Tim here with an (un)scientific analysis of when to list or renew listings on Etsy.com
When is the best time to list on Etsy?
It’s a question every Etsy seller has asked themselves. It’s a subject we’ve talked about before. It’s not an easy question to answer, but the ramifications of getting it right could be huge.
Recently on the Etsy Forums, a forum thread was started with the idea that there really is no rhyme or reason to listing times. As is often the case with forums, most of the comments were from others in agreement, so there wasn’t much real discussion.
But it got me to thinking: There must be a pattern. There absolutely has to be peak times on Etsy. I wonder if we can figure them out.
So I tried…
Etsy has a predominately North American user base.
One of the most reasonable arguments for there not being a peak traffic time on Etsy is that the site is global. That’s true and it’s one of the great things about Etsy, but it’s important to realize what that means in numbers.
Take a look at this screenshot from Alexa.com. (Alexa attempts to track and estimate web statistics)
Over 70% of Etsy users are in the US and Canada. That at least can help us to figure out when the peak traffic times are. It seems like a safe assumption to correlate peak traffic with peak sales, would you agree? (please leave your thoughts in the comments)
In digging a little bit for the breakdown of US population by time zone, I found two things. First, I found a thread on Google Answers that gave some data based on voting poll statistics. Here is that data:
Second, I looked at a time zone map at mapsofworld.com to see if the above data looked right visually. Seems like it does to me…(I redirect you to the opening mention of the UN-scientific nature of this post)
80% of the US Population is on Eastern or Central time. If that’s correct, and Alexa is right about Etsy, then it would mean that approximately 57% of Etsy users are on either Eastern or Central time.
So what time do they buy?
What time is best to list?
Here is my thought (aka – best guess) on the answer:
We know without a doubt that overall traffic on our blogs peaks between 9:30pm and 11:30pm Eastern time and remains strong well into the wee hours as the large West Coast population gets into the later evening.
So for more views, I think that approximately 9:30pm Eastern Time is the best. But does that translate to sales? Do people buy at that time? I think that some of them do. The “browsers” for sure.
But what about the buyers on a mission? When do they buy? I think they buy in the mid-morning. My theory (un-scientific) is that those customers who have “buy some great printer paper” on the to-do list will do that between 10:00am and 1:00pm.
More and more people have Internet access at work and/or work from home and based on my personal experience and what we’ve seen online, they create a “mini-spike” during the mid-morning hours.
Bottom line: I still say that listing twice a day at around 9:30am and 9:30pm Eastern time makes sense. I can’t imagine the possibility that it’s totally random.
There must be a pattern!
~Tim
What say YOU? Have you seen a pattern in sales? What works for you?
Note: This post was published prior to the current (as of 11/2011) Etsy Relevancy based search results. Prior to this, Etsy searches were based on most recently listed. Since that’s no longer the case, what time you list isn’t as important as it once was.
Good information to consider… I married a scientist that loves stats and research.. I think you did pretty good on your educated guess.
.-= megan´s last blog ..What is going on in my world =-.
Great job, Tim. I usually see these peak times in sales for us as well, which translates to 6:30 AM and 6:30 PM on the west coast for us. Thanks…
Wow, thanks for the data to prove your point – – that’s definitely helpful.
I agree that items I list from 8-10 pm EST on weekdays get much higher views than anything listed during the day.
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Sterling Silver Music Note Ring – Itty Bitty Collection =-.
I don’t think I can get up that early on the west cost, lol..I need to hire someone to list for me, hehe =)
I would have to agree, I see mid-morning sales and later in the evening sales in my shop! I was thinking about this recently and found your article to be very helpful.
.-= Cherie´s last blog ..Silver Wire Swirls and Ceramic Earrings =-.
Hmmm…very interesting! I was listing during the day, but have found that the closer to 10PM I list something, the higher probability there is that I have a sale the next morning. I might have to do some experimentation. Thanks for sharing your thoughts & data!
.-= Teri – Sweet Hearts and Soles´s last blog ..Summer Sunflower Red Baby Mary Janes 3-6 Months =-.
Interesting thoughts. My Google Analytics show heavy traffic from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET., but I am probably skewing the results by renewing routinely at mid-afternoon ET.
I think I’ll try some later renewals and see what that does, but I’ll pass on the 9:30 am renewals since here in Hawaii that would require getting out of bed at 3:30 am. Thanks for the research and suggestions.
THANK YOU! I’ve played around with listing times, but nothing consistent enough to prove anything. I will definitely try this!
.-= Heathahlee´s last blog ..Butterfly Genes Wants to Go to the Dogs! =-.
I agree totally with what you are saying…sorry I guess this is not discussion inducing. What about the weekends? I will add this since I have bought a ton of stuff on etsy…from suppliers and things I have “thought” about, I buy in the morning, impulse purchases occur at night! I always try to list in the evening though, because from my own calculations this all seemed to be true! Loved this article!
I am so glad I found this web page and thanks for the interesting article. I agree with the mid-moring rush, but my shop is usually quiet in the 9:30 – 11:30 p.m. eastern time frame. I agree – there has to be a pattern? I would love to crack it some day!
Because I have a “regular” job I have to list evenings and weekends. For some reason I get a lot of viewing traffic on Wednesday evenings.
.-= Alyssabeths´s last blog ..Parisian Chic Pink Roses Marie Antoinette Collage Gift Tags =-.
Great info. And timely too, since I hope to be posting some new items in the next week!!
Your “un” scientific research makes sense to me! Thanks!
You’ve done a good job of following what makes sense… and I hope you’re right, I’m going to follow the advice for the next few weeks. On a side note, I used to manage a pizza shop and I used to say all the time, “if people were only predictable I’d never run out of food, I’d never be short of people, I’d never deliver a late pizza…” I don’t think there is anything predictable about people and they’re shopping habits!
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..Art for Your Arm Water Collection XXX A Lake in the Middle of the Woods Memory Wire Glass Bracelet =-.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! I’ve been trying to figure out peak listing times for a while and I just felt stumped as to what time zone I should shoot for 🙂
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Im back! =-.
Very interesting and definitely something to consider. Thanks for sharing this info.
.-= Anne Meyer´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Really great info. I live on the eastcoast and have of my customers are on the West coast. I have found that many of the purchases have come around 11pm EST. The few weekend sales I have received happened in the morning all before 11am. Evening knowing this I still tend add new listings around 1pm during the week. With this new “study” I am going to try the evenings. Although I don’t know if my will can hold out that long through the day.
.-= Tehlia´s last blog ..Custom orders =-.
Interesting thoughts but if there’s one thing I have learned in my ….years (fill in the blank!) is that predicting the unpredictable can be unpredictable!
Thanks for your stats.
.-= Barbra´s last blog ..Ribbed Green Hat =-.
great post! i still see most “buys” late morning…it’s pretty consistent that way. but really…who knows. shoppers are so fickle!!
thanks!
.-= lisa @thebeadgirl´s last blog ..HUGE Clearance Sale and why I am thebeadgirl =-.
Very useful article. I have tried listing in different times (always following Eastern time zone) and found that around 630pm I get more views, not necessarily more sales. This week I am going to try out the 930am & pm and see what happens.
I have listed as late as 11pm thinking that when I am going to bed, someone, somewhere around the globe is about to get up, however that did not bring any results.
I saw a comment above and have the same question: what about weekends?
my weekends are very slow being than Sundays it almost comes to a complete halt in traffic.
For some reason (I check craftopolis.com) I have had the most traffic on Thursdays for the past 3 mos.
.-= Rose Kute´s last blog ..Baby Booties =-.
Great information. Thanks!
The time to list is different for everyone. You should install Google Analytics and see what times YOU get the most traffic. For me it picks up around 6 pm EST/EDT and doesn’t slow down until around 1 am EST/EDT. My best days are typically Tuesday and Wednesdays with weekends being extremely slow. Other people have peaks at different times, so it’s best to check when your buyers are actually coming into your store.
I like to list at noon (central) for those office browsers and between 7pm-9pm (EST) because etsy is popular with the evenings customers. Also, I seem to get sales in the middle of the night. I love night owls!
.-= Sally´s last blog ..Piggy Ear Hat =-.
this blog rocks!!!!!
I agree totally! So glad you did the research for us though, tee hee…my brain hurts already 😉
Jamie 🙂
.-= A Forest Frolic´s last blog ..Water Slide Fun & FinallyA Forest Frolic Button =-.
I especially noticed those precise times on Facebook! My chat is full at those times !
http://www.facebook.com/pages/royalpacacom/147358018460
I love your blog Kim! Keep up the amazing work ! 🙂
.-= Sophie Grun´s last blog ..Slim Scarf- Neck wear- felted- fashion scarf- made with our very own alpaca fibers- luxurious and fashionable =-.
First, your sight is simply adorable!!On to the topic… I’m new to Etsy and haven’t had enough sellers to do analysis of my own shop, but I must agree – 930am and 930pm seem like prime times for shopping…. what’s my proof (whispering) I’m a shop-a-holic/surf-a-holic… lol. Those are approximately the exact times that I’m either on the computer or physically in the store. Thank you for ALL the great information.You are in my favs, one of my tweeps, and I’m a fan!!!Let’s just hope that I am truly a reformed shopper and NOW I am a ETSY SELLER… charmedstyles.etsy.com
Stay charming dolls! xoxo
For us, I have noticed that mid-morning does get more sales, but evenings are a great time to list new things. More people are socializing and sharing new links in the evening. We get more evening views than we do morning views. Sometimes it is helpful to list in the morning and share on Twitter/Facebook in the evening.
.-= Charissa @ Mimi’s Babies´s last blog ..Girl Monkey Earflap Beanie with Braids in Hot Pink and Lime Green – Choose Your Size – Great Photography Prop =-.
Great review !
Thank you for sharing !
Well, as for my part, using craftcult to see how my views and hearts have gathered, I definitely have more people at night then early in the morning. I would say about 75% of my Etsy activity ( hearts, views… ) is around 7 to 9 pm.
.-= Maxime´s last blog ..Blackberry Ring – Limited Edition =-.
I set up statistics not by time, but by day of the week. My shop is still new, so I don’t want to invest a large amount of money in renewing items and creating new ones. I have been tracking, since I started this past July, what days of the week are most highly populated with visits to try to target what days of the week I should post items. So far Tuesdays are by far the most highly trafficked day, with Saturdays being the worst day to accumulate visits. In fact Tuesdays are visited twice as much as Saturdays (there is a 52% increase in visits when you compare the two). Thanks for running these numbers- this was my next task- to figure out the timing!
.-= Christine´s last blog ..Snug Bug Baby Swaddler- Pink Lemonade =-.
You are so right on! I am very impressed by how well thought out this post is.
After reading it I went back and reviewed our sales on Etsy & other sites and sure enough.
Great info!
LeafandInk.com
We really like your blog here at LeafandInk.
Will be subscribing for sure!
.-= LeafandInk´s last blog ..Celebrating Autumnal Equinox… Give Away!!! =-.
Great information. Thank you so much!!!
Good to know! I am a new seller(still waiting on my first sale) so I can’t say from experience when shoppers view my shop most. But as a buyer, I do most of my browsing at night.
.-= Letty Stricklin´s last blog ..Canvas Art- Little Bitty Tree =-.
In my own unscientific estimate 🙂
I have to agree. I’ve been looking through my google analytics for the most popular times my etsy site is viewed and for the past few months the peak time seems to be roughly 9pm Eastern (this is whether I relist or not).
I think I’ll try relisting at those times specifically and “test it” further. It can’t hurt, only help 🙂
Thanks.
.-= Karyna @ Paper Squid´s last blog ..Colorful Clouds Print- 13×19 inches =-.
Thanks for the info! I’ve been watching my stats closely but it seems like my peak viewing hours change every day. Mondays seem to be the best days overall.
When I list at night (around 11PM – midnight, Central time) I get more views from people overseas than I do from people in the U.S. if I list in the morning or early evening.
.-= Erin´s last blog ..Kawaii Glittery Bears and Blue Heart Magnets – Set of 3 =-.
GREAT post! love your humor and “unscientific” knowledge!
thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for this post! I’m going to try this for the next 3 days!
Thank you for this information. you have done some great research in this area. I am definitely going to use it.
This is a really interesting and helpful information, thanks for sharing it.
Thanks so much for this post! I’ve been wondering about peak times for a while and this helped clear things up for me!
.-= Loraleigh – Saffron & Saege´s last blog ..Brass on Brass Pearl Earrings =-.
it would be great if Etsy could have a listing time with each item!
ohoh~ I’ve found that my listing’s peak viewing time is around 9am-9:30am ET, altho still have no sale yet, but better than no one come to look, right?~! LOL
.-= Lapuzelo´s last blog ..Crystal glass beaded light weight short necklace – White x Clear dots =-.
This is very helpful!! I have kind of noticed the same or similar pattern. Thanks so much for the information!
After having my shop open for about a year.. I am finally getting traffic..sales.. And inquiries.. I do tend to agree with your findings! Thank you so much!! Now just to be able to close a sale!!
And then when everyone decides to list at 9:30PM ET, does that mean it will become the worst time to list because there will be ten times as much competition in the search results?
With this new change in search to relevancy, have you noticed a difference in your listing time strategy?
Good research, I am going to try listing items during those times suggested.
Thanks for the “foot work”. Any information is a great help to a seller. I will also try these times and see how it affects my sales. Thanks again!
great research !
I find most of the traffic is lunch time 12 – 2 pm .
And then after 8.
Thanks so much! This was a really helpful article.
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Thanks for the information. I Googled this question and there you were with great info. I’ll be adding new things to my Etsy store tonight in the 8:30 pm area.
Can you tell me why there is the difference between Etsy Traffic Stats and Google Analytics Traffic Stats? I mean I am getting more views from Etsy than the total GA Unique visits. My Etsy store is http://etsy.me/1KHlrfH
Views and Unique Visits are two different things. Each person is a visit, but you get a view counted for each time they view a page in your shop, so if they look at ten items, it’s ten views. (pageviews)
I haven’t looked in awhile to see what Etsy stats are using as an “engine” but I thought it was Google Analytics, in which case the same stats would appear. But if they’ve changed it, it’s very common for various tracking programs to give different numbers. They are all just estimates because it’s difficult for the system to determine what is a real person vs. what is a computerized crawler/bot traffic.
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