Marilyn Colwell

So you’ve decided you want to sell on Etsy?

You’re in the right place then. I started my Etsy shop in 2015 after I made a few wine glasses with vinyl designs for friends. It was a joke that this new found hobby of mine should be taken to the next level and obviously what was once a joke, turned into the real deal. Fast forward to today and I feel like I’ve gathered enough knowledge through my ups and downs of selling, to share a “how to guide” with you.

Much like anything else, there are a lot of opinions and views of selling on Etsy. The main reason for this is that those who have worked with them for a while, have had their own experiences and found what does in fact work best for them or what absolutely does not. I promise, you will too and chances are, it won’t be identical to what works for someone else.

I’m going to start by sharing my top five tips to think about, before you begin to sell on Etsy.

1. What’s your purpose?

This might sound cliche but if you do not have a purpose for your Etsy shop…what really will keep you wanting to work at it? Just like anything else, something without a purpose can easily be walked away from. While there are plenty of “overnight” successes with Etsy, that’s not always the case. It takes work and there will be plenty of moments or days, even months where you’re just over it and want to throw the towel in. Having a purpose not only gives your shop some meaning, it gives you a simple reason to not give up on those tough days. This brings me to my number two.

2. Share your story.

In most cases, people shop on Etsy for not only unique items but the experience and connection they feel to the item or person they are purchasing from. I will say, not ALL people come to Etsy for this reason…and it shows, but plenty of people do in fact shop there to support small business. So what’s your story? Where are you from? What drives you to create? Why do you enjoy creating? What’s the reasoning behind opening a shop? I’m not saying you “have” to spill your most intimate secrets but do give people something to connect too. Bonus: this tip also applies to social media channels!

3. What exactly do you plan to sell?

This should probably be number one on the list because without a product or some type of creative service (I.e. logo or web design) to offer, there’s obviously not much of a point to having an Etsy. HOWEVER, every good thing needs a foundation which is why this is simply just number three for me. I consider myself fairly creative and within that, I have multiple things that interest me or that I’ve enjoyed making including: Coffee mugs, wine glasses, tumblers, canvases, a variety of apparel, doormats, printable art and within all of those items, Digital designs. I create all of my designs myself to use on whatever item I might be making so designing in general, is something I love to do and something I can offer on Etsy. These are all different ideas for selling on Etsy and all things that do sell well year round.

One last tidbit on this topic, there are a lot of similar products on Etsy. While this does mean more competition, do not let this take away from what you love to create. I read something once that pointed out how many different brands of bread there are at the grocery store. Yet they all have a place on the shelf because they all appeal to someone for one reason or another. YOU are what makes your product different!

4. How much time will you put in?

This can vary and I’m not saying you have to know exactly what you’re going to give it but maybe you just want to start an Etsy shop as a small hobby for something fun to do! Maybe, you want to make it your full time. Depending on what you’re also selling, it’s important to understand that Etsy does take time. It takes time to create a shop and build listings, it takes time to respond to customer messages when they start rolling in, it takes time to set clear shop policies, it takes time to build relationships, it takes time to create products. This might not all apply to you if you’re not creating a physical item and shipping it but regardless, think about what you plan to put into your shop not only on the back end of building it but fulfilling customer orders as well as your processing times should be something you’re clear about in your shop information. Also know, you can adjust processing times at any point as you might need to. Maybe right now you can juggle everything easily and put orders out the next day, that’s great! I currently have my processing times at 1-2 weeks. My orders take more time to fill and I also juggle a variety of other tasks such as blogging and content creating in addition to being a wife! Balance is important and we are all only human.

5. Pricing.

Of course. You have to have a price point, right? Not only do you need to decide what you’ll charge but you’ll have to make it competitive while taking into consideration Etsy’s 6.5% fee, .20 cent listing fees and not to mention your expenses of course. A basic rule of thumb is your total expense x3. Calculate all of the materials you’ll use to make each item being sure to think about little extras such as shipping materials (if this applies), ink, label and/or paper costs, tape and so on then multiply the total by three.

Now, it’s also important to take into consideration if you’ll run sales. I’ve made this mistake countless times just trying to keep up with Etsy and competition where I run a sale not reanalyzing my current expenses and then come to find out sure, I brought in business but I also made next to nothing because things fluctuate!

Free shipping is another spot where you’ll need to take this into consideration. We live in an Amazon Prime world where people want fast + free shipping. Etsy also strongly encourages it however, it’s not for everyone. For me personally, shipping a doormat from South Carolina to North Carolina costs significantly less than me shipping to California. The price difference is almost $22. That’s substantial and for me, I’m not comfortable asking my more local customers to pay a higher price point…to accommodate free shipping out west, if that makes sense.

Take the time to write out your expenses and figure in what works best for YOU. Maybe free shipping is no problem for you! Or maybe you have super low expenses, that’s fantastic! But be sure you write it out and every so often, reanalyze your expenses!

Well friends, those are my top five things to keep in mind as you begin your journey into the great world of Etsy. Remember to stay true to your purpose, be flexible, be balanced. Do not let comparison ruin your journey and most importantly, enjoy it!

With love,

MC