Starting an Etsy Shop
True story: I bought an Etsy for Dummies book right before I launched my Etsy shop. I love making hand made items, and I knew there were people out there who would love my creations, but I didn't know where to start. I started my Etsy shop back in 2015, and I have learned A LOT since then. As of writing this post, my Etsy shop, Hipster Art Teacher, has an overall 5-star review rating. In this blog post, I’m going to share everything you need to know (and a few things to consider) about getting started on Etsy!
Customers
Who is your ideal customer? Knowing WHO you want to sell to will make it easier to determine WHAT you should sell. Ideally, you should have a very specific person in mind. For example, my ideal customer is a female teacher, age 21-50, who loves color, teaching, and kindness/positivity. I have that teacher in mind whenever I create new designs or products.
Community
I cannot stress this enough- building community will bring you sales. If you do not have a strong community, it will be very hard to succeed on Etsy. When you create a listing on Etsy, you are asked to tag keywords to describe your item. Think of the search terms someone might enter for the item you are selling. For example “teacher gift, teacher, steam teacher”, etc. Even if you use strong and accurate tags, your item may not show up on the first few pages of the search. This is where having strong community matters. How do you build community? For me, social media (specifically Instagram) is the best way to reach my ideal customers. Over the past few years, I have reached out to other Instagram teachers to work with them to promote my product. I’ve also hosted giveaways to gift my products. Having your product seen by your audience and other Instagram accounts will increase your reach so more people can find you and your shop.
Products
The most important thing when selling on Etsy is to have quality products! Before you open shop, research to see what your ideal customer is interested in. I know my ideal customer is interested in purchasing items like lanyards, tumblers, t-shirts, stickers, jewelry, headbands, etc. Using that information, decide what products you are passionate about/best able to create and how they fit in your ideal customer’s life. I created hand-lettered items because I had a strong passion for lettering and I knew other people loved my lettering style too. I began to add illustrations to my products as well to help me stand out amongst the other hand-lettered sellers. Figure out what makes your product unique and why it is better or different from what’s already out there.
One important thing to note, it is not cool to copy. When you are learning or in the research phase I discussed, then it is okay to try different styles and ideas just to learn (personal use, not items for sale). It is NEVER okay to steal someone’s idea or try to copy their exact style. If you feel like your idea is too similar to something that’s already out there, you may want to reconsider and choose something else.
Packaging
You made your first Etsy sale, yay!! After you’ve created the item and are ready to ship it, make sure your packaging reflects your shop and brand. Yes, I want you to think of your Etsy shop like a brand. Every successful brand has certain colors, patterns, textures that you associate with it. You don’t have to go crazy and spend a ton of money on custom shipping materials, but you DO want to create a good customer experience. When your customer first opens your box or envelope, you want them to be excited for what’s inside! I create excitement by lettering “Happy Mail!” on the front of my packages. I also include a hand-written thank you note inside of each order. While handwriting thank you notes can be very time-consuming, it shows my customer that I appreciate that they have placed an order with me. It also reminds them that their order is custom made (big box stores do not send personal thank you notes, so it adds a special touch!) You can also invest in business cards to add to orders or other small freebies like stickers or candy. It makes the customer feel special and want to shop from you again.
Reviews
Etsy buyers are encouraged to leave a review once they have received their order. Highly reviewed shops have better sales and show up higher in search results. So how can you get good reviews? The truth is, you don’t have any control over the reviews BUT you can try to create the best experience for your customers. I try to be as transparent as possible with my customers. If I am running behind on an order, I email them to let them know. It’s also important to communicate throughout the process. If your customer leaves you a note about what design they want but you are not sure what they mean, email them. Better to ask now than to have to remake the order again later.
One thing I would recommend is to ask the customer to share their purchase on social media and tag you. Remember when I said you want to create a community? If they share your product on their stories or feed, that one order is being seen by all of their followers, which brings more people to your Instagram and ultimately your shop. Don’t be afraid to ask them to review your shop too! You could say something like “I hope you love your item! Please tag me in any posts on social media so I can share them!”
Mental Health
Owning a shop can be draining on your mental health. Make sure you are in a good headspace before tackling Etsy. If you have the Etsy seller app on your phone, consider removing it. While it is exciting to hear the “ding!” of a new order, over time that ding sound will cause anxiety (if you have an Etsy shop, you know that feeling). Some not- so- great things to be prepared for when owning an Etsy shop:
you will get a bad review
your packages will be damaged or lost at some point
you will feel overwhelmed at times
you will miss a deadline
you will get a nasty message
you may not get as many sales as you hoped
Be Prepared
Unless you have a team of people working for you, then be prepared for A LOT of work! Owning an Etsy shop is not just creating a product for sale. You also are a photographer, editor, SEO expert, content creator, packing and shipping department, customer service….. basically, you wear a lot of hats.
Owning an Etsy shop is time-consuming. Figure out when you have time in your day to work on your shop. Maybe you’re an Early Bird and will wake up before your 9-5 job to work on Etsy. Maybe you’re a night owl and prefer to work on your shop when you get home from your 9-5. Maybe you like to work on the weekends. No matter when you choose to work on your shop, don’t forget to carve out time to relax and recharge or you will burn out quickly.
Final Thoughts
Owning an Etsy shop is a lot of work. Being an online shop owner is not for everyone, so it’s totally okay to decide to sell locally at festivals instead of online. You may enjoy the face-to-face experience more! I personally love selling on Etsy! I love connecting with my ideal customers and the community I have created. If you decide to start your journey on Etsy, come up with a strong opening plan. Think about your ideal customer and products and create the best customer service experience you can! I hope that this list of tips will help you start your Etsy shop! If you have an Etsy shop, send me a dm on Instagram! I would love to check it out! ❤️
