Do you want to know how to earn money on Etsy? If you want to know how to earn money on Etsy, you have to read this entire article. Here, we are going to share some ways to earn money on Etsy.
About Etsy
Etsy is an e-commerce site that focuses on crafts. It provides items such as jewelry, accessories, bags, clothing, home decor, furniture, and others. Based on the research, Etsy started as an online marketplace in 2005. It has expanded to include antiques and household items over the years. Also, Etsy is one of the most popular places to purchase unique artisan products on the internet.
As of December 2018, it has been reported that Etsy has over 60 million items on its platform. It has two million sellers hosting 39 million buyers. It houses a community of makers, small business owners, and buyers. There are over 1.6 million shops on Etsy and some of the top shops make over 500 sales a day.
Tips for Earning Money on Etsy
Running an Etsy shop is similar to starting your own small business. You have to plan it carefully, attract the customers, and market your items well. Of course, there will be failures, and times when people will not buy, however, that is normal. Well, here are some tips on how to earn money on Etsy.
- Have a Profitable Idea
It is important to sell products that you are interested in if you want to make money by selling items. But before that, you have to make sure that it will sell. You are able to do some quick market research using Etsy’s search bar. Click through to different shop pages to see the number of sales.
- Choose the Right Products
Before you open your Etsy shop, you have to double-check if your products fall into one of the following categories:
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- Handmade items.
- Vintage items which are at least 20 years old.
- Craft materials
Need to know that the top categories on the site in the past have been housewares and home furnishings, craft supplies, personal jewelry, and accessories. In addition to choosing the right products to see if your business venture might be profitable, you have to research the prevailing prices for similar items in other stores. Do not forget to include Esty’s fees.
- Upload Great Photos
Etsy is an online marketplace, so great photos are important to sales. Most smartphones can produce high-quality images, so sellers on Etsy do not need to invest in expensive equipment.
Joni Morgan of Big Rapids said that Photography is important. She has been selling handmade wooden toys on Etsy for seven years. She has seen some new sellers struggle because their own photos are not compelling or interesting enough. While other sellers may employ the use of filters or photography boxes, she has had success with a simpler approach. She just uses a white table from Ikea, and she puts it near a window for natural light. To hone her own technique, she watched YouTube videos to get photography tips.
- Tell a Story
Etsy provides buyers with the opportunity to purchase handmade products which are inaccessible elsewhere. According to Joni Morgan, everyone enjoys a good story, and they are interested in learning about background and how things are made.
Being transparent about who makes your items, whether it is you or a team member, and what materials are used can help increase purchases from people who want to help small businesses succeed.
Suzanne Sachs said that women and Etsy buyers right now are more socially conscious and aware of sustainability, environmental effects, and natural alternatives. Another way to attract the customers is to emphasize the use of sustainable materials and operating companies.
- Use Pinterest to Save Photos
According to Conklin, lots of Etsy sellers overlook the power of Pinterest to drive sales. As we know that Pinterest is a social media site that allows users to save or pin images to virtual boards. Other users may follow specific boards or people on the site. Also, they are able to search for images of interest to them.
Conklin found that people would be following her images long before they made a purchase. Since Chair Whimsy offers custom chairs, then the photos also serve the dual purpose of sparking the imagination of potential customers and assisting them envision their own chair.
- Use Relevant Keywords to the Item
Joni Morgan and Conklin agree that skipping keyword tags from product listings is a common mistake. Conklin said that the keywords you set up for your listings drive traffic. But she adds that lots of people overthink the keywords. When tagging a listing, Joni Morgan tries to imagine what people might enter when searching for her products, such as handcrafted, wooden toys, and organic. Also, she also starts almost all her product titles with the term “wood toy” to assist her listings jump to the top of the search results.
- Considering ads and free shipping
Joni Morgan uses Etsy ads and free shipping to assist the buyers find her items. With Etsy ads, the sellers are able to set a daily budget to make their items stand out in search results. Morgan said that now her sweet spot is $1 per day. She tried to increase her advertising budget to $5 per day at one point, but it did not result in a substantial increase in sales.
Another way to stand out in search results and increase sales is to provide free shipping. Morgan said that people would appreciate it when you provide free shipping on purchases of $35 or more. To remain successful, the sellers who provide free shipping must incorporate the cost into their rates.
- Utilize Etsy Selling Tools
To help sellers in their endeavors, Etsy offers a variety of tools. These include a forum, seller guides, and the Etsy Summit, which is an annual community education program. Also, there are newsletters with seasonal tips and insights into selling patterns.
For example, in the 2021 Holiday Themes book, businesses predict that nostalgia and “cottage-core” style would trend across categories this year. Meanwhile, according to the Fall 2021 Trends report, searches for fidget toys have increased by 3,697%, while searches for classroom posters have increased by 140%.
Based on the research, on Etsy, every two seconds someone searches for gift boxes, and every second someone searches for wall art. Apparently, Conklin has seen the company grow in the years since she first established her Etsy site.
The Best Items to Sell on Etsy
The following are the best items to sell on Etsy to make money. For those of you who are not creative enough to make items but you are interested in joining the Etsy community, then you are able to search for items to sell from its suppliers.
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- Handmade jewelry
- Beading and jewelry supplies
- Party decorations
- Toys
- Children’s clothing
- Accessories
- Pet supplies
- Antiques
- Knitted patterns
- Greeting cards
- Clip art
- Personalized Notebook
Tips for Beginners to Make Money on Etsy
Here are some tips for beginners to make money on Etsy:
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- Research the demand for your products first.
- Get involved with the community.
- High-resolution post photos.
- Be responsive.
After you read the whole text above, hopefully you have a good understanding of how you can make money on Etsy and how to find the best items to sell on Etsy.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
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