20 Tips for Selling on Etsy

It’s easy to see why Etsy has become so popular among crafters, small businesses and creative types. The site offers a rewarding platform for sellers who are passionate about their art and craft, but it still requires some knowledge of the market in order to be successful.

The “how to sell fast on etsy” is a blog post that has 20 tips for selling on Etsy. It includes information about how to get started, how to market your products, and more.

Etsy is an online marketplace for creative entrepreneurs who wish to sell their products to a worldwide audience. However, with millions of active vendors on the market, distinguishing out might be difficult. We’ll go over 20 suggestions for selling on Etsy, the importance of each, and how to get started in this post.

In 2019, Etsy’s gross goods sales was $4.97 billion. Only 18% of these vendors were full-time business owners, which is significant. With proper preparation, artists, amateurs, and even suppliers may establish a profitable company on the platform.

By the Numbers on Etsy

Having trustworthy, user-friendly, and cost-effective payment processing is crucial for every Etsy seller, whether you’ve been selling on Etsy for a while or are just getting started. Etsy has partnered with Square to provide low-cost payment processing and multichannel sales to its vendors. To get started, go to Square and sign up for a free account.

Then, to greatly increase your Etsy sales, follow these guidelines:

Getting Started on Etsy: Some Pointers

1. Make a list of what you can and cannot sell.

Anyone with a business sense can easily build an Etsy shop, but before you start uploading items, it’s a good idea to know what you can and can’t sell. This can help protect you, your customer, and the platform from legal problems, especially those involving intellectual property. It also assists you in determining the most effective strategy to classify your goods in order to make it more noticeable to prospective purchasers.

The Etsy seller policy is freely accessible on the internet. It covers Etsy sellers’ rights and duties, as well as standards for what may be offered in each of their categories.

Here’s a basic rundown:

2. Recognize the Difference Between Inspiration and Copying

There are no standards that define what proportion of the original artwork must be altered to qualify for protection under the Fair Use Doctrine, contrary to common assumption. When provided notice, Etsy removes anything that has been subject to a complaint, since there is sometimes a narrow line between what is copied and what is inspired. This is why, even before you launch your Etsy shop, it’s critical that you grasp the differences.

Despite the fact that there is a tight line, Etsy has provided the following guidelines:

• Never mention the name of an artist that influenced your work since the artist might claim that your sales are due to their brand.
• In order to explain the quality of your goods, avoid labeling it with a certain premium brand.
• It’s OK to include the brand name in the title, tags, and description of antique items, but don’t assume if you’re unsure.
• Even though the product in the photograph is generic, always check for copyright before using someone else’s images.
• Licensed photos should not be purchased from businesses with a bad reputation.

Consider licensing costs if you want to sell branded merchandise. It’s cheaper than spending thousands of dollars in damages or legal expenses, or having your merchandise seized.

3. Pick the Best Shop Name for Your Business

Your brand will be your shop’s name. A distinctive name will help your business stand out from the competition and will be easy to put into the search field. When creating an Etsy store, you may use up to 20 characters for your shop name, which is needed. While you are allowed to alter your Etsy shop name at any time, you don’t want buyers to lose track of your brand due to numerous name changes.

The two most important processes in coming up with the greatest shop name are brainstorming and testing. Begin by developing a list of possibilities. The simplest method is to use descriptive titles like “Zen Handicrafts.” For a more original and distinctive name, explore abstract concepts. To highlight a point of interest relating to your product, try combining words or phrases like “Scentimental.”

Use the following questions to evaluate your store’s name:

• What emotion do you want your store’s name to evoke?
• Did it make you feel the same way when you told your friends and family about your store?
• Is it simple to spell and read your store’s name?
• Is the name appropriate for your business card?
• Is there a different connotation in other languages?
• Have you done a Google search for similar names?

Pro Tip: You’ll be prompted to input your shop name and click “Check Availability” throughout the store creation process so Etsy can see whether the name is available. Keep in mind that you should have backup plans in case your top choice is already chosen.

4. Provide a variety of payment options

According to the Baymard Institute, 6% of online buyers abandoned their carts in the previous quarter due to a lack of payment choices. It’s crucial to remember that, although online purchasing is becoming more common, some prospective clients may be hesitant to provide their credit card information online, regardless of how secure your website is. This missed opportunity may be readily prevented by increasing your store’s payment alternatives.

Etsy Payments should be used by Etsy business owners. This allows you to accept a broad range of payment methods without having to set up several merchant accounts. Payments on Etsy may be used to accept:

• Credit cards are accepted.
• Debit/credit cards
• Etsy Credits and Etsy Gift Cards

• PayPal
• Apple Pay is a service that allows you to pay
• Google Pay is a service that allows you to pay

You’ll want to make sure that in-person clients have alternatives as well. Square has joined with Etsy to provide merchants a simple and safe method to accept in-person payments and connect their inventory from their phone or tablet. Simply go to the Shop Manager page, choose Square from the Add Channel drop-down menu, and follow the directions. When you join up, you’ll also get a free Square card reader.

To take payments for your Etsy business in person, sign up for a free Square account. (Image courtesy of Etsy)

5. Create a Mailing List

With an average return on investment of $42 for every dollar spent on email marketing, it plays a key part in online sales. This is why, right from the outset, every company owner should have a plan for growing their email list.

However, for Etsy merchants, this might be difficult since adding email addresses of customers who have purchased from their shop is against Etsy’s Terms of Service (TOU). The best solution would be to build an opt-in form and publicize it outside of Etsy.

You may create your email list in a variety of ways while staying within Etsy’s seller guidelines:

• Construct an account with an email service provider that enables you to create a landing page for your opt-in form, such as Constant Contact or MailChimp.
• Include a link to your landing page in your Etsy shop’s profile, about page, listing descriptions, and recent buyer thank you notes.
• Add the URL to your shop’s banner, email signatures, and business cards.

Because you can’t share this link via Etsy Conversations or to any of your past customers without breaking Etsy’s TOU, it’s critical to have this approach in place from the start.

It’s important to keep in mind that Etsy’s Terms of Use are subject to change at any moment, so it’s always a good idea to double-check the rules.

6. Recognize Seller Fees

Running a company, and Etsy is no different, entails paying fees. Sellers should constantly be aware of how much they are spending on the platform to ensure that they are staying within their budget and safeguarding their profits. To maintain their shop in good standing, sellers need know when and how to pay account fees. Knowing what to pay and when to pay it can also aid merchants in reducing their Etsy costs.

A 20 cent listing charge, a 5% transaction fee, and a 3% + 25 cent payment processing fee are among Etsy’s most popular costs. On top of that, there are pattern fees, conversion costs, and a variety of ad expenses that even the most seasoned Etsy seller may easily overlook.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind in order to avoid paying high sale prices:

• To prevent conversion expenses, keep your product pricing and payment account in the same currency.
• To cover the real cost of delivery, be sure to include the packaging when estimating the dimensions of your merchandise.
• To prevent paying renewal listing costs for items that aren’t selling, remove slow-moving listings.
• To avoid Etsy’s 20-cent Square Manual Transaction charge, connect your Etsy business to a free Square payments account.
• Before you sign up for Etsy advertisements, think about the profit margin you want to achieve.

Fee avoidance includes changing an item’s pricing after it has been sold, misrepresenting your item’s delivery location, and completing an Etsy transaction outside of Etsy.

Tips for Starting an Etsy Store

7. Create an eye-catching “About” page

Etsy is more than just a store; it’s also a place for artists like you to show off their work. However, as a vendor, you must inform purchasers of the worth of your works in order to persuade them to purchase. This contains both your technical credentials and accomplishments, as well as your motivation. The person behind the designs should be the centerpiece of your “About” page.

Here are some pointers on how to write the perfect “About” page:

• To effortlessly connect with your reader, use a personal tone.
• Discuss the sources of inspiration for your designs.
• Introduce any product development partners you’ve worked with.
• Make your paragraphs as brief as possible.
• Include links to any publications where you or your work have been featured.
• Include social media links in your content.

You have 5,000 characters to tell about your company; write your tale in a more personal tone. Include appealing photographs and videos to help customers imagine and interact with your business. Include a link to your blog and social media pages, as well as a landing page where people can sign up for your email list.

On your shop’s “About” page, take the time to display and teach them about your brand’s history. (Image courtesy of Etsy)

8. Make sure your Etsy shop profile is up to date.

Your Etsy store page is a reflection of your company’s entire image. Everything from your shop’s flag to its regulations falls under this category. A well-thought-out store profile, replete with professional-looking photographs and videos, can immediately earn buyers’ confidence. So, when you establish your Etsy shop, make sure you spend just as much time filling up your shop profile as you do developing product listings.

Other elements of your store’s profile, apart from the “About” page, play a role in developing your brand:

• Instead of a banner picture, use a cover photo; although it needs a larger image (the optimal size is 3360 x 840 pixels), cover photographs are shown on both the desktop and mobile versions of your Etsy shop.
• On mobile, shop banners do not appear. It must be 760 × 100 pixels in size and no more than 2MB in size.
• Use a store symbol that matches your company’s brand and identity.
• For your store title, do some research and apply keywords.
• To let shoppers know about your promos and discounts, use a brief, appealing language in your store announcement area.
• Introduce yourself and your team in the Shop Members area.

Apart from examining your content before publishing it, you should also consider if the entire vibe of your store profile inspires the same feelings you desire for your business.

9. Keep your shop’s policy as simple as possible.

The rules for transactions in your business are outlined in your shop policy. Customers who read this are generally individuals who have already located something they want to purchase and want to know whether your payment and delivery methods are acceptable to them. This part is even more important for clients who want to purchase bespoke designs since it shows them how engaged they can be and how long the design process will take.

Keep rules basic while yet being clear on the facts for a great customer experience. If you’re new to Etsy, you may start with the basic store policy, which requires you to fill out a template with toggle settings for choices like as refunds and exchanges, payments, shipping, and other information.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Product Listings

10. Enhance Product Photographs

The perfect product photography may make a significant impact in total sales. Customers are more enticed to listings with a lot of photographs and good images that are labeled properly. It provides people greater confidence in purchasing things they can see. Photos are easy to distribute and rank well in search engines. The alt text for each product picture gives search indexers extra information and boosts your store’s organic search rating.

There are many approaches to optimize product photographs because of their potential:

• Add a second item to give consumers a sense of scale for your goods.
• For your product photographs, choose high-resolution photos that are well-lit and at least 1,000 pixels wide.
• When utilizing stock photographs, double-check for copyright.
• Use all ten images of your goods from various perspectives, with the best one acting as your thumbnail.
• Organize your photographs into categories that are easy to navigate and have a consistent appearance and feel.
• Instead of using social media app filters, edit your photographs by cutting more white space and using professional editing tools.
• When shooting old items, be careful to capture the item’s condition.

The jewelry in the left picture seems to be mass-produced, but the jewelry in the right shot appears to be handcrafted. (Photo courtesy of Etsy)

11. Add Categories and Attributes That Are Relevant

Etsy uses categories to link your items with the relevant customers. Your listings will have a greater chance of being noticed in search results if you choose the most precise subcategory for your product. Color, usage, and occasion are examples of attributes that are most closely connected with your product. As with categories, giving more precise features to your product increases the likelihood of it being seen by the correct purchasers.

Conducting test searches is the most fundamental approach for determining the optimal category and characteristic for your goods. Make a list of all potential categories and qualities, and then type them into the search box. Check the search results to see which keywords brought up goods that are comparable to yours. Feel free to browse refined results to discover additional matches to your product on the left side of the page, which will show you all related categories and subcategories.

To find suitable categories, go through the search results for the terms you’re seeking.

12. Make the Most of Your Tags

Tags are words or short phrases that assist characterize your goods and may be up to 20 characters long without punctuation. Etsy largely depends on these tags to establish the relevancy of your offering to consumer queries. The search tool is meant to match listing terms to a shopper’s query and rank results based on relevancy. Because Etsy sells unique, one-of-a-kind items, tags, along with categories and qualities, have a significant impact on search results.

Here are some Tagging DO’s and DON’Ts to help you get the most out of your listings:

Starting with keywords that are specific to your items is a smart rule of thumb. Put yourself in the shoes of your target consumer and break down the keywords into phrases in various combinations. We provide some fundamental keyword research tactics as well as a list of the finest keyword tools.

13. Write Product Descriptions That Work

Your listing’s product description is a crucial component. It contains information on your product’s dimensions, condition, color description, age, and many uses. Apart from the photographs, shoppers depend on the information you provide in this area to make purchasing choices, so make it as informative and well-written as possible.

Here are some suggestions for developing effective product descriptions:

• Use keywords that are comparable to those in your tags and attributes.
• Indicate who the product is most suitable for.
• Mention any unusual materials or procedures that potential purchasers should be aware of.
• For historic product descriptions, provide the age or year.
• Mention the style and any applicable problem-solving terms.
• Indicate the product’s dimensions as well as the size of the box that will be sent.
• Give an estimate of how long it will take to make the product and how long it will take to ship it.
• Include instructions on how to buy the item.
• Your producing partner’s name (if any)

It’s critical to maintain your product description’s wording brief and concise. When required, use paragraph breaks to make it easier to read. When available, repeat any promos or discounts that have been applied to the listing.

14. Develop a pricing strategy for your products.

One of the most crucial considerations a seller must make for their company is product price. Developing a plan for determining a competitive pricing while making your firm profitable is a skill that can only be learnt through time. This is especially difficult for Etsy sellers since creative items are virtually always one-of-a-kind, thus the cost of materials and labor is never the same.

The Etsy seller manual includes a price work sheet as well as suggestions for building a pricing strategy:

• Make sure your pricing includes both the supplies and labor costs.
• When calculating profit targets, remember to include in overhead expenditures such as shipping, marketing, advertising, and promotions.
• Investigate competition prices.
• Consider who you’re trying to reach.
• Consider the cost of delivery, which is determined by the package’s size rather than the goods itself.

While comparing prices with competitors is beneficial, it’s also crucial to remember that the lowest price isn’t usually the best. Customers are prepared to pay more for higher quality items, according to most Etsy vendors.

How to Increase Your Etsy Sales

15. Provide Low-Cost Shipping

The cost of shipping is undoubtedly one of the most important factors for online shoppers. Most Etsy sellers quickly find that free shipping attracts the majority of consumers, to the point where putting it in your profile provides your business a significant SEO boost. Unless their items are digital, however, retailers will always have to cope with delivery expenses. While this method isn’t for everyone, there are other alternatives:

• For free delivery, choose a minimum order quantity.
• Include the typical delivery cost in the price of your first listing.
• Include free delivery depending on the shipment distance (minimum, maximum, or average).
• Find strategies to save packaging costs without jeopardizing product quality or safety.

Etsy also has a smart pricing tool that will assist you in determining the best method to recoup shipping costs.

Find out more about how to provide free delivery.

16. Look into multichannel sales.

Special events and holidays are excellent opportunities to increase sales by diversifying your distribution channels. Etsy merchants, in example, may quickly boost their earnings by tapping into new markets and capitalizing on shoppers searching for one-of-a-kind presents for special occasions. It’s also feasible to find wholesale and even international customers at this period, which may help your firm grow significantly. You may also use Etsy Local to look for in-person sales opportunities in your region.

Maintaining inventory information and receiving payments are two major issues of multichannel retailing. Square has teamed up with Etsy to make it simple for merchants to set up an in-person sales channel while attending local events such as fairs and trade exhibits. Square’s mobile POS software instantly syncs your store’s inventory while receiving payments. Square should be visited. to sign up for a free account that works with your Etsy store.

Visit Square

17. Keep Your Customers Involved

The fastest marketing technique is to engage your clients before and after the transaction. There are a range of both free and paid techniques to enhance sales by developing a connection with your followers, from expanding your email list to constructing a customer care procedure and interacting in social media. When it comes down to it, the only limiting component to this method is imagination, which Etsy merchants have in plenty.

Knowing your audience and where to reach them is the first step in developing a customer interaction plan. These strategies can help you maintain a solid connection with your target clients if you’ve succeeded in connecting with them:

• Send out your newsletter on a regular basis.
• Create a cart abandonment email recovery plan.
• In your “About Me” section, promote your blog, website, and social media accounts.
• Interact with your social media followers.
• Save pre-written customer support messages using Etsy’s saved reply function.
• Under Settings > Info & Appearance tab, create a “thank you” message that will be emailed to each client when they make a purchase.

While there are additional paid marketing tactics available, the procedures outlined above are simple and straightforward to implement, especially for novice Etsy merchants.

18. Make a list of your most important traffic sources.

After you’ve been selling on Etsy for a while, you’ll need to figure out how to assess and analyze your store’s performance. These figures will assist you in fine-tuning your approach and increasing sales. For example, analyzing your top traffic sources can show you where your prospective customers are coming from and which marketing and advertising initiatives are paying off.

Here’s how to do it:

• Go to Shop Stats > Your Shop.
• Take a look at the traffic sources you’re using.
• Take note of the websites that referred you (websites that have successfully redirected customers to your store)
• Regularly get reports and compare before and after figures.
• Join Etsy’s Shop Dashboard prototype team to have access to tools that will help you decipher your old and new traffic statistics.

Some marketing and advertising tactics are costly and might eat into your profit margins. When you know which technique works for you, you’ll be able to arrange your budget sensibly.

19. Improve listings that aren’t doing well.

Because low-performing items don’t stand out, they’re simple to miss. They aren’t featured on a regular basis, and Etsy merchants must pay renewal listing fees every four months. If you have hundreds of listings on your site, this might soon mount up. It’s noteworthy to note that these poor performers are most likely simple to better.

The Shop Stats function on Etsy is the fastest approach to find low-performing listings:

• Look at your previous 30 days of traffic and scroll down to Pages Viewed to see which of your shop’s pages are receiving the most and least traffic.
• Click the arrows under Pages Viewed until you find your listings with very little traffic.
• To get a breakdown of traffic for a given listing, click on it to launch a Listing Page View.

After you’ve identified your underperformers, go through the page and look for areas where you can improve. To boost page visits, you may need to alter keywords, enhance your graphics, change categories, or rewrite your description.

20. Update the store on a regular and timely basis

Updating your Etsy business profile and product listings on a regular basis ensures that critical information like price and contact information is dependable and correct. Unfortunately, busy company owners may not notice or have the time to make improvements, leaving them vulnerable to misunderstandings and disagreements with customers.

Avoid this unneeded risk by making simple adjustments to your shop on a frequent basis:

• Include any changes in personnel, upgrades, or innovations in your process in your About section.
• Update your shipping profile: This is used to rapidly update many listings with identical shipping prices, such as the origin of the shipment, possible destinations, services, and processing timeframes.
• Examine your store’s policies: Examine your purchasing policy for any modifications that have occurred since it was first published.
• When feasible, upload fresh photographs or videos: Previous clients’ interest will be renewed if modifications and updates are shared via photographs.

Create a checklist and set an alert on your calendar for these changes to keep on track. You may plan a fast review on major dates such as special events, holidays, and other high seasons, in addition to once every few months.

Conclusion

Etsy is a fantastic method for small company owners to discover a large market without investing a lot of money up front. Etsy is still one of the most popular retail platforms for small company owners wishing to sell internationally after 14 years. So, whether you’re a new seller or a seasoned pro, use these Etsy selling advice to boost your store’s chances of attracting more clients.

Etsy is an online marketplace for unique handmade products. It can be hard to sell on Etsy, but there are some tips that can help you sell more items. Reference: is it hard to sell on etsy.

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