If you love fine art, interior design, unique clothing, or unique creative items, chances are you’ve heard of Etsy.
Etsy stores offer a wide variety of original and distinctive items, ranging from oil paintings to vintage jewelry. Since most commerce today is focused on mass-produced disposables, Etsy is a “refreshing break from the norm.”
If you have special skills or a passion for creativity, opening an Etsy store is a great opportunity for you to make money online. The total sales of sellers on Etsy in 2022 was $2.3 billion. Needless to say, this platform is an incredibly efficient way to make money doing what you love. Keep reading if you want to learn more about how to start your own Etsy shop and what it takes to be successful.
Who can sell on Etsy?
Etsy is perfect for anyone with creative skills or crafts that they would like to monetize. For example, if you’re passionate about t-shirt design, you can use Etsy to list and sell your items. Etsy is primarily a place where people sell vintage handmade or designer items.
Anyone can create an Etsy shop freely as long as they follow the basic guidelines. Etsy Seller Policy prohibits the posting of vulgar or obscene content or anything that could be construed as discriminatory. As long as you can follow these rules, you’re good to go.
How much does an Etsy store cost?
Here’s the best part: opening your Etsy shop for free. However, once you get started, this comes with some costs:
- Ad Fee: Etsy charges you $0.20 for each item you list on your store. This low cost is the main attraction for selling on Etsy. This fee will give you four months before the item needs to be updated. If you’re selling a product that comes in multiple varieties, you can create a single listing for it. For example, if you sell a purse in a different fabric or color, you can make one listing for that item. You will be charged a $0.20 auto-renewal fee each time an item sells.
- Transaction fee: The seller is responsible for a 6.5% transaction fee whenever a sale is made.
- Shipping Labels: As a seller, you will be required to purchase shipping labels. The cost will vary depending on your choice.
- Advertising Campaigns: As a seller, you can set up an advertising campaign with the desired budget. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you will be charged.
- Production Cost: The remaining cost of your Etsy store depends entirely on the type of item you are selling and the associated costs for materials, production, etc.
What can you sell on Etsy?
Categories: Etsy has a huge selection of categories and subcategories that you can list products under. These categories include jewelry, apparel, home decor, events, toys, art, crafts, and vintage items.
Each of these categories has several subcategories to choose from. For example, if you create handmade dolls, you can list them under the subcategory “dolls and figurines”. Whatever your craft, Etsy will likely have a category for it.
Print on Demand: If you are a visual artist and are just starting your online business, you may not have enough products to fill your store. Luckily, Printful has an Etsy integration to solve this problem. This website allows artists and designers to sell their art on walls, clothing and home decor. They print and ship these items whenever you receive an order.
To use Printful, all you need to do is connect your Etsy store, list products from Printful, and start selling your products. When you receive an order, Printful is notified. The company then prints your design and sends it to the customer. This eliminates the need to purchase a large inventory and allows you to expand your product line.
How do I open my own shop on Etsy?
Create a seller account: Visit the Etsy website and click Sell on Etsy. Then select “Open Your Etsy Store”. Provide a valid email address and your name to open your store.
Choose your store name: Your store name should be as creative and unique as possible, as no two stores can share the same name. If the name you want is taken, Etsy will offer alternatives. In addition, your name may not infringe on an existing trademark.
Customize your page: Etsy offers a service via a template that costs $15 per month. With Pattern, you can customize your store as much as possible. You can find all customization options in the Etsy website editor. In addition to the home page, you can add an About page, contact page, event page, and gallery page to your store. Use the Template Control Panel to customize the font, accent colors, theme, branding, cart style, and more.
List Your Products: Once your store is set up, you will need to list your products. To list an item, log into your account and click “Store Manager”. Then click “Ads” to add a new ad. Once you add the list, you need to:
- Add product photos.
- Select your thumbnail image.
- Add detailed product information.
- Add your price and stock quantity.
- Set up delivery.
- Publish the list.
Decide on your payment method: In order to get paid, you need to set up your payment method. Russian sellers can use Paypal or other alternative methods.
Set shipping rates: Set shipping rates on your listings to save time. Do a little research on which shipping methods work best for you and your time frame. Be sure to stock up on the appropriate supplies to ship your products.
Advertise your store: The best way to advertise your store is through social media. If you’re photographing your products for listing, you already have the content you need. Create social media accounts for your business and post photos of your products. Refer your followers to your Etsy store to increase your traffic.
Etsy Store Management
Customer Service: Customer service can be a challenge for new business owners. The best thing to do is to respond quickly, acknowledge the customer’s concerns and work towards a solution.
You can save frequently used phrases as templates in your customer emails to make communication quick and easy. Etsy also provides helpful customer service tips for new store owners.
Use the App: The best part of making money from your site is giving you the freedom to work from anywhere. Use the Etsy app to keep an eye on your store while on the go. The Etsy app is available for both Android and iOS devices.
Customer Reviews: Etsy customers can leave reviews of your store based on their experience. Be sure to check out these reviews to see if you have any areas that are missing. You can send thank you emails to customers who leave positive reviews. If a customer leaves a review that you think is inappropriate, you can report it for research.
Product Availability: Always remove products that are no longer available. If you specify a specific number in stock, it must be accurate. Likewise, if you list certain colors as available, make sure you have those colors in stock.
Make your store stand out
Complete your profile: Similar to social networking sites, you must complete your store with all the details. This means creating an informative “about the company” page so that your customers can learn about the person behind the creation of the product. You may also want to consider uploading a profile picture to your merchant profile.
You should choose an appropriate Etsy shop profile photo and cover photo to make your shop stand out. Sellers often choose to post pictures of their products. Consider creating a logo for your store using graphic design software. There are many tools like Canva that will let you design your free logo online.
Choose a Theme: One of the easiest and most effective ways to make your store stand out is to choose a theme. With Pattern, you can choose from many beautiful themes to make your store stand out.
Categorize your products: Keep your customers happy by creating clear categories. If you are listing multiple types of products, be sure to categorize them accordingly to keep your store organized.
Use cohesive photography: Using high quality photos for your ads is incredibly important. Make sure the photo style matches all of your ads. This will make your Etsy store aesthetically appealing to your customers. It’s also wise to include a few pictures with each listing, paying particular attention to the details of your items.
Thank You Letters: If you pack and ship items yourself, it’s easy to include a thank you letter in your package. This is an easy way to personalize your store. Thoughtful gestures like this one can help win loyal customers.
Quick tips for success
Use marketing tools: Etsy provides marketing tools and advice to its sellers. For example, you can easily make a social media post from your seller page. Connect your social media accounts by going to Store Manager – Marketing – Social Media.
Once you’re ready to post to social media, you can click “Compose Post”. With this tool, you can post your latest listings, latest achievements, sales and coupons, great reviews and store updates.
Give gifts: Whether your store is new or existing, promotional gifts are good anytime you want to grow. Giving gifts increases your visibility and gets people talking about your business. This is where your social media comes in handy. All you have to do is create a post with a picture of the product you would like to donate. Next, list the requirements to participate in the prize draw. The general requirements are:
- “Like this post”.
- “Go to this page”.
- “Share with a friend”.
- “Repost this photo.”
Take quality pictures: Using a professional photo for your items allows you to look collected and stand out from the crowd. If you have the money, hire a professional photographer or virtual assistant to take pictures of your products. If you’re not ready for this step, most iPhones come with excellent cameras. Make sure your photos have clean backgrounds and great lighting.
Pay attention to what’s on sale: Keep track of your sales and note what works well, what doesn’t, and at what time of the year certain products are gaining popularity. Customize your store to represent what sells best.
Use Help Desk Professionals: Running a business can be tricky, so it’s important to be confident. Etsy has an incredibly detailed help section for sellers. All you have to do is enter your problem into the search bar and there are usually several articles related to the topic. If you cannot find an article in the help section, you can contact a specialist to help you. Contact Etsy support for help via phone, email, or live chat.
Check out the Etsy forums, if you need advice from other sellers, you can find it here. The Etsy forums are full of helpful tips from successful Etsy store owners. Etsy forums are great for learning about marketing, customer service, photography tips, and more. If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for, you can create a discussion thread. The Etsy forums are very active, making it a great resource for sellers.
Conclusions
Starting a new business venture can be intimidating. This is doubly true if your business is based on unique handicrafts. The good news is that Etsy has a proven model for allowing creatives and crafters to succeed in business.
Opening your store is fast, easy, and affordable, so all you have to worry about is creating great products. Take advantage of the helpful resources that Etsy provides and learn the ins and outs of running a business. With these tools, you will be making money from your passion in no time.
