Crucial Tips for Launching Your First Etsy Store

Posted on Sep 10 2020 - 9:20am by Editorial Staff

Launching an Etsy store is a great way to hone your craft, explore your market potential, and earn an income. This is especially true if you’re just starting out and are on a limited budget. As you may already know, Etsy is an online marketplace that caters to handmade crafts and services, and it’s unlike any other marketplace out there. But starting an online store is easier said than done. With the right tips, you can earn your way to success. Here’s what you need to know:

It Has to Be Made by YOU

Etsy is a unique marketplace with very specific rules outlined in their Seller Policy. They state explicitly in their policy, “Everything listed for sale on Etsy must be handmade, vintage, or a craft supply.” This means if you’re looking to dropship or whitelabel products, Etsy isn’t the platform for you. Users who violate those terms risk being permanently banned from Etsy, and also hurt the Etsy community by detracting sales from users who are actually following the rules and making their crafts by hand.

There is, however, some ambiguity when it comes to the “handmade” rule. For example, let’s say you’ve sketched a design online, ordered some sublimation ink from Cosmos Ink, and some plain shirts from Hanes. You can print your design and claim the product as custom made—even if the Hanes shirt isn’t a shirt designed by you. However, you have to disclose this in your listing.

Optimize Your Listing

The fact is, many of your customers will come from search engines. This is why it’s so important for you to optimize your listings, so that you’ll stand out from your competitors. In the same manner that you would optimize a blog post or a landing page, you should do the same for your Etsy products.

This way, your product pages will appeal to Etsy searching engines as well as other search engines like Google. Some of the easiest ways to do this include adding tags and categories to make your listing more searchable. You should include keywords in your title, and include a great thumbnail photo to set a great first impression.

Create a Thorough Description

Your product description can mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. This is a place where you can describe your product in detail, incorporate your SEO terms, and really sell your offering. Think about all the potential questions that your buyers might have, and use the space in your description to answer them.

Photograph Your Products

Every photograph tells a story, and as the age-old saying goes, a picture says a thousand words. Your photographs can make or break your listing, and this is exactly why it’s so important for you to make the most of your imagery. To really differentiate yourself from other sellers, don’t just take product photos: show what your product looks like in the real world. This is exactly what makes lifestyle brands so powerful; they demonstrate how certain products look in a tangible environment. If you create custom canvas artwork, don’t just show a picture of your canvas – the show is displayed in a tastefully decorated room. If you’re not good at photography or don’t have the proper equipment, post a local ad. You can also commission a freelancer from a platform like UpWork to stage your products using photoshop or to edit photos that have already been taken.

About the Author

Editorial Staff at I2Mag is a team of subject experts.