Interested to know how to open a shop on Etsy? Whether you may knit mats in your spare time, or design wedding invites for friends; Etsy is a great platform for you to start your online creative business.
When you open a shop on Etsy, it lets you join thriving communities of makers, curators, and craftspeople.
However, opening a shop on Etsy may sound daunting but you can do it following a few simple steps.
So, if you are interested in acquiring some knowledge regarding opening your shop on Etsy then this article is for you.
Here, in this article, I am going to wrap together what can I sell on Etsy, before getting started with an Etsy shop, and how to open a shop on Etsy.
Here, I am going to provide a few simple steps for you that help you to start your shop on a single day!
Table of Contents
What Can I Sell on Etsy?
Etsy is a unique marketplace for vintage goods, handmade products, and craft supplies.
Before you go forward to start your Etsy shop, you should learn what items you can sell on this platform. These include:
Handmade products:
Handmade products are those items that are made or designed by you, that means the seller.
This means fully hand-crafted items such as knitted scarves, spun pottery, and more. it also includes things that you design and produce with a production partner for manufacturing.
Vintage products:
The vintage items must be 20 years old. vintage items include clothing, electronics, housewares, and more. if any item is less than 20 years old, you can not sell that piece on the Etsy platform.
Craft Supplies:
Craft supplies include tools, ingredients, and materials whose main focus is to create an item or throw a special occasion. These craft supplies can be handmade, vintage, or commercial. you can also sell party supplies as craft supplies.
Before Getting Started With Etsy Shop:
Design:
I am assuming that you already have a variety of products but it’s worth mentioning that branding is everything.
If you want to start your first Etsy shop then you should consider branding. You can hire a graphic designer to do it and create your product levels or purchase a template from Etsy.
Photos:
You may have worked so hard to create your products and to level them, so you need to be sure that the photos display the effort.
You can also hire a professional photographer to take images of your products.
Otherwise, you can use sunny windows and portrait mode on your phone for taking images of your products on a white background.
Banking:
To make it easier to file your business taxes, you can create a separate bank account.
You can use this bank account to handle all of your Etsy expenses and transactions. Thus, you can put every business expense in one place and not mingle with your money.
Packing material:
Etsy buyers expect quicker shipping of their packages. So, you need to keep all of your shipping material ahead of time.
These materials include boxes, packing tape, biodegradable packing peanuts, and shipping labels. While you will regularly make sales, you can consider branded boxes and a thermal label printer.
How To Open A Shop on Etsy
1. Create Your Etsy Account:
To create a seller account, you must first have a consumer Etsy account. Then navigate to “Sign in” at the top right corner. Then a dialogue box for credentials will open.
Then click on “Register” if you do not already have an account. Then you will receive an email asking to confirm your account.
After signing in, next to the top right corner you will see a shopping cart. It is a grey circle with a silhouette on it. When you click on the circle you will have a drop-down menu.
Here, you can find an option “Sell on Etsy”. After landing on the “Sell on Etsy” page, you can find the black “Open your Etsy shop” button below the banner.
2. Enter Your Shop Preferences:
Here, you can enter your shop preferences, shop currency, shop country, language, and whether your Etsy shop is your full-time income or not.
When finished, you need to click on “Save and continue” in the bottom right corner.
3. Name Your Shop:
You can name your shop with 20 characters or less, and your shop name must be unique to other shops.
Your Etsy shop name may only have unaccented Roman letters and numbers without space. You need to enter the proposed name of your shop that you want and then click on “check availability”.
If you are not sure about what to name your shop, Etsy will provide you with some tips on what you can name.
Once set, you can only change your Etsy shop name only once. So you must choose very carefully. after deciding on a name, click on “save and continue”.
4. Create Your Listings:
Now, you have to create your listings. Etsy recommends having at least ten different listings for a greater chance of visibility.
Your listing includes:
- Photos: At least one photo of your item is mandatory, and you can add up to ten photos.
- Videos: A quality video of your product can stand your product out from the competition.
- Listing Details: the list is the title of the product, which includes who made it and who made it. It also includes whether the item is digital or physical, a detailed description, the material used, and tags.
- Inventory and Pricing: what is the price of your Etsy item? You need to consider the cost of materials, labour, shipping cost, as well as shipping materials. If you decide to offer free shipping then build it into your product price. also, if you follow the best manufacturing process then you must consider a SKU.
- Product variations: If your product has multiple sizes and colours then you should list them here, personalization. If you offer personalization on your product then choose “on” otherwise select “off”.
5. Input Your Payment Setting:
Etsy is interested to know your tax filing status. So, Etsy will ask you the first question under the payment setting whether you are an individual a registered legal entity, or a sole proprietorship.
If you choose individual, or sole proprietorship then provide your country name, full name, address, phone number, date of birth, and last four digits of your social security number.
Otherwise, you need to enter the name of a legal entity, legal business address, state, business registration number, and EIN.
Here, Etsy will ask who is the owner of the business. You will be required to provide the full name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your social security number.
6. Enter Your Credit Card Details:
You will require a credit card to pay for Etsy bills. You need to input your credit card number, expiration date, full name on the card, and CCV.
You can sign up for Auto-billing and Etsy will automatically bill your card on the first of the month when you pass your free threshold. Otherwise, you can pay anytime from the first to the 15th of each month.
You need to pay these three main fees as an Etsy seller:
- Listing Fees
- transaction fees
- payment processing fees
7. Open Your Shop:
After entering your credit card details, the “open your shop” button will turn black. You can click on it. Great! your shop is open. Now you can share your Etsy shop with your friends, family, and followers.
8. Update Your Bio:
By adding an attractive Biop and photo, you can show your customers the creativity behind the shop. this is a place where sellers like to share their inspirations for what they do.
For example, if you open your shop to raise money having a cause then just say this to the customers.
9. Set Up Your Shop Policies:
This is one of the most critical steps in becoming an Etsy seller. You must create your policy section in such a way that it can help in the event of any dispute.
You want to anticipate any question a buyer might have to help eliminate any black-and-forth questions through chat.
Some of the essential elements of your Etsy shop policies include:
- Processing time
- Payment option
- Shipping policies
- Return and Exchange policies
FAQ:
How much does it cost to start an Etsy shop?
Ans: There are no such overall costs to set up on the site itself. You need to pay a small amount to list each item and pay the processing charges once your product has been sold out. You are not required to pay any amount to Etsy any monthly recurring fees to keep your shop running.
Is it free to open a shop on Etsy?
Ans: It is free to open a shop on Etsy. However, there are fees associated with listing and selling items on the platform.
What sells best on Etsy?
Ans: Some of the best selling items on Etsy are handmade jewellery, vintage clothing, art prints, craft supplies, handmade accessories, personalized gifts, and more.
Who pays for shipping on Etsy?
Ans: The buyer is responsible for paying the shipping on Etsy. The seller is responsible for shipping their sold items to the buyers.
Conclusion:
Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade items, vintage items, and artwork. opening an Etsy shop is free and easier. Etsy is a home to your handmade products. Here, you will not require your e-commerce website.
Here, I have provided all the required information on how to open a shop on Etsy. You just follow these steps and become an Etsy seller within a few moments.
