I've sold 4 items on Etsy, but I admit I do not spend a lot of time 'advertising' on there; don't have a blog, don't twitter, no Facebook etc. which is what they encourage sellers to do to drive business to your shop. It IS nice to refer people to my shop to view what I do have for sale. I've sold more outside of Etsy with most items being a special request after they've seen my Etsy shop.
There are a LOT of very successful sellers on Etsy, it can be done and they provide a TON of helpful information for every aspect of your business - give it a try, you never know! Good luck.