Etsy: The Online Handmade Marketplace

Turn Your Hobby Into a Business with Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace designed to allow people to turn their hobbies into a business. Etsy was created in 2005 by painter, carpenter, and photographer, Rob Kalin along with Chris Maguire and Haim Schoppik. Kalin decided to design the site when he was struggling to find a website on which to market his products. Many people who create homemade jewelry, clothing, accessories, and other items are discovering the wonders of using Etsy to sell their creations. According to its site, it currently has over 800,000 active shops and 12 million registered users.

Etsy's mission statement "is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We see a world in which very very small businesses have much much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience." Today, many people are changing how they shop and are now trying to support small business instead of big box chains.

Etsy's Seller's Handbook

Etsy provides sellers with many different tools to help them be successful in selling their products. An ever-evolving Etsy Seller Handbook provides information on how to price, describe, title, tag, and photograph items as well as how to promote shops through various avenues.

Etsy Success is a forum available to sellers to ask questions and get suggestions from fellow sellers. TreeTalker is one of the 800,000 shop owners on Etsy. She opened an Etsy shop in 2010 and has found that Etsy has allowed her to become part of a community of sellers and has also provided an opportunity to really connect with the buyers. TreeTalker is just one of the many sellers who are discovering how easy it is to promote their business through Etsy with limited costs compared to the normal costs associated with starting a business.

Tips for Setting Up a Successful Etsy Shop

1. Create a memorable Etsy shop name: Your shop name should be easy to pronounce and remember. It should also reflect the items that you are selling.
2. Create an Etsy banner: Think of your shop banner as the sign above your shop's front door. Your banner should be professional but should also get buyers interested enough to scroll down to see your items.
3. Create an Etsy profile: Tell your buyers about yourself and your products. Be sure to have a clear profile picture that reflects your personality.
4. Ship internationally: It may seem daunting, but Etsy provides information on how to easily and cost-effectively ship worldwide.
5. List items for sale on Etsy: Access Etsy's ample information on how to effectively post items for sale including pictures, titles, and descriptions.
6. Promote your Etsy shop: Setting up a Facebook Page and a Twitter account are great ways to get your shop name out there as well as allow your buyers to connect with you in different ways.
7. Refresh your Etsy stock: It's also important to stay active and post new items to your shop. Refreshing the page shows shoppers that you're invested in your business and it increases your chances of being featured on Etsy's homepage.

Setting up an Etsy shop will be a lot of work but if you follow these tips you will soon have a thriving business.