What can I sell on Etsy
You can only sell handmade, vintage or craft supplies on Etsy. Handmade items must be made by the seller, or designed by you (even if they are created with the help of an outside manufacturer). Check out Etsy’s handmade policy for more information.
Vintage items must be at least 20 years old, and craft supplies are defined by Etsy as materials, tools or ingredients intended for creating new handmade items.
How much does it cost to sell on Etsy?
It’s free to join Etsy and set up your shop, but there are fees when you start listing your items for sale. It costs £0.13 for each listing added to the marketplace, the transaction fee on a sale is 3.5% of the sale price, and if you choose to accept payments via Etsy’s Direct Payments system, there is a 4% + £0.20 payment processing fee for each item sold.
How can I promote my Etsy store and attract customers?
Sell products that you love - having a passion for what you're selling is important in making other people fall in love with your items too! Learn to take great pictures and improve your chances of getting found by adding great product titles, descriptions and tags. Also consider shipping internationally to enhance the reach of your items. And, of course, a little hard work and dedication never did any harm! Check out our interview with an Etsy seller to see her secrets for success.
Update your shop policies and profile
The “Policies” and “Seller Information” section of your Etsy profile is the place to answer buyers’ questions, define the rules for your shop and can help build trust with your customers. Your profile page is also important as it personalises you and your store – people often want to know who they’re buying from and the story behind the items you sell. Handily, Etsy have guides on creating policies and profile pages.
Don't forget Title, Description and Tags
These are important for getting your products found on Etsy and in search engines such as Google. The title should be an accurate description of your item and include relevant keywords such as “t-shirt” or "jewellery".
The description is also worth putting some effort into as it gives you a chance to talk directly to your customers in your own voice, tell a unique story about your item and answer any questions customers may have.
Tags are also a great place to include relevant keywords about your item - these are the words your buyers would use when looking for your item, so make sure you get specific! Keep in mind things like texture, style, size and colour.
Take great pictures
Words can only do so much to describe your handmade, vintage and craft goods. You need quality pictures to get your items noticed, shared on social media and to show off their true worth. For each listing, you have one main photo and space for four additional photos, which means you can include different angles of the item you’re selling.
To get great pictures, choose a background that will complement your item, use the macro mode on your camera to get close-up shots if photographing small objects, and avoid using flash mode. Also use props to show the scale and size of items like jewellery, and if your items can be worn, consider using a live model.
Don't ignore your shop stats
Once your Etsy shop is set up and you’re starting to get visitors, you can start to see your shop stats. By going to Your Shop > Shop Stats you can see what items are bringing people to your shop, the most viewed items and the keywords being used to find your items in Etsy Search.
Pay close attention to this information as it can help you see what’s working and what isn’t. For example, if customers are mostly visiting a certain type of product but there is a limited number available, you may want to create more to meet demand, and make more sales!
Delivering your items
With there being a listing fee, a transaction fee and a payment processing fee for selling on Etsy, you need to choose a delivery method that’s affordable and going to satisfy your customers both in the UK and abroad.
My Parcel Delivery provides an easy way to compare parcel prices for the delivery of your items. You can even save up to 75% compared to Royal Mail, and there is a wide choice of next day, same day, 2 day and international delivery. See how it works or click below to get a delivery quote.
