Artisans young and old, regardless of their craft will find an audience and customers online at Etsy. What is Etsy, you ask? Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade ” think Amazon for handmade products.
Etsy has been online since June, 2005 and now helps more than 100,000 sellers from around the world sell their handmade goods. If you sell handmade goods from candles to jewelry, pet products to food and even digital products then Etsy is a great way to expand your audience and boost profits.
Benefits of Selling On Etsy
Your own URL. Etsy provides sellers with a customizable online shop which includes a URL based on your username, access to marketing tools and resources and the ability to participate in an online community of Etsy sellers who network and support each other.
Etsy is easy for both buyers and sellers to utilize. Store owners can customize their shops without the need for programming skills or knowledge. PayPal is the payment processor of choice so payment and fulfillment are easy for both customer and buyer.
Registering is free!
Your First Step to Selling on Etsy
Register. Visit Etsy.com and sign up. Its free ” though you will be required to register a credit card to pay for listing and transaction fees.
When you make a sale Etsy will charge a 3.5% transaction fee and each item you list costs .20 cents however each listing lasts for four months.
Optimizing your Etsy Online Store
Etsy is growing and that means more competition. A few careful strategies will help you stand out from the crowd. Create a unique username, which will also become your store name.
Generate positive feedback. Like the feedback system on eBay, Etsy provides buyers the opportunity to leave positive, or negative, feedback. The better your feedback rating, the more confident customers will be to do business with you.
Do your research. Spend some time finding out what other sellers, especially your competition, are doing on Etsy. How much are they charging? What payment options and procedures do they utilize? What can you do better to both attract and keep customers?
A picture is worth a thousand words. Youre allowed to post 5 pictures per product, take good pictures of your items, from all angles, and show your customer how wonderful your products are.
Write detailed product descriptions. Its also important to provide accurate and detailed, though not long winded, descriptions of your products. If your product has an interesting story behind it, share. Tell prospects what your products are made out of, their size and shipping options.
Search Engine Optimization. Take advantage of keyword tagging and category features to position your store and products well. Each store owner gets fourteen keywords per product; make sure to use them all to position yourself competitively.
Drive Traffic. Utilize other marketing tools, including your business website if you have one, to drive traffic to your Etsy store. Post a link to your Etsy storefront in your newsletter and spread the word to boost profits and traffic.
Whether youre selling vintage clothing, crafting supplies, or one of a kind homemade items Etsy is the place to sell them. Their continued growth rate, ease of use, and highly targeted audience make it an ideal place to sell your wares and grow your business.
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