Etsy.com: How to Sell Your Arts & Crafts Online

There are many resources on the Internet to set up shop and sell your arts and crafts on-line these days, but one place that I highly recommend you take a look at is Etsy.com. Etsy is a place to buy and sell all things handmade, and can be a wonderful resource for anyone from the hobby crafter to the full time artist. Today I am going to share some tips with you on how to get a shop set up on Etsy.com and start selling your arts and crafts.

Creating an account - The first thing you want to consider when opening up a shop on Etsy.com is your user name. Your user name is also going to be a part of your domain address through the website, so think of something that is important to you, relevant to your craft and also easy to remember. Many sellers on Etsy started out as buyers, and while discussing the marketing strategies of Etsy on the forums there, I've heard from quite a few sellers that wish they had put more thought into their Etsy name when they first created their account. Once you've created an account and set up shop with Etsy, you can not change your name. So think about it and make sure you are happy with what you decide to use, as your user name will become part of who you are on Etsy.com.

Now before you run off and create an account, let me fill you in on one more little secret. Suppose I wanted to create an Etsy account using the name: Friday Saturday. There are two ways you can type this when signing up for your account, because when going through the sign up process, and typing in the name you'd like to use, your user name will be case sensitive. So if you wanted your shop name to appear like this: FridaySaturday - type it that way. If you want it to appear like this: fridaysaturday - type it like that. Just keep in mind that using uppercase letters can be an easy way to break up words when creating the user name for your account, it looks nicer and it's easier to read. Once you've completed the sign up process, your name will no longer be case sensitive to sign in, and your domain address for your etsy shop will look somehting like this: FridaySaturday.etsy.com.

Setting Up Shop - The next thing you'll want to do when setting up your shop to sell on Etsy is to create an account at PayPal.com. PayPal is the safest way to send and receive money on-line. This will allow you to receive on-line payments from your buyers safely and securely without any transfer of personal account information from either party.

Another thing you might want to consider, is to create a separate email address for your Etsy shop. This is not something that's required, but the more actively involved you get with Etsy, you may find it easier to keep your emails related to your shop separate from your personal email. If you do decide to open up a seperate email account, it might be a good idea to have it match your shop name, for example: FridaySaturday@ your email.com

Avatars & Banners - One of the great things about Etsy is that you not only get your own domain address for the site, but you can also personalize your account and the look of your shop. You can upload your own avatar, which is a personalized photo you'd like to use as the picture attached to your account. And you can also upload a banner for your shop. Some people who are computer savvy like to create and design these items themselves, but there are also people on Etsy who specialize in creating and selling personalized avatar and banner combinations specially for their customers.

Profile & Shop Announcement - Your profile on Etsy.com is yours to tell as much or as little as you like about yourself and about your shop. You can use this space to talk about your hobbies, who you are in real life, and even what customers can expect from your Etsy shop as a buyer. Many people like to list shipping options, return policies and other 'fine print' type details in their profile, so not to crowd each individual listing on the items in their shop. And then there is the Shop Announcement. The shop announcement is located at the top of your actual store front. This space is provided for you to share a little about yourself, your shop and perhaps sales or special announcements. If you for example, have a Buy One, Get One 1/2 off sale going on in your shop, this is a great place to advertise it. Just keep in mind that too much information is too much to read for someone who's just browsing. So try to keep it simple and informative.

Listing an Item - When you are ready to list an item in your shop there are a few things to know. First, you should have your pictures for your item already saved on your computer and ready to upload. Keep in mind that Etsy will automatically crop your pictures to 1000 x 1000 pixels square, so it's best if you do that yourself before you upload them so that they do not get distorted. Having said that... let's talk about how to list a new item in your shop!

Title - Your title should be informative and catchy, but keep in mind that this is Etsy, not eBay. You don't have to spell out every little detail in your title on Etsy because there are other places to put such information, like your description, your materials and your tag words, but we'll talk more about those in a minute... Just keep your title clean, informative, accurate and easy to read.

Description - This is where you can share more information about what the item is, how it was made, and maybe even a catchy little story behind it's character. You may want to list dimensions, techniques, and perhaps inspirations of how your product came to life. Remember, Etsy is a place to buy and sell all things handmade, so your customers will appreciate having a little personal history on something they are buying, knowing it was handmade by you, the artist. Your description is also a place where you can list shipping details, return policies, and other such related information. If you feel like your descriptions are getting too lengthy, keep in mind that you can always keep it simple, and refer your customers to your profile for more detailed information, or better yet, invite them to contact you with questions. But try to always cover the basics. Your customer should have enough information at their fingertips to know whether or not they are interested in an item without having to contact you.

Materials - Materials are words like beads, leather, thread, pastels, canvas... You get the idea. Materials are one word phrases. Materials are NOT techniques. If you would like to describe the techniques of your products, do so in your item description. Materials are simply that, to let your buyer know what your product was made from. Think of it like a list of ingredients.

Tag Words - For starters, you must put your item in a category. This will always be your first tag word, and must be selected from the drop down list provided by Etsy. From there, you have 13 more spaces to fill in. You can fill in these spaces by the suggestions given by Etsy or you can come up with your own. A great way to use tag words is by using materials, techniques, colors, fragrances, and other descriptive one or two word phrases. Do NOT use words that are not true to what your item actually is. You can't for example sell handmade polymer beads, and use the tag word earrings, because even though beads may be supplies for earrings, if someone searches the word earrings and your handmade polymer beads come up, well, they are not earrings now are they? This is considered tag abuse and is not tolerated by Etsy.

Price - There are many ways to calculate the price of your items. I will not go into that much further because everyone has a different way of determining what the value of their work is worth. Just be true to yourself, and what you think your work is worth, and price accordingly.

Shipping - Where in the world you choose to ship is entirely up to you. Etsy.com is a website based in the United States, so naturally there are quite a few members that are located in the United States, but there are also quite a few International members. If you choose to only ship to your own country, that is your choice. If you want to ship to other places you can do that too! Just be sure to do your homework, and price your shipping costs accordingly.

You also have the option to price your first, and then each additional shipping fee per item. If you want to charge a flat shipping fee for the first item, and then a fee for each additional item, you will fill out the shipping fields as such for Primary and Secondary shipping. If you want a flat rate for the first item, and then free shipping for each additional item, you'll enter in the Primary cost, and then put in $0.00 for the Secondary. If you want free shipping in your shop all across the board, then you'll want to put in $0.00 for both Primary and Secondary.

Uploading Images - You get 5 images with each item you list in your Etsy shop. There is no price difference for how few or how many images you upload, so take advantage of having 5 spaces and fill them up. Keep in mind that the first image you upload is your default image for your Etsy shop, so make sure that image is easy to see and it is clear of what the item is. Try to take pictures of your item from a few different angles, perhaps with a few different backgrounds, and then depending on what it is, maybe showing how it can be used. Be tasteful and only upload pictures that are appropriate to that individual item. Do not post pictures of other items in your shop unless it is specifically explained in your item description why that picture is there. For example, if you are selling a pair of earrings and a matching necklace as separate items, you may want to use one of your 5 pictures showing the set, but be very clear in your description that these items are shown together, but are sold separately.

Previewing your item - Now you have completed your item listing, but it is not yet posted in your shop. This is where you will take one last look at your listing and make sure that everything looks the way you want it to. Once you are happy with the way your listing looks, you can click finish and your item will then be listed in your shop.

Sections - The other great thing about personalizing your own Etsy shop is that you can have up to 10 different sections in your shop. If you sell handmade jewelry for example, you may want to make a different section for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, so on and so forth. It is up to you how few or how many sections you have in your shop, and it is also up to you what you name each of your sections. If you only have a few items in your shop, you may not feel that having sections is necessary, however once you've built your shop up to have quite a few items, you'll want to section them out so your buyers can easily shop by category. You can create sections by clicking on the 'Sections' link on the left side of 'Your Etsy' page. From there, you can also put the items in your shop into each of their special categories.

Fees - It is completely free to create an account on Etsy.com and if you are just interested in buying for a while, getting to know the site, and taking your time looking around before you become a seller, that's perfectly fine! Once you start selling however, creating the shop is free, but listing items in your shop will cost you 20 cents per item. Each item you list will come with the option of having 5 pictures, and will stay in your shop for 4 months, or until the item sells. Once your item has sold, Etsy will charge a 3.5% final sale fee. This fee, along with your listing fees will accrue in your 'Money' section on 'Your Etsy' page. You can look at your bill anytime you like, and your bill will be closed and sent out usually on or around the 1st of each month. You have 15 days to pay your bill, or it will be auto charged to the credit card you have on file after that time.

So, as much as I could sit and share all of the tips and tricks I've learned so far from being a seller on Etsy, here is enough to get you started. If you ever have questions about buying, selling, promotions, or even techniques, you can always refer to the Forums on Etsy. The forums are up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they are full of wonderful buyers and sellers alike that are just friendly and helpful as ever! There is such an inviting community oriented atmosphere on Etsy, that once you start selling, you'll be hooked, and you'll be glad you made that first step, by setting up shop on Etsy.com. Many crafters and artists use Etsy as not only a resource to sell their goods on-line but also as the web address that they put on their business cards as well. Etsy has a very professional storefront vibe, and it's a great way to draw in friends and family, and of course, that wonderful person we all like to find... Customers!