How to Sell Items on Etsy

Handmade items, like this purse, can easily be sold on Etsy.

Anyone who wants to sell their handmade items knows about Etsy.com. An eBay for the crafty set, the website caters to buyers and sellers of handbags, jewelry and other homemade confections. Selling your wares on Etsy is a snap if you follow these easy steps and suggestions.

Things You'll Need

• Handmade items to sell
• A computer with Internet access
• Digital camera
• Method of receiving payment, such as PayPal

Instructions

How to Sell Items on Etsy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tips & Warnings

• Familiarize yourself with Etsy's fees before you begin selling.

• You will be asked to keep a credit card on file in order to pay any accrued selling fees.

Resources

• Etsy