Why am I getting no sales on my new online store?
Building a store and posting on social media creates a false sense of momentum, but it fails to drive traffic or convert visitors. Without a targeted strategy for customer acquisition, owners end up trapped in a cycle of endless posting and paid ad testing without knowing what is actually broken.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
- This comes up 52.2× more often in r/Etsy than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1posting consistently on TikTok, Instagram, and FacebookDid this help you?
- 2making videos showing the different teas, ingredients, and colors with good lighting and editingDid this help you?
- 3trying different hooksDid this help you?
- 4posting personal videos showing faces and discussing inventoryDid this help you?
- 5posting reviews from past businesses to prove legitimacyDid this help you?
- 6running small-budget ads on TikTokDid this help you?
- 7considering posting a variety of crochet items like plushiesDid this help you?
- 8investing in smart marketingDid this help you?
- 9using micro-influencers at fair costsDid this help you?
- 10treating every customer like royalty to drive retentionDid this help you?
- 11building a following on InstagramDid this help you?
- 12Creating 150 to 200+ listingsDid this help you?
- 13Running adsDid this help you?
- 14Reposting the same listing with modified titles and use casesDid this help you?
- 15working on SEODid this help you?
- 16promoting through Pinterest and TikTokDid this help you?
- 17exploring other ways to market the businessDid this help you?
- 18Messaging friends, family, and local groups directly with a photo, price, and ordering instructionsDid this help you?
- 19Putting the price and how-to-order details directly in the social media bioDid this help you?
- 20Posting on Instagram and TikTokDid this help you?
- 21Pitching local boutiques and gifting to creatorsDid this help you?
- 22Posting product photos organically on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.Did this help you?
- 23Asking friends and family to visit the website.Did this help you?
- 24joining local buy and sell groupsDid this help you?
- 25offering discounts to friends to build initial tractionDid this help you?
- 26using natural window light to improve product photosDid this help you?
- 27writing titles based on what buyers actually search forDid this help you?
- 28Selling on established third-party marketplaces first to bypass trust barriers.Did this help you?
- 29Offering a sample or starter pack to lower the risk of the first purchase.Did this help you?
- 30Using video testimonials and heavily focusing on social proof in ads.Did this help you?
- 31Testing advertorial-style blog posts to educate buyers before sending them to product pages.Did this help you?
- 32Using Etsy's advertising toolsDid this help you?
- 33Asking for critical feedback on RedditDid this help you?
- 34Taking photos of items in a real living room setup instead of a white backgroundDid this help you?
- 35Writing the shop's about section like talking to a single personDid this help you?
- 36Posting process videos on social media to generate external trafficDid this help you?
- 37Using multi-word phrases for search tags instead of single wordsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I recently started a small herbal tea company and honestly I’m feeling pretty stuck right now.”source ↗
“I have my Shopify store completely set up, products ready to go, and I’ve been trying to post consistently on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.”source ↗
“And so far… no sales.”source ↗
“It feels like I made the products, built the whole store, and now I’m just sitting here posting videos hoping eventually somebody buys something lol.”source ↗
“I just feel trapped because I don’t know where that work would be best spent right now.”source ↗
“my biggest fear right now is launching to crickets—getting zero sales while fixed recurring costs (like Shopify apps, marketing, etc.) eat away at my budget.”source ↗
“How do people selling saturated products gets thousand sales in Etsy within months? Ads?”source ↗
“I’ve been wondering the same thing. I keep seeing newer digital shops with thousands of sales, while other shops in the same kind of niche have loads of listings and barely move.”source ↗
“I’d love to hear from people who actually grew a new digital shop fast. What do you think made the biggest difference for you?”source ↗
“My shop has been open for about 5 months now. I currently have my crochet blankets listed but have got no bites”source ↗
“I am also considering posting a variety of crochet items like plushies I think these would do better then the blankets.”source ↗
“I was just wondering what has helped you all make that first sale.”source ↗
“I’m not that great with SEO though and I really think that’s my problem.”source ↗
“Getting those first sales with zero reviews is the weirdest hurdle, feels like you're invisible until you're not.”source ↗
“What’s one key thing you recommend focusing on to get the first 5–10 sales?”source ↗
“getting first sales is tough i found joining local buy sell groups and offering discount to friends helped more than waiting for etsy algorithm”source ↗
“I launched a felt handmade business and I really want to make sales fast so I can lessen my mom's financial stress.”source ↗
“I've been posting about my small business on tiktok but sadly no sales yet.”source ↗
“Launched my swimwear brand a month ago, people are looking but not buying. What would you focus on first?”source ↗
“sales so far, mostly friends and people from my launch party”source ↗
“14 boutiques have viewed my shop, 0 orders so far”source ↗
“A few days ago I launched a webshop selling a few different sweaters with prints on them, but i have yet to sell anything.”source ↗
“I recently launched my small Etsy business selling teacher and educator apparel. I’ve only had 2 sales so far, with 31 views and 20 visits in the last 30 days.”source ↗
“So far i only had website visits from myself and some friends who were curious about it.”source ↗
“We post consistently everyday, we sell watches n jewellery but even after posting for this long we’ve had no sales m.”source ↗
“I chose Th watch n jewellery industry because I had a passion for it and still do but the business side, idk what I’m doing wrong.”source ↗
“How do you guys even get the first sale? No matter how many cold calls I do, I end up not getting even a meeting”source ↗
“I’ve tried TikTok ads we’ve paid like $120 in ads in last 3 months”source ↗
“I've hired a science team, we built innovative products, created a beautiful website. Did CRO, launched ads and... crickets. 6 months of testing, new layout, new images, new ads... nothing moves the needle. Customers who tried the products love it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5How to get consistent Shopify sales without burning cash on ads
- 2How to start a custom merch store without buying upfront inventory
- 21How to start an online store with no money
- 2Where do I even start when opening a small business?
- 2How to track sales made outside an online store
- 3How to get new sales when referral networks dry up