If You'd Invested $10,000 in Etsy 5 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • In the past five years, investors would’ve been much better off owning an ETF that tracked the S&P 500.

  • 2025 is shaping up to be the fourth straight year that Etsy's gross merchandise sales decline.

  • 10 stocks we like better than Etsy ›

During the depths of the pandemic, Etsy (NASDAQ: ETSY) was booming, as spending activity on its online marketplace soared. Growth was through the roof, which sent shares higher. However, the company has struggled in recent years.

These days, investors have every reason to be dissatisfied with this business. If you'd invested $10,000 in this e-commerce stock five years ago, here's how much you'd have today.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Etsy shares have lagged the overall market

Etsy was once a darling on Wall Street. But this positive momentum seems like ancient history. That's because the stock has nosedived 47% in the past five years (as of Oct. 7), a disappointing showing that would've turned a $10,000 investment into $5,300 today.

The S&P 500, on the other hand, doubled during that period.

Gone are the days of huge growth

Etsy benefited tremendously from the COVID-19 health crisis, but it was a temporary phenomenon. Once consumers returned to their normal shopping patterns, it created a headwind for the business.

The company has been having a hard time growing. It handled $12.3 billion in gross merchandise sales on the platform in the last 12 months. This was 9% below the total from 2021, indicating falling buyer interest for the unique products Etsy offers.

Shares now trade at a cheap valuation, which might be enticing for contrarian investors.

Should you invest $1,000 in Etsy right now?

Before you buy stock in Etsy, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Etsy wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $663,905!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,180,428!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of October 7, 2025

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Etsy. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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