Etsy, one of the biggest online stores today, was once a small marketplace for handmade items. Now, it is where millions of shoppers come to find unique products, jewellery and wedding supplies to other goods that are handmade and vintage finds. Today, more than 5 million sellers reach out to nearly 90 million active buyers. It is the best platform to convert your passion into profit. Are you all set to start selling on Etsy? Here is your basic guide. You’ll find out how to create a store, publish your listings, control the charges, and improve visibility in the shop.
What Can You Sell on Etsy?
There are several categories that one can find for sale on Etsy.
- Jewellery: Several handmade and tailor-made jewellery are sold by people through the website of Etsy, such as rings, bangles, necklaces, etc. Mostly, these are characterized by different styles and prices.
- Wedding Products: For instance, gifts for bridesmaids, invitations and cake toppers are but some of the various products people purchase on Etsy. Most of the products are made-to-order and cannot be found in a general store.
- Handmade Clothes: Etsy sells some unique clothes. Consumers love the personal feel of hand-made clothing and often look for styles they cannot find in regular stores.
- Gift ideas: Many people visit Etsy to purchase customizable products. You can sell items such as customized t-shirts, wall decorations, or even precious jewellery.
- Homemade beauty products: Several people are looking for Etsy-made beauty items. The sellers sell cosmetics, skincare, and hair care products mostly prepared from quality or organic materials.
- Candles: These are candles of various designs and fragrances, perfect as gifts, and are significantly sold by sellers on Etsy at mostly affordable prices.
- Accessories: This category includes face masks, keychains, hats, and scarves. Thanks to Etsy’s customization feature, personal accessories are one of the popular items here.
- Old Items: Etsy is also a great place for old clothes, jewellery, and home decoration. Customers love old items that are not available elsewhere.
- Product with Zero Waste: Eco-friendly and recycled paper towels, deodorant, lotion, etc. are now highly found in Etsy. Users love eco-friendly products as it would lead to less and minimal waste.
Items Prohibited on Etsy
Etsy has strict guidelines on what you cannot sell. Prohibited items include:
- Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs
- Animal products and human remains.
- Hazardous materials and weapons
- Items promoting hate, violence, or illegal activity
- Pornography or adult content
- Services and rentals
- Metaphysical services (though some related items like herbs and candles are allowed)
Make sure you follow Etsy’s seller policies to avoid having your listings removed.
What is the average cost of selling on Etsy?
Before starting to sell on Etsy, know this about the fee structure:
Setup Fee: A one-time setup fee of $15 is required when opening your store.
- Listing Fees: Every time you list an item, a fee of $0.20 is charged. Listings are valid for four months or until the item sells out.
- Transaction Fee: On each sale, Etsy keeps 6.5% of the sales amount of your item, shipping, and even gift wrapping.
- Transaction Fees: These vary by region, based on how you pay. Find Etsy’s payment policy to get your actual fees for your shop.
- Off-Site Sales Fees: You sell off-site using a Square card reader from listings you have made on Etsy. Etsy charges $0.20 per listing, and Square has its processing fee on top.
- Currency Conversion: When you operate a shop in a currency other than your bank account, you pay the 2.5% currency conversion fee.
Advertising Fees: Etsy offers two ad types. You will pay $1-25 per day for onsite ads or get charged a 15% fee for offsite ads (reduced to 12% if your shop makes more than $10,000 annually).
Steps to Start Selling on Etsy
Create Your Etsy Account
First, you should register for an account on Etsy. Simply locate the “Sign In” menu at the very top right of the Etsy homepage and click “Register” to fill out the information. You’ll get a confirmation link in your e-mail; click on that. Proceed further to the drop-down menu next to your profile icon, choose “Sell on Etsy,” and select the option “Open Your Etsy Shop.”
Set Your Shop Preferences
Finally, configure your shop preferences: default language, country, and currency. And also, decide whether Etsy is going to be a full-time or part-time business. Click save and proceed when you are through.
Shop Name
Give your shop a name (20 characters or less). Etsy will tell you if it’s already in use. Select a name that is memorable and fitting for your brand, then click “Save and Continue”. You can change the name of your shop only once, so make a good choice.
Set Up Your Listings
It will also be advisable that you come up with a minimum of 10 listings to boost visibility. Add high-quality photos, videos (optional), detailed descriptions, prices, and shipping information. You can also set up product variations and personalization options. Preview and save each listing before proceeding.
Configure Payment Preferences
Choose if you are a vendor or a business and fill in your tax information, payment method information, and bank account information for the payments to be made. Etsy will use it to pay you all your earnings.
Credit Card Information
You can fill in the credit card information so that Etsy can charge for each listing and each transaction. The benefit is auto-billing so you don’t have to worry about paying a fee at the end of every month.
Open Your Shop
Then you need to follow all the steps given above and get started by clicking “Open Your Shop.” You have to then share your shop’s URL with your friends, and family, and share it on social media to attract traffic to your shop.
Updating the Bio and Policies
You have to update your bio about you and your shop. The shop policies on shipping, return, and different payment modes must be set up to avoid confusion and smooth transactions.
Conclusion
Selling on Etsy would be very profitable if done the right way. So, start with proper shop and listing settings, then the promotion of products. Though it is pretty easy for Etsy to open doors for its sellers, the achievement will only come about through constant improvement in your store along with trust among your customers. With a well-planned strategy and the right approach to your Etsy shop, you could make it a successful full-time business.
