How to Sell Your Handmade Crafts on Etsy Successfully

Etsy is an online platform that specializes in connecting sellers and buyers of handmade crafts and unique goods. If you have creativity and passion, and want to turn your handmade crafts into a source of income, then Etsy might be a suitable choice for you. However, selling on Etsy is not an easy task, you need to know some basic steps and tips to make your shop stand out and attract more customers. This article will introduce you to how to sell your handmade crafts on Etsy successfully, including the following aspects:

• How to register and set up your Etsy shop
• How to choose and price your products
• How to take and upload your product photos
• How to optimize your product titles and descriptions
• How to use Etsy’s marketing tools and analytics data
• How to improve your customer service and reviews

How to register and set up your Etsy shop

To sell on Etsy, you first need to register an account and create a shop. Registering an account is free, but you need to pay $0.2 USD for each product you list. In addition, when you complete a transaction, Etsy will also charge you 5% of the transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 USD of the payment processing fee. Therefore, before registering and creating a shop, you need to consider whether you can afford these fees and make a reasonable budget.

Creating a shop is simple, you just need to follow Etsy’s instructions and fill in some basic information, such as shop name, language, currency, location, etc. When choosing a shop name, you can try to reflect your product features or personal style, but also pay attention to simplicity and memorability, avoid using numbers or symbols. If you want to change your shop name, you can apply for it later.

In addition to the shop name, you also need to add some visual elements to your shop, such as shop logo, cover image, personal avatar and introduction. These elements can help you create a professional and attractive shop image, and make buyers trust and interest in you and your products more. You can use some free or paid online design tools, such as Canva or PicMonkey, to make your shop visual elements.

How to choose and price your products

Selling on Etsy, the most important thing is of course your products themselves. You need to choose one or several types of handmade crafts that match your interests and skills, such as jewelry, clothing, home goods, toys, etc. When choosing product types, you can refer to some factors, such as market demand, competition level, cost and profit, etc. You can use Etsy’s search function to see how different types of products perform on Etsy, such as sales volume, reviews, prices, etc. This can help you find a product type that has both demand and advantage.

After determining the product type, you also need to price your products. Pricing is a complex process that involves multiple factors, such as material cost, labor cost, operating cost, market price,target customer, etc. You need to consider all these factors, to set a price that can cover your costs and attract buyers. Generally, you can use the following formula to calculate your product price:

Product price = (Material cost + Labor cost) x 2 + Operating cost + Profit

Where, material cost is the cost of all the materials you use to make your product, such as fabric, thread, beads, etc. Labor cost is the value of the time you spend to make your product, such as you can calculate by $10 USD per hour. Operating cost is the cost of all the expenses you use to run your shop, such as Etsy fees, packaging materials, shipping fees, advertising fees, etc. Profit is the income you want to get from each product, such as you can calculate by 10% of the product price.

For example, suppose you made a handmade necklace, you used $5 USD of materials, spent half an hour of time, Etsy fees were $0.2 USD, packaging materials were $0.5 USD, shipping fees were $3 USD, advertising fees were $0.1 USD, then you can calculate your product price as follows:

Product price = ($5 + $10 x 0.5) x 2 + ($0.2 + $0.5 + $3 + $0.1) + ($5 + $10 x 0.5) x 2 x 0.1 Product price = $22.8 + $3.8 + $4.56 Product price = $31.16

Of course, this formula is only a reference, you can also adjust your price according to your own situation and goal. You can also test different prices to find the most suitable price point for you and your buyers.

How to take and upload your product photos

Selling on Etsy, product photos are a very important link. Because buyers cannot see and touch your products in person, they can only judge whether your products are worth buying through photos. Therefore, you need to take and upload some high-quality and attractive product photos, to show your product details, features and advantages.

Etsy allows you to upload up to 10 photos for each product. You should make use of this opportunity to show your product from different angles, scenarios and functions. For example, if you sell a piece of clothing, you can take photos from front, side, back, detail, matching and so on. If you sell a piece of jewelry, you can take photos from single, wearing, size, packaging and so on.

When taking product photos, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Use natural light or soft artificial light source, avoid using flash or strong sunlight
• Use white or monochrome background, avoid using fancy or messy background
• Use clear and focused camera or phone, avoid using blurry or distorted device
• Use appropriate distance and angle, avoid using too close or too far perspective
• Use real and natural color and filter, avoid using excessive or distorted effect

When uploading product photos, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Use suitable size and format, avoid using too large or too small files
• Use meaningful and relevant file names, avoid using random or irrelevant characters
• Use the first photo as your product main image, this is the first impression that buyers see in the search results
• Use other photos to supplement and support your product main image, this is more information that buyers see after clicking into your product page

How to optimize your product titles and descriptions

Selling on Etsy, product titles and descriptions are another important factor that affects your product being discovered and purchased. Because Etsy’s search engine will match buyers’ search intentions based on the keywords in your product titles and descriptions, you need to optimize your product titles and descriptions to improve your product ranking and click-through rate in the search results.

Product title is the name you give to your product, it will be displayed in the search results and product page. Etsy allows you to use up to 140 characters for each product title. You should make use of this space to include some relevant and searchable keywords for your product. For example, if you sell a handmade necklace, you can use the following title:

Handmade Necklace - Pearl Necklace - 925 Silver Necklace - Women’s Necklace - Gift Necklace - Birthday Gift - Mother’s Day Gift

This title contains 7 keywords, which are handmade necklace, pearl necklace, 925 silver necklace, women’s necklace, gift necklace, birthday gift and mother’s day gift. These keywords are all related to your product and have search volume, which can help you attract more potential buyers.

When choosing keywords, you can refer to the following methods:

• Use Etsy’s search box, enter the keyword you want to use, and see if there are any autocomplete or suggested words, these are all buyers’ common search words
• Use Etsy’s analytics tool, see what keywords you have used for your sold or favorited products, these are all effective and conversional words
• Use third-party keyword tools, such as Marmalead or eRank, see the search volume, competition level, click-through rate and other data of different keywords, these can help you find the most optimized words

When writing titles, you also need to pay attention to the following points:

• Use hyphens (-) or commas (,) to separate different keywords, avoid using other symbols or spaces
• Use capital letters or all caps to highlight important keywords, avoid using all lowercase or mixed case
• Use concise and clear language, avoid using vague or lengthy expressions
• Use common and standard spelling, avoid using misspellings or abbreviations

Product description is a paragraph of text that introduces and explains your product in detail, it will be displayed in the product page. Etsy allows you to use up to 13,000 characters (about 2,000 Chinese characters) for each product description. You should make use of this space to provide some relevant and valuable information for your product. For example, if you sell a handmade necklace, you can use the following description:

This is a handmade necklace that I made by myself. It uses high-quality 925 silver chain and natural freshwater pearls. It is very suitable for daily wear or as a gift for your friends and family. The length of this necklace is 40 cm, which can be adjusted according to your needs. The color of this necklace is white, which can match any style of clothing. The weight of this necklace is 10 grams, which is very light and comfortable. The packaging of this necklace is a beautiful gift box, which can protect your product and increase the value of your gift.

This description contains the following types of information:

• The production process and materials of the product
• The size and color of the product
• The weight and comfort of the product
• The packaging and gift suitability of the product

These information are all factors that buyers care about and consider when buying products, which can help you increase your product attractiveness and trustworthiness.

When writing descriptions, you also need to pay attention to the following points:

• Use paragraphs and punctuation marks to organize and separate different information, avoid using a large or a single line of text
• Use ordered or unordered lists to list some important or detailed information, such as size, color, weight, etc.
• Use bold or italic to emphasize some key or advantage information, such as material, function, packaging, etc.
• Use friendly and positive tone to connect and trust with buyers, such as using greetings, thanks, compliments, etc.
• Use clear and accurate language to describe your product, avoid using wrong or ambiguous expressions
• Use common and standard spelling, avoid using misspellings or abbreviations

How to use Etsy’s marketing tools and analytics data

Selling on Etsy, in addition to optimizing your product titles and descriptions, you can also use some marketing tools and analytics data provided by Etsy to improve your product exposure and conversion rate.

Etsy’s marketing tools include the following:

• Promotions: You can set some discount conditions for your products, such as buy more save more, discount, free shipping, etc., to attract more buyers to place orders. You can select promotions in the marketing menu of Etsy, and then set the conditions and time range you want to use.
• Social media: You can share your products to some social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., to increase your product awareness and traffic. You can select social media in the marketing menu of Etsy, and then choose the platform and content you want to share.
• Ads: You can place some paid ads for your products, such as Etsy ads or Google ads, to improve your product ranking and click-through rate in the search results. You can select ads in the marketing menu of Etsy, and then set the products and budget you want to advertise.

Etsy’s analytics data include the following:

• Statistics: You can view the performance data of your shop and products in a certain period of time, such as visits, favorites, sales, conversion rate, etc. You can select statistics in the analytics menu of Etsy, and then choose the time range and indicators you want to view.
• Search analytics: You can view which keywords buyers use to search and find your products, and the corresponding click-through rate, favorite rate, conversion rate, etc. You can select search analytics in the analytics menu of Etsy, and then choose the time range and keywords you want to view.
• Customer feedback: You can view the reviews and comments that buyers give to your products and services, and the corresponding star rating, date, etc. You can select customer feedback in the analytics menu of Etsy, and then choose the time range and reviews you want to view.

Using these marketing tools and analytics data can help you better understand your market and customers, as well as optimize your products and strategies.

Summary

Selling your handmade crafts on Etsy is a process that has both challenges and opportunities. You need to understand and follow Etsy’s rules and policies,while also using your creativity and passion to make and display your unique and high-quality products. By following the steps and tips introduced in this article, you can sell your handmade crafts on Etsy successfully, and enjoy the fun and benefits of it. Good luck!