No matter what items or goods you love to create, and no matter how niche your products are, there is a crowd of consumers out there looking for your unique product—and most of them are browsing the Etsy platform.
If you have no experience with this platform, opening a store on Etsy may seem like a complicated process.
In fact, opening a store on Etsy is relatively simple and can be the perfect home for your products — whether as an addition to an existing website or on trading platforms such as Etsy, eBay, Amazon, etc.
In the following guide, we have compiled all the initial information you need to know about how to open a store on Etsy.
First, we will walk you through the process of creating a store on Etsy, then discuss seller fees and share tips from professional sellers to ensure your store’s success from the very beginning of your digital venture.
How to open a store on Etsy?
Creating an Etsy account
You can create a seller account by clicking on “Sell on Etsy,” entering your email address, name, and password, and then clicking on the “Continue” button.
You also have the option to create an Etsy account through your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.
Additionally, if you already have an existing Etsy customer account, you can simply log in with your credentials and then click “Open your Etsy shop” to start creating your own shop.
Set up your shop preferences
You will then be redirected to the “Shop Settings” screen, where you will set the basic parameters for your shop.
First, select the default language in which you will describe your products (after opening your shop on Etsy, you will be able to choose to translate your page into other languages). Then specify your country and the currency in which you want to list your prices.
It is important to note that if your bank’s currency is different from your shop’s currency, you will be charged currency conversion fees (2.5% of the sale amount) when customers make purchases.
At the end, you will be asked whether you sell products on a permanent basis, part-time, or “other.” This question is asked by Etsy for their own purposes, but it does not affect your ability to open a store.
Choose a name for your Etsy store
Here you can get creative and come up with a name for your store. Ideally, your shop name should be interesting, memorable, and reflect your products and values.
The shop name can be anything as long as it complies with Etsy’s rules:
- Four to 20 characters.
- No spaces or special characters.
- The name must not be used by another seller on Etsy.
- No trademark infringement.
- No offensive words.
To choose a suitable name for your store, you can use the following tips recommended by Etsy:
- Try descriptive names: Use words or phrases that evoke your brand and describe what you sell.
- Try abstract names: Abstract names can give your shop extra uniqueness and make it easier for customers to find your shop online.
- Use your name: Your name can be a quick and easy option, allowing you to easily change or adapt the products you sell. However, it will be more difficult to find a store with a simple name, so Etsy recommends adding something like “Studio,” “Inc,” or “Workshop” to the name.
Before opening a store on Etsy, it’s worth taking some time to choose the right name for your business, as you can only change it once after you start operating.
In addition, if you plan to eventually expand your Etsy shop into a business website, Facebook page, Instagram, or even an official company name, you may need to do some additional research to make sure you can purchase things like a domain name that matches your shop name.
Adding items for sale to your Etsy shop
The next step in the guide to creating an Etsy shop is how to list your items. Listing physical and digital items (such as printed materials, samples, stickers, gift tags) requires different processes. We’ll show you the basics of listing a physical item; for selling digital items, you can refer to Etsy’s guide.
Adding photos
Etsy recommends using at least five photos for each item (you can include up to 10) so that customers can see your product from different angles, and the photos should be at least 1000 pixels on each side.
In addition, if you have product variants, such as a T-shirt in several colors, you can include photos of these variants so that customers can see all available options.
Setting up thumbnails
The thumbnail is the first image of your product that your customers see in your Etsy shop, through search, and elsewhere on the platform. Think of it as your product’s main photo. Make sure it looks appealing.
Filling in the listing details
Give your product a title that describes the product in as much detail as possible, keeping in mind the 140-character limit.
You will also have the opportunity to provide a detailed description, an overview with key product features, and additional details such as the product category and type.
In the description section, you can also preview your listing in Google search results, which can help you optimize your e-commerce SEO.
In addition, in your listing details, you should pay attention to the section called “Update Options.”
As will be discussed further in relation to fees, if you select “Automatic Renewal,” your product listing will be automatically renewed after it expires every four months. Each time your listing is renewed, you will be charged 20 cents, so it is important to keep this in mind when launching your store.