I have listed a total of 524 items on Etsy as of the date of this post. All unique one of a kind antiques. One of my biggest challenges has been “listing time”. It takes so long to list one item I figured there had to be a better way to list items quickly in Etsy.
4 Ways to Post To Etsy Faster
- Utilized The “Copy a Listing” Feature
- Create a List of Frequently Used Tags
- Create a Checklist of Required Fields
- List Your Items as a Draft
LEARN MORE………
Tip 1: Copy a Listing
Honestly why recreate the same listing again and again if you can make yourself a template?
As a seller of antiques I tend to sell similar items. I have multiple items that are the same. For example, I just purchased a lot of 8 vintage inkwells. These inkwells will all have a similar Title, Tags List, Description, Shipping Info, and Price with a few tweaks and exceptions.
Sadly, Etsy does not have a feature to “bulk upload” similar listings all at once but there is a way to create ONE listing and COPY it to save time.
If you copy a listing it simply creates a brand new listing for you with all the same information from the original listing. Tweak some of the fields , hit publish, and repeat! Here are the steps I take to copy a listing to generate a brand new listing in my shop.
STEP ONE: Copying an existing listing in Etsy
- Open your Shop Manager
- Click on Listings
- Find your listing to copy ( This can be under active or sold out)
- Click on the listing you would like to copy
- Click on Manage ( top right)
- Choose Copy
TIP: Copy either and OPEN or SOLD item! Your choice. You can copy an OPEN EXISTING LISTING in your shop or go back to a SOLD ITEM and copy that listing.
STEP TWO: Edit the Copied Listing
Now that you have made the copy of a past listing it’s time to edit it to reflect your new listing.
- Delete each photo in the listing and add new photos
- Tweak the fields that need updating
Now that you have a copy of the listing open you can change anything about this listing to reflect you new item.
The fields that I edit in a copied listing are listed below. These 7 fields are the ones I update the most. Because the fields are already there I can edit them very quickly.
| Photos | I start by deleting all photos and enter in new ones. |
| Title | I usually just need to change any color listed or small details. |
| Tags | You can easily remove any tags ( clicking the X) that do not apply and add new ones quickly. |
| Description | The description usually needs a few small adjustments on such items as item measurements or color. |
| Price | You can keep the same price or adjust according to your item. |
| Items Weight | I always keep a small scale on my desk to adjust this filed if needed. |
| Item Size | I always keep a ruler at my desk to adjust this field if needed. |
I found once I used this trick a few times I was able to list more items quickly. As you know time is money. The more listing out there in your shop the more potential sales in your pocket.
STEP Three: Post your edited file
Once all your files are updated hit the publish button. Your all set!
Tip 2: Create a Checklist of Frequent Used Tags
If you have not noticed tags are everything in Etsy. Without the SEO of tags it would be rather difficult for anyone to find you and your product. Coming up with 13 tags for each listing on the fly can be exhausting. Having a notebook at my desk of my frequently used tags has really moved along the listing process for me tremendously. Here is what I suggest to get started:
Brainstorm Time
Get out a blank piece of paper or notebook because I need you now to brainstorm. Write down 5-20 different keywords and phrases that you want your product to rank for.
Take a long hard look at your product. What possible keywords would a potential customer type in to find your item? If your not sure what to list here consider the following questions:
- What is your product?
- How will the product be used?
- Where will the product be used?
- What are the colors, shapes, and or product features?
TIP: Make sure you are using long tail keywords (multiple keywords) in your tags for the highest engagement for our posts. Long tail keywords simply combine multiple keywords together.
| Non- Long tail tags | Long tail tags |
| bracelet | Gold Star bracelet |
| Purse | Black Beaded Purse |
Now let’s test out your list! Go into Etsy and do a search on each of the tags you wrote down. Did Etsy auto-complete each of your words? If yes than great! You’re on the right track. keep that tag on your list. Keep your tags list close by as you list your products. No need to reinvent the wheel every time you post a new item. Make sure you create a custom list of tags for each item but I have found I use a lot of the same tags for multiple items in my shop.
Extra: Are you stuck for relevant tags? Do a search in Etsy for products similar to yours. Once you find a similar product open it in Etsy. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and you will see the tags used by the seller for that product. Some sellers are amazing at adding just the right tag and some are not as seasoned. Find a few similar listings and see how tags are done by some of the pros on Etsy. You might find some tags you had not even thought of for your product.
Tip 3: Create A Checklist of Required Fields
Question: When you are ready to post a new item into your shop can you just add in your product photos and then add 2 or 3 of the fields into the posting form and hit publish?
Answer: NO. Etsy won’t let you do that because there are 12 fields you need to enter into your listing before you hit publish and add the item to your shop. Entering less than the 12 requited fields and publishing is not even an option. UGH!
NOTE: WHEN LISTING A NEW ITEM FOR SALE ETSY REQUIRES 12 UNIQUE FILEDS BEFORE YOU CLICK ON THE PUBLISH ICON.
To move the posting process along quicker I simply created a “checklist of fields”. This checklist shows all fields needed to post a new listing into Etsy.
I’ve created a Posting Form to use when creating a new listing to ensure all fields go into Etsy quickly to speed up the posting process.
Here is what my Posting Form looks like.
You can download my free Posting Form template here and make a copy to leave by your desk. This way as you enter in your fields for your new item you can fly through Etsy’s listing requirements quickly online.
Using the form as a template:
A friend of mine even uses our Posting Form as a blank template. If she has 12 items to post that week she prints 12 copies of the form. She fills out each form on the go. My fellow Etsy seller tells me it makes it easy just to get back to her computer and data entry the 12 items all at once. BRILLIANT!
Tip 4: List Your Item As A Draft
You are on a roll! You have several items to post to your shop. You tell yourself I am getting these posting done right now and no one will stop me.
Then…..you are interrupted and someone or something needs your attention. It’s impossible to save a half completed listing. There are so many required fields in Etsy for posting a new item. I find the most efficient way to post several items quickly is to POST AS A DRAFT. This is a great way to post if you have a small amount of time and want to keep the process moving.
Etsy only requires these 6 Fields when posting as a DRAFT
- One photo (you can use your draft photo placeholder: see below)
- Listing Title
- Description
- Price
- Shipping info
- Renew Options
TIP: MAKE A PHOTO PLACEHOLDER: Get out your camera and take a photo of a piece of paper that has the “DRAFT” in capital letters on a white piece of paper. Writing the work by hand is fine so no need for typing. Use this photo as a placeholder for your one required photo in a draft listing. REMOVE this photo once you get a chance to get you photos inserted.
Where are my drafts stored?
You can find your drafts rather quickly.
On your desktop of Etsy go to your Shop Manager, Listings, and then to the right you should see Drafts as a selection.
I find it faster if I get the basic fields added on the fly first. If I’m waiting for 10 minutes in line somewhere I can even post on my phone as a draft! This trick makes for quick posting when I arrive home and can get to my computer. Half the work is already done!
The Wrap Up
If you have a lot of items to post to your Etsy shop there is no question that adding listings is time consuming. Using well know trick of the trade such as copying a listing, keeping your product tags in order, and even listing as a draft will help you save time and energy. Fill up your shop with goodies without draining your time and energy. Remember time is money. You can do it!