Cashing in on the Etsy Craze
If you’re thinking that there has to be a good way to earn money online that’s not a gimmick, then you’re correct. There are numerous places available right at the tip of your fingers.
One of the ways that you can make money is by selling tangible goods that you create. There are a lot of places that will act as an online store for your items. One of the places that you can make money online this way is through Etsy.
Etsy is an e-commerce website. It simply means that you can do business and make money online while someone else is handling the transaction details. It’s also become somewhat of a household name as everyday consumers buy hand-crafted items there.
Getting Started on Etsy
To begin selling anything on Etsy, you’ll first have to create an account on the site. You’ll need to share some basic information. You’ll have to give your name and what email address you want to use for the site to connect with you.
You’ll also need to create an account username and a password. The name that you choose as your username is not the same name that you’ll be using as the name of the shop that you create.
If you want, you can have more than one store on the site. But regardless of how many stores that you set up, you’ll still have them all linked to the same account and username.
Once you’ve completed registration, you can open up a shop. When you first set it up, you’ll have to put what your currency is since it varies by country. You’ll also need to enter your preferred language to use with the shop.
You will be given the opportunity to change these in the future if you need to. Coming up with a name for their shop is what creates an issue for many people. Sometimes it can be an issue because the name is already taken.
To prevent this, what you’ll want to do is to create a list of several different shop names that you like. Then you can check the site to see if those names are already in use. When you create your shop name, you can only use 20 characters for it – and this includes both letters and numbers.
Once you’ve named your shop and it’s accepted by Etsy, you’ll need to create an about page for each shop that you set up. Filling out the information on your about page is important.
This is the place where potential customers will go to find out more information about you. The friendlier that you make this page and the more personable that you can make it, the higher the odds are that your buyers will feel like they connect with you.
Make sure that you fill out the areas that explain how your shop was created. Use any amusing anecdotes or touching situations that led to you creating the store. You can also include photos here – and you definitely want to do that.
People like knowing who they’re doing business with, it makes them feel like they know you. After the information about your shop is finished, you can begin to list what you have to sell on your shop’s page.
What You Can Sell on Etsy
There’s an extensive list of things that you can sell on Etsy. You can sell things like supplies for creating crafts, items that you’ve made yourself and vintage things. Each of the types of items that can be sold on the site are listed under categories.
Then beneath each category, the items are broken down into subcategories to make them easier for potential customers to find the items. In all, there are fifteen main categories that are listed on the Etsy website.
Whatever it is that you want to sell has to be able to fit in one of those categories. If what you want to sell doesn’t fit, then it’s possible that Etsy isn’t the right place for you to sell your items.
The categories on Etsy are listed in alphabetical order. One of these categories is accessories. Another is art and collectibles. In this department, you can sell art that you’ve personally created – such as a painting.
But it could also be listed under a subcategory like framing if you were selling frames for paintings. Photography and sculpture would be listed under arts and collectibles. If you had a shop that sold items such as purses, then you’d list under the bags and purses category – but that’s the subcategory.
The main category for these items would be found under women. Things like backpacks, wallets, messenger bags and key chains could be listed here. The category home and living will let you list things for beauty or home décor.
If you have beauty products, this is where you could list items like custom nail polish, makeup, soap, headbands or other hair related items. You can also list electronics or furniture.
Musical instruments, pets and garden items can be listed and sold under this category. Under the home and living category, you can choose the subcategory if you want to sell books, music and media related items.
Here, you would list journals or vintage items such as children’s books or old comic books. Movies and music can also be sold under this heading. You can sell a wide variety of clothing on Etsy and these can be split into what the articles of clothing are – such as dresses.
Then under dresses, you can break that down into formalwear, party dresses or vintage clothing items. There’s also an area where you can sell prom dresses. The craft supplies section is a popular category on Etsy where you can sell homemade items.
Under this heading, you can sell knitting patterns or items that you’ve knitted. You can also sell paper crafts and tutorials. You can sell items related to jewelry making. Colorful beads are popular to sell in jewelry making.
Under scrapbooking, you can sell the albums or the pages for scrapbooks, stickers and stamps to decorate the pages. You can also sell various tools associated with scrapbooking such as storage containers for the supplies.
In the woodworking category, you can sell patterns, tools and items custom-made from wood. You’ll find things like toy bin patterns, wooden buttons, shelves, kitchen islands, and wooden cutouts.
There’s an electronic category. Here, you can sell items like decorative cases for iPhones, laptop covers or cases for a Kindle. You can sell docking stations, computer accessories and vintage phones.
Pet supplies is a big selling category on Etsy because people love their pets and are often looking for special or unique items for them. You can sell things like pet tags, custom pet feeding dishes, beds, collars, grooming supplies for dogs and cats and even homemade pet snacks.
Toys and games are another large selling option on Etsy. You’ll find these items under the kids’ section. You can list what you sell by baby or toddler or whether the item is for a boy or a girl.
You can list personalized items here as well as eco-friendly things. You can sell clothing and shoes for boys or girls. Selling costumes for kids is a big hit on Etsy. These costume sizes can range from babies to older kids.
Accessories to go along with the costumes is also popular. Weddings is another category on Etsy. Here, you can sell items related to a bride or a groom. You can also sell paper goods related to a wedding such as customized invitations or wedding albums.
You can list gifts for the wedding party. Guest books, ring pillows and more can be sold in this category. Whatever main category that you choose to list your item under, just remember that you should always list it under a subheading, too – because that can help a customer be able to find you when they’re searching for related items.
How Selling on Etsy Works
Selling on Etsy can open a huge door for you because of the popularity of the site. The site regularly connects buyers with businesses to the tune of 30 million customers. That’s quite a large base for you to be able to tap into.
The site offers store owners helpful tools that they can use to grow their business. Unlike many other e-commerce sites, you won’t have to pay a membership fee to join the site.
But there are some costs involved. For each item that you want to put up in your shop, you’ll need to pay 20 cents. That price will cover Etsy advertising your item for four months or until you remove or sell that item.
Once there is a sale, Etsy’s commission fee on that item is 3.5%. You will not have to pay the Etsy fees every time you make a sale. What the company does is bill you each month.
When you get your monthly statement, the amount that you sold and the amount due to Etsy will be listed. You’ll have to pay the bill by the due date in order to keep the store listed and in good standing.
When you first start your account with the site, you’ll have to provide a way for Etsy to receive payment. This can be done by listing a credit card or your PayPal account. Whenever customers visit your shop, they’ll go through a checkout process.
The money from the sale is then given to you in whatever form you choose to receive it. You can get paid by receiving a check from Etsy or having funds deposited into your PayPal account.
Once an item sells, you’ll be notified – and it’s your responsibility to contact the buyer and make sure that the item is shipped out. Etsy does have shipping labels that you can use, but there is a cost associated with that.
Tips to Make More Money on Etsy
When you list items for sale on Etsy, how well these items will sell could depend on what time of year it is. For example, if you have Christmas themed items, it’s a good bet to say that they’re not going to sell well in February.
Items that usually sell well are evergreen ones and ones that have a high popularity rate. Pay attention to trending items and cash in on that popularity by selling those items on Etsy – but put your own unique spin on them.
For example, certain styles of ear warmers are very popular during the winter months. If you create some of your own with a unique design, you can cash in on that trend. When you list your items on Etsy, the presentation does matter.
If the photograph makes the item look unappealing, then you’re not going to get buyers to want it. Take good photographs that show your wares in the best possible light, angle and position.
Make sure that it’s easy to see the details of your product. Connect with an Etsy team. These are groups of other sellers on Etsy that are relevant to the items that you’re selling.
These teams can help you with things like growing your business, tax information, finding resources and more. These teams are not run by Etsy, but are run by members of the Etsy community.
To find a team, you search by a keyword such as wedding. Once you pull up a list of teams, you can read what the team does and see if you’re able to join. Some of these teams may also hold in-person meetings.
Connecting with others can help your business grow and you can learn helpful tips on pricing and how to build your brand. When you sell items on Etsy, make sure that you include a business card in every package that you send to buyers.
Good customer service is a must. Always be polite and professional. One unsatisfied customer can do a world of damage to your business.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Etsy Store
Having a store on Etsy isn’t going to do you any good if you don’t know how to get the people to the store. You have to have traffic or your shop will stagnate. Connect your Etsy store to a blog.
Here, you’ll talk about the items that you’re selling. You’ll talk about the features of the product and the benefit that customers gain from it. On your blog, you can have posts that talk about where your ideas come from or what inspired you to make or to sell the product.
Mention the blog and Etsy store on Twitter. You should Tweet whenever you list a new product in your store. You should also Tweet whenever you have a coupon or discount code to offer.
Mention any sales that might be coming up. You can also Tweet about what things would go well with your products. This gives customers ideas and tips they can take away.
Create a fan page for your Etsy shop on Facebook. Interact with other creative people or sellers. Interact with customers. Build a community. Hold contests and giveaways on your Facebook fan page.
Connect with other creative bloggers and go on a blog tour where you talk about the creative process or offer advice on building an Etsy store. Make YouTube videos that show how you create your product.
Take advantage of SEO tactics. Look up keywords that can be useful when you create your shop and put up the listings for your products. Brand yourself. Make sure that everything that goes out of your Etsy store can be traced back to your shop.
Use customized labels. Make sure that your packages list your store name. Include items that can promote your business. These can be things like magnets, pens, business cards and more.
Aside from having a product that people adore, the two things you want to focus on the most for Etsy success is your photography to make your shop look attractive – and your branding skills to help your audience find you.
