How to Sell on Etsy
Etsy is a bustling eCommerce website that supports over 4 million active sellers. From antiques to artisanal pieces, Etsy provides a wide variety of shops that can cater to a large audience of buyers. They’ve solidified their place in the market as a go-to spot for entrepreneurs who are looking to market custom goods - with the benefit of being their own boss.
Below are a few ways in which you can make your selling experience easy, efficient, and profitable. Make sure to check the end of the article for a quick step-by-step guide on how to create your first shop!
Promote, Promote, Promote!
Sadly, you can’t expect your first sales to fall into your lap - it’s hard for any up and comer to make a splash on a well-established platform like Etsy. For this reason, the site utilizes a promotion system that allows you to pay for advertisements of your products. If you’re having trouble finding the right market, then this could be an option for you while you’re getting started!
A minimum fee is required to promote at $1 per day. The promotions run on a CPC (cost-per-click) system - meaning you only pay for each click on the ad itself. You can set this sliding scale at a range of prices to test out which CPC works best for your products’ ads.
Learn the Etsy Listing Prices and Process
Listing on Etsy is simple. They charge a fee of $0.20 per listing, which means that you can list a set of items for 20 cents. Renewing listings costs an extra $0.20 if no one has purchased your items within the allotted 4 month period.
When a purchase is made, the listing renews and the seller isn’t required to pay the renewal fee until the next period ends without a sale. If more than one item from a listing is bought in a single transaction, then the seller is charged $0.20 for each item sold in the order, and the listing is renewed again.
Understand Etsy Transaction and Payment Processing Fees
At the end of the day, Etsy is still a business - and, like you, their business needs to profit. For every item sold, the seller will pay Etsy a transaction fee of 5% of the sale price of the item. If the payment is accepted through the website and Etsy’s payment system, then there is a fee of 3% + $0.25 for each transaction.
You may want to look out for other sales taxes that may be applied to the orders based on your location. Location also influences shipping costs, but normally it is the buyer’s responsibility to pay for any S&H fees.
Next Steps
Are you interested in selling on Etsy? Here is a short, step-by-step guide on how to create and open your first shop:
- Go to Etsy’s website and choose the option “Sell on Etsy”
- Open a shop and tailor all of the settings to your preferences
- Choose a shop name
- Start listing your products and adjust their sales options
- Choose a payment method and billing information
- Continue developing and customizing your shop/profile to your liking!
Playing around with the marketing tools and options that Etsy provides is a great way to develop your brand and create a shop that is unique to you. Personalization through user profiles and bios is one easy method to start engaging with your audience in an authentic, relatable way.
So, what are you waiting for? Start promoting your creations on Etsy today - and happy selling!