Josh Cutler
With 46+ million active users spending billions of dollars each year, Etsy is a goldmine for online commerce.
The artsy online marketplace also has a distinct and dedicated consumer base, no monthly fees, and a plethora of selling tools – ideal for any creative company.
How can you know whether you’re selling the proper items on Etsy?
In this post, we’ll go over a brief primer on how to get started selling on Etsy, as well as some fundamentals for success.
Is Etsy the best place for you?
Choosing the right marketplace for your items may make or ruin your company. Pricing and audience are also important considerations. Let’s step back and examine what Etsy is all about.
What exactly is Etsy?
Etsy is a worldwide online marketplace for one-of-a-kind and creative items. They describe themselves as a “store offering handcrafted, vintage, personalized, and one-of-a-kind presents for everyone.”
People may use Etsy to purchase and sell unique products such as handcrafted presents, creative goods, antique treasures, and craft materials.
Who shops on Etsy?
The majority of Etsy’s customers are females between the ages of 18 and 35. Some older consumers choose to purchase crafts and materials on Etsy. For example, someone looking for one-of-a-kind jewelry and table décor for a bridal party or arranging a unique wedding may visit Etsy.
What are the most popular items to offer on Etsy?
Etsy’s major product categories include handcrafted things, vintage items older than 20 years, and craft materials.
The following are the most popular categories on the platform:
- living at home
- Collectibles and art
- Jewelry
- Clothing
What is the cost of selling on Etsy?
The following are a few examples of the most typical fees:
- $0 monthly charge
- Fee for listing: $0.20
- 5% transaction charge
- Payment processing fee: varies per region.
- Offsite advertising fee: 15% of credited orders
An Etsy selling tutorial in six steps
Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting your Etsy store up and running:
1. Open an Etsy account.
Register as an Etsy seller at etsy.com/sell, where you will be asked to provide your email address, name, and a secure password.
Validate your email address before going to your public profile (top right corner) and editing it. Your public profile is your chance to market yourself and directly engage with your audience.
Because Etsy is home to many small companies, its visitors often connect with heartfelt tales, demand unique branding, and exceptional customer service. Take advantage of the chance to tell your tale.
2. Open an Etsy store.
Now that you’ve registered, it’s time to start your Esty store.
Create an Etsy store by clicking on your profile image in the upper right corner > Sell on Etsy > Create an Etsy store.
Before choosing Save and proceed, provide the following information:
- Shop language (be cautious, since you won’t be able to alter it afterwards)
- Country of shopping
- Purchasing currency
3. Create an Etsy store.
Continue by following the on-screen steps to set up your Etsy shop:
Give your store a name.
Choose a distinct name for your Etsy business. This will be the core of your brand, so if you don’t already have one, spend some time coming up with one that’s catchy, current, and inspiring.
If your preferred name is already used, Etsy will provide some alternatives.
Include your listings.
Begin by creating listings for your goods. You may add as few or as many as you wish, but each will necessitate:
1) Photographic images
Include at least five images of your product from various perspectives and circumstances so that purchasers can view and fall in love with the product’s intricacies. High-quality photographs with a clean backdrop that emphasizes your item are preferred.
Don’t forget to tweak the thumbnail picture – this is what customers see first in the search results, so it should be clear, appealing, and captivating.
You may also include a 5-15-second product video, which is ideal for providing customers with a more in-depth description of your product.
2) Listing details
To precisely describe your items, optimize them for Etsy’s search engine, and sell them to your target audience, fill out the product title, description, and 13 applicable tags. You may also provide details regarding variants, materials, and customizing possibilities.
When creating your product descriptions, consider big-to-small – start with the big picture and then go into the specifics.
For example, if you were offering handcrafted shampoo for curly hair, you’d start with the main benefits (moisturizing, frizz-controlling, organic characteristics), and then go into more depth (suggested use, user reviews, ingredient lists.)
3) Quantity and cost
Add each item’s price, inventory count, and product SKU (if applicable). While cheap pricing aren’t the key motivator for Etsy consumers, you should still provide value (after all, Amazon Handmade is simply a click away!)
When you’re done, preview your listings and save them.
Choose your payment method
Enter your bank information to choose how you wish to receive money from Etsy.
Choose your billing method.
Enter your credit card information to decide how you wish to pay Etsy.
- Personalize your store
You may personalize your Etsy store to better represent your business and help your consumers.
To modify, go to Shop Manager:
- Title of the store
- Arrangement of Listings
- Shop emblem, profile picture, cover photo, and banner
- Announcement about the shop
- Story of the shop, video, photographs, and member profiles
- Policies in stores
When creating your Etsy shop, keep your audience in mind and ask yourself what will make locating your store, discovering your items, and becoming a client simpler.
5. Configure your Etsy fulfillment
When you create an item on Etsy, you are asked to define clear and realistic delivery expectations for dispatch origin, processing time, and postage cost.
Learn how to calculate shipping expenses.
Fast delivery is just as crucial on Etsy as it is everywhere else. What is more crucial is that the order processing and delivery timeframes are met. On Etsy, you may fulfill your orders in a variety of ways.
Etsy fulfillment in-house
In-house Etsy fulfillment entails personally choosing, packaging, and delivering items. Small Etsy merchants with modest order volumes should employ in-house fulfillment.
Amazon Fulfillment through Multiple Channels
If you utilize FBA to fulfill Amazon or Amazon Handmade purchases, you may also leverage its multi-channel shipping capabilities to send Etsy orders. Multi-channel FBA is an excellent approach to supplement your current fulfillment setup. However, keep in mind that non-Amazon purchases will incur extra fulfillment expenses.
Fulfillment is outsourced.
You may utilize an outsourced Etsy fulfillment partner if you don’t have the ability to fulfill orders in-house, you’re a medium-large Etsy merchant, or you don’t want to pay multi-channel FBA costs. They manage your Etsy orders’ distribution, stocking, picking, packaging, and shipping.
If you already use Deliverr, you may utilize a listing tool like Sellbrite to link your Etsy shop to Deliverr and enable 2-day delivery.
6. Promote your Etsy business
Finally, it’s time to start promoting your new Etsy site and drawing customers and earning purchases.
There are several strategies to promote your Etsy business, including:
- Optimizing your Etsy product listings for Google searches
- Running an Etsy advertising campaign
- Using Facebook and Instagram to promote things and connect to your Etsy business
- Joining Etsy groups on Facebook, Reddit, and other social media platforms
- Including quick delivery tags in your Google Shopping and Facebook advertisements
More information: How to Promote an Online Store
Finishing up
Etsy is a magical marketplace for consumers and sellers that connects one-of-a-kind and creative items with the right audience.
We hope that our guide to starting selling on Etsy has provided you with everything you need to get set up and selling on the marketplace.