The Ultimate Guide for 2023

Etsy is an online marketplace that can turn your side hustle into a full-time business. Yet, the platform can be quite challenging to navigate for a complete novice, and you might be unsure about how to sell through it.

Fortunately, our guide can simplify the process, breaking down how to sell on Etsy into a few quick steps. Once you create your free account, you can list your first product. Then, there are tons of different ways that you can customize your storefront. For example, you can connect it to your social media accounts and upload a unique logo.

Should I start selling on Etsy?

While you can list any type of product on Etsy, the platform is a good fit for custom-made items or handmade gifts. Therefore, it’s targeted at artistic or creative people, looking to sell art, collectibles, and jewelry.

In fact, the handmade segment represents 85% of Etsy sellers, with the most popular category being Home and Living. Additionally, Etsy provides access to a large customer base ^[1]. It comes as no surprise as people often flock to the website in search of specific types of items, like personalized or vintage goods:

However, there are some other factors to consider if you’re wondering how to sell on Etsy. For example, Etsy charges steep listing and transaction fees. While some platforms like eBay offer a certain number of listings for free, Etsy starts charging you right away.

You’ll pay $0.20 for every item that you list. Plus, every time that you sell a product, you’ll also be charged a transaction fee of 6.5% of the overall sale when you sell an item (this includes delivery, personalization, and gift wrap).

What’s more, you’ll automatically be enrolled in the Offsite Advertising Program. This way, you’ll be charged a 15% fee when one of your items is purchased via an offsite ad.

For stores that make more than $10,000 a year, it is mandatory to participate in the program. However, if your earnings are less than this number, you can opt out of the ads scheme.

How to sell on Etsy

Hopefully, you’ve been able to decide whether the online marketplace is a good match for your products. So now, we’ll show you how to sell on Etsy in a few simple steps.

1. Create an Etsy account
2. Open your storefront
3. List your first product
4. Choose how to get paid
5. Set up billing
6. Customize your Etsy storefront

1. Create an Etsy account 🤝

If you’re wondering how to sell on Etsy, the first step is to create a free account. Simply head to their website and click on Get started. Then, enter your email address, your first name, and a password.

You’ll be redirected to a new page:

Here, click on Let’s do this to get started.

Now, you’ll be asked to complete some details about your store. To start off with, Etsy will ask about why you’re using the platform. Plus, you can choose topics that you might require help with, like shop naming or selling internationally. You can also skip these questions if you’d prefer.

Then, you’ll arrive at this page:

Click on Start your shop to open your Etsy storefront.

2. Open your storefront 🛍️

Once you click on the Start your shop link, you can enter your shop preferences. To begin, you’ll need to insert information about your shop language, currency, and country:

Then, click on Save and continue.

Now, you’ll need to choose a shop name. You can change this at a later date, so don’t worry about crafting the perfect name right away. Enter your preferred name and hit Save and continue.

3. List your first product 🧾

Once you’ve filled in some basic details about your shop, you’ll arrive at the Create a listing page. Here, you can enter some photos and details about your product. Again, you can enter your listings at a later date, so you don’t need to complete absolutely everything at this stage.

Etsy lets you add up to ten images to show off your product’s best qualities. Plus, you can upload a 5-15 second video. Then, scroll down to Listing Details:

Here, give your item a unique title, and enter some details about how the product was made. You can also assign the item to a category, configure renewal options, and write a product description.

Further down, you’ll find the Inventory & pricing section where you can determine how much to sell the product for, and enter the Stock Keeping Unit (if you use them). Additionally, you’re able to add product variations. This makes it easy to add items that you sell in different colors or sizes.

Lastly, you’ll need to enter important delivery information that your customers will need to know:

For example, you can select your postage prices, tell shoppers where the item gets dispatched from, and let customers know how long the item will take to process.

At the bottom of the page, you can apply a simple returns policy, or create your own. Then, click on Preview to view your listing. Or, choose Save and continue:

Now, you can add more listings, or click on Do this later to finish setting up your store.

4. Choose how to get paid 💵

At this point, you’re ready to choose how you want to get paid on Etsy. First, use the dropdown box to select where your bank is located:

Then, you’ll need to let Etsy know whether you’re selling as an individual or as a business. Plus, you’ll need to enter more personal details that Etsy may use to verify your identity. This includes your country of residence, date of birth, and taxpayer address. Lastly, you can connect to your bank account.

5. Set up billing 💳

Although you’ll expect to earn money on Etsy, you’ll also be charged for listing items and selling products on the platform. Plus, you’ll incur a fee when your products are purchased through Etsy’s offsite ads. Therefore, you’ll need to select a preferred payment method for Etsy to charge you for these actions.

6. Customize your Etsy storefront 🎨

Now that you’ve added some products and configured your payment options, you’re ready to customize your Etsy storefront. For starters, uploading a profile and banner photo will be a good idea. You can either include an image of yourself, your products, or your brand logo.

Head to your account, and click on View your profile. Then, select Edit public profile:

Or, just click on the profile icon to upload an image straight from your computer.

Additionally, select the About link to introduce yourself as the owner of the business. You might also like to give shoppers more information about your background and products to encourage them to check out your store.

Then, under the Account tab, you can connect to your social media accounts. Meanwhile, it’s easy to update your returns, exchange, and privacy policies to make your terms and conditions clear to potential buyers.

Final advice on how to sell on Etsy 🏁

Once you create a free account, you can list your first product and configure important details like delivery information. Then, you can set up your billing options for when Etsy charges listing and transaction fees. Yet another plus of Etsy is that it is easy to customize your storefront by connecting to your social accounts and uploading your logo.

Do you have any questions about how to sell on Etsy? Let us know in the comments section below!