by 10 people |
Turn your Hobby into a Business on Etsy
Unlike Ebay and other online sales venues Etsy.com is designed specifically for artists and crafters. Its free to set up shop, inexpensive to list items, and absolutely the best way to start making money from your hobbies.
Table of Contents
What can I sell on Etsy?
(A whole lot of things!)
The focus of Etsy is on handmade items, but there are exceptions made for Supplies and Vintage items as well. You can't list one of a kind items on Etsy that you also have listed somewhere else- no cross listings- and you cannot sell items made by someone else- no reselling.
From the Etsy Dos and Don'ts
These are the official categories under which you can list items on Etsy.Handmade
- All items must be handmade by the individual(s) running the Etsy shop.
- On Etsy, the term "handmade" can additionally be interpreted as "hand-assembled" or "hand-altered".
Commercial crafting supplies
- These are not items handmade by you.
- This section is for items that can be used to make other items you might find for sale on Etsy (such as yarn, beads, instructional books, patterns, tools, etc.
- Shipping supplies and packaging materials are also allowed in the Supplies category.
- These listings must be placed in the Supplies category, and tagged as commercial. (Categories such as Books and Zines are for handmade items only.)
Vintage goods
- The Vintage category is for things that are at least 20 years old.
- These listings must be placed in the Vintage category.
People want what you make!!!
The "buy handmade" movement is afoot, and people are looking for the sorts of wonderful handcrafted items that you make. If you build it, they will come!
Tips on setting up your first Etsy Shop
Getting Started on the Road to Success
Make a great banner
Your banner and avatar are the only shop dressing you have, and they are very important to set the tone of your shop. Don't panic if you aren't graphically inclined. There are plenty of Etsy shops devoted to pre-made or custom banners, or you can use the Etsy Bannerator to make your own professionional, if not entirely unique, banner.- Take the time to take great pictures
Your pictures are the only thing your customers have on which to judge their decisions about your products. Beautiful pictures make your products look more professional. Bad pictures can make even the best made items look shoddy. If you need help taking pictures take a look at my Photography Resources. - Don't list everything at once
Etsy sorts items by time of listing, so the best way to make sure people see your listings to to spread them out over a period of time. Take your time, add a couple new items every day and you'll be up and running soon enough. - Spend some time in the forums
You can never have enough friends in far away places, and the Etsy Forums are a great place to meet other business people, trade ideas, make friends, and get the word out about your shop.
Etsy Banner Shops
These are just a few...there are many others to choose from!
-
- Gorgeous, layered designs with a distinct "collage" feel
-
- Classic Designs for banners, avatars, business cards etc.
-
- More Banners and Avatars than you can shake a stick at!
Photography Resources
Tips, tricks and expert advice
Not everyone is a born photographer, but with the right tools and information anyone can take great product photos.
- How-to Photograph Jewelry: Get the Basics with Vadjutka
- A nice Article in the Etsy Storque about product photography. This is great for the beginner!
- Photographing Jewelry and Other Small Things
- A nice lens on product photography with some beautiful examples.
- How to photograph Jewelry, Silver, Glass, Beads and other small items
- A wonderful, in depth look at product photography. This might be a little much for a total newbie, but an advanced amateur could pick up some fantastic tricks!
Promote Promote Promote!!!
There are lots of way to promote your shop within Etsy. You can purchase slots in the Etsy showcases, participate in discussions in the forums, or chat rooms, and lots more.
My favorite tool is the Etsy mini, which generates a widget that can be inserted into your websites, blog, MySpace or Facebook profile etc.
The Etsy Mini Widget relies on either I-Frames or Tables and therefor does NOT work here on Squidoo.Instead, you can use the Squidoo Etsy module.
My favorite tool is the Etsy mini, which generates a widget that can be inserted into your websites, blog, MySpace or Facebook profile etc.
The Etsy Mini Widget relies on either I-Frames or Tables and therefor does NOT work here on Squidoo.Instead, you can use the Squidoo Etsy module.
The Etsy Module in action
These are items from my Digital Collage Sheets shop, Passionfruits.etsy.com
You need to select some items to show.
Etsy Mini How-To
Successful Etsy Shops
These Etsyians are Really Cookin'!
-
- Fun and quirky prints and originals
-
- Fantastically quirky art objects (I love this shop!)
-
- A shameless plug for my own Digital Collage Sheet Shop
-
- Impossibly cute and kitschy vintage finds
-
- Luscious handmade soaps
-
- One of the all-time best sellers on Etsy...watch and learn, young grasshopper.
How do I get paid?
Etsy is designed to interface easily with Paypal, but there are alternate methods to get payments.
-
Paypal
- The tried and true stand by for accepting online payments, Paypal interfaces easily with Etsy.
-
Revolutionary Money Exchange or RME
- Revolutionary Money Exchange is a relatively new and practically free way to exchange money. I've not had the opportunity to use it, but people who have swear by it.
-
Google Checkout
- A great bargain if you plan to advertise using Google Adwords, offering Google checkout can boost your sales even further.
Etsy Lovers Unite!
Do you have an Etsy shop? Love to shop on Etsy? Have a deep seated love of all things handmade? Share your love story with us!
submit
-
Reply
- admiralglass admiralglass Nov 28, 2009 @ 9:17 am
- I too sell in Etsy and i love it. I also enjoy browsing fellow artist items. You have done great job to promote Etsy. 5*
Ps if you intrested my Etsy shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/admiralglass
-
Reply
- Jennifer Jennifer Apr 3, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
- I also sell on Etsy. I've been there 6 months and have had 2 sales. I would like to expand my business and have done some of the things you mention. Chats really do help get your name out there. I use google base but didn't know about google check out that is something to think about in the future. I have also joined weloveetsy.com but I am still waiting to be approved but apparently that helps with traffic. You can review different shops and your shop gets put up which equals more traffic.
If anyone is interested in checking out my shop it is http://enviousmoondesigns.etsy.com
Thanks for the info for sure!
-
Reply
- Jimmie Jimmie Nov 17, 2008 @ 10:23 am
- You're officially blessed!
-
Reply
- Kleppins_Kitchen Kleppins_Kitchen Nov 15, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
- Interesting lens. I really enjoyed the journey as I too sell online thru Etsy. Congratulations on your Graduation.
-
Reply
- paperfacets paperfacets Oct 22, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
- Hurrah for Etsy. My first online sales were on Etsy. It has a beauiful look and is easy to use. I never what beyond the basics. Thanks for the guidance. 5*
- Load More
Etsy in the Blogosphere
Etsy is everywhere- can you feel the love?
- Sugar Frosted Goodness!: Brand New Etsy Shop, and I do mean Brand New
- Brand New Etsy Shop, and I do mean Brand New. Please, Please come to my Etsy shop. Use all the money you got from the Holidays and buy a beautiful print printed by this guy: theshallowend.com, and drawn by yours truly. ...
- Debra's Design Studio: Getting Organized for my Etsy Store
- So, the next good idea was to spread out on the dining room table with my etsy ideas and plans. I've been browsing through my patterns and books the last week and I decided it was time to commit to a structure for my shop. ...
- Marmalady's Blog: My poor neglected blog
- On-line sales have been boosted by the opening of a 4th Etsy shop -- MarmaladySupplies -- for baking disposables such as cake tin liners, muffin cases etc which has worked quite well. I have also taken the plunge and launched my own ...
- Flor Larios Art: EVERY ITEM IN MY ETSY SHOP IS ON SALE NOW!!!
- EVERY ITEM IN MY ETSY SHOP IS ON SALE NOW!!! I hope everybody had a great Christmas! Everything is on SALE in my Shop ... and for my blogs friends a special treat: FREE shipping within the US and REDUCED International shipping, ...
My Etsy Shops
I couldn't make it without them!
I started out on Etsy a little over a year ago with just one shop devoted to my artwork. These days I have FOUR shops and make about a quarter of my monthly income on Etsy. It really is worth the effort of getting started!
-
- Passion Fruits Supplies- my destash shop
-
- I set up this shop after I bought my Tecre button maker...I was swimming in buttons!
-
- My original Etsy Shop...this is where I show my art and jewelry
-
- My Digital Collage Sheet Shop
by DivineIguana
Hello out there! I am Rena Hopkins, a mixed media collage and jewelry artist and owner of PassionFruitsImages, an artists' image resource. I love all... (more)
Explore related pages
Make your Handmade Products Stand Out! Using Creative Packaging- There are some easy and creative ways to make your handmade products different f...
The Fashion DiY- If your wondering what is going on with all this DiY talk you hear everywhere, t...
EtsyBloggers- EtsyBloggers is a street team made up of members from the handmade site Etsy. Th...
Bluegrass Etsy Street Team B.E.S.T.- Welcome to the official Bluegrass Etsy Street team Squidoo Page. We are a groups...
DaWanda - Your Complete Guide to Buying & Selling on DaWanda.- I have just opened my first DaWanda store and I am very excited to share th...
Great Gifts: Handmade Art, Jewelry and More.- Looking for that perfect gift? How about something lovely and unusual, and...
