5. If you’re itching to launch your own Etsy shop, Chapter 8 walks you through the process of building it from scratch. If your shop is up and running but you’re not sure how to handle business matters – say, paying taxes or choosing the right structure for your business – then you’ll want to flip right to Chapter 18.
When you’re finished reading this book, invest some time reading the Etsy Blog (https://blog.etsy.com/en/), reading the Seller Handbook (www.etsy.com/sellerhandbook), and interacting with the larger Etsy community (get started at www.etsy.com/community). As your business grows, you’ll undoubtedly encounter issues that this book doesn’t discuss; when that happens, you’re sure to appreciate these incredible resources.
Part 1
Getting Started with Etsy
IN THIS PART …
Find out what Etsy is all about.
Sign up for an Etsy account.
Explore the Etsy home page.
Discover tools to help you keep track of your Etsy account and shop.
Check out what Etsy has for sale.
Get the 411 on staying safe on Etsy.
Chapter 1
Handmade for Each Other: Falling in Love with Etsy
IN THIS CHAPTER
❯❯ Understanding Etsy’s purpose and how Etsy makes money
❯❯ Signing up for (and making your way around) Etsy
❯❯ Setting up your Etsy shop
❯❯ Understanding the selling process on Etsy
❯❯ Running your Etsy business with ease
❯❯ Exploring the Etsy community
Most people think of Etsy as a website where artists and craftspeople can sell their wares online. But really, it’s so much more. Indeed, Etsy describes itself as an economy – one where artists and designers “can find meaningful work selling their goods in both global and local markets” and “where thoughtful consumers can discover those goods and build relationships with the people who make and sell them.” In short, Etsy enables creative types to channel their passion into their life’s work!
This chapter offers you a bird’s-eye view of Etsy – its purpose and business model, how to sign up for and navigate it, and all sorts of good stuff about opening and running your own shop.
Many people think of Etsy as a sort of eBay for arts and crafts. And you can see why: People use both Etsy and eBay to buy stuff from other individuals. Also, both sites charge listing fees and make a small commission on every sale. Plus, members use feedback to rate their transactions.
But the sites have big differences, too:
❯❯ Although Etsy is growing – as of this writing, the site boasts 1.7 million active sellers and 27.1 million active buyers, and in 2015 it facilitated more than $2.39 billion in transactions – it’s still the proverbial mouse to eBay’s proverbial elephant.
❯❯ Etsy, which launched in 2005, doesn’t use an auction format.
❯❯ Whereas (almost) anything goes on eBay, Etsy was created specifically to enable artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade wares online. (Over time, the site has evolved to cater to so-called creative entrepreneurs; find out more about what you can and can’t sell on Etsy in Chapter 7.) Etsy itself puts it this way:
Our mission is to reimagine commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world. We are building a human, authentic and community-centric global and local marketplace. We are committed to using the power of business to create a better world through our platform, our members, our employees and the communities we serve. As we grow, commitment to our mission remains at the core of our identity. It is woven into the decisions we make for the long-term health of our ecosystem, from the sourcing of our office supplies to our employee benefits to the items sold in our marketplace.
The origins of Etsy’s name are as murky as a drifter’s past, but theories abound. Some say that the name Etsy is a play on the Latin phrase et si, meaning “and if.” Others suggest that the name comes from the Greek etsi, meaning “so,” “thus,” or “in this way.” Still others posit that Etsy derives from the Unix directory /etc, pronounced “et-C,” or that it’s meant to call to mind the word itsy, as in “itsy-bitsy,” or “cute,” which, of course, many items on Etsy are.
Any attempts for clarification by Etsy are met with playful – but misleading – answers by Etsy’s staff, ranging from “Etsy is an acronym for Expanded Truncated Structural Y” to “It means ‘horny person’ in Japanese.’” And although Etsy founder Rob Kalin once insinuated that the answer to this riddle could be found in Fellini’s film 8½, no one has yet managed to solve it.
Just what can you do on Etsy? And how do you use it? This section scratches the surface. (You find the nitty-gritty, step-by-step info about these topics in later chapters.)
Registering with Etsy
You don’t need to register with Etsy to scope out what goodies are for sale. But if you’re in the market to buy any of said goodies – or to communicate with other Etsy members or participate in the site’s community features – you need to create an account with the site. Fortunately, creating an account is simple and free. All you need to do is enter your name and email address and choose a username and password. You don’t even need to supply a credit card number!
If you plan to use Etsy to sell your own items (and we assume you do because you’re reading this book), you need to take a few more steps as well as provide a major credit card (think MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express) and other vitals, such as your address.
For step-by-step coverage of completing the registration process and signing in to your Etsy account, turn to Chapter 2. Chapter 8 covers the steps you need to take to become an Etsy seller.
