If you like to make handmade crafts at home and want to turn it into a business, Etsy may be the perfect place to start! Etsy is one of the largest online marketplaces, and probably the largest for handmade goods. Getting a shop started can sound like a daunting task, and while it takes a bit of work it can pay off in the long run. In this post I will describe all the steps you need to take to get started with your Etsy Shop today!
What You'll Sell
If you’ve made it to this post, I am going to assume that you have already decided what you are going to sell on Etsy. If not, take a little time to decide and do some research before setting up your shop.
Try not to choose a category that is already overly saturated, such as jewelry. Unless, of course, this is your passion. Then go for it! While I am not saying you cannot find success in a saturated category because you definitely can, it just will require a little more work and patience.
Whatever you choose to do, though, be sure to choose something that you truly love because this shop will start to become a huge part of your life
Your Shop Name
Once you have decided what you are going to sell, you will have to come up with a shop name. Be sure to include hints towards your niche or any keywords that will help your shop be searchable. You may be tempted to choose a name that has some sort of special meaning to you such as a childhood nickname or favorite place, but you want your shop name to represent what your business is about. Browse through other shops in your niche and see if anything sparks an idea. Etsy even has a name generator that can help lead you in the right direction.
Depending on how you see this business expanding in the future, it may be a good idea to see if the name you choose is also available on your preferred social media platform. This could be a beneficial marketing platform to drive traffic to your shop depending on your niche.
Open Your Account
If you’re like me, it is very possible you already have gone through the steps of opening an Etsy account because you may have made purchases in the past. You can you that account and just open a sellers shop with it or create a brand new one. Whatever is easiest for you. Be sure whatever account you make is linked to an email you frequently use because both Etsy and your potential buyers will use this to reach out to you and prompt response times are important for every business.
Using your already created account go ahead and go to the account settings through “Navigate to Shop Settings” then to Info & Appearances.
The very top line is for your shop name, and there will be a link to “change” it.
You are allowed to change your shop name this way just one time and the change will instantly go through. After this, if you decide to change the name again you will have to fill out a request form and Etsy will review it. I recommend thinking on this step carefully before making it official to avoid changing your name several times.
If you don’t already have an Etsy account yet, go ahead and go through the process of setting up one. It is fairly self-explanatory, and they walk you through it well.
You’ll only be able to “open” your actual shop once you have something to list. Your shop opening happens when your first listing is created.
Design Your Shop
Use the steps as they walk you through to design your shop and make it your own.
Cover Photo
This is the image that is shown at the very top of your shop. You can use it to display your shop name and logo, some of your products, or marketing material. It is a large part of your shop home page, so use it wisely. Etsy prefers minimal text in this space so keep that in mind while designing.
Also, since it is a large space, you will want to use only your best photos and images. Be sure to use the correct pixels to prevent blurry images.
You can change this section up as much as you want so get creative with it! Change cover photos with each season, major holiday, or even an event or sale happening in your shop.
Shop Icon
This will show up at the top of your shop page. You want this to be a picture/image that represents your shop well. A logo, product photo, or something similar will help potential costumers know about your shop. This will show up throughout Etsy and may be a photo people remember your shop by.
Profile photo
This is your chance to include a photo of yourself along with a bio. This lets your customers know who you are and give a connection to the person they would be doing business with. If you end up expanding your business to include a local pop-up shop or use social media for advertisement, it allows your costumers to recognize you.
About Page
This part is one of the most important parts of your shop and you want to make sure it is completely filled out!
The About Page is a place where you can tell the story of your shop, what you create, about yourself, and your journey. Make this relatable to your readers, like you are talking just to them. You would be surprised how many people do take the time to learn more about you before making a purchase.
Put some real time and thought into it, so that it grabs the attention of your potential customers. It really could be the difference in them choosing you over another shop with similar merchandise.
There are also rumors that Etsy prefers shops that have completed About pages and that your items will show up higher in searchers. While this is not confirmed, do everything you can to try and make yourself stand out!
Shop Title & Announcements
These also tell people about your shop, but unlike the about page they show up right in the front page! A customer will definitely see whatever you write in here just by clicking on your shop name.
The Shop Title displays right underneath your Shop Name. This is a great place to insert some important keywords for SEO. Its just a short line, so make good use of it by briefly describing what your shop sells.
Your Shop Announcement is another great place to include more SEO keywords. You can use it to go into more detail about what you sell, or as a place to announce new products, special events, or sales in your shop.
Create Your Shop Sections
Shop sections act a “categories” for your items, and can help your buyers find exactly what they are looking for.
Etsy allows you to have 15 shop sections, so you can be really specific about what your items are. Try to leave a few of your 15 slots open incase you decide to expand your business to include other products later.
Be sure to also include plenty of keywords in your shop sections to help rank higher for SEO. Don’t give cute, quirky names. State exactly what the items are without any fluff.
Listing Your First Item
The time has finally come!
Over the years I have been on Etsy, the process of listing an item has changed slightly. They have always made it very easy and walk you through all the steps. At the time of writing this post, here is how it works:
Add Images
The first thing Etsy wants is for you to add images for your item. They prefer them to be 1000 pixels wide, but anything over 570 pixels will work.
JPG, PNG, or GIF files are all compatible.
Make your images great! This is the first impression many buyers will have of your product. Your images should be clear, concise, and edited well to properly represent your item in the best way possible. Dependent on what you are selling make sure to add several images that show different aspects of the item, such as angles, color options, sizes, etc.
Title
The title is so important when it comes to grabbing the attention of potential buyers. Make sure it is clear, descriptive, and optimize it for Etsy and Google search.
You get 140 characters to describe your item, and I would suggest using as many as possible.
Put your most important keywords at the beginning and fill in the rest with more keywords and phrases. You can use commas, dashes, or other symbols to help separate keywords and make the title easy for the reader to understand.
Make sure to use whatever terms your potential costumers would use to search your item.
General Information
Use all the drop-down menus to add more details about your items.
Category
This is where you’ll choose the Etsy categories to put your items into. It will first have you start with a broad one, but then you will have the option to use more specific sub-categories. The more detailed you are, the easier your item will be to find.
Then you will choose if you want your items to automatically renew or be renewed manually by you.
Description
The item description is, again, one of THE most important aspects of your listing, along with the title.
Describe your item in as much detail as possible. Try to read the mind of the costumer and answer as many of the potential questions as you can so there are fewer obstacles to the point of purchase. I would recommend updating this frequently as buyers reach out to you and ask about your store.
Also make sure to again include your main keywords, and keyword phrases, near the beginning of the description. This will greatly increase your SEO and help with both Etsy and Google searches of your product.
Another important aspect to include here are your shop policies. I would write one policy out and add it to the bottom description of each item you list to keep it uniform. Include information such as shipping, returns, and other useful info. Tell them everything they need to know even if the same information is posted elsewhere in your shop.
Section
Choose the section of your shop for the item to go out of the sections you previously created.
Tags & Materials
Tags are another great way to make your item easily searchable. Use tags that closely match your title and description to help link it all together.
Think of words or phrases that your costumers might use to search for your item and add them to the tags. Etsy allow 13 tags per listing, and you’ll want to use all of them.
The materials are the things that are used to make your item, assuming that it is a physical item. For example, if you are selling handmade jewelry, you could include material such as wire, beads, stones, etc.
It’s really just another place to add those keywords that people may search for and help your item get found. Use it if it applies!
Price, Quantity, SKU
These are pretty self-explanatory. The SKU is used similar to an item ID in a regular brick and mortar store and can help you stay organized. When I had an Etsy shop, I personally chose not to use SKUs but that is up to you.
Shipping
This is where you will fill in all your shipping information and options. There are tons of options on how to ship so pick what works best for you. You can be very detailed with where you will ship (only in US, outside US, etc.), how much it will cost, and can even use Etsy’s calculator to estimate shipping charges based on the weight and size of the item.
That’s it! Review all the above information for your listing and hit publish! You’re officially an Etsy shop owner!
Managing Your Shop!
Now that your shop is officially live, there is a few things you will need to do to keep everything running smoothly.
Add Your Shop Policies
Make your shop rules and policies very clear is important. They will help your future customers understand the terms of their purchase, and hopefully prevent issues in the future.
They also help you because once your policies are published on your site, you’ll know how to handle certain situations that may arise. This gives an easy reference point to refer back to.
Policies should include things such as returns, refund, how custom orders will be handled (if you choose to offer this option), and anything else that could come up with customer service. Try to brainstorm as many possible situations as you can and how you would handle them. Have others around you pretend to be potential costumers and give you possible scenarios you may have to address.
This section obviously will be a work in progress, and you can update you policies at any time as you start interacting with customers. This definitely will be trial and error, but you will eventually be able to solidify exactly how you want your shop to be run.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is a section that also allows you to answer frequently asked questions. Similar to the policies and rules, I would be sure to include as many possible scenarios buyers may approach you with to cut down on the number of messages you need to reply to. Make sure all your policies and procedures are clear and concise.
Moving Forward With Your Shop
Now that your shop is live and potential costumers are able to find your items, here are a few things to continue to work on to keep growing your shop:
Number of Listings
Having a full shop is important to making sales. More options of products equals more potential sales! And even though this will take time to accomplish, try to make this a priority when opening your shop.
Ideally, a customer searching for an item will stumble upon your shop and be able to look through several different options to find just what they were looking for. A lot of people will purchase multiple items from a shop at once to take advantage of shipping discounts or other deals, so try to take advantage of that.
Also, the more items you have in your shop, the much more likely it is that you will appear in the Etsy search. And all you need is for a buyer to find your shop and be able to browse your other listings!
Marketing
Now its time to get the word out so people can find your shop! As mentioned before, social media can be a powerful tool when it comes to getting people to your Etsy shop. Start with platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook to begin marketing your items. I would suggest starting small with maybe one or two platforms so you don’t spread yourself too thin, but feel free to create as many as you can manage. The point is to get the word out there to as many people as possible!
Once you’ve set up some sort of marketing platform, start promoting and sharing your products. Post pictures and links to your shop and ask people to share. You can show the process of making your products, new items before they launch, or even packaging up an order before sending it own. Be creative and offer your audience a variety of methods to catch their eye.
Like any small business, it can take some time to get things off the ground and running. Be patient with yourself and your shop! Keep working hard and you will find success in whatever you are passionate about. Best of luck on your new journey as an Etsy shop owner! And be sure to let me know how it goes in the comments below.
