Etsy vs The Competition: What Your Data Says

How currency data reveals your biggest international opportunities

I was surprised to learn this about Etsy international sales: Most sellers I work with have absolutely no idea where their international customers are actually located. They know they ship "somewhere overseas," but that's about it. And this blind spot is costing them 30-40% in potential revenue.

The Challenge Nobody Talks About

Last month, I sat down with Sarah, an Etsy seller who makes custom leather journals. She'd been on the platform for three years and was doing decent numbers—about $8,000 a month. When I asked her about international sales, she gave me the answer I hear all the time:

"Oh yeah, I ship internationally. Probably like... 20% of my orders? Maybe more? I honestly don't know."

Here's the thing: Sarah wasn't being careless. She was just overwhelmed. Between fulfilling orders, managing inventory, creating new designs, and handling customer service, who has time to dig through transaction data? The Etsy dashboard shows you something, but it doesn't make it easy to understand your international opportunity.

So we pulled her data and ran it through our currency analysis tool. What we found changed everything.

What the Data Revealed (In About 60 Seconds)

Turns out, Sarah's international sales weren't 20% of her business. They were 43%.

But here's where it gets interesting. When we broke down the currencies, we discovered something she never would have guessed: Her top three international markets were the UK, Australia, and Canada. Not Europe (where she'd been focusing her Instagram ads). Not Japan (where she thought her aesthetic would resonate).

The UK alone accounted for 18% of her total revenue. And she'd been charging the exact same flat shipping rate for a package going to London as one going to rural Australia—which meant she was either overcharging some customers or eating costs on others.

This is the power of currency analysis. Your transaction data already knows exactly where your customers are. You just need to look at it the right way.

The Surprising Insight Nobody Expects

Here's what I've learned after analyzing hundreds of Etsy shops: Your international customer base tells you exactly where you should be doubling down—but most sellers are looking in the wrong places.

We see this pattern over and over:

When we dug deeper into Sarah's currency breakdown, we found that 76% of her international revenue came from just three English-speaking countries. These customers were already finding her, already buying from her, and already willing to pay international shipping.

The quick win wasn't expanding to new markets. It was making it easier for these existing customers to buy more.

Taking Action: The 3-Step Quick Win Strategy

After seeing Sarah's results, we've developed a framework we now use with every Etsy seller. I call it the "Currency-First Optimization" approach, and it's designed to get you results in days, not months.

Step 1: Know Your Numbers (5 Minutes)

Pull your transaction data and run a currency analysis. You need to know:

Our Etsy currency analysis tool does this automatically. Upload your data, wait 30 seconds, and you've got your answer.

Step 2: Fix Your Shipping (30 Minutes)

Once you know where your customers actually are, you can optimize shipping for those specific countries. Sarah made three changes:

  1. Created country-specific shipping profiles for UK, Australia, and Canada
  2. Adjusted rates based on actual costs instead of using Etsy's generic international rate
  3. Added estimated delivery times that were accurate for each region

This took her maybe 30 minutes. The impact? Her cart abandonment rate for international orders dropped by 23%. People were more willing to complete checkout when shipping felt fair and transparent.

If you want to go deeper on shipping strategy, I wrote a whole guide on analyzing your Etsy shipping data that breaks down exactly how to set this up.

Step 3: Speak Their Language (Literally)

Here's a tiny change that made a huge difference: Sarah updated her product descriptions to include measurements in both imperial and metric units. She added a line about international shipping in her shop announcement. She started using hashtags that were popular in the UK and Australia, not just the US.

These weren't massive overhauls. They were 15-minute fixes based on knowing exactly who was already buying from her.

Results and Lessons Learned

Sixty days after making these changes, Sarah's numbers looked completely different:

But the biggest win wasn't the numbers. It was the clarity. Sarah now checks her currency breakdown every Monday morning. It takes her two minutes. She knows exactly which markets are growing, which ones are slowing down, and where to focus her energy.

She's not guessing anymore. She's making decisions based on what her data is actually telling her.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

I've seen this story play out dozens of times now. Sellers who think they "kind of know" their international business discover they're sitting on goldmines they didn't even realize existed.

The competition on Etsy is fierce. Everyone's optimizing their SEO, improving their photos, running ads. But most sellers are completely ignoring their international data—which means there's a massive opportunity for anyone willing to spend 20 minutes looking at their currency breakdown.

Here's what I've learned: The sellers who win on Etsy aren't the ones with the best products (though that helps). They're the ones who understand their data better than everyone else.

And understanding your international sales? That's one of the easiest, highest-leverage insights you can get. You don't need to learn a new skill. You don't need to invest in new equipment. You just need to look at the data you already have.

Your Turn: Find Your Quick Win

If you're reading this and thinking "I should probably check my currency data," you're right. You should.

We built our currency analysis tool specifically for this purpose. Upload your Etsy transaction data, and in less than a minute, you'll see:

The insights are immediate. The fixes are fast. And the impact on your bottom line can be significant.

I've seen too many Etsy sellers leave money on the table because they didn't know where to look. Don't be one of them. Your international customers are already telling you exactly what they want—you just need to listen to what your data is saying.

Want more hands-on help with your Etsy analytics? Check out our analytics services where we walk you through your data and help you find opportunities like this. Or if you prefer to DIY, our tutorials break down exactly how to run these analyses yourself.

Either way, start with the currency data. It's the fastest path to your next revenue boost.

Ready to see where your international sales are really coming from? Try our currency analysis tool and discover your quick wins in under 60 seconds.