5 Etsy Photo Mistakes Beginners Make (and How to Fix Them With a Phone and a Window)

• Video promise: You'll learn the five most common photo mistakes new Etsy sellers make and a simple fix for each one, using only your phone, a window, and a piece of foam board.
• Target viewer: Beginner Etsy sellers (25–45) running a side business selling jewelry, candles, or prints, who take their own product photos at home.
• Assumptions: You (the creator) present to camera and can film quick demo B-roll at a window. The fifth mistake (using too few photos) was my pick, since you listed four must-mention points. Your name and the details of your foam board switch are left as placeholders.

Hook options

Option A: Bold statement (~15 sec) "On Etsy, nobody can pick up your product. All they get is your photo. So if your photos look rushed, your work looks rushed, even when it isn't. Let's fix that today with just a phone and a window."

Option B: Problem/pain (~20 sec) ✅ Used in the script "You spent hours making it. Then you snapped a photo at the kitchen table, at 9 p.m., under that cozy yellow bulb. And now your listing has... zero favorites. Sound familiar?"

Option C: Surprising question (~15 sec) "What if the best photo gear for your Etsy shop is already in your house? Your phone. A window. And a plain piece of foam board. Here are five photo mistakes holding new shops back, and how to fix every one."

Why B: It drops beginner sellers into a moment they'll recognize right away, and the light humor fits your warm, no-hype style.

Full script

0:00 Hook

[COLD OPEN: close-up of a candle on a cluttered kitchen table under a yellow overhead light, shot on a phone]

SAY: You spent hours making it. Then you snapped a photo at the kitchen table, at 9 p.m., under that cozy yellow bulb. And now your listing has... zero favorites. Sound familiar?

[CUT to you at camera, next to a bright window]

Good news. You don't need a fancy camera. Today we're fixing the five photo mistakes I see new Etsy sellers make most, with just your phone and a window.

[ON-SCREEN TEXT: 5 Mistakes. 1 Phone. 1 Window.]

~0:25 Intro: why photos do the selling

SAY: I'm [YOUR NAME], and here on Crafted & Sold I help handmade sellers grow shops that actually sell.

Here's why this matters so much. On Etsy, a buyer can't pick up your earrings. They can't smell your candle or feel the paper on your print. Your photos do all of that work. They're your shop window, your packaging, and your sales pitch, all in one.

[B-ROLL: quick scroll through an Etsy search results page on a phone]

So let's go mistake by mistake. Pause and fix things as we go if you want. And mistake number one? It's the one I see the most.

~1:00 Mistake 1: Trusting a cheap ring light over your window

[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Mistake #1: The cheap ring light]

SAY: So many new sellers buy a cheap ring light because it feels like the "pro" move. Then the photos come out flat and a little blue. And if you sell jewelry or candles in glass jars? You get a glowing little donut reflected right in your product. Not cute.

[B-ROLL: a glass candle jar or shiny pendant showing a ring-light reflection. ZOOM on the reflection]

The fix is a window. Window light is soft, it's free, and for small products it usually shows true colors better than most budget lights.

[B-ROLL: same product by a window, side by side with the ring-light shot]

Here's the setup. Put a table right next to a window. Turn off every overhead light in the room, because yellow bulbs mixed with daylight make colors look muddy. Then shoot with the light coming from the side. Not from behind your product, and not from behind you.

[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Window to the SIDE • Overheads OFF]

If the sun is blasting in and making harsh shadows, hang a sheer white curtain, or tape up a sheet of parchment paper. Instant softbox. On the shadow side, prop up a piece of white card to bounce some light back in.

[B-ROLL: taping parchment to the window; propping up white card, with the shadow visibly softening]

Two quick bonus tips. Turn off your flash. And wipe your phone lens. Seriously. That lens has been living in your pocket with lint and cracker crumbs.

[B-ROLL: wiping the lens on your shirt. PAUSE for the laugh]

That one change can transform a listing. But great light on a messy background? Still a problem. Which brings us to mistake two.

~2:25 Mistake 2: A different background in every listing

[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Mistake #2: Random backgrounds]

SAY: Picture someone scrolling your shop. Listing one is on your wood table. Listing two is on a bedspread. Listing three is on... wait, is that the dog's blanket?

[B-ROLL: three mismatched product photos side by side. Pet blanket optional but encouraged]

Each photo might be fine on its own. But side by side, the shop looks random. Consistent backgrounds make your shop look like a brand.

The fix: pick one look and stick with it. It doesn't have to be fancy.

Last year I switched to a plain white foam board background, and honestly? My shop looked way more professional. [YOUR DETAIL: one sentence on what changed, like how your shop page looked afterward]

[B-ROLL: your shop grid before vs. after the foam board switch, if you have screenshots]

Foam board is cheap, easy to find at craft stores, and it doubles as that bounce card from mistake one. Lean one board against the wall and lay another one flat, or gently curve a single board, so there's no hard line behind your product.

[B-ROLL: overhead shot of the foam board setup by the window]

White isn't your only option. A light wood board or a plain linen cloth can work too. The rule is simple: same background, same light, same angle for your main photos.

[ON-SCREEN TEXT: Same background • Same light • Same angle]

~3:30 Mid-roll: free checklist

SAY: Quick pause. If you want all of this in one place, I made a free pr