The Esty Basics: What Every Etsy Entrepreneur Needs to Know

​​Etsy boasts over 40 million shoppers. With those kind of numbers, you are probably contemplating if you should hop on the Etsy train. Many successful business owners have started their business on Etsy. Even today Etsy is a great platform to start your business on! 

What is Etsy? 

Etsy is a marketplace website for custom made items, hand crafted items, and vintage items. You can create your own Etsy shop and list items for sale. Etsy has millions of buyers from all over the world looking for unique items. ​

Why Should You Sell on Etsy?  

​Etsy is a great platform to start on! First off, they have a huge and loyal customer base. When you are just starting a business, you won’t have much of a customer base -- if any at all. You can borrow from Etsy your first customers. Second, you can have your own branded store on Etsy. Etsy allows you to customize your store presentation. Third, the fees are very low on Etsy. There’s no monthly platform fee, so getting started is very low risk.

How Can You Standout On Etsy? 

​With over 2 million sellers on Etsy, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. Here’s three things that you must do to set yourself up for success on Etsy:

1) Take Great Product Photos

​You absolutely need great product photos. Great product photos are well lit, free from clutter, not blurry, and show the best angles of the product. You should have at least four photos, with the first one highlighting the product in use. 

2) Write Great Titles and Descriptions

​Etsy titles and descriptions are searchable. Use all the character spaces Etsy gives you in your product titles to fill out relevant information. You can include the product name, the common names, alternative names, color, material, use, season, holiday, quantity, etc. Your descriptions should be well written -- sets the scene for the product, highlights best features, and notes about condition or material. 

3) Sell Niche Products

​The number one mistake I see new Etsy sellers make is throwing up anything and everything they can onto one Etsy store. The most successful stores on Etsy are highly niched. They serve a single audience. Do not treat your Etsy store like a garage sale. Sell handcrafted items or vintage items. Just because you can make something, doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can make crochet pot holders, can koozies, dog leashes, and watercolor paintings doesn’t mean you should put them all in one store. Your niche can be of subject matter (i.e. everything related to dogs), use (i.e. things for the kitchen), material (i.e. wood burned signs, keychains, & decor), era (i.e. vintage goods from the 50s & 60s), or even color (i.e. everything sunny yellow). You want a niche that brings people back to your shop again and again. ​
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Other Etsy Tips: 

If you do the above things well, you’ll have set yourself up for success on Etsy. But I have a few more Etsy tips for you:

1. Deliver great customer service -- this is what brings repeat customers
2. Use consistent branding -- your shop banner, shop image, colors, and packaging should all reflect your business’ branding
3. Post new products often -- bring in new products or refresh old products to bring attention to your shop
4. Bring your own traffic to Etsy -- Etsy only does part of the work. You can’t just “list it and forget it”. You’ll do much better if you treat it like a business and bring your shoppers to the platform. 

What Etsy related questions do you have? I can’t help you pick out the best crafting materials or help you date that vintage piece, but I am a business coach and I can help you turn your passion into a successful side hustle or small business. Book a free one-on-one coaching session with me today.