Starting an Etsy Shop? Here are 8 Articles You Must Read First
05. Dec, 2011 
11 Comments
Gypsy earrings - handmade chandelier earrings - Gypsy, Yellow
Article by: Jenny Hoople
Lots of people have been asking me lately what they should know about setting up a shop on Etsy. Here I’ve gathered together the articles that have been golden nuggets of advice for me in a sea of information. Know at the beginning that making amazing products is only half the battle, the other half of your time will be making sure that the right people are aware of them. I’ve found that the marketing part of owning an indie craft business is just as fun and creative as the making part. If you start reading these articles and it all seems boring and you’re disappointed that there are no quick-fixes, then you’ll want to take aside some time to really evaluate what you want to do with your creative impulse. Maybe selling online isn’t for you? If you start getting excited by the articles and absolutely can’t wait to dive in, then go for it!
- The first set of articles that you want to bookmark and begin your reading adventure with is the Etsy Seller’s Handbook. Just what it sounds like, everything and anything you should know about selling on Etsy!
- Find out who your ideal customer is so you know how to market to them, and what to make for them.
- Take great pictures. This can be achieved with the most modest set up, I have a Canon Powershot ELPH, a big north-facing window, a white piece of paper and two pieces of white matboard that bounce light back at the item. You can edit with free photo-editing tools, my favorite is pixlr.com. The rest is just using your artistic eye to create great shots!
- Before you start writing your item titles and descriptions, learn the principles of Search Engine Optimization and find out what keywords to use. People can’t find your items without it! Especially think of keywords as they relate to your ideal customer. Would the sort of person you’re trying to sell to type in “colorful boho earrings” or “colorful gemstone earrings” or “cute colorful earrings”? Think about it!
- Now you can begin writing your Etsy item descriptions. Be sure to include all the technical specs of your item, how wide, how big, what size, what color, how heavy, who’s it for, etc. Write the description as if there’s no picture to show your item.
- Make sure that when you’re writing your Etsy descriptions, that you’re telling your story, that way customers can relate to you and see why your items are so special, which will make it more likely that they’ll buy from you because they trust you.
- Now you can start promoting your Etsy shop through authentic and meaningful social networking.
- This will include writing a meaningful, helpful and informative blog. You want to write about your craft, but not in a BUY MY STUFF screaming sort of way. Write in a friendly, this is my inspiration, how I work, what I know, the service I provide sort of way.
- Have patience! It takes a while to get established and start making sales
It was 3 months before I sold something on Etsy and a full year before I started to feel like I was getting the hang of things and here I am two years after setting up shop, and I finally feel like I may just know what I’m doing and that this may in fact become a viable source of income. It takes time to build your customer base and to get your name out there, but it’s worth it!!
Happy crafting friends, and good luck to you!
If you have any more questions, or are looking for some more tips, leave a comment, I’ll answer back!
About The Author
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What an awesome reference article! I am definitely going to be adding this to my Must-Look Links page over at http://www.insideetsy.blogspot.com. This is where I refer all of my shop reviewees for the best Etsy advice around.
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Thanks Melinda! I’ll be checking out that list myself
(The learning and changing never stops!)
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Thanks for the links, I have found lots of great articles that have been extremely helpful buy just following your links here. It’s given me quite the afternoon of informative reading. It’s also answering a boat load of questions I had and didn’t know where to get answers. Thanks again!
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great article..sharing..
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Excellent article, thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for the tip on pixlr.com. Good stuff!
Great article. Thanks for sharing!
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Great read! It’s nice to hear the timeline for when things start to happen. I just reopened my shop a few months back and have sold a handful of pieces, but mostly to friends and family. A sale is a sale, but I’m really looking forward to my first organic etsy sale! Thanks for the tip on pixlr.com too. I enjoy taking the photos but have been looking for a free editing program. =)
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Great articles, Thank you for compiling this. I feel a lot more comfortable now with my etsy shop but I will keep on improving.
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I was excited when someone I knew opened their Etsy shop recently, and I wanted to offer all sorts of advice ~ but didn’t know where to start! There is just so much stuff to learn, and after 2.5 years I’m still learning! LOL
Your article will definitely point her in the right direction, so thanks!
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Thank you! even after having 2 shops going this info was still helpul, kind of a sum up checklist
I will be sharing w/ friends who want to start an etsy shop.
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Thank you for the information. I’m new to etsy this fall, and I need all the help I can get. Your post is helpful, I’m glad to know it might get easier:)
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