Start selling on Etsy – Guide and Tips

Start selling on Etsy. What is Etsy? Just like other shopping malls, people create, buy, and sell on Etsy. The only difference is that all sales on Etsy are done online. What can you sell on Etsy? Majority of what you can sell there are handcrafted products. Since it was created, close to two million people have been selling things on Etsy. Etsy also provides special training for buyers and sellers on their platform. With that training, you will understand the Etsy online market and know how to make sales there.

If you want to market your product to a lot of people at once, you should use Etsy. People from all over the world will see your products and purchase them. From artists to interior designing, everyone that makes handcrafted products can learn how to sell on Etsy. Before you decide to register and start selling on Etsy, you should consider the things listed below

What do you want to sell?

Even if you offer a lot of products for sale, it doesn’t guarantee that you would have high profits. You have to focus on only products that would make you earn high profits. On Etsy, you can check out products that are similar to what you make. Check their selling prices and compare them to your cost price. If the difference is much, it would be profitable.

Since some products can’t be sold on Etsy, make sure you take time to study their policy. Only original items are allowed to be sold on Etsy. They’ve banned the sales of fake items. Check out how custom hangtags can make it easy for people to identify your products.

Create your items well

Even though the majority of buyers on Etsy want cheap products, they want products of high quality. If you’re able to make and sell quality products consistently, you will have a lot of buyers. Even if your products are a little bit expensive, they would still purchase from you. Ensure that you use quality materials to make your products. As a newbie on Etsy, you should take time to familiarize yourself with the market. When you understand how things work there, you can proceed to start selling.

Check if it’s vintage

Etsy has a rule for vintage. Before you can call any product vintage on the website, the product must have lasted for a minimum of 20 years. If your vintage products are not as old as 20 years, they won’t pass the verification process. The condition of your vintage would determine if it will be verified.

Even if your vintage is old, it must still be in good condition. That is when it can attract buyers. Some people don’t mind spending a huge sum of money on old products that are in mint condition. What can you sell on Etsy? Some of the vintage products that you can learn how to sell on Etsy are fine china, jewelry, and books. They are the top things selling on Etsy. You can also sell clothes of any type. To make a profit from vintage items, you should only post valuable items. Do you want to customize your clothes and make them unique, check out this custom woven labels.

Work towards meeting demand

How much can you make on Etsy? Sometimes, the amount you can make depends on how you can cope with demand. Whenever you post a product, there is always a chance that the demand for it would be high. Even though you sell to the first buyer to make an order, you should have enough products to cover for the remaining orders. If your products become sold-out too fast, it might affect your reputation on Etsy.

Whenever you have high demand, you should make enough products to cover for each one of them. If there might be a delay in delivery, you should also inform your customers. To be on the safer side, you should even inform them before selling. You can even post a delivery policy. It would make potential buyers know how they will relate to you.

Identify your target market

While learning how to sell stuff on Etsy, you have to consider your target market. No matter what you’re offering for sale, you need customers. How does selling on Etsy work? You have to define a target market that would purchase your products regularly. If you’re selling baby items, the majority of the people that would buy from you are mums and toddlers. If they can’t get baby items around them, they would always visit Etsy to purchase from you. Baby items are one of the top things selling on Etsy

If you’re selling t-shirts, ball caps, and the likes, a lot of adults would purchase them. The majority of your target market would be adults between the age of 18 to 35. With consistency and web presence, your audience will grow. Your brand would also become more popular. Boost your business by making use of personalized woven labels.

Choose a good name

Whenever people see your online store name, they should have an idea of what you offer. Before you choose any name, you should search for the name on Etsy. You shouldn’t select a name that has been used by someone else.

If your best name idea has been used by someone else, you can add your name to make it different. Whenever you are the only one using a store name, your brand will be unique on Etsy. On Etsy, there is a handbook that gives guidelines on how to make huge sales. You should download and study it well.

Develop an attractive seller profile

When you just register on Etsy, your potential customers won’t know anything about you. You can only attract them with your profile. Make sure you include relevant details about you and what you offer. You can even snap your workplace and post. It would make you appear more real to your potential customers. You can also post the story of how you started sewing or designing.

With a good and attractive profile, you can attract potential customers to purchase from you. Whenever you’re learning how to sell stuff on Etsy, you should always consider how your profile appears.

Create policies and follow them

When you have a good reputation on Etsy, you can create policies and enforce them. Those policies should be for shipping, communication, and payments. Whenever you have first-time buyers, you should always treat them well. That is the way you can make them become regular customers.

When some of your products are yet to be delivered, you should create an email list and send them to your customers. The emails should contain reminder messages to reassure them of when they will get their products.

No matter what customers purchase from you, you should thank them. Customers give referrals. So they are important. You should also plan how to replace damaged products. Before you start selling things on Etsy, you should plan how to handle all those things. When good policies in place, your business will be protected and buyers will trust you.

Take note of your cost

Even though it costs nothing to register on Etsy, you can’t display items without paying selling fees. You are going to make different payments for listing your products, for processing, and for making transactions. That means you’re going to pay three times. For listing your items, you’re going to pay only 20 cents. The 20 cents would allow you to either list item for 4 months or until you’re able to make sales. For every sale you make, you’re going to be charged a 3.5% fee by Etsy.

If someone buys an item of $5 from you, a transaction fee of $1.75 would be deducted and you will still pay for shipping. There are two ways by which you can accept payment on Etsy. As you can be paid with PayPal, you can also be paid through Etsy payments. For receiving money on Etsy payment, a 3% fee would be charged. For processing the payment, you will also be charged 25 cents. On Etsy online business, all transactions are made in United States Dollars.

Make sure you’re paid

Since you register on Etsy as a seller, you aim to make sales. Even though Etsy is fun and you will get to meet people from all over the world, you won’t forget that you’re there to make money. Only secure payment platforms are used in Etsy. That is why you don’t have to worry about your transactions. Some of the payment platforms are Google wallet, Etsy gift cards, and the likes.

If you have a website, you should post the payment platform that you use there. If you do that, customers won’t be confused about how to pay for your products. On Etsy, your money will be transferred to your bank account immediately after your customer pays. So you can withdraw anytime that you like.

Verify your payment method

As stated earlier, Etsy has its payment method. It is called Etsy payments. If you’re a vendor on Etsy, you can safely collect money through Etsy payments. Even though buyers pay through PayPal, debit card, and the likes, you will receive your payments directly into your account. It would also be in the currency of your country.

Maintain a good record

Even though all your transactions are recorded on Etsy, you still have to keep your records. Records are used for filing taxes. To check if you have taxes to file, you should meet your accountant. You can also visit irs.gov. if you have taxes to file, you will see everything when you’re logged in on the website.

To set your business well and give it the right branding, you should register on corporate structure. If you’re new to Etsy online business, you can get advice and guidelines on internal revenue service. Even if you’re already experienced, you can still learn some things from them.

Set up everything and start

After studying all the tips discussed above, you can start selling on Etsy. To register on Etsy, you just have to follow the steps listed below:

– Visit Etsy.com and create a new account.
– Include details of where your shop is located. You can also make mention of your currency.
– After getting a good name and logo, post them. If you don’t know how to make your website, you should study the website of other vendors on Etsy. You will get enough clues and tips from there. Remember to always use a logo that will make you stand out. If you can’t create one, you can ask a graphics designer to make one for you. The logo should be simple. If it looks too difficult, customers won’t remember it easily.

To brand your product well, you must use a graphic that makes it easy for people to identify your products. For a better idea, you can surf Etsy and check vendors that make the same product as you. You can take tips from there and use them in making yours. Just remember not to plagiarize.

– You should create a list that your category suits. Examples of categories are clothing, living, party, entertainment, accessories, collectibles, vintage, and the likes.
– State how you want your customers to make payments.
– Since you’re going to pay Etsy fees, you should create a method of doing it easily. Even when you’re transferring from PayPal and the likes, you might be charged fees.

Advantages of making sales on Etsy

What is Etsy? Since Etsy is an online community, there is a chance for everyone to sell. Even crafters and small businesses can make huge sales. Unlike in the market space, competition on Etsy is not much. Within a few minutes, you can create an account and be selling on Etsy. Some of the best reasons why you should make sales on Etsy are listed below

To easily sell your products

How does selling on Etsy work? It doesn’t matter what you’re offering for sale. What matters is that you can sell well if you do things the right way. Some of the items people regularly purchase on Etsy are socks, lamps, drawings, and crocheting. You just have to find what you enjoy making. You’re going to be earning as you enjoy your hobby.

Make extra money with Etsy

Even if you have a lot of local customers that purchase from you directly, you can still sell on Etsy. The sales you make there will serve as an extra income to you. How much can you make on Etsy? It is important to know that the amount of time you dedicate to selling on Etsy will have a great effect on your sales. If you don’t have other sources of income, you can dedicate a lot of time selling on Etsy. You will make much more than people who use Etsy as an extra source of income.

Etsy can be easily used

It is easy to navigate on Etsy and view how everything works. Even without experience, you can register and create a store for yourself.