The first disadvantage I found with Etsy is it totally remove local market. Your neighbor can buy your stuff and no one will know it's from next door. Shipping cost is a nightmare for both buyers and sellers.

Hey brother, I've been following your progress for a while now and love your format and particularly your dry wit. I couldnt help noticing in this video that you look a bit defeated so just wanted to drop in and say, dont lose the faith. I also threw away a great salary to follow my passion almost 4 years ago at 43 and there's been some dark times when I've asked myself "what have I done?". So I'm here from the future to tell you, its going to be OK! Keep kissing the frogs (products you thought would sell but dont) and run with the princesses (the products you least expected would make you rich). Most importantly, continue to be; the happy, yet cynical, Swedish maker on KZfaq. As we say in Yorkshire, England; Don't worry, thi sen, tha'll be reet lad.

As one of your customers, I am thrilled with the items you have made so far and will order more when your stores are back online. The 100m Magnetic dust shoes are the best I have ever used

I think the hardest part is actually getting noticed on Etsy, there is probably a hundred thousand sellers and 10,000 in the 3D printing space. Unless you have something that is very niche.

Inspirational man! Thanks for the openness and authenticity! You're doing amazing!

Bro this know-how and your fully honest knowledge is just priceless. No world to thank you!

Appreciate the transparency and sharing your experience with this. Especially, as a father myself. Keep it up, man.

Thanks for the honest review, good luck with the venture going forward.

Congratulations, sounds like younare working theough any issues you have encountered. Hope the more go smoothly. Thank you for sharing. Everyone stay safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

Thank you for posting these videos, I enjoy watching your process and your honesty. As an introvert who likes to dabble, tinker, and make things, I've thought about doing something like this, and it is illuminating to watch you document how it's going for you.

5 to 10 USD for shipping internationally are amazing prices. In my country the post is extremely expensive and it costs 50 USD to send the smallest size of boxes internationally.

Really informative video thank you! As a maker who sells a few things on Etsy I think you hit the nail on the head. Thanks for your videos your one of the creators that’s inspired me to start KZfaq (just posted first full video) so thank you also for that!

This was an honest and informative video. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing! And good luck with the move!

Thanks for sharing the insight. I'm in the early stages of getting started. This was perfect! 🙏

That's really cool to see, man! Glad it's been going well. Hope the move went well too 👍

Great video and thanks for sharing your experience!

Thank you so much for all your work and insight.

Thanks for the insight! Im thinking about doing my own stuff on etsy soon and don´t know much about it. But this video really helps to see the buisness end of it and the struggles along the way. Hope your doing great and wish you the best for the future!

Good luck with the move!❤

That new 3D printer looks amazing! Thank you for sharing your journey 💚

Good for you. Keep doing what makes you happy. You videos are great

Nice and down to earth. Hope you do well with your new adventures!🙂

Really enjoy and appreciate your videos. Thank you!

Tack för en informativ och trevlig video!

Thank you so much for sharing your information, it was super helpful

Glad to hear the etsy business is working out for you Nice video , loved the little cheeky text that popped up 😁

Thank you so much for this video, I have been thinking about how to put products on Etsy and this has helped me understand what I could do.

hi from belgium... what an honesty... thank you for this video. For me it was very motivational...

Great video! I also ship as international letter from sweden and I can drop my orders at any postnord office (usually it's an ICA store). The limit for doing this Postnord told me is 10pcs a day. I preprint all my shipping labels via the postnord business portal and just hand them in. Both letter and tracked letter works fine.

Bravo on doing this with a family, full time job, and 3 kids!!! bravo, keep that hustle going!

thanks for the tipps, might be useful!

Thank you so much for this video - you are a great guy!

I started out making just for myself, and putting some of the designs online. I opened my Etsy store in a fit of pique after the site I usually upload my designs to rejected one item, so I thought "oh, I'll open an Etsy shop". In six months I've filled and posted almost 250 orders, which is crazy. Not making huge amounts of money - it's basically paid for my new Bambu + AMS, as well as paying for filament and design time, but it's worth it to me. Like you, my products are niche - in my case, VERY niche. Certainly not enough to let me scale back my day job, let alone give it up! But I wouldn't want to do this full time - it't enough that the hobby pays for itself. Etsy takes a LOT in commission, and the fact that they take commission on postage costs as well is taking the mickey. But it gives me a presence and a marketplace, so I put up with it.

My wife sold thousands of stitch markers and knitting bags on Etsy. Her frustration came from shipping, being forced into using Etsy Shipping, being charged fees on those shipping prices, and then how much they take as a fee when she drove 80+ percent of the traffic through her Instagram. Shipping within Canada is just not economical unless people are spending $100+

Thanks for sharing 👍🏼 All the best for your continued business 🇸🇪

I often rattle around the idea of selling on Etsy but haven't taken the leap. I appreciate you sharing your experience!

My first time watching one of your videos. I think it came up because I'm new to Etsy (3+ months) and I've been watching a lot of Etsy-related content recently). Your experience sounds very much like mine, in terms of juggling home life, a full time job and an Etsy shop. I hand make wood crafts. I have a bottle opener, a wine bottle holder, some plants stands and such in my shop but they're not selling. I also have some bird and squirrel feeders and they are very popular. I've made almost 40 sales since I started my shop. I added some Halloween-related items a few weeks ago and the visit/view count for my shop has really gone up. I'm excited to see what Halloween and the holidays will bring for me. I only sell in the US so shipping has not been a problem for me, cost-wise. I don't offer free shipping (unless it's a sale) so I don't have to worry about how to work it into my prices. I think the most anyone has paid, i.e. the furthest point from me, is about $12. Not too bad. The fees Etsy charges can seem excessive but they're really not. When I compare my product sales (just the price of the product) to the amount of fees, it works out to be 15%. Shipping and sales tax are a wash. Etsy collects those and then I end up paying those back out so it's like they don't exist. I'd love to have a website but I don't have the desire to do all the marketing that's required to make it successful. All of my business on Etsy has been organic. I've tweaked my SEO here and there but otherwise, I have just sat back and let Etsy do it's thing. The results I've seen for the work I've put in tells me that Etsy is where I'll be for the foreseeable future.

Good luck with the move!

Thanks for keeping it real! I want to start a shop in the future

I was shocked at Postnord's prices when I first moved to Sweden. They are a considerable cost, with frankly very poor levels of service in comparison to other state delivery organisations I've used. It's admirable that you're absorbing that cost into your product prices, but you shouldn't have to. It bothers me so much that "the little man" has to bear the burden for their inefficiency. You Swedes, in fact, everyone living in Sweden, deserves better. Bravo to you for caring for your customers though.

wow I'm your fan, not that many people withstand that amount of work/dedication. keep it up an best wishes from Mexico

Thank you! IMHO you can pronounce names anyway you want. Good luck on the move.

I think "fully ready" isn't something that can happen before you start. I've had a lot of things only improve or get figured out through the process of doing. The annoying bureaucratic stuff like business licenses, knowing how and when to collect taxes, and finding out how to do shipping quotes need to be done first. Some of the things you mentioned I don't think you would have just known before hand to do. I'm thrilled for you doing that well so quickly though! I've been floundering for longer mostly because [with the work and 3 kids and] not being focused enough on WHAT I want to make and do the limited time I can dedicate goes to poking at all the things instead of making meaningful improvements in specific areas. 🤷‍♀ Choosing is hard when as you said, everything is market testing in way. It is hard to say that anything is or isn't working when there are limited views on them.

Great video. I’m on the fence about starting to sell some products on line so it was nice to hear a review on Etsy that was more positive. Thank you.

when it comes to the question "when am i ready to go into business for myself?" the short answer is "never" ... the best way to look at it is "you are ready enough" .. you will be making lots of changes, adaptations and course corrections in the first few months/years. it can be totally frustrating and disheartening, especially when you have a clear vision of what you want your business to be and look like and then have to throw most of your plan out the window because the market has shifted or your customer base is looking for something totally different. having a business takes more out of you than a marriage

Thanks for sharing buddy, you seem like the kindest guy in the world. I hope it all works out for you 🙂

thanks for the tips and honesty

Literally saw the first video yesterday and wondered where the follow-up was, and low and behold. Today it arrived

This is useful insight, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the sharing your experience with this venture. You are defiantly pronouncing bamboo lab just fine, Id like to hear the commenters Swedish... Good luck with the move! Cheers from California

Thank you for the honest status report on your progress with the sale of 3D printed products. I have the same experiences, but after trying selling on ebay, I have ended up with my own online store. ebay and etsy charge too much and when I, who live in Norway, have to send the products, the price of shipping is decisive if it is possible to sell anything at all. Fortunately, the parts I sell are also so small that they can be sent as letters, but the customers still have to pay 12-15 USD for shipping. You are a bit luckier than me regarding tax, since Sweden is in the EU, but it is also something I have to deal with. I can't wait to see how things progress with you, and hope you don't give up even if sales are a little slower than you first expected. I'm also in the starting phase, so now it's just a matter of working on it and not giving up. Good luck, country neighbor!

Thank you! I needed this. I loved the "nothing is crucial but might help" vibe. I am in the starting phase. My plan on the repair costs is to bake in (or allocate) a printing cost of 1-2kr(10-20 cents) per hour of print time. My thoughts being that if my 2k printer dies after 2k hours I can replace it. If it doesn't break I can either save the money or expand the farm.

I have two Artillery Sidewinders in my attic! And huge parts bins to go with them. So funny to see you in the same predicament.

Great video as usual and really informative as well as fun. I’ve toyed with opening an Etsy store for a while this might just be the push I need

You should keep shadows off of your solar panels.....to keep the max output happening!

Thank you for telling your story! Sounds fantastic and hope that you can continue your store once you sort out your moving project. Since, I have a collection of five Creality K1 Max 3D printers and laser engraver, I am thinking of opening a Etsy store to sell 3D printing unique art and also men’s evening jackets and vests.

love to see an update to this.. looking to start a side hustle and all these selling sites seem a bit intemidating at times

Etsy is what Etsy is. Congrats on your successful project proposal to Bambu Lab, I look forward to seeing what else you create with that 3D printer.

If you are giving etsy 3 months it is not long enough. I started 2 yrs ago, very slow the first year, just hit over 35 thousand sales, spanning 37 countries last year. First year was tough, intended to close shop numerous times. Etsy is all about building momentum, takes time to do that but it is worth the effort. If everything is right, product, photos, tags, descriptions, titles, it is just about building momentum. Pinterest helped give me a boost, it has a massive reach. I have to be honest I do not really understand Pinterest, all I know is that my links to my etsy shop get thousands of views per months, so I just keep pinning lol.

great vid, im like you and have Etsy as a bit of a side hustle. I really like the photo box idea, I found it'll take ages clearing an area, setting up a white background card and then lighting to get a few pics of something i just made. Im definitely going to get one.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I'm thinking of beginning a similar venture. I bought a X1C and can't abide the old printer any longer. I'm not one to putz with the printer, I want it to work and cause me as little frustration as possible to achieve my goals. Thanks for mentioning that in your video. For me 3D printing is a path to a goal, not a goal in itself. Finally, the FLSUN printer was one I was looking at. Your short review helps, thanks! Maybe, do a little longer review of the FLSUN and the enclosure for the P1P.

Great video. I have really thought about starting an Etsy shop myself

Excellent video, thank you.

Nice poster you have there. Im from Harplinge and lived there until 1999 then i moved to Halmstad.

About the shipping some Ebay sellers states that they ship certain days of the week, like some only ship on fridays or mondays so maybe consider that policy so you have a bit less stress by habing more time for the preparation of the shipping and less trips to the post office.

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

Great insights, thank you for sharing ^^ I'm looking into doing the same setup, just to try and see if it can become something, the shipping prices in the netherlands are insane as well xD

Dude, you are a rockstar introvert! Keep going!

Good job! Keep up the good work!

keep up the good work!

I really like the back wall of your workbench. That black wall. What is it made of?

Great video, very informative and interesting

Thank you for the video

Well said sir!

I'm printing a little in the Philippines since I moved here, completely different market than back in Europe. Only way to compete in that sphere in terms of shipping cost internationally is a network of printing hubs, so you print & ship locally

Inspiration! Starkt jobbat!

Some shipping companies allow you to pre bulk buy shipping for small packages in advance this can come out quite cheep per package as long as you use enough of them

respect! for going around all the stuff in your life with 3 kids ;)

@TheSwedishMaker I suggest you get the Bambu labs P1S combo or just the simple P1S, it is only $100 more expensive and has an enclosure, all fans and the carbon filter! it is an amazing printer for you needs also because it can print materials like nylon, ABS and ASA, Bambu labs has a material called PAHT-CF (CF High Temp reniforced Nylon) which is perfect for you needs, strong and temperature resistant which seems suitable for wood-working.

As part of a sentence, I hardly would've noticed your accent (a de-emphasis of the U, and not a mispronunciation) of Bambu Labs. When you say it all alone, I can't help hearing it against the background of "Black Betty." "Whoa, Black Betty--BambuLabs..." I may never unhear this, and I thank you for the little smile you have given me every time I see this logo. If you actually want to "correct" your "pronunciation," then all you need to do is emphasize the BamBU part... although why you would want to is beyond me. It's your thing, it's honest and sincere, and it shares smiles. It's beautiful.

Really great video, thank you for that!! I have another boring stuff with my sales on etsy that you maybe never experienced: the resin stuff comes broken with the shipment!! ^^ Just spending some hours more to produce and paint another one for free!! That's great!! 😌

respect and keep going strong. I think there is good margin in printing bigger parts since the offer is reasonably low.

How long can you run your 3d printer using the battery alone? I've been thinking of bringing my laserengraver/cutter to events and doing on-site engraving on items

I also started a shop on Etsy recently. I only sell one SVG file of a chair for CNC machines and it makes me around 1k$ a month without any shipping involved. Working on more files to add. But I have to constantly market it in FB groups or pay for ads. Have you thought of selling the stl files?

Hi 👋, The Swedish Maker , great content, explaining you’re good and bad problems of setting up a business, I work for myself are probably best part of 40 years. Something I didn’t do when I first started out who is putting in the cost of the electric travelling costs going and picking up supplies and this all has to be accounted for, I was a specialist joiner cabinetmaker working from the UK, I’m now retired and living in France. That sounds great., but I’ve had a big problem with my ex partner, I’m now even thinking of starting a small business up, trying to earn extra money, not very good with computers, but I am capable of doing Woodturning making furniture and things like that so that’s what I think I might be doing in the future, all the success for you in the future. Hope you get sorted soon in your new property . Phil from the moulin France.

I would love to buy the covers for the wireless go transmitters.

Some of the items that sell well and are soap stamps, either customised or you can deside on some designs- Look what others are doing. Another thing is bath-bomb and shampoo bar presses

Great video man thank you and keep going! I’m excited for the move and to see you grow. Question - how do you like the Bambu Labs printers? I know there’s a ton of reviews but I’m interested in your opinion, thanks!

honestly you've started at the right time. "later" never exists. Personal experience. Great insight though, thank you so much for it!!!

An easy way to account for repairs is to add a fraction of the cost to replace your 3D printer after the expected lifetime when calculating your item price. In other words, depreciation. For example, if your printer costs 1000 USD and has a lifetime of about 10,000 hours, a 10 hr print should have an extra 1 USD added to the price. You might have to make some educated guesses on the printer lifetime.

Thanks for sharing. I like your videos

In general I take 15% of the gear purchase price and set that aside for repairs. It does give you a given number to use for pricing your items

I'd wanna see ROI in this project. Or projected ROI. Because the printers, your time, shipping, packaging. Etc... Good thing is that you can make a video about it a sunk the cost that way too but still

Can you talk about the tax situation and if Etsy helps with the paperwork at all? I’m in Sweden too so knowing a little more detail about Swedish taxes when selling products would be amazing. For example did you create a business , do you pay taxes monthly/quarterly, overall is the Swedish tax system easy to navigate?

I tried Etsy once and they banned me before I even did the email verification and refused to tell me why. Even made me wait weeks and for one email nearly over a month to even get a response. Claimed I violated TOS somehow. Went over the TOS and there were no clues at all as to what I violated. The only thing I could think of was maybe my name as some bots think it's profanity. I asked if this was the case and they still would not tell me.

hearing this I feel privileged with postage in the UK Royal Mail is AMAZING good price if you have a label printer you can post via a postbox or parcel postbox so you don't have to be in the post office for 20 minutes. Or you can have the postman come to you and pick it up for free and they'll bring the label if you don't have a label printer.

Thanks!

Hey, fellow Etsy 3D printing seller here! I've had my shop for a couple of years or so and made 58 sales so far, possibly earning about as much as you've done in that time. I only have the one (slow) printer and agree that posting the finished product is a pain. I sell an assortment of random stuff, but my biggest seller and most expensive item is a 15 inch+ long model of the Liberator from Blake's 7. I've gradually added things for sale to my shop and currently have 24 listed. It varies a lot, but I can sometimes go a couple of months or so between orders whereas other times I get two or three in as many days. I work full time too, so it's a side hustle at the moment.

Coolt att du satsar på detta! /support från din gamla hembygd

Where do you sell your stuff on Etsy? All the world or only within EU? I think about that the custom fee and the problem with calculationg the freight fee could be a problem outside EU.