man needs to say that he should communicate if he is dissatisfied; he cannot just say something negative to the customer, that is, he always agrees with everything, no matter what the customer writes or claims. He says: yes, yes. He fears negative feedback, so he always agrees.
To such a person, I want to say — you shouldn’t always agree. You should politely and correctly express where you are right or not responsible, right?
Type 2: Always argues
And another person who, on the contrary, constantly argues, cannot understand that the customer is always right, and cannot see a situation where the customer is at an advantage. Instead, they see themselves as the loser, and such a situation is simply unacceptable to them.
To such a person, I want to say — never criticize your customer; your customer is always right, and you must respect them, do you understand?
Solution
The opposite advice depends on what kind of person you are and how this can be balanced to find a “golden mean.” The only answer is — training. On our channel, you can simply search for communication with customers; we have 350 videos, including one about how to write letters to dissatisfied customers — here is the link.
Mistake 4: Lack of patience
Thus, the fourth, very common mistake, is just a lack of patience. People post their first 10 products in the store and immediately invest money in advertising, trying to promote their products. Nothing will work if you do not invest in advertising while focusing on learning better tags, titles, and optimizing your SEO, and working on your store and brand.
People want immediate results. They list products and expect sales right away, hoping that sales will come through advertising. Guys, usually, it takes several years to grow a store. Of course, some start making sales in 2-3 months, but successful stores I often mention are usually 3 to 5 years old.
Mistake 5: Lack of your own style
The fifth mistake — is lack of your own style, your signature touch, which is often mentioned in my videos — finding your individuality, especially for artisans.
In a store, this zest is missing, and there is no consistent style or harmony. Often, entering stores of beginners, you cannot understand what they actually sell. For example, vintage items are one style, if you paint pictures, that’s another style, right?
This applies to all stores, not just on Etsy but also on Shopify and everywhere. Successful stores look beautiful, you understand?
Mistake 6: Ignoring trends
The sixth mistake somewhat overlaps with the first — we do what we want rather than what our customer wants. But more specifically, it refers to neglecting trends and changes in demand.
That is, trends, fashion, what is relevant today. If you can incorporate these aspects into your products, include them, it will undoubtedly increase demand for your items.
It’s like looking around and thinking — oh, how ugly, what’s fashionable now? Or just ignoring it altogether. I make things as a true master, high-quality, artistic, but ignoring demand is a mistake you should avoid.
Mistake 7: Incorrect store structure: lack of varied pricing and cross-sales
Finally, we come to the seventh mistake. It’s an improperly structured store. This is very common, and I want to highlight two aspects of wrong structure here.
Part 1: No varied prices
The first — there are no different price ranges in the store. Remember, I showed you what motivates a customer to buy? It’s when they compare the quality and price of one item to another in your store.
This is a psychological trigger for buyers. If they see a very expensive item with everything included, and on the other hand, a simple item, or a third item with nothing special, it nudges the customer to buy the middle-priced product.
Part 2: Limited cross-sales and up-sales
The second point is about store structure — very few cross-sales and up-sales are used. What does this mean?
Up-sale
Up-sale — for example, if you sell bags, you could add a keychain or similar accessory. When a customer buys a bag, they might think: “Why not add a small keychain for $5 or $10?” This increases the average check, understand?
Or you can do an up-sale with a sale promotion, like “buy 3, get 1 free,” or “buy 6, get 3 free.” It’s equivalent to a 50% discount, but it encourages purchasing more items and increasing the average bill.
Cross-sales
Cross-sales happen when items complement each other — like a kitchen rug and a matching towel. They seem from different categories but are suitable for the same customer, and sellers often forget about this.
Using cross-sales and up-sales definitely increases store sales.
Summary: all 7 mistakes
Let’s summarize all mistakes from start to finish:
- The primary mistake — doing what I want, not what the customer wants
- Insufficient planning
- Lack of patience
- No personal style or brand, no signature touch
- Ignoring trends
- Incorrect store structure
Why do handmade stores often not grow, even if the products are quality?
Mostly, the problem isn’t in the quality but in the approach. When a craftsperson makes “for themselves,” doesn’t analyze demand, doesn’t plan processes, and doesn’t consider the customer, sales inevitably stall. Handmade is not only about creativity but also about business with clear rules.
How does focusing on oneself rather than the customer affect sales?
When real demand is ignored, even the most beautiful things may not sell. Buyers vote with their wallets, not with likes. That’s why it’s important to study the market, trends, and audience preferences, rather than rely solely on your own vision.
Why does lack of planning create chaos in a handmade business?
Without a plan, deadlines are missed, production, delivery, and advertising budgets become problematic. Most “unexpected” situations could have been foreseen if processes had been planned in advance.
How does poor communication with customers lead to negative reviews?
Either the seller agrees on everything out of fear, or they constantly argue and prove their point. Both are harmful. A balance of politeness, clear boundaries, and respect for the client is key to stable sales and good reviews.
Why does lacking style, patience, and proper store structure hamper growth?
Without a recognizable style, the store looks chaotic. Without patience, expectations become unrealistic. Without proper structure, varied pricing, and cross-sales, customers simply have nothing to choose from. Successful handmade stores grow gradually and systemically, not in a month.
So, I hope this article was helpful and interesting for you. Thank you very much for your attention.
