How to Sell Successfully on Etsy
For some time I looked for a place to sell my handmade goods. I even started my own website, but quickly discovered that a website is no good when no one knows it exists! Generating enough money to advertise was a problem. And then one day, I stumbled across Etsy.com. As I began to do a little research, I discovered there where many artists who where quite successful there. So I decided to give it a try.
Etsy is probably one of the best and most affordable places to sell your handmade goods. Setting up a shop with Etsy will allow you to get a lot more exposure. You can have your own URL, that would look like www.yourdomain.etsy.com, so it will be easy for others to remember. Etsy has their own search engine which people use every day, so chances are you will be discovered this way. Their fees are low. They don't charge you to set up shop. Instead, they charge you a one time fee of 20 cents for each item you list, (each listing lasts for four months), plus a small percent of the proffit if the item sells. This means you can list 5 items for only $1!
Setting up your shop is really quite easy. After you have created a sellers account, you can write out your policies, shop announcement, and personal profile. You can create categories for the goods you sell, making it easy for people to find what they need. Etsy is a big place, with lots of competition, but lots of friendly people. You can seek advice, friendship, have your shop critiqued, and promote your goods in the etsy forums. You can interact and get to know other artists through the etsy chat rooms. You can read articles, and attend online workshops there too! You can create treasuries, which is a list of your favorite items from other artists, and you may get lucky enough for someone to include you in their treasury! All of these things will help you to get exposure, make new friends, and grow in your business. Lots of artists who sell on etsy also buy on etsy. Your artisan friends could become your potential buyers.
A few tips for you when you set up shop.
Create good, clear and descriptive shop policies. People need to know what your shipping methods and handling times are, what your return and refund policies are.
Have an interesting profile. People like to find out what kind of person they are buying from. It never hurts to include a funny or interesting short story about yourself, or an interesting fact about you.
Your shop announcement! This is where you explain in a few words what your shop is all about, and what kind of products you sell. Keep it short but descriptive. Long shop announcements are boring and get in the way. People want to find out what you sell quickly before they get bored and move on.
And at last we come to your product descriptions and pictures. Your pictures should be very clear and self exclamatory. People can't examine your product in person, so include a picture of every detail and angle you can think of up to to 5 pictures. Include every detail you can think of in your descriptions, even if it doesn't seem that important. The measurements, it's good points, it's bad points, how you will ship it, etc.
Etsy has been a great place for me, and I've learned tremendously from it. I think you will enjoy it too!
