How to Set up an Etsy Shop in 7 Simple Steps?

Do you design handmade items, provide craft supplies, or sell vintage items? If so, Etsy is the right place for you. It is an online global marketplace that sells creative goods directly to buyers around the world.

Etsy has 138 million all-time buyers and 3.5 million active sellers. Also, it promises to build a community where creativity lives and thrives. Thus, Etsy empowers sellers to pursue what they love and help buyers to find something unique with a human touch.

So, if you have something to sell on Etsy, you need to set up an Etsy Shop. Now, you might be wondering what it costs to open an Esty store? Well, joining and starting an Etsy shop is absolutely free. However, the platform charges basic selling fees and listing fees to get your products uploaded.

In this article, we will show you how to set up an Etsy shop step-by-step.

How to Set up An Etsy Shop?

Before starting an Etsy shop it is important to note that Etsy is an online marketplace to sell only handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. Reselling and selling of prohibited items and services is not allowed on Etsy. Furthermore, you need to ensure that your Etsy shop content is according to Etsy’s policies. That is, duplication or coordinating pricing with other sellers is prohibited. So, follow the steps below to start an Etsy Shop.

• Create an Etsy Account

The first step to opening an Etsy shop is to create an account on etsy.com. To register on Etsy, you need to click on the ‘Sign in’ on the extreme right of Etsy’s homepage. Then, select the ‘Register’ tab in the pop-up and fill in all the necessary details to create your Etsy account.

You can also create an account on Etsy by clicking on the ‘Sell On Etsy’ link at the bottom of Etsy’s homepage. Subsequent to this, click on the ‘Select You Etsy Shop’ button and fill in your email address to register with Etsy. Besides this, you also have the option to create an Etsy account via your existing Google, Facebook, or Apple accounts.

• Set Your Shop Preferences

Once you create an Etsy account, click on the ‘Open Your Etsy Shop’ to start with opening an Etsy store. First, you need to select your shop’s language, country, and time commitment. The shop language that you select would be the default language.

This means that the language selected would be used to describe your listed products. Furthermore, you would not be able to change the language later. However, you can register for other languages to translate your items into different regional languages.

As far as the shop currency is concerned, choose the one that you would choose to price your items. Remember, that Etsy charges currency conversion fees if your bank’s currency is separate from your shop’s currency.

Finally, the time commitment section demands whether you’re a full-time or part-time seller on Etsy. This is only for information purposes and will not affect your Etsy shop in any way.

• Choose Your Etsy Shop Name

Once you have finalized your Etsy shop name, it is now time to start listing your products on your Etsy shop. To list an item, follow the steps below:

There are certain guidelines you need to make a note of before choosing a name for your Etsy shop.

• Choose a name that helps customers to recognize your brand and the products you sell.
• Ensure that your Etsy shop name is 4-20 characters in length.
• Make sure that there are no spaces or special characters within your Etsy’s shop name.
• See that your Etsy shop name is Unique and no existing Etsy member has the same name.
• Ensure that the name does not promote profanity and infringe other Etsy members’ trademarks.

Do not use abstract names as customers would find it difficult to recognize your brand. You can also use your own name. However, it should be different from Etsy’s username. Further, to check whether your Etsy shop name is unique, search on Google. You can also check the availability of your shop name by clicking on ‘Check Availability’ while creating an account on Etsy.

• Stock Your Etsy Shop With Inventory

• Add a Listing

Go to ‘Your Account Icon’ and click ‘Shop Manager’. Then, as a new seller on Etsy, click ‘Your Shop’. Here you can start uploading your products by clicking on ‘Add a Listing’.

• Add Product Photos and Videos
• Click on ‘Add Your Photos’ to add your product photos from your device. To upload the photos, click ‘Choose’. Remember, that your images should be at least 2000 pixels wide.
• Furthermore, if you have different options for an item within the same listing, you can add those options as variations and upload their photos. Connect the photos to your variations later in the listing process.
• Besides adding photos, you can also add a 5-15 seconds video. To upload your product video, click ‘Choose’. Make sure that your video resolution is at least 1080 px. Also, you can add only one video per listing. And once the video gets uploaded, it won’t have any audio.

• Choose Thumbnail Image for Products
• Etsy selects the first photo on a specific listing as the thumbnail image for such a listing. Therefore, drag the photo you want to choose as the thumbnail image to the first photo slot.
• Also, to change the position of the photo and alter its zoom settings, click on the ‘Adjust Thumbnail’ below the first photo of your product listing. Finally, select ‘Save’ to finalize your thumbnail image.

• Add Product Listing Details

There are various listing details that you can add to your product listing on Etsy. These are as follows:

• Product title of up to 140 characters containing most searchable words in the beginning.
• Categorize your listings as ‘Handmade’, ‘Vintage’, or a ‘Craft Supply’ under the ‘About This’ listing dropdown. Also mention details like what the item is all about, when it was made, and how made it.
• Choose a category for your item so that it’s easy for customers to look for your items.
• Add attributes like color, occasion, or holiday as it will make your products more relevant and easy to search. You can even add a variation for a particular attribute.
• Choose your renewal option as product listings on Etsy stay live for 4 months at a stretch. After 4 months, your product listings renew automatically. However, you even have the option to manually renew your listings.

• Describe Your Listing

You must describe your product listings in detail so that there are higher chances for your product items to be found at the top in search results. Furthermore, the product listing description also helps your customers to understand what your listing is all about. To describe your product listings, follow the steps below:

• Choose whether your item is physical or digital in nature.
• Add a description that informs your customers about the product. This includes product dimensions, size, the material used, the procedure for design, and other unique features.
• Add your production partner. This is in case you are just creating the original designs but getting them manufactured by an outsider. (optional)
• Check the ‘Custom Orders’ box in case you provide customization for a specific product listing (optional)
• Add your listing directly in one of the sections if you have different sections for different types of products. (optional)
• Put titles and tags so that it’s easier for customers to search for your products on Etsy. Remember, you have the option to put 13 tags on any of the product listings. (optional)
• Add materials using item attributes

• Add Your Product Inventory and Pricing

Say you offer different options in terms of size or color for a specific item within the same listing. In such a case, you can add such options as variations on Etsy. Remember, you can add only up to 2 variations per listing.

However, if you do not offer any variations, you can add price and quantity for a specific listing. The price would appear in the currency that you have chosen. Further, you can increase the quantity of a specific product item in stock. This is in case you have multiple items for the same product.

Remember, Etsy charges a listing fee of $0.20 per listing. This fee is charged regardless of the amount of quantity you showcase for a given listing. In addition to this, you can also add SKU numbers. SKUs would help you to keep track of your inventory on your Etsy shop.

Therefore, you can easily identify what is remaining in stock and locate items in your Etsy shop. Besides this, you can also offer a personalization option to your buyers.

• Set Up Shipping

Once you have published your product listings, the next step is to set up the manner in which you want to ship your items. There are various shipping options to choose from. These include carriers, pick up, drop-off, pricing, or delivery preferences.

Further, to streamline your shipping, you can add shipping profiles for multiple listings. This saves you time while adding products to your Etsy shop. In addition to this, the type of shipping profile you select decides the shipping cost, processing time, and shipping service.

Therefore, your shipping rates need to be competitive to attract customers to purchase your products. As per statistics, buyers on Etsy are 20% more likely to complete their purchase when the item ships for free.

• Marketing Your Product Listings

To market your product listings in Etsy search results and other pages in Etsy, you can run Etsy ad campaigns. To set up an ad campaign on Etsy, set your daily budget, and choose the listings that you wish to advertise.

These ads would be shown throughout Etsy including Etsy search, category pages, market pages on both etsy.com and Etsy app. Therefore, to manage your Etsy ad campaigns, access the advertising page on your Etsy account.

• Publish Your Product Listings

The last step to display your listings on your Etsy shop is to save and publish them. Remember, unless you click ‘Save as Draft’ or the ‘Publish’ button, your listing would not be saved. Furthermore, it is always better to preview your listings before publishing them. This would help you to know how your listings would look to the shoppers. In case, there are items that you need to add later, you also have the option to save your listing as a draft. However, to save your listings as a draft, you would need to add the following details:

• at least one photo
• a category
• price
• quantity
• shipping rates
• title
• description

In case you have not finalized the above items, you can add temporary details and replace them with final details later. To access your draft listings, go to the listings page under ‘Drafts’. Remember, draft listings never expire. Further, there is no limit on the number of draft listings that you can save. Since you have not set the ‘Listed on Date’, Etsy would not charge a listing fee unless you publish your listing. Finally, click ‘Publish’ to complete your listing. Once you hit ‘Publish’, your listing would be live to your customers on Etsy shop.

• Choose Your Payment Method

The next step in setting up an Etsy shop is to select the payment methods that you want to offer in your Etsy shop. You can use Etsy Payments if your country is eligible for the same. Etsy Payments is the preferred way to get paid from your customers in your Etsy Shop.

Click here to check the eligibility of your country for Etsy Payments. The advantage of using Etsy Payments is that it provides your customers with various options to pay for the purchased products. Furthermore, using Etsy Payments consolidates all the payments in your Etsy Payment account. You can use your own Paypal account to accept payments from customers. This is in case your country is not eligible for Etsy Payments.

• Set Up Billing Details

To open your Etsy shop, you are required to enter a debit or credit card depending on the country you are located in. You can use any of the following debit or credit cards:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover
• Carte Bleue (France)
• In certain countries, Etsy demands a debit or credit card as proof for identity verification. To verify the card in such cases, you will be charged an authorization fee. This fee would be dropped from your statement as soon as your card gets verified.
• Remember, your card details are safe with Etsy as it practices the highest safety standards. You can even add a prepaid card to your Etsy account in case you already have a debit or credit card.
• Further, you cannot use a non-reloadable prepaid card as your only or primary payment card. However, you can pay your bill manually with a non-reloadable prepaid card. If you are a seller located in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, there is no need for you to have a credit card on file.

• Selling Fees and Taxes
• As an Etsy seller, you would have to incur selling fees and taxes for making sales on Etsy. Following is the list of fees that Etsy charges on various occasions:

• Open Your Shop

Finally, you can now click ‘Open Your Shop’ once you complete all the details in the above sections. Remember, you can make changes to your Etsy shop once it is open. And the web address to access your shop would be:

• https://www.etsy.com/shop/yourshopname or
• https://yourshopname.etsy.com