Preparing an Effective Etsy Listing

Make full use of the title and be sure your listing title is keyword rich.

Use descriptive keywords, words that you think buyers might enter when they search for your item.

Remember that buyers do not search for terms such as Wow or Look Here!!! or L@@K or Great Deal.

The maximum length is 155 alpha-numeric characters on Etsy, but I find listings with these long titles too hard on the eyes. I usually skip by these without even clicking on the listing. And I am not alone on this either.

Use Standard Spelling and Grammar in your titles.

- avoid repeated and unnecessary use of punctuation, capitalization, spaces or symbols
- don't use exclamation points in your item titles
- avoid gimmicky repetition

Creating useful titles will help make your items more appealing for users and improve your impressions.

Prepare a clear and concise listing description.

Think like a buyer when preparing your description. Does it answer all the questions you might have if you wanted to buy this?

Potential buyers appreciate a well-written description and this will also reduce the need to ask questions, saving time for both you and the buyer.

Some items may require far more detailed information, but in general, keep to the point; you don't want to lose your buyers interest.

Adding humor or a personal background story is ok, but only if appropriate to what you are selling and keep it brief.

Write your description as if you had no pictures

Take your pictures as if you had no description

Does your description clearly describe what you are selling?

The following are a few quick examples of what you should include in the item description to get you going (and will not apply to every situation):

Product Material - although Etsy has a material "tags" section, not all buyers may look there. Include what the item is made of. Some buyers are looking for something specific, some may have allergies.

Size and Weight - include size, dimensions and weight, this will ensure the item will meet your buyers needs. Do you need both standard and metric measurements?

Color - state the color, your picture(s) may show a different color on some browsers.

Highlight - special features or uses. Many artists also like to explain how they made it.

A picture is worth a thousand words.... include at least one great picture, more if required.



I had to use smaller sized images to fit on this page, but they give you the idea. Obviously the first picture is most likely to sell your product.

Here's a great article to get you started if you need some help.

Provide the shipping cost (whenever possible), some buyers won't bother to contact you for the cost and will hit the back key if these costs are not stated.

If you are sending by a more expensive method, include that information in the listing. Why do I suggest this? If I see your shipping is higher than other sellers (based on similar products), I would also like to know it is being sent by Priority and not First Class Parcel mail.

Both USPS and Canada Post websites have postal rate calculators.

Offer combined shipping rates (highly recommended).

You should NOT include statements anywhere such as "if buyer doesn't take insurance, the seller assumes no risk or liability" or "seller is not responsible for items once they have been mailed".

This is a common misunderstanding of the purpose and need for insurance by sellers.

If a buyer does not receive the item, whether or not insurance was available or purchased, they will Report a Transaction with Etsy and payment charge back (where applicable) and the dispute decision will be in their favor.

A seller will recoup their loss by filing a claim with their courier.

Think like a buyer for a minute........ Ask yourself, if you purchased something from a company and it didn't arrive, what would you think? And why exactly is it your fault?

Sellers take insurance to protect themselves, not the buyer

Actual packaging material costs may be charged (commonly referred to as Shipping & Handling charges) and included in your shipping fee. This is your personal choice, there is no right or wrong, some sellers do and some sellers don't.

Handling charges can include any additional costs to get a parcel in the mail; padded or specialty envelopes, boxes or tubes, bubble wrap or peanuts, brown kraft wrapping paper, shipping or packing tape, shipping labels, etc. and may also include the cost of gasoline for those who have to drive to their post office. These are all legitimate expenses to include for handling.

What you cannot include is any payment surcharges, i.e. PayPal or credit card fees, and Etsy fees have nothing to do with the handling or mailing of your parcel.

Include a return policy in your Shop Policies, this instills buyer confidence and may increase your sales potential.

If you trust the quality of your items, so will the buyer.

If you are registered to collect taxes, specify that taxes are additional in the listing as well as your Shop Policies.

Don't surprise your buyer with additional costs when they complete the payment process.

Take care with your spelling, grammar and capitalization, be accurate and maintain consistency.

Check your listing description and title, as well as your Shop Announcement, Profile and Shop Policies.

A little attention to detail reflects positively on your attitude as a seller

Refrain from over-use of those fancy characters (such as hearts, diamonds, etc) in your Shop Announcement, Shop Policies, Profiles or listings. I have seen a few shops that really do go overboard.

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING ALL CAPITALS. IT IS VERY HARD TO READ. AND AS YOU CAN SEE BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ PEOPLE TEND TO NOT READ EVERYTHING OR MISS SOMETHING ESPECIALLY WHEN IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.

Try not to type all the information in one very long running description, without breaking it up using paragraphs. I do understand some folks are not all proficient typists, but it only takes a person to hit two "enter" keys after a section to create a paragraph.

All of these things make it difficult for a person to read and may cause your potential buyer to miss something important. Even worse, they may hit the back button and buy somewhere else.

Keep your Shop Announcement brief. It should be written to attract buyers to look at your wonderful handmade items or to highlight important announcements. Here's ours:

Belt Buckles, Bolo Ties, Bullet Pens, Ceiling Fan Pulls, Cufflinks, Earrings, Fridge Magnets, Keychains, Money Clips, Tie Tacks & Zipper Pulls. Unique gift ideas for men and ladies; hunters, target shooters, police officers, military personnel, conservation officers & those who are just hard to buy for.

I give a quick blurb of what our products are and who may be interested in them.

Don't include information in your Shop Announcement that should go in your Profile or Shop Policies. Remember, we are trying to keep this area as short as possible.

I am one of those who is very happy with the new change of our shop announcements. I believe this shorter announcement looks much cleaner that before. Pictures are what grab a buyer's attention, not lines and lines and lines of written text.

Complete your Profile, it doesn't have to be difficult to write or long, but include a little something. This may help your potential buyer feel a little more comfortable buying from you. See example of our Profile

Definitely complete your Shop Policies. I wrote ours as a basic FAQ, trying to cover anything a buyer may ask. It shows a potential buyer that I have put care and time and effort into our policies and business, as well as reduces the number of emails. See example of our Shop Policies.

Did you know that some buyers do not feel confident and may not purchase from a seller who does not take the time to complete this information?

If it is about the ITEM - put it in the listing description.

If it is about your SHOP and how you do things - put it in the Shop Policies.

If it is about YOU - put it in the Profile.