Christian Moms Business Resource

What is Etsy?

Just about everyone has heard of ebay...but there are many people who still do not know what Etsy is all about. I like to call Etsy the "hand-crafted version of ebay."  However, Etsy is an online marketplace only. There are no auctions like there are on ebay. The price you give is what you get. You can sell handmade items, craft supplies and vintage items only (you can even sell baked goods!). If your stuff doesn't fall into those 3 categories...then you need to sell on ebay instead. What's wonderful about Etsy is that the fees are SO MUCH LESS than ebay! It only costs 20 cents to list an item and then you are charged only 3.5% of the sale price!

People do really well on Etsy once they find their niche.  You can also be a part of what they call "Alchemy." This is where  customers can request a hand-made item and then the sellers bid for the opportunity to make the item.

If you are a crafter...then Etsy is the place for you to start making a good living from home!

Getting Started with Etsy

1. Set up your Etsy site. All the information you need and step-by-step instructions can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/how_selling_works.php

2. Consider participating in Alchemy. Find this information here: http://www.etsy.com/alchemy/

3. Explore Etsy and find out what is selling. Buy a few low priced items to see how things work and how other sellers ship their items. You need to start accumulating good feedback. Start by becoming a good customer and paying immediately with paypal.

4. Keep honing your own craft, get opinions from friends and neighbors, and work diligently until your craft is exceptional. Click here to find an awesome Etsy success guide e-mailed to you for only $9.95!

5. Take pictures of your items and load them on your pc. Make sure you are taking High Quality photos. You could have the most amazing craft in the world, but people won't give it a second glance if you have a lousy picture!

6. Open a PayPal account if you have not already done so. Find directions here: https://www.paypal.com/  


7. Open your Etsy shop. Find tips here: http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_shopsetup.php 

8. You can find great tips and tricks for being successful on etsy by purchasing the "Etsy Success Guide." I own a copy myself and it is a great tool! Purchase here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43499753&ref=cat1_gallery_8


Tips that work for both ebay & Etsy

~Write up a guarantee and a shipping form that you send out with all of your products so that you look professional.  On the back of our shipping letter, I print out the invoice from the ebay/etsy website.

~A great place to purchase inexpensive shipping supplies is www.uline.com

~Selling on ebay and Etsy really is a simple process that can earn you a great income!

~Spend a day or two on these sites and just search around.  You would be surprised at what people are selling! You can do this, too!

More Suggestions:

          1.  Have a Garage Sale

No, Im not kidding. Clean out your house and advertise your sale. This will earn you some quick money that you can use as start up for your new home business. Also, use this sale to demo your business. If you are considering selling a hand-made craft on ebay or etsy, make a few and see how they sell. Listen to what people are saying about them. Use their comments and suggestions to make your craft better.


         2.  Have an Online Garage Sale

Anything worthwhile that doesn't sell at the garage sale, take pictures of it and sell it on ebay (or etsy if its a homemade craft item). This will give you a lot of practice before you start up anything full time.




What is ebay?

ebay is the world's largest online marketplace! With over 85 MILLION active users, many people are making their living by selling on ebay!

You do not have to be artsy/crafty to make money on ebay! Be creative! Dave Ramsey (founder of the Financial Peace University) told of a man who went from garage sale to garage sale buying old golf clubs, cleaning them up and re-selling them on ebay! He literally made over a million dollars JUST doing that! 

Spend a few days brainstorming. What could you find/make/market that someone else would want to purchase on ebay?


Getting Started with ebay

1. Open an ebay account. Click on "Register" and you will find step-by-step instructions.  http://www.ebay.com/

2. Open a paypal account if you have not already done so.  https://www.paypal.com/

3. You need to start getting feedback asap. People will be hesitant to buy from you if you have no feedback, poor feedback or not very much feedback. Make a few small purchase, pay immediately w/ paypal and leave positive feedback for the buyers. They will usually do the same for you in return.

4. Take pictures of your items and load them on your pc. Make sure you are taking High Quality photos. You could have the most amazing itemin the world, but people won't give it a second glance if you have a lousy picture

5. Sell your first item. Find more information here:  http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/selling-basics.html

Other ebay-only tips!

~I use Buy It Now listings and list everything individually. I have found that using Buy It Now listings work better than auctions for my particular market. You will need to research what other sellers are doing and how they are pricing their items in your own market before you create your first listing.

~If you go into "Advanced Search" and enter the item you are researching, you can select "completed listings" to find out what items have recently sold and for how much. The items that are listed in green have sold and the red items have not. This will give you a great starting point when you decide to price your items.

~I always offer free shipping and just add that cost to the asking price. If you offer Free Shipping on ebay, your listing gets better placement in search results. I didnt find much benefit in having an Ebay store for my market. The stores get little to no placement in search results, so it was much better for me to list everything individually. However, if you have a very large inventory, it might be to your benefit to open an ebay store. Find more information about that here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/stores.html 


Unaffiliated with Etsy Inc. Unaffiliated with ebay Inc.