Stop Guessing: Use This Free Etsy Hack to Find Winning Products in Minutes

Imagine knowing exactly what products are flying off the virtual shelves on Etsy. This simple hack will show us how to identify products with proven demand on Etsy in just 5 minutes! This is perfect for both new and experienced Etsy sellers.

Why Validate Our Product Ideas? The Cost of Not Doing Research

Creating products without validation is a gamble. We risk wasting time and effort on designs nobody wants. This leads to missed opportunities to create products that do sell well and financial losses from investing in materials and listings for unpopular items.

It's essential to make data-driven decisions. Every hour and dollar we spend should have the best possible return. Validating ideas minimizes risk and maximizes potential profit. Even with the ease of print on demand, validation is crucial before creating multiple designs. Do we really want to spend our time designing products nobody will purchase?

The Free Etsy Research Hack: Find What's Hot Right Now

This method uses Etsy's search function to uncover products with current demand. The core principle is to find direct competitors to validate our product idea.

When analyzing competitors, we should remember it's not just about similar products; it's about listings attracting the same customer avatar. For example, selling Scandinavian-style shirts versus funny dad shirts. Both are shirts, but they attract different customers. The goal is to find listings we're competing for clicks with. Are we targeting the same audience?

Step-by-Step: 

Step 1: The "Best Seller" Filter Trick

1. Start on Etsy: Go to the Etsy website and use the search bar.

2. Enter Our Keywords: Type in the keywords we'd use for our product. (Example: "Funny Teacher Shirt")

3. Filter by Star Seller: In the search results, go to the "Filters" tab and sort by "Star Seller."

4. URL Hack: Change "Star" to "Best Seller":

   • In the URL, replace the word "star" with "best seller."

   • This sorts the results to show listings with "Best Seller" badges at the top.

5. Identify Direct Competitors: Scroll through and look for listings that are directly competing with our idea—similar products targeting the same customer avatar.

6. Why This Works:Listings with the “Best Seller” badge are proven performers. They have consistent, high-volume sales—great for validating product ideas.

7. Listings with the “Best Seller” badge are proven performers. They have consistent, high-volume sales—great for validating product ideas.

Okay, so we’ve figured out which products have done well in the past—thanks to the Best Seller badge.

But what about what’s hot right now? That’s where we move into Step 2.

Step 2: The "Add to Carts" Badge: The Key to Real-Time Demand

1. Why This Matters:: Reviews can be months old. But the “Add to Carts” badge shows what shoppers are interested in right now.

1. Where to Find It: Look above the listing title—it shows how many people have recently added the item to their carts.

2. If You Don’t See It:

   • Try viewing the listing in Incognito Mode. (Right-click → Open in Incognito Window)

   • Add the product to your own cart—this sometimes triggers the badge.

3. How to Read It:

   • Listings with 20+ Add to Carts are 🔥 HOT

   • 15+ is still solid.

   • No badge? Likely low current demand.

5. This gives us a real-time pulse check on what’s trending and what’s in demand today.

Case Study: What if We Find No Competition?

If we find no competition, there are two possible scenarios:

• Scenario 1: No Demand (Red Flag)

  • The worst-case scenario: nobody wants our product.

  • This is the most likely outcome if no one is selling anything similar.

• Scenario 2: Untapped Opportunity (Proceed with Caution)

  • The best-case scenario: we've found a unique opportunity.

  • This is more likely if similar products exist, but our specific idea is unique.

For example, consider funny teacher shirts. We find lots of "funny teacher shirts" with different sayings, but we don't find our specific funny saying. This could be an opportunity – people want funny teacher shirts!

It's important to still use trending fonts, colors, and styles, and put our own spin on what's already working. Even without direct competition, some data supporting demand is crucial.

Tapping Into Your Shop’s Full Potential

Believe it or not, some of your next best listing ideas could actually be hiding in plain sight—right inside your own Etsy shop data.

For the first time ever, our platform lets you go beyond sales volume and actually see which listings are bringing in the most profit. And that’s a game-changer. Because here’s the truth: just because something is a top seller doesn’t mean it’s a top profit earner.

With our platform, you can sort your product listings by true profit, not just revenue. This gives you clarity on which products are truly worth doubling down on.

Real Example: Inspiration from What’s Already Working

Let’s say you sell a cozy hoodie with a cute Labrador dog design—and it turns out this listing is your #1 profit earner. Great, right?

But here’s where the data gets powerful. If that one Labrador hoodie is doing so well, have you tried applying that same style to other dog breeds?

What about Golden Retrievers? French Bulldogs? Dachshunds?

This is how data can spark creativity. You already know the concept works—you just haven’t scaled it across other customer segments yet.

Integrates Seamlessly with Printify & Printful

And the best part? ProfitTree works hand-in-hand with your favorite print-on-demand tools. If you’re using Printify or Printful, ProfitTree pulls in the cost data automatically.

So whether you’re testing a new mug, shirt, or hoodie design, you’ll know exactly what your margins are—before you spend time scaling it out.

Want more sales from your Etsy ads? Sign up for free Etsy Ads Masterclass and learn how to run profitable ads without wasting money.