If you're a small business owner making handmade goods, specialized, or vintage items, selling on Etsy might be one of the best options for your business. Etsy is one of the top online marketplaces in addition to Amazon, eBay, and Walmart.
However, unlike other eCommerce platforms, Etsy focuses exclusively on offering handmade, artisanal, vintage and custom products.
Source: Statista
Etsy is a leading platform for custom goods because of its ability to bring together small business owners or stay home moms who offer one-of-a-kind uncommon goods. Customers frequently use Etsy as a source of finding and giving personalized gifts. Many people visit Etsy specifically to discover vintage items that can't be found elsewhere on other marketplaces.
Although Etsy is not a marketplace for mass-produced goods, it does have sellers who offer small runs of manufactured goods. That said, a staggering 95% of Etsy stores are run by solopreneur who works from home.
That means Etsy sellers are mostly solopreneur and it's one of the best place where you can start your online store without having to build one or finding motivated buyers on your own.
In this article, I will give you a step-by-step guide on how to start selling on Etsy. By the end of this article, you will know everything that is needed in order to open up your own Etsy shop and start making sales.
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Step 1: Set up Your Etsy Account
To become an Etsy seller, you must register an account first. You may do this by going to the Etsy homepage, finding the Sell On Etsy link at bottom of the page, and then selecting Open Your Etsy Shop from the top right-hand corner of the page. You'll be guided through the process of entering your email and password first then setting up your store settings including your language, location, and currency type.
Once done selecting the previous options you will be prompted to choose a shop name in this area. This is where you can get creative and use your current company brand name or come up with an entirely new, inspired brand name if this is your first time selling anything. But remember the name of your Etsy store should be between four and 20 characters, without spaces or special characters.
After you have come up with a clever and unique store name, click the Save and Continue button to move on to the next step.
Step 2: Setup Your Store
Once you completed the steps for choosing your store name as well as your location and currency, the next step is choosing a shop title for your store. The title of your store is different from the store name by the fact that it is a short description of what your store sells. The title should be informative, short, and on-point and it will affect your store's SEO ranking so be creative and right to the point.
Source: Etsy Shop (Bonvevi)
Setup External links:
Once you are done setting up your store title, you may feature external sites of your social media pages that allow you to share your products using social media. If you are consistent with sharing your products via social media like Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok you can generate some extra sales for your store for free.
Message to Buyers:
The next step is to write an instant message that will be sent to each buyer. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and/or your team. You can also include an automatic coupon which will encourage them to buy from you as well. It's a great marketing tool.
Shop announcement
The shop announcement is a great way to inform all of your potential customers about any relevant information regarding your store. You can use this section to inform them of any changes, sales, or promotions that you are currently running. This is also a great place to put an FAQ if you think it would be helpful for your customers.
Step 3: Select Payment Method for Your Store
The next step is choosing your payment method. You'll need to choose a payment method for your Etsy store before you can add any listings and start selling. Also, you need to provide your personal and business information in order for Etsy to verify your information.
You can offer your customers the ability to pay via PayPal or through Etsy Payments when they complete a sale with you. Etsy Payments is the most popular payment solution for those selling on Etsy, as it is easy to use and allows you to be paid in a number of different ways.
If you're using Etsy Payments, then you can accept payments from credit and debit cards, PayPal, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and Etsy Gift Cards. There is a fee for using Etsy Payments, which is currently a set rate plus a percent of the total sale price of the item. For US-based sellers Etsy charges 3% + $0.25 per transaction.
Step 4: Setup Your Shipping Profile
After you have chosen your payment method, the next step is to setup your shipping profile. When setting up as a seller on Etsy, it’s also important to set appropriate shipping fees. You may want to consider factors such as whether you’ll be shipping your products only within your country, or also internationally to buyers in other countries. If so, you’ll want to make sure that differing shipping fees are accounted for, including duty and shipping processing time.
You can offer your customers different shipping options, such as standard shipping, expedited shipping, or express shipping. You will also need to specify the estimated delivery time for each type of shipping option. Be realistic.
After you've completed all of this, it's time to start listing your items on etsy.
Is there any cost to becoming an Etsy seller:
No, it is completely free to set up your account and store on Etsy. There are many benefits to selling on Etsy, including the ability to reach a large audience of potential customers, as well as the ease of use and lack of upfront costs. But there are Etsy fees you need to be aware of before you start selling on Etsy.
However, for each item you want to sell on Etsy, there is a listing fee of $0.20 per listing you have to pay up front. Your listing will remain active for four months and you can set up automatic renewal for each item when you list it.
Each time the product is renewed automatically you will be charged another $0.20. Then, when one of your products is sold, you'll be charged a 6.5% transaction fee as well as 3% + $0.25 for payment processing costs together.
Step 5: Create A Great Listing for Your Item On Etsy
Listing items on Etsy is very simple. You can list an item individually or create one listing for multiple variations under one listing as long as they fall under the same type of product. For example, if you're selling handmade journals that are all the same but come in five different colors, you just need to create one listing and add all the variations under the same listing.
Here are the steps for listing an item on etsy.
Write An Appealing Title for Your Product:
The title is the first thing potential customers will see when they find your product in a search, so it's important to make it count. Write a title that includes some keywords for your product, as well as makes someone want to click on it.
For example, “To My Wife Handmade Leather Journal – Engraved – Perfect For Gift – for Anniversary Birthday Graduation”. Be clear and concise and think of what type of keyword your potential customer might search on Etsy in order to find your product on Etsy search.
Take Eye-Catching Pictures for Your Product
Photos are a very important part of your product listing on Etsy. They help to show customers what your product looks like and can help persuade them to make a purchase. When you're taking pictures of your product, be sure to use good lighting and consider using props or backgrounds that will enhance the look of your product.
Be creative and try to take a few different photos of your product from different angles. You can even try using close-up shots to show details that may not be visible in the overall photo. Remember, the goal is to make your product look as appealing as possible!
Etsy also has an option for you to add a product video that showcases how your product looks in real life. If you can add a video for your product, it will increase your sales and conversion significantly.
Choose The Right Category & Subcategory For Your Product:
When you list your product on Etsy, you'll need to choose a category and sub-category for it. There are a few different ways to do this, but the easiest way is to start by searching for similar items on Etsy and seeing which category and sub-category they're listed under.
This can help you to get an idea of where your product should be listed. If you're unsure of which category to choose, you can always choose one that's close to the category you think your product belongs to.
Add A Brief Description for Your Product:
Add a brief description of your product to help customers understand what it is and what it does. Write in a clear and concise way that will make someone want to learn more about your product.
You can also use this space to add any special features or details about your product that may not be mentioned in other parts of the listing. For example, if your product is made from recycled materials or if it's hand-painted, be sure to mention that here.
Add Tags for Etsy SEO Optimization:
Tags are another important part of your product listing on Etsy. They help to identify your product and can also help potential customers find your product in a search. When you're adding tags for your product, be sure to use a variety of different keywords that your potential customer might be searching for.
You can add up to 13 tags per listing so use up all of them if possible.
Add Inventory Quantity and Pricing for Your Listing
When you're adding inventory quantity and pricing for your Etsy listing, be sure to provide accurate and up-to-date information. This will help customers know how much of your product is currently available and also how much it costs.
Add Variation and Personalization If Applicable
If your product offers variations such as more than one color or size, be sure to list add it in the variation section. If the customer can customize your product the way they want turn the personalization option on.
Choose Your Shipping Profile & Hit Publish:
Once you are done adding all the details for the product select the shipping profile you added earlier and then hit the Publish button from the bottom of the page. Once you hit the publish button your product listing will be live and buyable.
If you are not ready to publish yet, you can save the listing as draft by clicking the “Save Draft” button from the bottom of the page and come back to it later and publish the listing when you are ready to launch.
Now that your listing is live let me show you how you can get some visitors to your etsy shop. I will show you how you drive free and paid traffic to your etsy listings fast to get some instant result.
Marketing Your Etsy Listings:
Now that you have your listing live let me show you how you can get some quick sales by using simple marketing strategies. I will show you how you can pay up to get fast result as well as how to build your social media presence to build a long term brand recognition.
Let's get to it
Turn On Etsy Ads:
When you're listing your product on Etsy, one of the best ways to get traffic to your Etsy shop fast is by turning on Etsy Ads. Etsy Ads are a type of advertising that allows you to promote your product to a wider audience within Etsy Platform.
Turning on ads is very simple, here are the steps:
- Go to the Marketing Tab from the left-hand side
- Click on Etsy Ads
- From there select your daily budget as low as $5 per day and turn on your ads
Ads are the best way for you to attract the Etsy buyer who goes to the platform directly to discover new prouct ideas.
Promote Your Items Through Pinterest:
Pinterest is one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. You can create and promote your listings through Pinterest for free. In fact you can integrate your Pinterest account with your Etsy shop by clicking the integration button and then by clicking the pinterest app from the page.
Many big Etsy shop owners drive a lot of traffic from Pinterest becuase Pinterest is like Google Search Engine with pictures. If you want to attract serious buyers from Pinterst then create beautiful pins consistently and share them and build an audience overtime.
Promote Your Listing On Instagram:
If you're looking for another great way to promote your Etsy listing, Instagram is a great option. You can create a profile for your Etsy shop and then post pictures of your products on Instagram. Make sure to use hashtags so that potential customers can find your product.
You can also use Instagram to drive traffic to your Etsy shop by promoting your product through Instagram Stories. You can add a link to your Etsy shop in your Instagram Story so that potential customers can click through and purchase your product.
Conclusion:
Now that you know the basics of how to sell on Etsy, it's time to put what you've learned into action! In this guide, we have walked you through each step of setting up your product listing and driving traffic to your shop.
The best way to get started is by turning on Etsy Ads and promoting your listings through Pinterest, Instagram and Etsy Ads. By following these steps, you'll be on your way to selling success in no time. Thanks for reading.
Written By: Mohammed A Sarker
Founder of Wize Marketer
