Top 10 Tips For Selling On Etsy?
When my kids were in elementary school, I sold handmade stitchery pillows and hooked rugs on Ebay as a fun way to earn some extra spending money.
Then, a few years later, I decided to try selling my finished pieces on Etsy as the fees were less and the platform was geared more towards handmade items. And well, the rest is history. I’ve been selling on Etsy ever since.
The variety of items I sell on Etsy has grown steadily over the years and with that, I’ve been able to streamline and simplify how I run my Etsy shop.
If you’re thinking about selling on Etsy, and are looking for some tips to get you started, here are my top 10 tips for selling on Etsy.
1. Whatever you decide on selling, consider it being unique and possibly a niche product. People may think your product is different or think “who would possibly want to buy that”?
You’d be surprised what people are into and what eclectic hobbies people have. Whatever you decide to sell, go for it 100% and have a quality product no matter what it may be.
2. Take great photos in proper lighting and from a few different angles depending on what your selling. You don’t need special cameras or dedicated photography lighting to take great photos.
In most cases, a decent smartphone can do the job. Make sure you represent your product the way it looks in person as much as possible.
3. Price your product correctly. Consider your time, expenses to make the product, shipping costs, Etsy fees etc… Make sure you look at competing sellers to get a good base to go from.
Is your product a bit different or a higher quality? Charge a bit more and feel it out. Stick to your guns if you make a decision on your price.
4. Consider free shipping to your customers and work it into your price. Etsy encouraged free shipping to boost sales and I was a bit apprehensive at first.
I went for it all in and they were right. Sales have increased over the last couple years. People just like the feeling of free shipping.
5. Ship your product as fast as you can when the sale is made. I like to ship within 1 day, or in some cases the same day. The fastest you can ship it the better. It’s gone and you can move on to the next thing without worrying about a bunch of orders piling up and stressing you out.
6. Depending on what your selling, try to have multiples in stock. If something becomes popular you definitely don’t want to be scrambling to keep up with demand. Do your inventory count just like a brick and mortar store would when you think you need to. Quarterly at a minimum is what I do.
7. Ship with quality packing and proper protection of your product. Bubble wrap, proper boxes, taped nicely, invoice inside if you like. I like to add little goodies inside to make it special for the customers to let them know I appreciate their business.
I like to stick a business card in the package as well. You worked hard on your sale. There is nothing worse than having damaged when it gets to it’s destination.
8. Watch for messages on your Etsy page and respond as soon as you can. Stay in touch with your customers and make sure they’re happy or have any questions they may have answered promptly.
9. If it’s what you really want to do, go at Etsy with the attitude of it being a your business. Renting an actual brick and mortar store is incredibly expense and complicated.
You’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, now is your opportunity. Go for it with all you have just like you would in a business people walked into. The wonderful thing is you can do it from the comfort of your home without employees, paying rent, keeping up with tax codes {Etsy takes care of that for you}, and having to sit at your store all day.
Yes, there are fees to selling on Etsy but they are far less than the hassle of having an actual store.
10. Don’t be discouraged with a lack of sales or it going a bit slower than you had anticipated at first. Hang in there and don’t give up. Successful businesses can take time.
Have a quality product and stick by it. Have a friend look at your site and give you some honest feedback on what they think. Word can travel quickly online and you never know to whom you may be selling to. Next thing you know, you’re a huge success!
♥ ♥ ♥
Well there it is. These are some of the things I do to keep it going on Etsy. Be professional, communicate, have a quality product, price it competitively, and ship it as fast as you can.
Also invest back into your business to make things better as you get more successful. Always remember the customer is #1 just like you would in any other business.
Good Luck!
~Mavis
Elise says
This is excellent advice! Thank you for sharing tips, I’m in the process of setting up shop and help from an experienced seller is much appreciated. Etsy is fantastic for promoting handmade and unique items.
So funny and true that fast “free” shipping lures us in, Amazon has proven it for us all!
Kathy Wolfe says
Yep “free shipping” is always a pull for me to see what they got.
Patti Vanderbloemen says
These are great tips and thank you for sharing!
I used to LOVE Etsy and had an Etsy shop for years for my jewelry— but as soon as Etsy sold out to “less handmade”, the mass produced jewelry overtook everything I had. I just could not compete with the pricing of mass produced. And the Etsy fees just became outrageous to me. So, I had to bite the dust and open up my own website.
Now, I still shop on Etsy — but I only purchase handmade and unique goods….like yours!
These days, with inflation so high, and since the Pandemic, selling online ANYWHERE is a tough market, especially for “non-essential” items.
Christina says
Patti, your jewelry is simply stunning! When I can afford to, I’d love to buy a piece or two.
Kim says
I agree, Christina; Patti’s jewelry is gorgeous. I feel it’s actually quite affordable, but I do understand that even extras are something I have to think twice about before making purchases as of late, especially if the purchase is just for me.
Patti Vanderbloemen says
Thank you! It’s tough right now for everyone…I hope things improve in the near future.
Patti Vanderbloemen says
Aw, thank you!
Rosemary Calhoun says
Great tips! I started my Etsy shop in June 2019, and I have sold quite a few things. I had a large assortment but recently I have thinned it out – things that were not getting much attention. The shop still needs some more thinning out. I do have some “bestsellers”, so I am trying to gear the shop towards those items.
I am not the best photographer – the biggest problem (besides my lack of skill) is getting the right lighting. Free shipping is the best choice, and I do offer it on $35+ orders. Usually I ship within 1-2 days – my shipping policy is 1-3 days (in case I need an extra day).
Good customer service is key! I would want someone to respond to me quickly, so I make sure that I answer as quickly as possible.
I don’t get a ton of sales but it’s enough to make me a Star Seller every now and then. Etsy does have fees, but it is much cheaper than even doing craft shows locally – and it is a lot less work! When I did craft shows I would have to pack everything up, load the car, drive to the show, unload the car, unpack the items, and then sit there all day until the show was over. Then it was time to pack up the items, load the car, drive home . . . Etsy is sooooo much easier!
Your tips are right on the money and your shop is a great example for anyone who is interested in getting started. I am so glad that I took the chance!
Diana says
I had a large custom workroom with 18 employees making home goods like pillows, cushions, and duvets. After 20 years I decided to retire early to spend time with my family. I had a huge amount of fabric left as customers did not want their scraps. I started selling on eBay and soon expanded to Amazon and Etsy.
Things took off and got overwhelming so I dropped eBay as they don’t highlight handmade. This last year I dropped Amazon as their fees are twice as high as Etsy, and the customers do a lot more returns.
Now with just Etsy I have been very happy. I have learned that repeat sales on the same item are what are the most successful. I focus just on pillows and buy my fabric in 55 yard rolls. My studio has three machines and a cutting area. Can’t really say I have retired but I do love spending money!
Christina says
Thank you for this post! Do you think an Etsy business can be as successful when selling vintage products and not something handmade?
Diana says
For me the best sellers are repeat sellers as Etsy promotes them more than one of a kind items. Vintage items do sell but you would need to drive traffic to your shop through ads, or off site promotion such as Pinterest or Instagram. I have some plates I sell along with my pillows and I have sold quite a few.