Creating an Etsy Shop - Selling What You Make

Do you love creating things? Share it with the world! The best job in life is to do something you love. So if you love creating unique things, there is the possibility of sharing your products with the world and seeing a new income stream as a result!

Chances are, you’ve heard of Etsy. You’ve probably bought a few birthday gifts for your friends or family (or yourself!) from Etsy or have maybe seen it come up in search results as you look for products online. There are many business owners with an Etsy shop, and it’s very easy to get started. 

Why Etsy Is a Good Choice for Those Who Are Just Getting Started

1. It’s a Trusted Platform.

Etsy is the go-to site for many small business-minded people out there looking to get started. Customers know and trust Etsy as the place to find unique, hand-made products and are happy to support the small business owners there. 

2. There’s an Active Market.

When you add your product to the Etsy Market, it is made available to everyone searching the Etsy market. You don’t have to do the extra work of getting your product in front of the eyes of potential customers. Plus, Etsy will prompt you with ideas on how to really spruce up your product listing so it reaches more customers. 

3. It’s Easy to Get Started.

It is free to register for an Etsy account. Simply click “Open a Shop” and follow through the prompts to get everything set up. The fun part? Getting to name your shop! Then you are ready to upload your listings of everything you would like to sell.

Start sharing your listing wherever you like and watch the sales start coming in. 

4. Expenses are Low.

Compared to running your business on other e-commerce sites, Etsy does not charge hosting or domain costs and no membership fees to join. You do pay $0.20 to list an item for up to 4 months (or until it sells depending on your listing). Upon sale, Etsy collects a 3.5% fee based on the sale price. This option beats having to pay for a physical store that comes with its own expenses and allows you to reach people from around the world, not just in your own city. 

What Can You Sell on Etsy? 

The sky's the limit! Go on the site and browse as a customer to see all the different categories of products listed. This will help give you an idea of where and how to categorize what you create or maybe prompt another idea of something you know how to create as well! Even if you see your product on there offered by someone else, don’t fret! You will be creating that same product with your own flair, and you can market it as something a little different. You never know; yours might become the new favourite!

How to Open an Etsy Shop

To get started on opening your Etsy shop, visit Etsy.com/sell.

Create your shop!

Follow the prompts to put in information like your currency, country, tax information, banking, etc. You do not need a business license to open an Etsy shop. Pick out a great name for your business and create an eye-catching logo.

Adding listings to your shop

Add your unique product! Etsy recommends taking lots of photos of each product or videos to show all angles of your product so that the customer can get the best view of what they are looking to buy. Set your price and description and get it listed!

Marketing, branding, and promotion

Etsy will send you prompts for your shop on how to best market your products, so take notes! Also, do your own research on things like SEO and keywords so you get all these things added to your titles and descriptions. 

Manage your shop

Check into your shop frequently to refresh listings, make sure you keep your shop stocked (or listings haven’t expired), and think about offering sales and coupons throughout the year. These are also created right inside your Etsy shop! Keep notes of customer favourites and even reach out to those faithful customers with special codes and discounts. 

Here’s an Etsy shop from a homeschooling mom who created some helpful learning tools for other homeschoolers: Visit the Weller Academy Shop.

Opening an Etsy shop is a low-risk opportunity that you can try to see if you can generate some extra income on the side. Who knows? It could turn into a full-time income if you create the next best thing that everyone needs!

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our themes page that has a new theme topic added every month!