Bloom Beyond the Algorithm: Why Etsy Wasn’t My Garden

That Time I Broke Up With Etsy: A Lesson in Building Your Brand Your Way

Let’s talk about a platform that everyone swears by when you’re just starting out with product creation: Etsy.

Now, before this turns into a hit piece—it’s not. This isn’t about bashing a platform. This is about education, especially for the dreamers, builders, and boutique-owners-to-be who deserve to skip the mistakes I made.

Once upon a time, I was a huge Etsy supporter. I’d buy vacation outfits, one-of-a-kind gifts, and personalized treasures from there. I believed in it. I trusted it.
Then…I tried selling on Etsy.

That ship? Sailed.

Even with over a decade of experience running businesses, dealing with vendors, contractors, and customer service chaos—I have never dealt with a platform more eager to squeeze its creators for profit, even if it means overwhelming new shop owners with spam and zero support.

Let me explain.

Every day, I’d wake up to a ping—“New message on Etsy!” My heart would skip. A sale? A question about a listing? A real customer?

Nope.
Just spam. Every. Single. Time.
People trying to sell to me, the seller. Trying to pitch services, spammy SEO boosts, and fake traffic strategies.

I reported. I replied. I flagged.
Nothing changed.

Meanwhile, Etsy kept flashing notifications like:
📈 “You’ve had 132 profile views today!”
📨 “You have 5 new messages!”
💸 “Still…no sales.”

So naturally, I doubted myself.
Was my product trash? Were my prices too high?
I tried everything: reworking listings, redoing photos, investing in Etsy ads.
Still…crickets. And spam. Mostly spam.

And here’s where the story shifts:

See, in traditional business, when something isn’t working—you pivot.
But Etsy? They tried to charge me $40 to shut my shop down.
Yup. Not to keep it up. To close it.
They'd rather keep cluttered, inactive shops and squeeze fees than create an experience built for shoppers or sellers.

That was my final straw.

So here’s what I learned—and what I wish I knew from day one:

If you’re starting out—don’t delete.
Let your work marinate for SEO. Let your digital presence age like wine.
But also—don’t pour energy into platforms that drain you.
The ROI (return on investment) has to make sense. Every dollar counts when you’re building from scratch.

And most importantly?

✨ Organic brand building is what actually worked.
Making content that reflected my vision.
Pouring love into my own website.
Showing up.
Posting, posting, posting.
Telling my story.
Every time I created something real, I grew. Not because Etsy pushed me—but because I pushed me.

So to my fellow builders, bloomers, and boutique babes:

Do your research. Ask yourself what makes sense for your brand.
Don’t fall for the “everyone starts here” trap.
You’re not just anyone—you’re the gardener of your own empire. 🌹