The First Time I Felt Disillusioned on Etsy

…and what I did instead of quitting.

When I opened my first Etsy shop, I truly believed something magical would happen.
I imagined adding my listing, clicking “Publish,” and waiting for the sales to roll in.

And I didn’t just hope it would work — I believed Etsy would make it work.
That they’d feature me on the homepage. That I’d be spotlighted in a newsletter. That somehow… I’d be seen.

But nothing happened.
No clicks. No orders. Not even a favorite. Just silence.

That was my first taste of disillusionment — the realization that Etsy doesn’t “make it happen.”
We do.
And in that moment, I had a choice: give up, or get curious.

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What I Did Instead of Giving Up

I started researching. Not just looking for answers — looking for possibilities.
I studied successful shops and read everything I could find. I noticed what stood out to me. What worked. What felt authentic.

I made a plan. I set goals. I decided that if they could figure it out, so could I.
And while it didn’t change overnight, it did change.
Not because Etsy featured me — but because I learned how to feature myself.

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Why I’m Sharing This

Because someone out there might be waiting right now, just like I was.
Waiting for someone else to shine the spotlight.
Waiting for a sign that they’re “good enough.”
Waiting for something to work without knowing what to do.

If that’s you — you’re not alone.
And you don’t have to quit. You just have to start again, with your eyes open this time.

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