Want to make money with the things you like to do? Starting a store to sell the things you make could be the best way to make extra money every month. Etsy lets you sell lovely art, warm blankets, and other things. However, how do you begin and be successful?
If you want to make extra money, Etsy can help you start your own business and sell your goods. Items of all sizes and types can find a big market!
Etsy says that in 2021, about 90 million regular buyers went to the Etsy marketplace.
That is a lot of chances, which is one reason why our friend Julie can make over $10,000 a year on Etsy by selling her prints.
It is not as simple as just putting a few things online, though. Some things need to be done before you can open your shop and start selling.
We will show you how to open an Etsy shop in this post. We will show you how to make your shop profitable and how to sell your goods.
Now that you are ready to sell, sign up for the free class below and keep reading to find out how to open an Etsy shop!
What Can I Sell On Etsy?
People on Etsy can sell things they have made themselves, things that are old, craft materials, and more. Setting up an online store is a lot like opening a physical shop.
Selling on Etsy has some rules, like items that are copies or fakes and animals or goods made from animals are not allowed. Other than that, there are a lot of things you can sell.
These are some ideas from the groups that sell the most:
Digital Goods
At this point in time, everything is very digital, and even work can be done from home.
That being said, what about fully digital goods?
I have to say that freebies are great for our Etsy shop.
Our printables are worksheets for planning, mostly for making a budget, cleaning, and getting everything in your home back in order.
Selling freebies on Etsy has helped us make a lot of money, and we really think you should give it a try.
Now we learned about printables from Gold City Venture. They have a free class going on right now that can teach you the basics.
Gold City has helped a lot of people make more money with handouts and boost their sales.
We have made a lot of sales, but I read one review from someone who is now making $450 a month from Etsy.
Printables are one type of content that could help you make $500 or more a month, even if you already have a full-time job.
Handmade
Things that are handmade are ones that you, the seller, made yourself. Handmade goods are things that you sew, paint, carve, create, or put together yourself from materials you have gathered.
People who run Etsy shops and sell handmade goods must follow certain rules. Among them are:
- All the goods are made by you, meaning they have a unique story and were not mass-produced.
- Disclose any production partners that may be involved during listing creation.
- Make sure everything about an item has been covered thoroughly, so customers know exactly what they will receive when purchasing from you.
- Use high-quality photos/video content instead of stock images or artistic renderings.
With these rules, you can sell more than just bath bombs.
Custom clothes, accessories, and wedding gifts like bows, t-shirts, and more are some of the most popular things that people make these days.
Vintage
Things that are vintage must be at least 20 years old and in good shape. As long as they meet Etsy requirements, these things can come from anywhere.
To sell vintage items on Etsy, make sure to:
- Include the item’s history in the listing description (where it came from, any interesting stories attached to it, etc.)
- Take clear and accurate photos that show any wear and tear, so customers know what they are getting.
Craft Supplies
People can make their own things with craft items, which are tools and materials. These are some types of craft materials that can be bought and sold on Etsy:
- Fabric
- Beads
- Stamps
- Yarn
- Paper
- Scrapbook
What Items Do Well in an Etsy Shop?
The most important thing you need to do to learn how to open an Etsy shop is to find out what kinds of things sell well there.
Some types of items always do well in an Etsy shop, like clothes, jewelry, and home decor, but you can be very creative with those types of items.
In an Etsy shop, though, some things sell better than others. Since tastes change over time, what is in style today might not be tomorrow.
Some things that tend to sell well in an Etsy store are the following:
- Vintage Clothing
- Jewelry
- Handmade Soaps
- Home Decor
- Artwork
How Much Does Etsy Cost?
You can open an Etsy shop for free unless you choose a paid membership plan. However, putting and selling goods on this online market costs money, just like any other.
The listing fee, the transaction fee, and the payment handling fee are the three main fees that Etsy sellers pay.
Listing Fees
When you put an item up for sale on Etsy, you have to pay a $0.20 selling fee. You only pay this fee once per item, not for every sale.
You will be charged a new $0.20 listing fee if you relist an item or choose to continue an old listing.
Etsy Transaction Fees
When your item sells, you are charged a 6.5% transaction fee of the sale price (not including shipping costs).
Payment Processing Fees
When you sell something on Etsy, they take care of all the taxes and transaction fees and process your funds. For every order, you have to pay a processing fee of $0.30 plus 2.9% of the total sale price, which covers freight and gift wrapping.
Other Etsy Seller Fees
On top of the marketing fees, transaction fees, and payment fees, Etsy charges the following seller fees:
The Etsy Payments fee takes a cut of your earnings every month if you use Etsy Payments to accept more credit cards and account payments from buyers. You have to pay any extra fees with your credit card at the end of the month, just like any other bill.
Insurance label fees: If you buy your insurance labels through Etsy, you will have to pay insurance label fees. The fees depend on where the package is going and how it is being shipped.
Selling things in person costs money. You can use the Square reader to sell your goods in person from your shop. Square and your Etsy shop can work together, and the renewal fee is only $0.20, no matter how many items you repeat.
Pattern fees: Etsy sellers can make a unique website with the Etsy Pattern tool. You can use the tool for free for 30 days. After that, you will have to pay $15 a month plus any applicable taxes. Teecows, Inc. is an Etsy partner where you can also buy a domain name. You have to pay a fee to register the domain name and use any Turo service.
You can put ads for your Etsy shop and items in it for a fee. One thing you need to do before starting the ads is set a daily budget for them.
Etsy Plus: Every month, Etsy Plus costs $10. With Etsy Plus, you can use the site tools to help your Etsy store grow and run better. There are still standard fees for Etsy Plus, even though it comes with Etsy credits, customized choices, and discounts.
How To Start An Etsy Shop
You can sell your hobbies and other things on Etsy by opening a shop. For your business to do well, you need to know how to start an Etsy shop before you start selling.
1. Plan Your Products/Offerings
You need to choose what you will sell on Etsy before you open an account.
You should think about what you want to make, how much you want to charge, and the type of people you want to get.
Any small business owner who wants to open an Etsy shop needs to think about and answer these important questions.
A search on Etsy can help you figure out what things are selling well and whether you can offer them to people who might buy from you.
Now is the time to start looking for things to sell if you sell used or old things. You could get things from yard sales, thrift stores, antique shops, and other places in your area.
If you are going to make your goods, you need to get the things you need right now.
2. Open Your Etsy Account
You can open an Etsy account once you know what you want to sell and have made a list of items you want to sell.
You need to sign up, choose a name for your shop, and set up your shop settings.
The process is pretty easy. Just go to Etsy and click on the “Sell on Etsy” link at the top of the page.
After that, the Shop Manager will ask you for some basic information about yourself and how you like your shop to work. To start an Etsy shop, you will need to come up with a unique name, pick a shop currency, and choose the country where your shop is based.
Etsy lets you pay in a few different ways, such as through PayPal, Etsy gift cards, or straight checkout.
Also, you will need a legal credit card so Etsy can charge you the fees for listing your items and making sales.
3. Create Your Brand & Logo
It is time to make your brand and image for your shop title after you have made an account and given your Etsy shop a unique name.
Brand and image are what people see when they visit your Etsy shop, so it is important to make something that shows who you are, what you sell, and your shop name.
Everything about your business should match your brand, from the colors and fonts you use in the banner to the pictures and text you use to describe your goods.
You can easily make a professional logo and brand name for your Etsy shop with Canva Pro. Making a brand for your Etsy shop is easy because there are options for everything from shop banners to product photos.
If you do not know where to begin, search Etsy and look at other shops to get ideas. Think about what you like and do not like about their brand and use that to help you make your own (but do not copy it).
4. Take Pictures of Products
You should now take pictures of your goods since you have your brand ready. If you want your Etsy shop to do well, pictures are very important. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
If you want your product pictures to look professional, they should be clear, well-lit, and sharp. Also, they should match the look and feel of your shop as a whole.
For every listing, you can add up to ten photos. Each item needs at least one photo.
There are a few places that can help you learn how to take great pictures of your products, such as this guide on the Etsy blog.
5. List Your Products For Sale
Once you have pictures of your items, you need to write down information about them so that Etsy users can find them in the search bar.
The information on your listings and product descriptions should be clear, to the point, and convincing. A good description is your chance to sell your items and persuade people they need what you are selling.
Possible buyers want to know about the item size, materials, shipping cost, country of origin, processing time, weight, and other important information. These should all be included in the descriptions.
For instance, if you are offering “party supplies,” be sure to state the exact sizes of the plates, banners, and other items.
You can use a writing tool like Jasper to help you write listing information and product descriptions that are clear and convincing. One of our favorite writing tools is Jasper, which we use to help us write descriptions of the things we sell on Etsy and in our Shopify store.
6. Make Sales & Get Paid
You can start making sales and getting paid once you have put your goods up for sale. Tell people about your Etsy store.
You should also post ads on social media and anywhere else you can think of to get more people interested in buying.
All of this is pretty easy to do on Etsy, and most payments are handled immediately. Etsy will let you know by email when someone buys something from your shop.
Etsy regularly sends your earnings to the bank account you use for your business. You can have Etsy send your earnings to your bank account, or you can keep them in your Etsy amount and use them to buy things soon.
7. Fill Out Orders & Ship
It is time to get your goods ready to ship after getting an order. The way you do this will depend on the goods you are selling.
For example, if you sell a real item, you will need to send it to the customer in a box. When you use the Etsy shipping labels option, you can print a shipping label right from the site.
After that, go to your Etsy account and print a shipping label. Protect the thing in its box and send it out as soon as you can.
You might want to offer tracking so that both you and your customer can see where the package is and when they can expect it to arrive.
Shop Ideas For You
Okay, now that you know how to make an Etsy store, let’s talk about some small business ideas.
Here are six ideas for an Etsy shop:
Printables
Customers can print out printables, which are either real or digital files. This means that you can make one design or sheet and sell it over and over again to make passive income.
Anyone who is artistic and good at design would love to have a printables shop. You will need to make some great patterns that people will want to buy early on.
Make sure there are clear pictures of your prints and details about the size and type of paper. Make sure it has a watermark on it though so people can not take your idea!
We learned how to sell handouts and sheets that help families stay organized and make budgets sell really well.
Gold City Ventures can teach you how to make printables. Right now, they have a free class to get you started.
Stickers
You can also make money on Etsy by selling stickers. You can make your own figures, draw characters from well-known fandoms, and do a lot more!
It is easy to make passive income with stickers because you can make a few patterns, print them out, and sell them over and over again.
I searched for stickers on Etsy to see what I could find. There are a lot of fall and winter stickers right now. But there are also a lot of stickers for grading (great for teachers!), as well as word stickers and meme stickers to help keep plans and budgets in order.
Jewelry
You can make rings, chains, earrings, and other jewelry. You can make one-of-a-kind items to sell on Etsy with wire, beads, clay, and other things.
It would be helpful if you sold different kinds of items so people could choose what they liked.
Another popular thing for Etsy shops to sell is old jewelry. To sell old jewelry, you will need to find nice pieces that are still in good shape.
Clothing
There is always a need for clothing, which makes the clothing area on Etsy a great choice. You can sell clothes for kids, babies, adults, and even pets! A great way to make extra money if you have a good sense of style is to open an Etsy shop and sell clothes.
You could also offer custom clothes, like screen-printed t-shirts, to make yourself stand out. To keep things easy, you can just put someone name on a shirt or make clothes by hand to sell.
Photos
You can sell anything when you are selling pictures. For your Etsy shop, you could sell stunning portraits, beautiful scenery, or fun action shots.
Homemade Crafts
Your Etsy shop is the right place for you if you like to make things like blankets, candles, soaps, and anything else you can think of.
I have seen enamel pins, cute toy animals, tasty baked goods, and more.
You can find things to make and sell on Etsy if you can bake, draw, knit, paint, or do anything else.
Creating Successful Listings
If you want to sell things on Etsy, the quality of your ads will be the most important thing.
If you want your shop to do well, you need to make sure that your entries are well-written, full of keywords, and easy to find in a search.
Have SEO Titles
It is important that the titles of your ads are SEO-friendly. If you use keywords in the titles of your listings, they will show up higher in search results. This means that more people will see your goods and are more likely to buy them.
To make titles for your Etsy items that are good for SEO, you can do a few things:
- First, make sure you use relevant keywords in your titles. These should be words that shoppers are likely to use when searching for the type of product you are selling.
- Second, make sure your titles are catchy and exciting. This will help them stand out from the competition and attract more attention.
- Finally, make sure your titles are concise and to the point. Shoppers do not want to read long, wordy titles; they want to know what the product is and how it can benefit them.
Stupid Simple SEO is a study that will teach you how to make SEO content, like titles and descriptions.
We signed up for the course to improve our blog, but we also learned how to write better names and descriptions for our Etsy printables.
Categorize Your Listings
You will have to choose how to group your listings, which can be hard because there are so many choices. Here are some things you might want to think about:
- What type of product do you have?
- What are the main themes of your Etsy business?
- What is the main selling point of your product?
- Who is your target audience?
You can start coming up with groups for your Etsy shop once you have answered these questions. You might want to make groups for different times of the year, events, or themes.
When you put your listings into categories, be as detailed as you can be. People will be able to find what they want more easily and get a better sense of what your store is all about.
Add Tags & Keywords To Descriptions
It will be easier for people to find what they are looking for in your Etsy shop if you tag and keyword your things.
When you can, you should use these terms because they are good for search engine optimization (SEO).
A tag is a word or short phrase that tells people about your thing. They need to be clear and not too general. Tags that work well for a shirt with a cat on it could be “cat shirt,” “black cat shirt,” or “cute cat shirt.”
Longer lines that tell more about your item are called keywords. They should not be too general and should be related to what you wish to sell. Words like “animal print blouse” or “casual wear top” could work well for the same cat shirt.
Price Your Products
Try to find a good price for your goods so that you do not charge too much or too little. Also, you should make sure that the price you set covers the time and materials you used to make the item.
Checking out how much similar things sell for on Etsy can help you decide how much to charge for your own. You can then set the price so that it is about the same as or a little higher than those other things.
You could also give deals to people who buy a lot of things at once or during sales. It could help you sell more items and earn more money altogether.
How To Optimize Your Etsy Shop
If you sell things on Etsy, you should make sure that your small business page is fully optimized so that you can get more visitors and sales. Here are some ideas for sellers on Etsy to make their shop better.
Learn About SEO
To get more people to see your Etsy shop, learn about SEO (search engine optimization). There are many great places to learn the basics of SEO, such as this guide from Stupid Simple SEO.
It is all about making your shop and listings search engine friendly so that people who are looking for something close to what you sell can easily find it.
There are many things you can do to make your shop more search-engine friendly. For example, make sure your titles and descriptions have the right keywords and that your pictures are properly tagged.
If you do not know where to begin, use Google to find out what SEO strategies work best for Etsy shops.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but you can get more people to visit your Etsy shop and make more sales if you learn about SEO and use the methods that work best for you.
Determine The Best Keywords
It can be hard to find the best searches for the things you sell on Etsy. You need to make sure you are focusing on the right keywords so that people can easily find your posts.
But do not use too many popular keywords, either. If you do, your items and Etsy business will get lost in the crowd.
Check out the shops of your rivals and see what keywords they use. You can also use eRank or Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find out which terms people are using the most.
When you have a list of possible keywords, type them into Etsy search bar and see how many hits you get.
That keyword is too popular if there are a lot of hits for it, and it will be hard for you to rank for it. That phrase would not help you if there are not enough results.
Create Very Detailed Listings
You will need to use the best keywords for your items in your Etsy sales once you know what they are.
There are three places you can put them: the title, the explanation, and the tags. Customers will be able to find your goods more quickly this way.
It is not enough to just use the right keywords, though. Also, make sure that your ads are well-written and full of useful information.
People should be able to easily understand what your product is and what it does by reading your description. What you say is more important than what you say.
It may take some time to write very thorough listings, but it is worth it. There is a lot of competition on Etsy, so you need to do everything you can to make your items stand out.
An AI tool like Jasper can help you write your Etsy ads. Jasper is an AI helper that can help you with all parts of writing, such as making descriptions more interesting.
Have Featured Items
If you want your Etsy shop to do well, you need to make sure that things stand out. Customers will be able to quickly see what you have to offer and choose if they want to buy something.
There are several ways to show off things in your Etsy shop. You could add a featured area to your homepage, for example. This could be a rotating gallery of pictures or a part that stays in one place with highlight boxes.
You could also use Etsy search function to get the word out about your featured things. To do this, tag your items with buzzwords that people who might buy them on Etsy are likely to use when they are looking for things.
Lastly, you can use social media and other online tools to get the word out about your featured things. You can help your small business grow and make more money by putting out ads for your best goods.
Make More Etsy Sales
It is not as hard as you might think to make more sales on Etsy. It is really very easy to start getting more sales with your new small business. All you need is a few simple tips and some practice.
You can start in these four ways:
Social Media Marketing
It is no secret that social media is a powerful tool for marketing your business. Social media can help you reach a larger audience and drive more sales when used correctly.
Here are a few tips for using social media to market your Etsy shop opening:
- Use high-quality images: People are visual creatures, so make sure your photos are eye-catching and professional. Poor-quality photos will reflect poorly on your business and turn customers away.
- Use hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to get your photos seen by more people. Use relevant hashtags that describe your product, such as #handmadejewelry or #vintageclothing.
- Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and questions promptly. Show customers that you are responsive and attentive; they will be more likely to buy from you.
Use Etsy Ads
You might want to use Etsy Ads if you want to sell more things on Embay. You can find people who want to buy things like yours with Etsy Ads.
Among other things, you can target people based on where they live, their age, gender, and hobbies. This makes sure that people who are likely to be interested in what you are selling see your ad.
Offer Coupons For New Orders
One way to increase business for your new Etsy shop is to offer coupons for new orders. This will entice customers to try out your products and may lead to repeat business.
Be sure to specify the terms of the coupon, such as the percentage off of the total purchase price, how many items must be purchased, or what types of products are eligible.
You can create a particular landing page on your website just for this promotion and include a code that customers can enter at checkout to redeem the discount.
Have Sales Sometimes
In order to keep your Etsy shop filled and looking great, you might want to think about having sales every so often. That can help you get rid of things you do not need and make some extra money at the same time.
To let your customers know about the sale, make sure you post about it on social media and in your store. A sale with things like 10% off all orders over $50 is also a good idea. This will make people more likely to take advantage of the offer.
Our Thoughts
You can make money online if you put in a little work and know what you are doing. One great place to start is Etsy. Use your skills and interests to make money.
We hope these tips help you and help you do well in everything you do online. Your Etsy shop will do very well now that you know how to open it, and you will make more money.
Reading our other posts on the subject will help you learn more about how to make money online. There is a lot of great information on our site that can help you make more money and become financially free faster.
