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Etsy & Print on Demand Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms every Etsy and POD seller runs into — from fees and fulfillment to SEO and niches. 26 terms and growing.

Business model

Print on Demand (POD)A fulfillment model where products are printed and shipped only after a customer buys — no inventory, no upfront stock.

Competition (Saturation)How many sellers already target a keyword or niche — higher competition means harder to rank.
Conversion RateThe share of shoppers who buy after viewing your listing or shop — views turned into orders.
Evergreen NicheA niche with steady, year-round demand that isn't tied to a season or trend.
NicheA specific, well-defined audience or theme your products target — the narrower and clearer, the better.
Opportunity ScoreA single 0–100 rating that weighs demand, competition, margin and evidence to rank how promising a niche is.
Seasonal NicheA niche whose demand spikes around a specific holiday, event or time of year.
Sub-nicheA narrower slice within a niche — even more specific, usually less competitive and higher-converting.

Etsy SEOOptimizing your listings so Etsy's search shows them to the right shoppers — mainly via titles and tags.
Etsy TagsThe 13 keyword phrases per listing that tell Etsy what a product is about. Each can be up to 20 characters.
Long-tail KeywordA longer, more specific search phrase with lower volume but higher intent and less competition.
Search VolumeHow often a keyword is searched — a measure of demand for that phrase.
Title FormulaA repeatable structure for Etsy titles that front-loads the main keyword and covers buyer intent.

Etsy Transaction FeeEtsy's 6.5% fee on the item price plus the shipping you charge, taken on every sale.
Listing FeeEtsy's flat $0.20 USD charge to publish a listing, renewed $0.20 automatically after each sale.
Offsite AdsEtsy ads on external sites; when they drive a sale, Etsy charges 15% (12% for shops over $10k/year).
Profit MarginWhat you actually keep per sale after product cost, shipping and all Etsy fees.

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) PrintingA printing method that sprays ink directly into fabric, ideal for detailed, full-color POD designs.
Embroidery (POD)Stitching a design into fabric with thread — a premium POD option for hats, polos and hoodies.
POD Supplier / ProviderThe company that prints and ships your Print on Demand products, such as Printify or Printful.

Bella+Canvas 3001A lightweight, retail-fit unisex t-shirt (style 3001) that's a POD staple for soft, modern tees.
Comfort Colors (Blank Brand)A garment-dyed, heavyweight cotton t-shirt brand highly popular for premium POD listings.
Gildan 18000An affordable, heavyweight crewneck sweatshirt (style 18000) widely used for value-priced POD.
MockupA realistic product image showing your design on the actual item, used as the listing photo.

Etsy ListingA single product page on Etsy — its photos, title, tags, description, price and variations.
Favorites (Etsy Hearts)When shoppers save a listing by tapping the heart — a public signal of interest and demand.