Welcome to the wonderful world of Etsy! Learn all about How To Start An Etsy Shop in 2022 with my step by step guide below.
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As a 12 year Etsy seller, I guess you could consider me somewhat of a vet. With those many years served, comes tons of experience and knowledge on how to create the best Etsy shop to generate sales on Etsy. Here I am to share it with you with my ULTIMATE step by step guide.
Read more about getting started on Etsy below.
What we’ll cover:
- What Should I Sell On Etsy?
- How to Create a Shop on Etsy
- How to Customize Your Etsy Shop
- How to Add Listings to Etsy Shop
- How to Get Sales on Etsy
- FAQS about Starting an Etsy Shop
- What do I do after making a sale on Etsy?
How to Start an Etsy Shop in 2022
What Should I Sell On Etsy?
1. Find Your Niche
A niche, put simply is “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.” (Oxford Dictionary)
Breakdown:
Product Idea = Birthday Invitations
Niche Product Idea = Kids Birthday Invitations for Boys Under 12
2. Do SEO Research for Your Product
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is how your things get found in the search engine. The optimization process of that is all on you. It is VITAL that you DO NOT skip this process!
Many Etsy shops fail miserably because of their lack of SEO research before hand.
How to do SEO Research on your own:
- Type your keyword into Google/Pinterest/Etsy/Amazon
- See what else is being tacked onto that word
- Take note of what is popular & how niche you can get with it
- See how you can get a piece of the pie, but don’t shoot too high for something with a lot of traffic already.
This is just a quick rundown on how to get familiar with SEO research on your own, but I highly encourage you to do more detailed research on SEO tactics as your Etsy shop progresses.
If you want a more in depth explanation on Etsy SEO tactics CLICK HERE.
Creating a Product Line on Etsy
We now know what you'll be selling on Etsy, now it's time to create a product line.
A product line is basically what it sounds like. You pick one product, and create a line of different designs.
For example:
Invitations - Thanksgiving Dinner Invitations - 5 different designs = 1 Product Line
Give your customers options! Plus, the more listings you have the better chances you have of being found.
How to Create a Shop on Etsy
Okay, now let's create your Etsy shop!
Step-by-Step Video:
- Log in or create an Etsy account
- Click your profile at the top right to find 'Etsy Shop'
- Click create shop
- Register!
From here you will follow along to set up your...
- Shop Preferences
- Shop Name
- Create Listings
- & Billing
BUT BEFORE YOU DO, I recommend you keep reading to learn more about each of these sections.
How to Customize Your Etsy Shop
Your shop is registered! Now it's time to customize your shop by creating a brand name, logo, and banner image for your Etsy shop.
Brand Name for Etsy Shop
Etsy will let you know what's available when you type in your ideas. Keep it simple and something meaningful to you!
Creating a Logo for Your Brand
My favorite place to create logos is on Canva.
They have great templates, and allow you to get super creative with your designs. There is a free version which is great, but if you want more options or know you will be using a design app more frequently I suggest signing up for the subscription.
Take a look at this tutorial on creating a custom logo for your Etsy shop:
Creating a Banner Image for Etsy Shop
Having a banner image on your Etsy shop page adds to the professionalism of your shop. Like I said and will continue to say throughout, the more the better!
It doesn't have to be anything complex.
Take a look at this 10 minute tutorial:
How to Add Listings to Etsy Shop
Arguably the most important part of creating your Etsy shop is the listings!
So, read these steps carefully:
- Take Good Product Photos
- The quality of your product photos can make or break a potential sale.
- Fill In Product Listing Details
- Fill in as much information about the product as you can. The more the better!
- Keyword Title & Tags
- This will be in the product listing details as well. Make sure to use your SEO findings to create a title that contains all your keywords!
- Insert more of these keywords in the tag to help your product be found more easily.
- Write Good Product Description
- Take my word of advice, "the more the better in this case." The more information you have in your product description the better. The key is to substantially decrease any friction that may cause the customer not to buy.
- Set Up Price that's competitive
- While doing your SEO research it's important to note how much similar items are selling for. This allows you to set a price that is competitive enough for you to stand out!
How to Get Sales on Etsy
Creating listings for your products alone won't bring in the sales you're hoping for. There are a few extra things you can do yourself to double your sales.
- Continue SEO research even after listing (take notes on what is working and what isn't - then adjust accordingly)
- Using Etsy ads
- Marketing on social media
- Marketing using emails
FAQS about Starting an Etsy Shop
Take a look at some FAQs about getting started on Etsy. Some may not apply to you now in the beginning, but I encourage you to save this knowledge for later!
1. What are Etsy's Shop Fees?
2. Do I need a business license to sell on Etsy?
No. Etsy does not require that you have a business license to sell your products on Etsy. They really cater to small business sellers looking to get started.
3. What's selling on Etsy 2022?
Some of the most popular items sold on Etsy fall under these categories:
- Jewelry
- Printable Templates
- Stickers
- Home Decor
- Digital Downloads
- Vintage Items
- Notebooks/Journals
4. What is Etsy Conversion Rate? Why is it important?
Conversion rate is the percentage of people who actually purchase from your shop out of all the people visiting it.
Your conversion rate is good if 2-3% out of your total visitors are actually purchasing.
What do I do after making a sale on Etsy?
You might be thinking, "I'll know what to do, its obvious," but you'd be surprised how many people come to me frozen with the fact that they've made a sale, and they don't know what to do next.
So, congrats! Here's what to do next:
1. Create the product sold
Etsy allows the seller a processing time window, that allows you time to create the product and get it ready to be sent out. You can customize this yourself in 'Shipping Settings' on your profile.
(You can choose up to 10 weeks of processing time).
2. Packaging & Shipping
Your product is ready to be shipped!
You should have stocked up on shipping supplies before opening your shop.
Here are your basic shipping needs:
Depending on what you'll be shipping, these items may vary but the principles still apply.
You need:
- A label printer and thermal paper
- Mailers (Poly Mailers, Bubble Mailers, Shipping Boxes, etc.)
- A scale to properly price your shipments
Other Packaging Inserts:
- Thank You Card
- Handwritten or pre-printed cards with your appreciation for their purchase.
- Add social media platforms for extra marketing.
- Instruction Card
- Depending on what you sell, you may want to include instructions on how to use, wash, or handle your product!
- Coupons/Deals
- You might want to include deals/coupons customers can use in the future to encourage them to come back.
You should now be ready to get started on Etsy! You have all that you need + a little extra to succeed on Etsy, now all you have to do is get started.
Good luck on your Etsy adventure!
Feel free to join my Facebook group of other Etsy & online sellers if you have any questions!
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