Are you crafty? Have you given any thought to turning your craftiness into a business? Etsy shops are hot right now and a great way to get your awesome crafts into the hands of craft loving customers! Some of these Etsy shops have been pulling in some big money too! I mean big 6 and 7 figure incomes from selling their handmade products. If you want to give Etsy a try, here are some tips on how to start a successful Etsy shop.
- Decide what to sell. To start an Etsy shop it is usually best to begin by selling just a couple of items that you are great at creating. It’s cheaper to only keep supplies for a couple products on hand.
- Decide on a shop name. Make a cute, personality-filled Etsy shop name that will be easy to spell and easy to remember. Your name is your Etsy identity. Choose well!
- Decide on prices. Invest some time searching Etsy for similar items to what you are planning to sell and get a feel for what the prices are set to. You can’t expect to charge $15 for what others charge $5 for, so you need to be prepared for the competition. Additionally, it is bad business practice to undercut everyone else significantly too so be sure to remain competitive. It will look better on you.
- Remember the fees. Once you determine your price, redetermine it once you remember that Etsy will charge fees (a listing fee and a commission based selling fee). There are additional fees as well so be sure to look through and take note of these.
- Start social media pages/groups. Like anything else, advertising is key and social media advertising is huge. It’s best to start social media pages across more than one platform. I suggest FB, Pinterest and Instagram at the very minimum. I have a friend that does wood-burning art and has become extremely successful by posting about her art on these platforms.
- Be confident. Don’t be too nervous to sell yourself. Go out and be confident about your Etsy shop, or fake it until you actually feel that confidence. You can do this, I know you can!
Have you ever sold anything on Etsy before?
