So you’ve spent quarantine getting crafty and want to share your creations with the world and maybe even make a profit? Etsy is here for you! You can sell everything from handmade crafts and vintage items to craft supplies others can use for their own creations. Follow these simple tips to set up your Etsy shop today.
The Basic Steps
Fortunately, Etsy makes the basic steps of setting up shop very simple and walks you through the process.
- Go to Etsy.com.
- Click the “Sell on Etsy” link, then click “Open your Etsy Shop.”
- Customize your shop's settings – things like language, country, currency, and other details are found here.
- Select a shop name.
- Start listing your products.
- Select your payment method.
- Include billing Information.
- Open your shop.
The Fees
Nothing in life is free, and neither is Etsy. The fees you will incur when setting up shop on Etsy aren’t astronomical but it’s good to be aware of them. The fact that it is free to set up your shop can be deceiving. After creating your shop, there is a $.02 listing fee per item. Keep in mind that one “item” can include various colors or patterns of one thing. For example, if you are selling NFL-themed face masks, you can list all 32 teams as one item. Each listing fee is for 4 months. In addition to the listing fee, you will be charged a 5 percent transaction fee for every item sold. Additional costs may include a promotional fee of $1 a day, if you choose to utilize that feature, 3 percent + $0.25 per transaction processing fee, and shipping costs.
Enhance Your Shop
The best way to recoup your fees is to make your shop as appealing as possible so you can sell all of your amazing creations. Take clear and enticing photos of your products, and write detailed, vibrant descriptions. Make sure to include a short bio about yourself and your shop. The more real you seem, the more you will appeal to shoppers.
Marketing
Utilize Etsy’s marketing tools and your existing social networks to market your products. Educate yourself on the ins and outs of SEO (search engine optimization), which uses specific combinations of words to boost your visibility on Etsy and search engines like Google.
When you’re all set up, get your original pieces organized and ready to ship to people around the world. Your next career may just be a few clicks away. For more tips on making it big, visit the Cadia Crossing blog.