Did you know that Etsy is one of the most popular online marketplaces in the world, with about 90 million customers and 7.5 million sellers? In the first half of 2022, the platform recorded revenue of 0.585 billion, a 10.63% increase year-over-year. Isn’t that amazing?
Etsy is a platform for artisans, vintage item sellers, and artists who wish to sell their crafts to their customers. It’s a unique platform that offers online shoppers the opportunity to find items that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
In this article, you’ll learn how to:
- Open an Etsy Account
- Create and Customize Your Etsy Shop
- Choose Your Payment Option
- Upload Your Products images
- Set Your Shipping Fee
- Promote Your Business on Social Media
Let’s get started:
1. Open an Etsy Account
To begin your journey on Etsy, create an account. To create an Etsy account, go to their website. On the homepage of the site:
- Click on the register button
- Key in your Email address, first name, and password
- Read through the terms and conditions and privacy policy of the platform. If you agree, then…
- Submit the data you have entered.
Once you’re done with this process, Etsy will send a verification link to the email you used for signing up. Click that link and complete the process, and you will have your account. Note that if you’re a buyer on Etsy, you can create another account to become a seller.
Account creation on Etsy is simple and shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Also, if you’ve created your account and didn’t receive an email, do well to check your spam folder. Otherwise, contact Etsy support for clarification.
2. Create and Customize Your Etsy Shop
Next step to sell on Etsy as a beginner, create and customize your Etsy shop. Once you’ve opened your account, proceed to create your shop. Click on either “sell on Etsy” or “open a shop”. Once you click this, go to the shop page where you fill in your shop details, including:
- Your Shop Language
- Country or location
- Preferred currency
- Name of the shop
- Shop title
Shop Name and Title
Your shop name is essential when setting up your Etsy account, and it should be within the range of 4-20 characters. Also, your shop name should not contain special characters like commas, spaces, and numeric characters.
On the other hand, your shop title is a description of your shop, including the products you’re selling. The shop title should be brief and informative.
Remember that your SEO largely depends on your shop name and title. Ensure you craft a name that aligns with the products you sell.
Creating a User Profile
Your user profile is an excellent way to connect with your potential customers, reveal your brand and values to them, and build credibility for yourself. Add a photo of yourself as the store owner and write a compelling bio about your business.
Etsy allows you to include a maximum of 5000 characters in the bio. Also, ensure you include your social media links for customers who want a further connection with you.
3. Choose Your Payment Option
Once your store is set up, choose a payment option for your business. Enter your bank details and billing information for identification. Etsy also allows you to use PayPal on their platform.
Your customers can pay their orders through the Etsy payment service. Etsy uses this payment solution to accept money from buyers and pay sellers.
Etsy payment service is easy to use and allows your customers to use various payment options like debit cards, credit cards, gift cards, Apple pay, and others. Sellers who opt for this payment service pay a certain service fee, which varies by country.
Additionally, customers can make payments through PayPal, especially in countries where Etsy payment service is unavailable.
4. Upload Your Products' Images
Next step to sell on Etsy, upload your product’s image. If you’ve got products you wish to promote whether it’s a vintage item, handmade goods, or arts and crafts, now’s the time. The marketplace allows you to create a listing for each product.
You can add up to 10 images or one video for each listing. Your listing should also contain additional information like:
- Name of the product
- Product Description
- The product category
- The listing type
- The price of the product
Bear in mind though that the quality of your product image will considerably influence your customers’ buying decisions. This is because they cannot see, touch, or feel the product. Their evaluation of your product will depend on what they see in the image.
Hence, your product image should be a high-quality one. Also, make it catchy enough so your customers will avoid having reason to pass by and patronize your competitor.
5. Set Your Shipping fee
To begin selling on Etsy as a beginner, set your shipping fee right. Otherwise, you may encounter loss. Consider the countries or cities where you’ll be shipping your products.
For example, the fees you charge for international shipping should differ from those for local shipping. The international shipping fee must cover the duties and other payments for shipment procedures.
6. Promote Your Business on Social Media
Finally, to begin selling on Etsy as a beginner, promote your business on social media. When it comes to promoting your products and brand, never underestimate the power of social media. It’s an effective channel through which you can market your product.
Post the reviews of your satisfied customers, and enlighten people about your business. This will help you build credibility with your prospects. Remember to often share fun and engaging posts on your timeline. Otherwise, your followers may get bored and begin to unfollow you.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur who specializes in arts and crafts, Etsy is a good platform where you can promote your products. To begin selling on Etsy as a beginner, open an Etsy account, then create and customize your Etsy shop, and choose a payment option.
Once you decide on your payment options, begin to upload your products’ images and set your shipping fee. Finally, don’t forget to promote your business on social media—post reviews of your satisfied customers. This will help grow your business and bring other clients your way.
