Join eRank in welcoming today’s guest blogger: Jay De Souza from Jay’s Way!
Who the heck is Jay? He’s a graphic designer turned print-on-demand coach with 23 years of experience and a top 0.5% Etsy seller since 2013. He has built multiple six-figure shops and teaches others how to create designs that actually sell without the fluff. Jay currently lives on an island with sandy roads and no cars off the coast of Belize. He lives with his wife and their Great Dane. Jay strives to help people break free from toxic routines and build real freedom.
Learn more about Jay’s print-on-demand coaching group here
Q4 can be the best season of the year for Etsy sellers — but only if you don’t let your own head get in the way. Doubt will slow you down, stall your listings, and make you question every decision until you’ve wasted weeks you can’t get back. And, in Q4, lost time is lost money.
Contents
- Recognize the Problem for What It Is
- Replace Perfectionism with Action
- Scale the Smart Way
- Build Habits Now That You’ll Need Later
- The Mindset Payoff
- Final Word
1. Recognize the Problem for What It Is
Self-doubt isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be doing this. It’s just your brain trying to keep you “safe” by avoiding risk. The problem is, avoiding risk also avoids opportunity.
In POD, playing it safe looks like:
- Waiting to list until the design is “perfect”
- Sticking to the same old products instead of testing new ones
- Spending more time comparing your shop to others than actually building it
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone — but you can’t stay here.
2. Replace Perfectionism With Action
Perfection is the enemy of momentum. Successful POD sellers crush Q4 launch designs that are 90% ready, then tweak them based on real customer feedback.
Action steps:
- Set a 24-hour deadline for new designs. Once the time’s up, publish it.
- Use customer reviews to guide changes instead of guessing.
- Make a “Ready Later” folder for ideas you want to refine after the rush.
3. Scale the Smart Way
Throwing up 200 random listings isn’t a strategy — it’s chaos. Scaling smart means focusing on what’s already working and doubling down before experimenting.
And remember, everything sells in Q4. You don’t need to waste weeks cranking out “Halloween-only”, “Thanksgiving-only”, or “Christmas-only” designs that die the moment the holiday passes. It’s fine to weave seasonal touches into your designs if it makes sense for your niche, but do it in a way that can still sell after the date has passed.
Your real goal is to build an evergreen portfolio. That way, the boost your listings get in Q4 will keep carrying sales into Q1 while every trend-chaser is back in the Facebook groups complaining about “no sales” — again.
Some helpful tips for scaling:
- Take your top sellers and add variations (color swaps, alternate sayings, seasonal twists that still work year-round).
- If one mug design sells well, make it a t-shirt. If a hoodie’s a hit, try it on a tote bag.
- Keep your core products on multiple printers so you’re ready if one runs out of stock.
This way, you grow without overloading yourself with untested ideas during the busiest time of year.
4. Build Habits Now That You’ll Need Later
Habits are like autopilot for your shop. If you start them now, they’ll carry you through the Q4 chaos without you having to think twice.
Some habits worth locking in:
- 15 minutes a day checking orders, answering all of your customers’ messages, and tweaking listings if necessary (never touch a listing that is selling!)
- Weekly product research sessions to spot aesthetic trends early — but only apply the ones that make sense for your niche
- Creating templates and batch-creating mockups so you never have to start from scratch
5. The Mindset Payoff
Confidence isn’t something you wait to feel — it’s something you earn by showing up every day and proving to yourself you can do the work. The more action you take now, the less room there is for doubt to creep in when Q4 gets intense — and it can get intense.
Pro Tip: Etsy lets you create and save customer responses (“Quick Replies”) that you can send with a single tap in the app. Create the replies to your most-asked questions so you’re not re-typing the same thing 10 times a day or wasting time copying and pasting from previous replies. You’ll be able to reply quickly and confidently and save time when every minute counts.
Final Word
“You don’t rise to the occasion — you fall to the level of your preparation.”
— Anonymous
The sellers who thrive in Q4 aren’t lucky. They’re ready. Get your systems locked in now so you can spend December filling orders, not putting out fires.
