How to Setup an Etsy Shop and Succeed

Etsy is an online retail community just like eBay only that it focuses on vintage or handcrafted commodities. Most of the goods sold there are in the jewelry, arts, crafts, housewares, artisan candies, baked goods, or paper-goods categories. For an item to qualify as vintage it must be at least 20 years old and can be anything from photos, costumes, housewares, jewelry, and clothing. Etsy provides a great avenue for you to sell your homemade goods—but that’s not all. You can find a limitless number of items on Etsy that will help your home business.  

For instance, if you use The Happy Planner, Filofax, or Erin Condren to schedule and organize your life or business, there are downloadable stickers and inserts that you can buy and use in your planner. If you need promotional items that have your logo on them; there are a good number of Etsy sellers that can make custom swag for you. They will not only make coffee cups and pens, but also cosmetics, jewelry, bookmarks, and pretty much everything with your logo and name on them. For a very long time, most artisans and craftsmen sold their commodities at open markets, fairs, and on consignment.

Although the Internet widened their market, most craftsmen did not want to go through the trouble of creating their own ecommerce platform, website, or credit card processor just to sell goods online. Sure, eBay and maybe other e-commerce DIY sites might have helped with the situation, but Etsy offered a platform designed specifically for craftsmen.  

Etsy makes it easy for each seller to create an online “shop” with total e-commerce capabilities with the easy-to-use setup wizard. It is a simple, affordable, fast, and convenient way of reaching customers. Creating an Etsy storefront will cost you $0.20 for every item listed. For instance, if you sell handmade baskets, and you list four of them (of the same kind), the cost will be 4 x $0.20 = $0.80. In addition, you will be charged a 3.5 % transaction fee. If you decide to use the “Direct Checkout” feature, you will be charged a 3% fee for each transaction.

If you compare the total cost of creating a website that has a shopping cart and acquiring a merchant account (which also involves processing fees), Etsy is way cheaper. Decide what item you want to sell. If you deal in crafts, you might already have an idea of what you want to sell. You can sell multiple products. However, it is advisable to start with one type as you learn. Set up an Etsy account.

The first step is coming up with a username. Make sure it represents your product and at the same time remains open in case you decide to expand your product line. Set up and stock your shop. When adding your products, remember that great photos and product descriptions are important. Price your items wisely too. Provide excellent customer service. You want the buyers to leave nice reviews. When a product is in demand, keep the supply steady to build a lucrative home-crafting business. Posting a standalone video on YouTube can help promote your business. Unlike Snapchat videos and Instagram stories that expire after a short time, evergreen videos on YouTube are there to stay and can be used as a reference and even be distributed on any platform.

You may include a FAQ video link on the about page of your Etsy shop or have a short DIY and share it on all social networks. Creating videos featuring your production process, your products, and helping customers connect with you on a deeper level, bridging the gap that exists between small craft retail and the cold nature of online retail. YouTube videos also widen your market hence more customers.

The following suggestions will help you make an amazing first video. If you are just starting your video channel, a quick introduction gives the viewers context. In a minute or two, tell them who you are, where you are based, what you sell, and the story of how your business came to be. Do not be afraid to share the video on all your social networks, encouraging your followers to subscribe to the channel. Take a step further and have this introduction video link in your press pitch emails.

Consumers are more compelled to buy a handmade product more when they learn and respect the creative process. Capture the parts that make up your product in various stages. For instance, capture the entire knitting process of a hat from beginning to end. When you list a new product in your shop, consider posting a release video to generate a buzz and attract your customers’ attention.

Share relevant details about your product to spice things up a bit, share the story of what inspired its production or what is so special about it. Any online seller who has been in the business long enough knows that very few shoppers read written FAQs and policies. Use the video as an opportunity to address a few common questions. Use interesting visuals and sound effects to keep them engaged.

A video of your product being used in context will also show the function of the item clearly and allow customers to envision themselves using it. Do enough research on your target market to find out how buyers are likely to use the product. This will help you present your product perfectly and answer relevant questions. Original instructional videos will attract viewers and encourage social sharing. Think of content that complements your products and brand in general; for example, a “quick tips” series on maybe styling your pieces. Short “How To” is also well loved by viewers.

Storyboarding is the primary element in shooting a tutorial video. It does not have to be complex; a simple listing of what will happen in the video is enough. The shorter the video; the better, speed up or trim long, boring steps. The video should be clear. Zoom in where necessary so viewers can properly see the finer details. Experiment a little with various styles and be keen on statistics to see how the videos are doing.

Be true to yourself and your business in order to create compelling content. All new sellers are faced with the question of how they can increase views and purchases on their Etsy shop. There is no secret shortcut, but the keys below will do the job.  Sell something that you love; you should love and believe in whatever you are selling. As a new seller, you probably have other commitments. If you sell what you love you will be motivated.  

Get inspired; what would you love to have but can’t find it out there? Read lots of blogs and magazines to see what people are buying and wearing then check on Etsy. The aim is not to copy another seller but to inspire ideas. Do research; what is that great product that very few people (or none) are selling on Etsy? Bringing something different to the market will make you stand out.

Get found; Usually, buyers stumble on your shop from a product listing through search. It could also be featured elsewhere. Having more items increases your chances of being found. How many items? What you sell is the determinant here. If your items are time-intensive and expensive then you will most likely stock fewer items. Look at shops that are successfully selling what you are selling. The number of items they have in stock should give you a rough idea. Start with what you have; even if you have only one item, go on and list it.

Do not sit around waiting to build an inventory. Creating more merchandise and adding more products should be an ongoing goal, not a requirement for getting started. Looks are everything; captivating photos will attract shoppers from search results and even enable your product to be featured on Etsy and all over the Internet. Take the click ability test; Try searching for your product and evaluate the other products on the page. Which photo makes you want to click on it?

Is it yours? If not, learn something from those that make you want to click on them. Bring your product to life; since a shopper can neither see nor touch your item, let your photos communicate all the details to them. Search suggestions; try to figure out what shoppers are searching for. Type your item into the search box with vintage, supplies, or handmade selected. The words and phrases that appear are customers’ popular searches.

Improve your chances; utilize all your tags by entering popular phrases and keywords likely to be used by buyers. Let your titles contain a lot of accurate and descriptive terms. Bonus key, ship internationally, sell all over the world; selling globally increases your chances of selling. Let more people find you. If you want to appear in searches by shoppers from other countries, make sure your product ships to their country (include the destination “Everywhere Else”).

Do not let international shipping intimidate you. It is not difficult. On your shipping carrier’s website, you will get the average rates for shipping “Everywhere Else”. In conclusion, get rid of policies that are not working.  Ever since Apple launched the iPhone eight years ago, the world has seen a mobile revolution that has completely changed how humans interact with their environment.

Mobile apps continue to become a huge part of day-to-day life. Mobile devices contribute to more than half of traffic to Etsy and shop owners are keenly watching. Tammy King from Our Vintage Bungalow realized that this is a trending source of traffic that she cannot overlook. She started visiting her shop using her phone as a buyer in order to see what they saw. Just as you take your shop image and branding seriously, you should do the same about your mobile presence.

Going by mobile shop trends, chances are that shoppers come across your shop as they browse the Etsy app. The tips below, therefore, will help you make a great impression on shoppers. Shopping on a mobile device mostly involves discovering new products and shops as you browse. A shopper starts out the shopping journey on one device but ends it on another, according to the Group product Manager for Mobile at Etsy, Arpan Podduturi.

It is likely that a shopper browses the app as they commute and then comes back later when they have decided to make a purchase. On Etsy, they may prefer a shop or save it for a later time. Enticing photos and a captivating about page will draw their attention. Looking at her shop in the Etsy app, owner of Menemsha Jewelry, Menemsha Abeyasekera, knew that something needed to be done about the photos. Your first photo on every listing should communicate to a potential customer what the item is. Among the many things that a buyer is likely to see first is the photo; make it a good one. It should be of high impact and quality.  

The listing page space on a smaller device, like a phone, is way smaller than on a desktop display; use the small space wisely. Roy Stanfield who is a Senior Product Designer at Etsy gives insight on a method that he uses with his team to make design decisions. Consider the most important details of your product and list them.

Your title should be brief and every crucial detail about your item should be at the top. That is the first thing a buyer will see. Mobile visits are increasing, and they will continue to be, according to market trends. Mobile should be part of your workflow now, just as it is Tammy’s. She advises that part of your everyday job should be making your shop viewable on the Etsy shop. Checking your mobile storefront regularly will help you make necessary changes. It, therefore, goes without saying that you must have the Etsy app on your phone. Shop Stats shows you how many of your views are from a mobile device.

Monitoring and comparing trends let you know whether your listings are drawing mobile shoppers. Check the stats after tweaking titles or images to see if there are changes. Experimenting, as always, will help you know what works and won’t for your shop.   Most Etsy sellers strive to be found in search by online shoppers. This is a problem that can be easily fixed with time and a little know-how. During the process, think like a buyer. Step 1: Include Attributes In Your Listing; every relevant attribute should be included in the listing. Choose the category that best suits your product in each listing.

Depending on the selected category, you can add more attributes to the products like size, color, and whether it can make a great gift. Step 2: Brainstorm Keywords and Phrases; always start with keywords and phrases that the buyer is likely to type in while searching. All your tags, titles, and description should answer each of those questions. Etsy search bar could help you track what shoppers are searching. Type in your item in the search bar; the words that will show up in the drop-down are the words popularly searched by customers.

Include the relevant ones in your listing. Try the same with any synonyms you can think of and good keywords that you can find in your listing’s description. Do not repeat an attribute that is already on your listing in your 13 tags.  

Step 3: Apply Search Terms to Your Listings; work your list of keywords and phrases into your product listing. Create Powerful titles; your titles should be buyer-friendly, enticing and have meaningful terms that shoppers are likely to enter while searching. The most important search terms should be at the beginning of your listing. Just because you have your main category included in the title (like vintage, supplies) does not automatically increase your relevance in search for the said items. Nevertheless, it communicates to the shopper. Experiment with words in your title to see which one has a positive effect on your conversion rate. Maximize your tags; use your keywords and phrases in all the available tags. Diversity matters; similar items should not be named the same.

Diversify to target many kinds of shoppers. Your most important terms should be in both your tags and titles. Check your statistics to track your results.  The information will help you improve your tags, titles, and description. A lot of hits with no sales mean you are probably optimizing for the wrong keywords. If the search terms are yielding results, do not make major changes abruptly.  

According to Etsy search algorithm, when a shopper favorites, clicks, or purchases a product after coming across it on search, the listing’s quality score improves. Encouraging shopper interaction will improve your listing quality. Clear product photographs make a shopper want to click for a closer look.  Always double-check to see that your shipping profile is complete to accurately represent your processing times. Also, tell your story in the about section and shop policies. Look for people to help with search terms and improve your ranking.