Selling on Etsy can be a lucrative business, but it requires a lot of effort and strategy. One of the decisions that sellers often face is whether to renew or relist their underperforming listings. Renewing a listing means paying a fee to extend the listing’s duration by four months, while relisting involves creating a new listing from scratch.
The decision between renewing or relisting depends on various factors, including the listing’s performance, engagement, and sales history. Renewing a listing is typically a good choice when it has a positive history of engagement, clicks, and sales. This helps to maintain the positive Listing Quality Score attached to the listing. On the other hand, relisting is a better option when dealing with an expired product that isn’t doing well and hasn’t been doing well for a while.
Renewing vs. Relisting
What is Renewing on Etsy?
Renewing on Etsy means extending the duration of an existing listing by paying a fee. Renewing a listing does not change the listing’s URL or delete its sales history. Renewing can be a good option for listings that have had positive engagement, such as clicks, favorites, and sales, as it can help maintain the listing’s positive Listing Quality Score.
What is Relisting on Etsy?
Relisting on Etsy involves creating a new listing for the same product, either by copying an existing listing or starting from scratch. Relisting creates a new URL for the listing, which can help increase visibility in search results. Relisting can be a good option for underperforming listings that have not had much engagement or sales.
When deciding whether to renew or relist an Etsy listing, it is important to consider factors such as the listing’s sales history, engagement, and expiration date. Renewing can be a good option for listings with positive engagement, while relisting can be a good option for underperforming listings or expired listings.
Ultimately, the decision to renew or relist a listing on Etsy depends on the individual seller’s goals and the specific circumstances of the listing. It is important to regularly evaluate the performance of listings and make adjustments as needed to optimize sales and visibility on the platform.
Pros and Cons of Renewing
Pros of Renewing
Renewing your Etsy listings can have some benefits. Here are a few pros of renewing:
- Increased visibility: Renewing your listings can help your items appear at the top of the search results, which can lead to increased visibility and more potential sales.
- Maintaining positive Listing Quality Score: Renewing a listing that has had some engagement, clicks, favorites, and sales can help maintain a positive Listing Quality Score. This score can impact your search placement, so it’s important to keep it up.
- Bringing back older merchandise: Renewing can help bring back older merchandise that hasn’t sold in a while. This can be useful if you have a large inventory and want to keep items fresh in customers’ minds.
Cons of Renewing
While there are some benefits to renewing, there are also some drawbacks to consider. Here are a few cons of renewing:
- Costs can add up: Every time you renew a listing, you have to pay the renewal fee. If you have a lot of listings, this can add up quickly and eat into your profits.
- No guarantee of sales: Renewing your listings doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make sales. It’s possible to renew a listing multiple times without any success.
- May not be effective for underperforming listings: Renewing is typically more effective for listings that have had some positive engagement, clicks, favorites, and sales. If a listing isn’t performing well, renewing may not be the best strategy. In those cases, relisting may be a better option.
Pros and Cons of Relisting
Pros of Relisting
Relisting on Etsy can have several benefits, including:
- Improved visibility: Relisting can help your products appear higher in search results, which can lead to increased visibility and ultimately more sales.
- Fresh start: Relisting gives your product a fresh start, which can be especially beneficial if it hasn’t been selling well or if it has been on Etsy for a long time.
- Opportunity to make changes: Relisting allows you to make changes to your product listing, such as updating the title, description, or photos, which can help improve its chances of selling.
Cons of Relisting
While relisting can be beneficial in some cases, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider, including:
- Losing data: Relisting a product means losing data associated with the previous listing, such as views, favorites, and sales. This can make it harder to track the performance of your product over time.
- Additional fees: Relisting a product on Etsy incurs an additional listing fee, which can add up over time if you have a large number of products.
- Time-consuming: Relisting can be a time-consuming process, especially if you have a large number of products to relist. It can also be frustrating if you have to make the same changes to multiple listings.
Overall, whether to renew or relist on Etsy depends on a variety of factors, including the performance of your product, the age of the listing, and your personal preferences. By weighing the pros and cons of relisting, you can make an informed decision about whether it’s the right choice for your business.
Factors to Consider
When deciding whether to renew or relist your Etsy listings, there are several factors to consider. Here are some of the most important ones:
Number of Items in Your Shop
If you have a large number of items in your shop, it may be more beneficial to renew your listings rather than relisting them. This is because renewing your listings will keep them at the top of search results, making them more visible to potential buyers. However, if you have a smaller shop with only a few items, relisting may be a better option as it can help to attract new customers.
Time Since Last Sale
If it has been a while since you made a sale, it may be a good idea to relist your items. This is because relisting can help to refresh your listings and make them more appealing to buyers. On the other hand, if you have recently made a sale, renewing your listings may be a better option as it can help to maintain your search ranking.
Competition in Your Niche
If you are selling in a highly competitive niche, it may be more beneficial to relist your items rather than renewing them. This is because relisting can help to give your items a fresh start and make them more visible to potential buyers. However, if you are selling in a less competitive niche, renewing your listings may be a better option as it can help to maintain your search ranking.
Marketing Efforts
If you are actively marketing your Etsy shop, renewing your listings may be a better option as it can help to maintain your search ranking and keep your items visible to potential buyers. However, if you are not actively marketing your shop, relisting your items may be a better option as it can help to attract new customers and increase your visibility in search results.
In summary, when deciding whether to renew or relist your Etsy listings, it is important to consider the number of items in your shop, the time since your last sale, competition in your niche, and your marketing efforts. By taking these factors into account, you can make an informed decision and maximize your sales on Etsy.
Conclusion
Deciding whether to renew or relist your Etsy listings depends on various factors. Renewing may be a good option if your listing has a positive history with engagement, clicks, favoriting, and sales. However, renewing does not carry over the quality score of the previous listing.
I hope you found this guide covering whether its best to renew or relist on Etsy, useful! To learn more Etsy tips and tricks, check out the Thrive on Etsy Blog!