Selling Handmade Items on Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace which allows you to sell handmade items, vintage items which the company describes as and item at least 20 years old, and art and craft supplies. According to Wikipedia, it was started in 2005. It has grown quickly and encouraged the handmade movement. One may find hundreds of thousands of listings, if not more, at any given time. With Etsy, you are allowed to sell handmade items made by you, vintage items at least 20 years old, or supplies. There are no fees to have a storefront, you simply pay per item listing fees, and minimal sales fees if the item sells.

 

Opening a store is easy, all you need is a computer and valid credit card. There is no software to download, everything is very easy to use and there is a plethora of information on Etsy to guide you along the way. Once you "sign up for Etsy", by choosing a user name, and providing some information, you can sell by attaching a credit card to secure any billing fees incurred (payable monthly).

 

Billing includes a small listing fee, as of now, only twenty cents per item which gives you a four month long listing and the ability to add five photos. There is no fee to "have a shop", you simply pay the per-listing fee and a small fee when your item sells. Currently set at 3.5%, these are some of the lowest selling fees on the market right now, making Etsy an attractive place to sell your wares.

 

Before you open an Etsy store, make sure to read their online information on "How to Sell" and tips and tricks in their forums and in their "Storque" blog. You will be glad you did as there are many secrets to being a successful seller, some of which includes proper category listing, tagging your items properly, and good photographs.

 

Once you have already setup your account and you have opened at least one shop, you can now start setting up your storefront. You can do this by clicking the link that says "Your Etsy" and then the link to "Appearance". You can put up a banner for your shop so if you do not have one yet, make sure to make one as this can be the trademark of your shop. If you do not know how to create a banner, you can check out some tutorials online on how to do it or find someone who can do it for you at a small cost.

 

After putting up your banner you need to create a Shop Announce, this is where you will be introducing your shop to your target market.

 

You should also fill up the sections for the Shop Policies to let your prospective buyers know about your shipping, handling and return policies. Lastly, you will need to create your "Shipping Profile". This will cover both domestic and international rates for shipping.

 

If you are having a hard time, you can simply check out other sites for some ideas.

 

Once everything is setup, you can now start listing the items that you want to sell. Simply click on the link "List an Item" and you can now get started. When creating a title for your items, you can use Google Search and find a keyword for it. This is to make sure that your items are easily found by your prospective buyers. Make sure to be specific and include measurements and colors of the item to provide more information to your buyers. You can also tag your items depending on the color and its use for easier searching.

 

After that you can now start uploading images for your item. This is important as this is how your buyers will see your item so make sure to take a good shot. As much as possible, make sure that the image can show more details of the item so that buyers can take a good look at it. Do not be contented with just some cheap shot as this may affect the impression of the buyer on your items. You can take the shot in different angles but make sure that there is a close up shot of your item.

 

Once you have done all these, you can now start selling on Etsy. However, if you are still a little confused and you still need more information before you get started, remember that you can always do a research. You can find a lot of tips and tricks on how you can start a business on Etsy. Researching can also give you an idea on what is hit and trending in the market today. That means you will get more options when it comes to the items that you are planning to sell to your target market and your prospective buyers.