Selling from your own Etsy shop means you have access to the millions of buyers on the platform. It can take many years to build that kind of traffic on your own website. It isn’t difficult to set up an Etsy shop because there is a step-by-step guide to help you. You don’t need any special design or coding skills.
Prepare the essentials
Etsy offers a step-by-step guide that helps you to set up your store. You don’t need any design or coding experience. It helps to gather all the information you need before you start.
It is free to open a shop, but Etsy will need your billing information so you can get paid. Think about some names for your shop and have a number of items ready to sell. You will need photos of your products and an idea of how to describe them. Have a price in mind and know how much shipping will cost.
The next important thing is to look for a printing solution. The best way to print digital art or merchandise for your shop that incorporates your designs is to use a print-on-demand service.
Doing some research before you start setting up your shop can help you to identify a reputable company.
When you first start out, using a good print-on-demand company can remove the worries of handling things like stock that doesn’t sell. The company will package and ship products to customers.
Choose a name
You will usually come up with various names you can use for your shop. Your name should be memorable, original and short. Try to use a name that tells consumers more about what they will find in your shop.
You can change your name before you open your shop but just remember that once you open it, you can only change it once more.
Identify some small milestones
Identifying some small milestones can help you to manage creating and growing your shop in a more sustainable way. A small milestone could be to design, print, photograph and list at least two new items each week.
Another small milestone could be to make your first sale within the first three months. Before you know it, you can meet your small milestones and set bigger ones.
Learn more about Etsy SEO
When you want to sell on Etsy, it’s vital to use descriptive keywords that prospective customers are most likely to use in search when they want to find items like yours. You can use Etsy autocomplete to come up with possible keywords.
Use them in your item titles, product tags and at the start of your descriptions. Keep checking which ones are working best in your Shop Stats.
Take good photos
Your photos will affect your sales. You don’t need to be a professional photographer and use fancy equipment, but you want customers to see sharp, simple and illustrative photos of your products. Unless they do so, they won’t know what they are buying. Using a variety of photo styles can help you to convey well-rounded product information. Photograph your product on a plain background using good lighting.
You can take lifestyle shots of your products in use in their natural habitat. A scale shot can visually communicate the size of the product. A close-up shot can show the texture of materials and finer details like clasps.
Think like a brick-and-mortar shop
Shoppers appreciate a shop that’s carefully designed and well thought out. Offer a selection of products that look as though they belong together. Sell items at a variety of price points to attract buyers with different budgets.
If you only make one type of product, make it in different sizes, materials and colors so you can create more listings. Make sure all the finer details match your brand and complement the design of your products.
Conclusion
If you keep holding back from opening your shop because you feel everything isn’t exactly right, you will never get anywhere. You need to start somewhere, even if it’s a process of trial and error, before you become successful.
You will need the determination to succeed, but you will find all the tools and resources you need on Etsy to set up your shop and a community that’s very supportive.