How to sell on Etsy: instructions, nuances, and some tips for beginners

Etsy is a one-of-a-kind platform, which favors creative ideas, custom designs, and handmade products. Unique handmade products products into which the author has put his soul – these are the best selling items on Etsy and that’s what many buyers come to look for.

The creators of the platform set their goal to unite sellers and buyers from all over the world, and representatives of many countries really work successfully on the site.

How to register on Etsy, how to sell on Etsy, how to ship and advertise a product?
Are there any secrets that will help you succeed there?

Buyers come here for exclusives. If you’re bored of mass-producing a standard product, Etsy is the place to get creative with your ideas.Etsy sellers have earned more than $4 billion in 2020, according to data published on the platform’s homepage. For many sellers around the world, Etsy is a convenient gateway to the US and European markets.

The platform solves a significant part of the technical and logistical tasks for the seller, from creating a storefront to processing payments, and you can focus directly on your product.

How to open a store on Etsy?

The platform is quite clear and easy to use. So, how to start selling on Etsy?

Step 1. Account Registration

To register on Etsy, you will need an email address. You can also sign in with your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

Step 2. Create a store

Just a few clicks – and you are in the store settings.

The next few steps are the preparation for publishing your showcase. You will need to name and describe your store, add photos and descriptions of your products, and provide payment details.

There are several requirements that you will need to meet when creating a store in order for the registration to be successful. Your store name must be unique, it must not violate anyone’s copyrights, and it must not contain profanity.

You need to prepare a banner and logo for the storefront, write a few words to greet customers and describe your team.

It is important to set out the terms of order processing, return or exchange, and shipping so that buyers can review this information before they have completed their purchase.

Step 3. Personal profile

Please note that in addition to the description of the store, you also need to fill out a personal profile and add a photo.

When registering, you may be required to provide payment card details – this is necessary to verify your identity.

Since Etsy is a platform for creative people, buyers are not only interested in your products, but also in your story. You can fill out your personal profile by opening your Account Settings and selecting the “Edit Profile” section.

Etsy recommends not limiting yourself to standard information, but sharing your interests and hobbies.

Step 4. Filling the showcase

An important step is adding products to the store.

Since Etsy places a lot of emphasis on product personality and creative ideas, the platform provides a variety of options to describe the product in detail: add a photo, or video, indicate the amount of the product in stock, describe shipping options, and so on.

Products become available to buyers after adding all the details and publishing.

How to make your product stand out

Of course, the popularity of your products will depend on your skill. However, it is equally important to correctly display the product in the window so that potential buyers can easily find it.

Search on Etsy works by keywords: the algorithm selects the most relevant results among products for a given buyer’s query.

You specify the keywords for which you would like to appear in the search results in the product name.

This is done at the time of adding the product to the storefront. In addition to the name, there is also a product category, and there are tags by which the buyer can refine the search. You will need to choose a category from those presented on the site, you add tags yourself.

The closer the keywords from the product title and tags are to the user’s search query, the higher your chances of being seen. Think about keywords and tags ahead of time.

It is important that they match completely or partially – this will also increase your position in the search results.

What to consider for new sellers

Even though the platform provides detailed instructions and tips for managing a store and selling a product, there are nuances and secrets that sellers will only learn from their own experience. We want to share some of tips with you.

It is very important to carefully prepare the content for the store – description, and product names.

Since buyers are looking for something special, and original on the platform, it is important to create an appropriate atmosphere in the store, to grab attention with something unusual, not like others. It may be worth taking professional product photos.

Also take the time to carefully select your keywords – your position in the search results depends on this.

Use social media to bring customers to the store. Instagram and Pinterest will help you tell your story in detail, share your ideas, reveal your products from all sides, and make your brand closer to people.

Work on the assortment: despite the exclusivity of the goods, it will be to your advantage to reach as large an audience as possible.

Good luck!