If you are crafting and artistic, you may have thought of how you could sell your work and earn some extra money while writing a book. Then along came Etsy, a site that makes it very easy for the creative to sell their merchandise and connect them to shoppers on the lookout for unique items. How does one earn using Etsy? Read on.
What’s Etsy?
This is the first question you need to know, especially if the term is new to you. Etsy can be defined as an online marketing platform where sellers trade “unique items.” By unique, we mean many things, including clothes, jewelry, greeting cards, or anything vintage (at least 20-years-old) or handmade.
The platform is large and hosts well over 70million buyers and 3.6 million sellers. So whether you are a novice or a pro, all you need is something unique; the audience is already there. So get your fantastic product and utilize the insider tips you will learn from this article, and you will be good to make money in a matter of days.
How much do people make on Etsy?
If you are thinking of making some quick money like what the get-rich-fast pyramid schemes promise guys out there, Etsy may not be the place for you. This is a platform that pays people for hard work and insider tips. This means that while you don’t stand a chance of being a millionaire by selling on Etsy, you can support yourself well and do something that gives you joy.
Steps to setting up an Etsy store
The processing of getting started on Etsy is easy, and it’s all you need. If you start worrying about many things, you may never get started. Therefore, all you need is a kickstart, and you can always finetune stuff as time goes by and you sharpen your selling tricks.
Here are five simple steps to follow to get started on etsy and start selling things on the platform:
1. Decide on what you will sell
While this may sound easy, it is probably the most challenging step of this process. This is because you might have so many ideas that you don’t know which one is viable, or you simply have no idea about what to sell. If you are full of ideas, discussing with a friend could help you decide fast. Still, if you are green and confused, you can check what other people are doing.
Be inspired by them but do not try duplicating another person’s ideas. Remember, whatever you want to sell does not have to be something physical. People are trading on delicate items such as logos, home wall prints, and images for social media pages, and you can design all these.
2. Choose a name for your etsy store and a logo
Once you have decided what you will sell on Etsy, it’s time you chose a name for yourself and a logo too. In choosing a name, don’t fret too hard; it doesn’t have to be complicated. Besides, you always have a chance to change the name once. Remember to run a Google search to ensure that your name is not like another in Etsy.
Canva is an app that people use to design logos. Although it’s more like Photoshop, you use it for free! If you cannot create your logo or are not comfortable with it, visit Fiverr and get an expert to do it for you at a cost.
3. Give your very best shot for the image of your items
On online platforms like Amazon and eBay, the photo of an item really matters. In Etsy, the same applies, and it’s even more critical. In fact, the picture carries more weight than your store name or logo, which is why you need to take clear images. When setting up the store, there is an option for downloading prototypes to help you know what your photos should look like. You can also check what others have and try making your products look similar but still unique.
4. Save money
Now that you are set, you need some savings as people don’t sell freely on Etsy. You’ll have to pay about $10 to list an item but you can use the internet to market your store freely. The platform is competitive, and if you get noticed within the first few days, you are better placed to sell on it. Decide on the best price to sell your items, considering all the costs and profit without being greedy.
5. Plan on postage
If you are dealing in physical products, you must plan on postage. Light items will work well with post offices. However, courier services work better for heavy items. Research and know in advance how the charges work so that you don’t charge $5 for a delivery that costs you $10.
Once you have your products on the site, be quick to respond to orders, questions and returns; ask for reviews from your customers, and hopefully, watch your side hustle become a full-fledged career.
Rose Rosie is a writer for the personal finance website, Joy Wallet, which provides readers with useful information, resources, and tools to help maximize their financial fitness.