If your business has to do with handmade or vintage items, you should consider putting them on display on Etsy, one of the biggest marketplaces on the web. The platform has no lack of advantages. It brings together more than 80 million active sellers and buyers. Plus, it has a narrow niche specialization and is ridiculously easy to use. In this guide, we’ll look at how to start an Etsy shop and stand out among competitors.
Etsy is a US-based online marketplace which sells custom, handmade pieces and vintage goods. The platform is operating based on the C2C (customer to customer) and P2P (peer to peer) business models. Etsy offers a mind-blowing selection of original products, from postcards, to vintage brooches, to clothing, to paintings. Here are the main benefits of using Etsy to grow your business:
Large audience. As of 2020, the platform boasted 4.3 mln active sellers and 81.9 mln active buyers.
Global reach. In 2020, 36% of all purchases on Etsy were made by shoppers outside the US.
Seller protection policy.
Social media benefits. Etsy users can set up profiles, exchange private messages, add friends, etc.
The marketplace offers high-quality products in about 50 categories. Here are the top popular product categories on Etsy:
If you’re producing or collecting these items, you can’t miss the chance to start making money on Etsy!
Creating a seller account with Etsy is free and easy. Go to etsy.com and click Sell on Etsy in the top right corner.
When setting up your Etsy shop, you need to select a:
Add 5-10 photos of each item on your catalog. Here are some basic tips for creating successful photos.
Provide a detailed description of each item.
Provide shoppers with exhaustive information about shipping, including:
The About page is a simple and straightforward way to present your business to the audience. When writing about your business, avoid using dry facts and generic phrases. Use this opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality and uniqueness. Be sincere and honest with your audience.
Setting up your Public Profile on Etsy gives you an opportunity to personalize your business and forge an emotional bond with your audience. Tell your customers about yourself: Where do you live? What made you start your own business? What inspires you? Also, add a photo of yours.
Enter your credit card information and billing address. We’ll talk more about payment at the end of this guide.
When selling on Etsy, prepare to compete with thousands of other sellers that offer products similar to yours. Let’s look at the effective strategies that will help your business gain momentum and draw in customers.
What impression do you want to make on your audience? What sets your business apart from competition? To find the answers to these and other vital questions, you need to build a brand identity. A strong brand identity has the power to highlight your company’s personality and catch the attention of shoppers. To craft a strong brand identity, you need to have a good understanding of your business and target audience. To help you with this task, we’ve prepared some questions that you need to ask yourself.
The best way to visually express your brand identity is through your shop logo, color scheme, fonts, tone of voice, photography style, etc. All elements on your Etsy page must share the same visual style, creating a coherent image in the minds of customers.
If you want Etsy to rank your store higher in search results, you need to learn what keywords shoppers are using to search your business. Here are some of the ways to do that.
Use the keywords in:
Paid advertising is a surefire way to promote your shop on both Etsy and other online marketplaces. You can launch paid ad campaigns on:
Let’s see what else you can do to promote your store on Etsy.
Etsy uses Paypal for all payments which is a fantastic choice for Etsy store owners since it gives customers the ability to pay by credit card, bank account and even leveraging their cryptocurrency market holdings through the new Paypal Bitcoin payment options. It should be noted that Etsy’s Payment Policy varies across countries. The marketplace changes the following types of fees:
Think about how you’re going to ship your products. Choose a local or global shipping service that has a good reputation among sellers. Shipping costs can be paid either by the seller or by the buyer.
Also, don’t forget to set up how you want to receive your payment deposits. You can choose to get paid daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Starting to sell on Etsy is not tricky at all. Create a nice brand identity for your shop. Prepare beautiful photos and attractive product descriptions. Outline your shipping terms. Once your business is up and running, you need to update your product catalog on a regular basis, drive traffic to your shop, communicate with customers, and handle shipment and payment. We wish you loyal customers and tremendous success!