Things You'll Need:
- A computer with an internet connection
- A camera to take photographs of your handcrafted items
- Handcrafted items to sell
-
Step 1
Go to http://www.etsy.com and click the "Register" link at the top of the page.
-
Step 2
Create Your Etsy Account: Choose the username that you would like. Choose carefully, because your username can't be changed later. If you decide to become an Etsy seller, your username will be part of your store's URL, i.e., http://yourname.etsy.com, so it should be short and memorable so you can give the URL to people who would like to view your store.
After you fill out the short form, you will receive a confirmation email with a link that you'll need to click to confirm that the address is valid. -
Step 3
Once you have created your account, it will be a "basic" account that will allow you to purchase items from Etsy, but in order to sell items, you'll need to upgrade your account to a Seller account. To do this, click the "Sell" tab at the top of the site. You'll need to give Etsy a credit card number during this process so they can charge your listing fees and commission.
-
Step 4
To list an item, simply sign in to your account and click "Add new item" in the left-hand navigation.
-
Step 5
On the first screen you will need to give the listing a title and a description of the piece, and list the materials used in the item.
-
Step 6
On the next screen you will choose a category for your item. These are the search terms that people will use to search for items, so put in as many as you can think of, being sure to be accurate.
-
Step 7
On the next screen you will set a price and a shipping cost for your item. In my opinion, it's best to keep the shipping cost low and roll any excess costs into the item price. A low shipping price makes the purchase more attractive to the buyer.
-
Step 8
The last step is to upload photographs. Be sure to take good photographs that show your item from all angles. You should crop your photos to be square, otherwise they will look distorted.
-
Step 9
On the last page, you will have an opportunity to review your listing, and if everything is the way you want it, click "Finish," and you will be charged the 20 cent listing fee. If you need to change something, you can go back to any of the previous steps and make your edits.
Good luck!
