Should I Open An Etsy Shop: 5 Reasons + How-To Guide!
You’ve clearly chanced upon this blog because somewhere, sometime, the thought “Should I open an Etsy shop” has come to mind.
You’ve seen people online do it. You may even have seen some Etsy income reports, and you’re wondering, does it make sense for you to start a shop, and is selling on Etsy worth it?
Well, guess what? You’ve come to the right place because I’m here to tell you what to do before opening an Etsy shop, why you should do it, and why you shouldn’t!
Yes, you read me right. Not everyone is cut out to start an Esty shop. Some people are natural when it comes to doing business on Etsy. Some might need to put in more work, while others simply shouldn’t try.
Got your interest?
Here are my top five reasons why I say absolutely yes to your question – should I open an Etsy shop:
1. Setting Up An Etsy Shop Is Simple
2. It’s Free To Set Up An Etsy Shop And Low-Cost To Start Up
3. Etsy Is A Trusted And Reliable Platform
4. Etsy Already Has Built-In Traffic On The Platform
5. It Is A Good Testing Ground For Your Product
Affiliate Link Disclosure
This article contains some affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission when you click on them, at no additional cost to you. I do hope you find the information in this article helpful!
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If you are super busy and you want to start making money selling digital products on Etsy asap, you can check out this and this Etsy course, that will step up your Etsy game and start earning within 3 months!
Alternatively, you can also check out this free Etsy Ebook that will share a list of best-selling products by month and teach you how to capitalize on seasonal trends to make sales.
Why Should I Open An Etsy Shop: 5 Reasons
1. Setting Up An Etsy Shop Is Simple
If you’ve ever wondered how hard is it to start an Etsy shop, I am here to tell you it is so simple to set up an Etsy shop.
Unlike setting up your own e-commerce website, Etsy basically provides the platform for you to host your products as listings, and their process is straightforward and non-techie-proof. (Trust me, this non-techie would know!)
I go into this in detail a little later in this article, but basically, it’s as simple as one, creating an account, and two, opening a shop.
Thereafter you’ll just need to choose your language, currency and your shop name, and then there you have it – a spanking, brand-new Etsy shop.
2. It’s Free To Set Up An Etsy Shop And Low-Cost To List
Like what I’ve outlined above, it’s basically free to create an account on Etsy and then open your shop.
But while it is not free to list items, it is extremely low cost to do so. But what if you have no budget? How to start an Etsy shop with no money?
Unfortunately, you will need to put in some sort of budget and investment, though you’d be glad to know it is very affordable. Etsy charges a mere $0.20 per listing and the listing stays up until it sells or for four months.
That’s a really small price to pay if you compare it to the actual costs of setting up your own online store or even a physical store!
They also charge a transaction fee, which is 6.5% of the total order amount, according to the currency you’ve selected.
Of course, should you wish to take on advertisements on Etsy, those are also additional costs, but the great thing is you don’t have to take out advertisements on Etsy. You can simply market through other means!
3. Etsy Is A Trusted And Reliable Platform
If your hesitation on whether should I start an Etsy shop is because you’re not sure if Etsy works as a platform, then I’d like to say your worries are highly unfounded!
Etsy is a highly reliable, well-loved and extremely trusted platform that has been home to many sellers since 2005.
4. Etsy Already Has Built-In Traffic On The Platform
For anyone who has a good product but is afraid to launch it independently, the best part about opening an Etsy shop is that Etsy already has a like-minded community of people who love handmade stuff and shopping online for items.
By setting up a shop on Etsy, you can tap on this community and traffic to your shop.
Plus, getting views on Etsy is definitely less competitive than getting views on Google. When you create a website for your products, outside of Etsy, you’re competing against other different websites across the web.
When you create an Etsy shop, you’re up against a smaller number of sellers, and there’s a higher chance that potential customers are more likely to see your shop and items.
5. It Is A Good Testing Ground For Your Product
Given that Etsy is low-cost to set up, the monetary investment will be low.
Setting up an Etsy shop is a low-cost, low-risk approach to test out your product with a community of established buyers, on a reliable platform.
5 Reasons Not To Open An Etsy Shop
Of course, as with everything in life, not everything is for everyone. There are just people who are not suited to open an Etsy shop.
Aside from letting you know the favourable reasons to should I open an Etsy shop, I’m here to tell you why you should not open an Etsy shop:
1. You’re Not Willing To Put In The Research Work
You should not open an Etsy shop if you have limited knowledge of how Etsy keyword research goes AND you’re not willing to put in the research work and overall effort to make your shop a success.
It’s fine if you know nuts about keyword research, there are many keyword research tools like Sale Samurai and KeySearch, to help you out with this task. But you must be willing to learn and put in the time to use these tools if you want to succeed on Etsy.
2. You Have Little To No Budget
As I’ve mentioned above, while you can open an Etsy shop without a listing – you just need to create an account and open the shop – but you’ll eventually need to put in money to list your items.
You’ll need to fork out $0.20 for one product listing, which will stay up until it sells or for up to four months and an additional 6.5% in your currency as the transaction fee when you make a sale. This is not including additional fees and currency conversion fees if you’re not transacting in USD.
So as you can see, while it’s not a lot to set up your Etsy shop, you’ll still need to put in some sort of initial investment.
Additionally, Etsy is competitive and if you don’t already have a sizeable social media following or good social media skills, it would be beneficial to take out promoted ads on Etsy, which will also cost money.
If your budget is limited, and you have a limited social media presence, setting up an Etsy shop would be problematic.
3. Your Product Has High Competition
If you’re selling a product that is highly popular and you don’t intend to put in marketing dollars nor do you already have a social media following, it may be quite difficult to get your initial sales.
Etsy buyers would typically only look at the first ten to twenty listings when searching for a particular keyword.
Unless you’re selling something very specific or have used extremely specific long-tail keywords to target sellers, it is challenging to sell a product on Etsy if your product category is highly competitive and popular.
4. You Want To Sell To Others Beyond Etsy
If you’re torn about whether should I open an Etsy shop or my own website, and you’re more inclined towards the latter, then it is likely that you might not be suited for setting up an Etsy shop as your intention is to sell to a wider audience.
If you’re looking to hawk your product physically or want to reach a community wider than the Etsy community, then perhaps your answer to should I open an Etsy shop is no, you probably should not.
5. You Want To Scale Up Eventually
The downside to selling on Etsy is that you’re not only limited to selling to the Etsy community but that given that Etsy provides the platform, they own your shop technically and will always pocket a small portion of your sales.
You are also at the mercy of any policy and site changes on Etsy given that they are the ones providing the platform to you for your product sales.
While Etsy is great for those who wish to start small and maintain a small to medium-sized business, if your intention is to scale up and go big eventually, then it would be best to start selling on your own website or domain.
Doing so would allow you to set your own policies, determine the look and feel of your site and work with shopping platforms or payment providers of your choice, including those who may have lower transaction fees.
How To Open An Etsy Shop
Starting an Etsy shop is extremely straightforward once you’ve decided to set up an Etsy shop. You’ll need to simply follow these steps:
1. Create An Account On Etsy.com
2. Fill In Your Shop Preferences
3. Decide On Your Shop Name
4. Add Listings
5. Set Up Your Payment Preferences To Get Paid
5. Launch Your Shop
Yes, that’s really it, that’s how you can open your Etsy shop!
How Much Do Etsy Sellers Make?
On average, how much Etsy sellers make varies between $43,000 to $46,000 a year. Of course, this varies a lot depending on what type of product you’re selling, how much work you put in and how competitive your product category is.
If you’re wondering what is the average Etsy sales in first year, again this is something that varies depending on a variety of factors. I’ve seen Etsy sellers make somewhere from $4,000 a year to $80,000 a year.
FAQs On Should I Open An Etsy Shop
Is Opening A Shop On Etsy Worth It?
So, is opening a shop on Etsy worth it? Opening a shop on Etsy is worth it because Etsy is fuss-free, simple, easy-to-learn, and a low-cost platform. Even if you’re unsure of whether Etsy is the platform for you, the initial costs to try listing on the platform are low, as are the overall risks.
How Profitable Is An Etsy Shop?
While I’ve shared above that the average Etsy sales can be from $43,000 to $46,000 yearly, and that there have been sellers who have made $80,000, when it comes to profitability on Etsy, a sizeable number of sellers earn less than $100 a year.
Therefore it is very important for you to employ the Etsy best practices I’ve outlined above and also learnt from these awesome Etsy courses, to earn well from Etsy.
Can You Make A Living Off Etsy?
It is absolutely possible to make a living off Etsy and some Etsy sellers have been earning a living from Etsy for close to a decade. But as I’ve highlighted, you will need to adopt a business perspective towards your shop and treat it seriously.
This includes using the right keyword research tools, employing good Etsy SEO practices and making sure you’re using the right Etsy tags.
You should also put in place adequate marketing for your Etsy shop through platforms like Pinterest and other social media channels.
Conclusion
If you’ve been thinking long and hard about the question should I open an Etsy shop, I hope that your worries have been allayed after reading this article and are more convinced about the value of setting up an Etsy shop.
While Etsy has a lot of sellers and a lot of listings, it is completely still possible to get your first sale and make a decent income from Etsy if you follow the right steps and put in the work.
But before you can earn, you need to first be willing to try.
There’s no better time than now after you’re all equipped from reading this article. If you wanted to do more reading, I have a whole section on making money on Etsy. Yes, there is some serious money to be made on Etsy, buddy!
So think no further, go onto Etsy and create that shop. Let me know if you’ve found my tips useful and when you get your first sale!
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