A Guide for Etsy Dropshipping Cons and Rules

Did you read my last short post? There I introduce the advantages of Etsy dropshipping and how to dropship from AliExpress to Etsy. However, Etsy dropshipping also has cons, and here are some rules you need to know. In this post, I will explain them to you.

Etsy Dropshipping Cons

While Etsy dropshipping has some cool benefits, its drawbacks can make you reconsider the platform. Here are just some of the cons of Etsy dropshipping:

The product retails at a high price: The price listed on Etsy is higher than the retail price. For example, if you bought a bridal tiara at any traditional online store, you'd probably pay $91.97 for a very beautiful one (at least that's what I bought - you can even see me on their page comments left). However, I ended up buying one on Etsy for $153.02. More than sixty dollars more than I paid. Most online store owners can buy products at wholesale prices. However, Etsy tends to price well above market value, making it unattractive to the average shopper. Especially shoppers who have time to do additional research.

Paying the listing fee: One of the biggest drawbacks of Etsy dropshipping is the fee to list you, you have to add a product to their marketplace. The fee for each listing is 20 cents. But there's a catch - Etsy listings will expire in four months. So you have to keep adding your listing to their marketplace, adding more manual work than it's worth. Every time a product sells, you pay a listing fee. If you use an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you can add products to your store without worrying about listing fees. Also, how long your product can live on your website.

Etsy is not sustainable: Maybe instead of selling on Etsy, you want to sell from Etsy. This also has some pretty serious drawbacks. If you want to dropship Etsy products, you'll find that you can dropship products that don't sell well. Your Etsy supplier won't be able to stay in business if you discover a life-changing big winner. A full-time large manufacturer can handle thousands of orders per day. But products handcrafted by part-time Etsy sellers can't meet the same level of sales. So you will never hit the jackpot you want.

Rules of Etsy Dropshipping

In the "What to Sell" section, Etsy explains, "Etsy is a unique marketplace. Buyers come here to buy things they might not find anywhere else. Everything sold on Etsy must be handcrafted, vintage, or handmade items.” They even make it clear that these handcrafted items must be “made and/or designed by the seller.”

When it comes to selling vintage products, they need to be at least 20 years old before they can be labeled vintage. As for crafts, you can sell them from other suppliers. However, you must disclose where you get the product and its environmental attributes, such as whether it is made from recycled materials.

Conclusion

Dropshipping is one of the most sustainable business models for long-term business. However, dropshipping on Etsy may not be the best option because sellers can't sell high volumes, expensive listings and shipping, high product pricing, and more. If you're looking for dropship, feel free to browse DSers blog, millions of guides, and tips allowing you to start selling today.