Ok, you have decided to jump in and start your Etsy shop. FANTASTIC! Now where do you start?
There are 4 key components to setting up an Etsy shop you need to understand, and we are here to help. In this article we will walk you through all the steps needed to get your shop up and running for success.
- Step 1: Account Setup
- Step 2: Inventory and Shipping Setup
- Step3: Product Listing Information
- Step 4: Marketing, Branding and Promotion
Step 1: Account Setup
Choose a Shop Name:
You want your new shop to stand out and be remembered. Making your shop name too long could confuse shoppers. You want your customers to come back and shop again. You want to stand out from all the other shops on Etsy. You want an easy name to remember so visitors can find you quickly.
Find a catchy name your customers can come back to time and time again. In addition, know the rules that Etsy has established regarding choosing the right name for your shop. Your shop name cannot be longer than 20 characters and cannot contain spaces or punctuation. Choosing a shop name can be fun so put your best foot forward and choose and name that reflects you and your shop items.
Etsy gives us insightful advice on choosing your shop name. Visit their article Top Tips for Choosing Your Etsy Shop Name to learn about naming your shop. Learn about using various descriptive words to make it clear what you sell and more. Etsy also outlines how to check a shop name for availability on several platforms.
Open An Etsy Account
Going through the process of registering on Etsy and setting up your first account is free and easy.
To become a seller on Etsy, or event simply purchase and item, you must have a register account. All you need is an e-mail account, and you are ready to go. We created a great walk through on how to set up an Etsy account quickly.
Here at SellersTable.com we recently posted a great article to walk you through how to set up your Etsy account entitled 6 Steps To Opening An Etsy Account in 2020: A Walkthrough.
Complete Shop Policies
Many new sellers miss the shop policies on Etsy. Will you accept refunds? What kinds of payment methods do you accept? Setting up your shop rules is a key factor for success.
To find out how to set up the policies of your shop take a look at this article written by Etsy entitled: How to Set Up Your Shop Policies.
Connect Etsy To Your Bank
Show me the money! Did you know there are several ways to get paid as an Etsy Seller? In your Etsy Shop Manager there is a whole ” Finance” section to review. It’s important to set up a way to get paid as an Etsy Seller.
Etsy breaks down very nicely how to set up your finances right here in this article entitled: How to Get Paid on Etsy.
Step 2: Inventory and Shipping
Create A Space For Inventory
Listen closely, this is a topic you want to get right. When I started selling years ago I discovered my inventory can get out of control quickly. Searching frantically for a missing item that has recently sold from your shop is not ideal. Come up with an inventory system that works flawlessly for you and your shop.
We got you covered here! SellersTable reached out to some of Etsy’s top sellers to find out how they organize their inventory and wait to you see what we learned! Read on: Top 5 Tips to Managing Your Inventory: Tips from Seasoned Etsy Sellers.
Order Boxes For Your Inventory
Not all shops need a large mass supply of boxes. Using boxes to ship product help ensure your products stay safe in transit.
In the event your shop need boxes when shipping this is another important detail you do not want to overlook. When some sellers first start out they gravitate to pre-used boxes which is fine. Pre-used boxes are great for the environment. As you scale your business some sellers find it easier to purchase boxes in bulk.
Ultimately, the choice of the kind of boxes you choose to use is all yours.
To read more about factors to consider when purchasing boxes take a look at our article entitled: Setting Up An Etsy Shipping Station On A Budget
Get A Shipping Scale
When starting out it’s easy to stop off at your local post office and ship your sales. As your shop begins to see more sales it may be easier for you to print the shipping labels from your home or office.
To print shipping labels from your home a scale is needed to weigh your packages to calculate shipping. You can find shipping scales right on Amazon to complete your shipping office setup.
As an Etsy seller, you need to get your package weight accurate to calculate shipping properly. Learn more about calculating shipping rates and purchasing a shipping scale with this article: Setting Up An Etsy Shipping Station On A Budget.
Create a USPS Account
Do you need a USPS account to sell on Etsy? No. However, if you want to start saving money on shipping, skip trips to the post office, and easily print your shipping labels from home setting up a free USPS account is the way to go. I’ve been selling antiques for years on Etsy.
I have saved not only money but so much time having the post office pick up my packages right at my home.
SellersTable has created an article to help you get started on USPS, so you can have the post office pick up your packages from your home or office. Read more here: How to Schedule a Free USPS Package Pickup Right At Your Front Door.
Order Bubble Wrap
As a seller of antiques I go through many reams of bubble wrap. Depending on the type of product you sell you may find buying bubble wrap in bulk may save you time and money.
To read more about your bubble wrap options and learn a few pro-tips on packaging items check out Setting Up An Etsy Shipping Station On A Budget.
Utilizing SKU Numbers
Etsy introduced the “SKU field” recently as a response to sellers requesting this field. It works simply by adding a code to each listing telling the seller where the item has been placed in inventory. Although the “SKU field” is not a required field when listing your item this writer could not live without it.
To learn more about setting up an SKU field check out this article: How to Use SKU for Your Inventory.
Step 3: Product Listing Information
Research Product Pricing
Most new sellers on Etsy tend to under price their items. It’s important to calculate out your product costs and factor in your time as well. You truly do need to do your research when it comes to pricing to avoid loosing some of your profit.
Here is a great article from one of our favorite Etsy sellers at Marketing Artfully. Pricing Your Etsy Product For High-end Buyers. This is a great resource for learning about targeting your buyers and what makes a product more valuable. We love Marketing Artfully!
Research Keywords For Listing Tags
Etsy tells us that a tag is a word or short phrase that describes your item. Tags can contain up to 20 characters. Our favorite rule on listing tags would be that you can use up to 13 tags for each listing. One significant error new sellers make is to NOT use all 13 tags in their listings.
You get 13 chances to match a search word for a potential buyer, so why would you not use all 13 tags? Its good practice to keeping a book of ongoing frequently used tag words for your items.
Learn about adding and updating your tags here: Using Tags to Get Found in Search.
Product Photography
Product photography is a skill. Having superior photographs for your items is arguably one of the most important parts of selling online.
Your shop visitors cannot hold or touch your items, so your photos need to make your item shine. You’re not born knowing how to take product photographs so honestly don’t worry as it’s a skill that can be learned.
Take your time and think like your buyers. What angels of the item would you like to see? Etsy gives you 10 photo opportunity per listing to show off your item so use all 10 entries. Taking your time with producing great photographs will only help you sell.
We discovered there were so many companies selling amazing backdrops to online sellers just like you we decided to test out a few. Take a peek at one of our reviews: A Photography Board Review: Replica Surfaces Backdrops / Are They Worth The Money?
Write Great Product Descriptions
Writing amazing product descriptions is truly an art form. The more Etsy listing you create the better you will become at crafting these gems. Remember to think like the buyer. If you were to purchase the item what key facts would you want to know about it?
If possible list the product dimensions and any special design item or detail you think may help a potential buyer purchase your item.
Etsy is here to help helped with this great informative article entitled: 5 Tips for Writing Stellar Product Descriptions
Step 4: Marketing, Branding and Promotion
Order Thank You Cards
People who order from Etsy tend to like ordering from small businesses like yours. Anyone can stop off at Target to get a special gift. However, the shoppers on Etsy enjoy the personal touch a small company can put forth.
May sellers enjoy creating a thank you note for each sale. A thank-you note gives the seller an opportunity to reach out and make a personal connection with their buyers.
Learn some pro-tips on sending thank you cards to your customers in our article entitle: Packing Etsy Orders: 6 Great Packaging Ideas That Can Increase Your Sales
Create a Logo for Your Shop
Creating a shop logo shows the world you mean business.
Brand recognition is vital for online shops. A strong company logo can help with establishing shop recognition. You want your shop to be remembered and have customers coming back for more. A clear strong logo can help your business sore. If you are not the “artistic type”, there are many options to hiring a designer to create your shop logo. Etsy has many designers available to help. Click here to search Etsy shops that offer business logo designs. In addition, you can find great contractors at a good rate on Fiverr.com.
Starting as little as $5 you can hire a contractor at Fiverr.com to create a custom logo for your shop. Click here to visit a list of contractors and more: https://www.fiverr.com/gigs/etsy-logo
Create a Custom Banner for your Shop
Your banner appears at the very top of your shop page. Do you need a shop banner? No. However, having a custom banner for your shop is highly recommended. Etsy tells us that the minimum required size for big shop banners is 1200 x 300px. The recommended size is 1600 x 400px. If you are familiar with the Canva software or the PicMonkey application you can find some great banner templates to create your design. Another great option is to hire a professional to create your custom banner.
Can you hire a designer and get a great custom banner for under $15? We found out. Take a look at this article more information:
I Hired Fiverr To Make An Etsy Shop Banner For Under $15: See The Final Product
Open An Instagram Account For Your Shop
There are many social media platforms to choose from to help promote your Etsy shop. It’s said by many shop owners it’s best to choose one platform and learning it fully. I could not agree more! Instagram is a great way to get visits to your shop.
Learn about setting up your Instagram account for the first time, adding your first Instagram post and creating hashtags are all here with the link below.
A Beginners Step-By-Step: Promote Your Etsy Shop On Instagram
Open a Pinterest Account For Your Shop
Did you know that Pinterest is the 3rd largest search engine in the world? With approximately 443 million users on Pinterest each month creating an account to promote your shop is a no-brainer. Setting up your free Pinterest account is simple.
If you choose to learn Pinterest to promote your shop items you will have many potential buyers searching on this platform. There is a learning cure to Pinterest as you need to create Pinterest pins. If you are willing to spend a bit of time learning Canva or PicMonkey creating Pinterest pins can be fun.
If you would like to dive in and learn how to create a Pinterest account and set up your first Pinterest board we have the article for you! Click here to view our article How To Promote My Etsy Shop On Pinterest: An Easy 7-Step Guide
Run A Sale For Your Shop
Taking a percentage off a listing’s price on some of your items can help thin your inventory. Running a sale is a great way to bring in more buyers into your shop. You also send a promotional coupon code to your existing buyers to promote more sales.
Etsy has created a great help article on setting up sales with this gem: How to Set Up Sales and Coupons for Your Shop. A great step-by-step guide for setting up shop sales.
Create An Etsy Ad Campaign
With an Etsy ad campaign, you can choose a budget and choose which items you’d like to advertise. Etsy makes it simple to set up in your shop manager.
Head on over to Etsy to find the steps you need to set up your first Ad Campaign. How to Set Up and Manage an Etsy Ads Campaign
Announce Your New Etsy Shop on Facebook
If you have a Facebook business page Etsy makes it effortless for you to share your new listings.
Follow Etsy’s steps in this great article on how to share your listings right to your Facebook page. Take a peek at this great article entitled: Promote Your Shop on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Bonus Download: Etsy Starter Checklist
Stop in and sign up for our mailing list below to get our free downloadable checklist. All the links listed in this article are added to one easy to use file.