Etsy is the number 1 online marketplace for handcrafted items.
When we first started making bottle lamp we had our own Etsy shop. You were able to purchase our lighted bottles, bottle lamps, bottle candle holders, planters and other hand crafted items through our GlassBottleCrafts shop.
Now we’re to busy teaching and leave the selling of handmade crafts to you.
Why sell your crafts on Etsy
Never heard of Etsy? Etsy is a website that focused on providing a selling platform for handmade items as well as art and craft supplies.
Even though we live in an instant gratification kind of world, there are still millions of us that take the time and effort to learn a new hobby. Some of us get into the recycle movement and turn anything from glass bottles to coffee filters into whimsical art and crafts.
Having a rewarding hobby is great, but what do you do when your home gets overfilled with all of your creative outlets. You start selling your art and craft projects on Etsy of course.
On Etsy you can buy and sell almost anything handmade related.
It is a website that celebrates individual creativity in design and craftsmanship by connecting you to millions of like minded visitors. Sounds great in theory, right? But how do you and your one of a kind craft projects stand out from the rest of the unique crafters and their one of a kind craft projects?
Here are some very useful tips for the hobbyist to sell your crafts on Etsy:
1. Create an account on Etsy.com. Think of name for your shop that is uniquely you and tells others what your shop is about all at the same time.
2. Fill in as much information about yourself on the public profile page as possible. Include a picture of yourself as well as a little description about you, how you got started with your crafts and what keeps you going.
3. Under Info & Appearance you pick a title for your shop. Do you love to sew pillows and your name is Jill, then ‘Jill loves to Sew Pillows’ would be a great name for your shop. Upload a banner picture that is no larger than 760px X 100px. A banner picture is usually an image of some of your best or favorite items along with your shop title.
4. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, you can connect your pages at this point. Connecting your account s will help you spread the word about your shop and might get your family members and friends to share your craft items as well.
5. At this point you want to tell your visitors a little bit more about you and your processes. Fill in the Shop Announcement and Message to Buyers fields. Tell your visitors why they should buy a crafts item from you instead of the millions of other fabulous sewers? Be friendly, straightforward and thank your visitors for stopping by.
6. Set up your shipping and payment options. Add enough shipping fees to your items to cover postage and any packaging materials you might use. You don’t have to have a Paypal account in order to sell your craft items on Etsy. They have a direct checkout system that allows you to use your regular bank account for any fees you acquire and payments you receive.
7. You are now ready to add your first craft item for sale. Click on ‘Add New Item’ and fill in all of the fields. It is extremely important that you add photos that show your craft item from all sides. The images have to be clear and must convey the shape, size, color and texture of your item. Be creative! Take as many photos as it takes and choose the best five.
8. Always enter all 13 tags for your item and as many materials you can think of. Try to imagine what your favorite visitor might search for. What size is it? Who is it for? What is the main material? What style is it? Did you use natural or organic fibers? Add your shipping preference and preview your listing before making it live.
9. If you write and understand more than one language, you can set up the same listing in a second language like German or French. Your listings can then easily be found in those countries.
The most important part of standing out from the rest of the sellers on Etsy is to interact with everyone else on the site.
Join communities that appeal to you, add other peoples crafts items to your favorite list, create registries, wish lists, and treasury lists.
Do you want to be featured on our community blog?
Good luck selling your handmade crafts!
Do you have an Etsy shop? Leave us a comment with a link so we can check it out.
Hi, I love the great advice you have provided here! I also have an Etsy shop and have managed to feel my way around pretty well. It is a lot of fun and so exciting when you get that first sell!!! I most love supporting the other etsyans by shopping in their stores first!! Everyone is so supportive! Thank you for all your information and come visit my facebook page too at
Peace Always,
Deanna
Hi Deanna, I’m glad you enjoyed reading our article and that as a fellow Etsy user you were still able to get something out of it. Etsy is truly a lot of fun!
I checked out and liked your Facebook page. Love your jewelry and the lighted Valentine’s bottles you have on there :)
Thank you so much Silke!! I really appreciate the visit and the look around! I love the fact that you are making beautiful and useful things out of bottles that would end up in the landfills. The greatest thing is that you are sharing it with everyone and offering advice from your experience!! I love recycling and giving things a second chance!!
Peace Always,
Deanna
Just curious to know if you set up a store to sell on Etsy do you need to have a tax ID and a business license?
Hi Lynn, starting out you do not need a tax ID or business license, just your SS#.
Once you reach a certain amount of sales or have been selling for three years then you need to start thinking about getting a sales license. The requirements differ from state to state. Take a look at my marketing book for more tips –