Things You'll Need:
- Handmade items to sell
- A computer with Internet access
- Digital camera
- Method of receiving payment, such as PayPal
-
Step 1
Have something to sell. Etsy caters to the buying and selling of handmade items, so you need to start with at least a small cache of products. You can sell anything from self-made tote bags to clothes, jewelry and even shoes. A product niche helps increase your Internet sales and draws more people to your homemade items.
-
Step 2
Sign up for an account on Etsy. When you are choosing your username, it helps if it is something catchy and memorable--and SEO-friendly. This way, buyers will be drawn to your seller page if they use a search engine.
-
Step 3
Open a seller account. Etsy provides all sellers their own free "shop," which is a static web address comprising your username that easily allows buyers to find you and return to your shop. For example, if your username is "Buymystuff," your shop address will be Buymystuff.etsy.com.
-
Step 4
List items for sale. For each product, you need to write up a description, create tags to make it searchable, set the price and quantity, outline shipping options and upload good-quality, eye-catching photographs of your products. Etsy charges a listing fee of 20 cents per quantity and a 3.5% sales fee, so factor this in when setting your prices.
-
Step 5
Determine the method of payment. Etsy sellers can accept direct money transfers through PayPal, credit card payments through PayPal, money orders or personal checks. You can decide which type of payments you want to accept when you set up your seller account.
Comments
oldfashioned said
on 8/26/2009 Great article. I make homemade items but did not know how to go about getting them advertised.
mrschadt said
on 6/17/2009 nice article