Since I started selling things on Etsy, I have been surprised by how many of my friends have told me that they wish they could do the same. I tell them that there’s no reason not to, it’s cheap enough that you really don’t have anything to lose, but it can be a little intimidating. 
It’s kind of like a new washing machine. Once you get used to it, it’s easy. Unfortunately, getting everything set up and learning what all the buttons do can involve great wailing and gnashing of teeth if you aren’t prepared.
So, for all you closet crafters who have been thinking “maybe someday,” here is a step-by-step breakdown of what you will be asked and what you should have on hand to start your very own Etsy shop. Everything here should be listed in the order that it comes in the set-up process. Think of it like a video game walkthrough.
First things first, you need to create your Etsy account. The important thing here is your username. When you create your shop, your username will be your shop name and you can’t change it. Etsy actually has a handy little article about picking a good name, you can give it a look if you are having trouble.
Now on to the good stuff.
Public Profile
Avatar – this is like your profile picture. Most sellers use their favorite product shot for their avatar, though if you have a cute logo you can use that too.
Location – This is the easiest part of the whole process, just type in your city so people know where you are.
Bio – I hate writing bios, a lot, but it’s important. The biggest reason people buy handmade is because they can buy from a person, not a faceless corporation. Your bio lets buyers see you as a person. Some people stay personal, “I’m a mother and crafter who wants to make a little extra while my husband is overseas,” some lean more toward their artistic philosophy “I believe in saving the earth by recycling so all my stuff is made out of old glass bottles.” Just decide what you want people to know about you, and remember – you can always change it later. If you get suck, just keep it simple and come back to it in a few weeks.
Shop Appearance
Shop Title – Oddly enough, this is not the name of your shop. “Shop Sub-Title” would be a more accurate name for this part. It is a short blurb (55 characters max) to say a little more about what you do. So, for example, if you shop name is “CrazyLadyCrafts” your title could be something like “Fun Stuff for You and Your Cat.”
Banner – Guess what? It’s the banner at the top of your shop page! You can totally save this for later if you don’t have a handy graphic banner or photo you can crop laying around. At least half the shops I have looked at don’t have one. I’m not terribly good a graphic design so I just waited till I had an interesting picture from which I could cut a 1″x 8″ (100 x 760 pixel) slice.
Shop Announcement – This lives right under the banner and it can be anything you want. It can be more about the shop, more about you yourself, or a place to announce sales or vacations (Etsy has a vacation mode so you can stop selling for a while without making it look like you just quit). This is the blurb people are most likely to see because it hovers over your listings.
Message to Buyers – This goes out in the confirmation of purchase e-mail your buyers get. It’s your chance to say “Thanks for buying my stuff!”
Payment and Currency
Your choices for payment methods are PayPal, money order, personal check and other. Before you start all this, make sure you have a PayPal account. It’s really the easiest option. As for checks and money orders, you just have to decide for yourself if you’re willing to take them.
The default currency on Etsy is US dollars and they will take care of exchange rates if you choose to sell overseas.
Shop Policies
This is where Etsy is your friend. They have Tips For Sellers about policies, or you can look for other people who sell similar stuff and check out their policies. Policies are your opportunity to say, “This is what I am responsible for, this is what I am NOT responsible for.”
Shipping Options
Name This Profile – This is a notation for your own personal use while you are listing an item. If some things are bulky and, consequently, cost more to ship, you can make a profile for “regular stuff” and one for “big stuff.”
Item Ships From – Easy, just select your country.
Country Specific Shipping – Select a country and click “Add.” Said country will pop up underneath with fields for shipping costs. Most small, lightweight items can be shipped first class for a couple of dollars, plus the cost of packaging materials. The average shipping cost is about $3.00, unless you choose to increase your selling price enough that you can ship for free. “If shipped with another item” means that if someone buys lots of stuff from you, all at once, they pay full shipping on the first one and less for all the others. If you know you can ship two of your items for the same cost as one, leave this one at “$0.00.”
Ship to All Other Countries – This is for you brave entrepreneurs who are willing to deal with international shipping. In general, I have found that it’s is possible to ship anywhere in the world for a few dollars – if you don’t care when it gets there. It’s the same deal as Country Specific Shipping, you just might want to remind your customers that you have no control over customs and you can’t guarantee an arrival date.
Hit “Save” and go back to setting up your shop. (You can create a new shipping profile any time, so if you need to you can hold off till you have done a little research into average costs.)
Shop Sections
If you are starting small, with just a few items, I recommend saving this step till later. Shop Sections are categories so that people can view all your bacon-related products separate from your mustache collection. If you are already organized enough to have each piece in a specific category, name them now. If not, it isn’t going to hurt anything to have everything all together in one big happy section. Again, this is easy to add in later.
The next step is Listing an Item, but that’s a whole new can o’ worms. To continue my analogy from earlier, we have gotten the washer up the stairs and all hooked up. You’ll have to wait till tomorrow for me to show you how all the buttons work.
