Anyone looking to capitalize on their own creativity will want to take a closer look at Etsy. This e-commerce marketplace gives people a way to sell their unique handmade goods to the masses. Best of all, you don’t have to be tech-savvy to start selling on Etsy. Opening an Etsy shop is a surprisingly easy process.
How to Open an Etsy Shop
The first step to selling on Etsy is to create an Etsy account. Once you’ve done that, click on your profile in the right hand corner and select “Sell on Etsy.” After that, click “Open Your Etsy Shop” to get started.
From here, you’ll be asked to provide some basic information about your shop, such as the country your shop will be based in and your shop currency. When those questions have been answered, you can name your shop.
The name of your shop will be the name of your business, which is why you’ll want to select your name with care. You’ll need to pick a name that is 4 to 20 characters long and is not in use. Try to pick a name that’s suitable for the business that you want to create. If you’re not happy with the name you choose, you can always come back and change it later on.
Selling Products on Etsy
You can sell three types of products on Etsy: handmade items, vintage goods, and craft supplies. While you can sell a wide range of crafted items on Etsy, there are some products that are prohibited, such as alcohol and drug paraphernalia and items that promote violence.
Aside from those restrictions, what you sell on Etsy is only limited by your own creativity. You could sell paintings, handcrafted jewelry, knitted items, and so much more. When you’re starting a new shop, you may want to offer a few different types of items so that you can see what is popular with customers.
To start selling your goods, you’ll need to create unique product listings for each item that you want to sell. You’ll also need to take photos that showcase the product. Photos should be well lit and should show the product from different angles. Etsy allows you to upload five photos in total.
After that’s taken care of, you’ll need to provide more information about the product so that customers can find the items that you’re selling. You should select a category for the item and create a detailed product listing. Take a look at the product listings on successful Etsy shops so that you can get a better sense of what you should be doing.
You’ll also need to choose a price for the item. The price should be low enough to attract customers, but it should also be enough to cover the cost of labor and materials. If you’re not sure what you should price your items at, it’s a good idea to check the price point of similar items being sold on Etsy.
The basics of opening an Etsy shop are easy, but growing your shop can be a lot more difficult. You may want to experiment with special promotions or try promoted listings to get attention. If you’ve created great products, and you put effort into your Etsy shop, you can expect to see success in time.