Step-by-Step Guide to Selling on Etsy

What is Etsy?

Etsy is a global marketplace that connects sellers of antiques, handmade goods, and artisanal goods from around the world with people seeking unique products. Founded in 2005, Etsy is the world's largest shopping platform in its field.

Content

• What to Sell on Etsy?
• Opening an Etsy Account
• Opening a Store on Etsy
• Etsy Store Opening Fee
• Etsy Shipping Fee
• Frequently Asked Questions About Etsy

What to Sell on Etsy?

Etsy is a marketplace for unique (not mass-produced) products. Products sold on Etsy are unique and cannot be found anywhere else. Therefore, everything sold on Etsy must be made, designed, hand-selected, or sourced by a seller.

You can sell products in three main categories on Etsy. These categories are:

1. Handmade Items
2. Vintage Items . These items must be at least 20 years old.
3. Artisan Items

Opening an Etsy Account

Opening an Etsy account is as easy as registering on any other site. When you click the "Sign In" button in the upper right corner of Etsy, a pop-up will appear, followed by a "Register" button. Clicking the “Sign In” button will open a form that will require you to fill in the email, name, and password fields. This registration will only complete the Etsy account creation process. If you want to open a shop and sell on Etsy, continue reading this article.

Opening a Store on Etsy

If you'd like to open a shop on Etsy and sell your handmade goods, services, or artistic creations, log in to your Etsy account and click the "Sell on Etsy" button in the top right corner (it may also appear as "Become a Seller" on some devices).

Before registering, you'll be presented with a survey consisting of a few questions. It's helpful to answer this, but you can skip this if you wish.

After completing the survey, a six-step registration process will follow. Complete these steps, taking your product or service into consideration.

1. Edit your store preferences.
2. Choose your store name. You can change your store name later.
3. Enter information such as the product category to be sold in the store, the product type (physical or digital product or service), and who produced it and how. Once you've completed this, proceed to the product listing step. Enter information about your products to list your first product.
   1. In this step, you'll create a product listing. Make sure you have product information and images ready
   2. Having a video of your product increases the chance of sales by nearly 30%. Therefore, it's beneficial to create a product video.
   3. At this stage, you'll configure your shipping options. Choose the one that suits you best from the options offered by Etsy. It will be beneficial for you to do preliminary research on shipping costs.
   4. You'll also need the product's HS Code (Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System) number at this stage. It's important to do your research or consult a customs broker beforehand.
   5. If you'd like to automatically renew your listing if it doesn't sell, select the "Automatic" listing option. Remember, the listing fee is $0.20.
   6. Add your other products if you have any. You can do this later. 
4. Determine how you will receive payment. In this section, you'll enter your address and bank account information. After entering this information, you'll proceed to the identity verification stage. At this stage, you'll be redirected to an application that will verify your identity and profile picture.
5. Once this verification is complete, you'll proceed to the payment step to pay for the store opening and listing fees.
6. After making your payment, you'll complete the store setup by adjusting a few security settings. 

Congratulations, You can now sell on Etsy!

Etsy Store Opening Fee

The Etsy store opening fee is $29.

If your chosen currency is Turkish Lira, you will need to pay the TRY equivalent of this amount during checkout.

Etsy Shipping Fee

Setting Etsy Shipping Fees

Etsy offers sellers a variety of shipping options. You can create separate shipping profiles for shipments within your country or to any other country. For example, you can create a profile for international shipping on Etsy and set your preferred international shipping fee. If you want to set different shipping rates for each country, you can create a separate shipping profile for orders from any country, select your preferred shipping company, set a flat fee for these orders, or offer free shipping if you prefer.

This flexibility allows you to manage your shipping processes and costs.

Calculating Shipping Costs for Your Etsy Orders

You might initially consider contacting shipping companies directly to calculate shipping costs for your Etsy orders. However, this can be significantly more tedious and may not get you the prices you're looking for due to your initial sales volume. At this stage, you can check shipping costs by contacting companies that focus on e-export and have agreements with different shipping companies.

To avoid unexpected shipping charges, we recommend reviewing threads about Etsy international shipping costs on the Etsy forums.

Frequently Asked Questions About Etsy

• Is there a fee for selling on Etsy?

Yes, there are fees for selling on Etsy. Etsy charges fees for various items, including a shop opening fee, listing fees, Etsy sales commission (transaction fee), and payment processing fees.

• Is there a fee to open a shop on Etsy?

Yes, there is a store opening fee on Etsy: $29.

• What is the fee for listing a product on Etsy?

Etsy product listing fee is $0.20. 

Listed products will be unlisted if they remain unsold after four months. If you do not wish this to happen, you must select the "automatic" listing option when adding the product. 

Please keep in mind that, in this case, the product will be automatically relisted and you will be charged a listing fee.

• What documents are required to open a shop on Etsy?

The requirements for selling on Etsy are: Being a verified seller, valid billing address, bank account, credit card.

• Is it possible to sell on Etsy without corporate identity?

Yes, it's possible to sell on Etsy as an individual. You can open a shop on Etsy even if you don't have a company. However, since you'll be subject to tax liability if your sales exceed a certain level, it's worth considering forming a corporate identity as your sales increase, even if you don't have one at the beginning.

Hamurlabs Team