The Ultimate Guide to Start an Etsy Shop for Stationers, Calligraphers, and Creatives
I made over $780K in all time sales through my Etsy shop, Betty Lu Paperie. Today, I’m going to share with you exactly what I’d do, if I had to start all over again.
Many creatives find it hard to believe you can start an Etsy shop. Especially this “late” in the game, considering Etsy has been around since 2005 and has 4.3 million sellers.
But you totally can.
It’s possible to do without Instagram or email marketing (although those are incredible promotion tools).
You don’t even have to have your own website or start a blog or have some sort of big break.
To be successful on Etsy, you just have to know how to start an Etsy shop strategically.
And in today’s post, I’m going to talk all about what to do before opening an Etsy shop and what to do after your shop is open.
This post is for you if…
You want learn how to start a wedding stationery business on Etsy.
You want learn how to start a calligraphy business on Etsy.
You want to start a creative business on Etsy, using your next-level art skills to sell things like fancy tea towels, greeting cards, or pretty desktop calendars printed with your illustrations.
So glad you’re here! This is a good one–pinky promise.
Read on and learn how to start an Etsy shop strategically.
I. Why start an Etsy shop?
I recently shared three reasons why you should start an Etsy shop, but I’ll share a few more reasons here.
It’s important to know “the why” behind choosing this platform before opening an Etsy shop. That way, you can determine if it’s a good fit for you.
i. Etsy is a trusted platform
It can take a long time to build trust with a cold audience. (A cold audience means one that has never heard of your business and needs to warm up to you before making a purchase.)
But your Etsy shop will have that trust factor already built in. Etsy buyers know you are legitimate. They are more secure purchasing on Etsy because they know their personal and financial information is secure.
ii. Easy set up
When you’re ready to start an Etsy shop, register for a free account and click the “open a shop” button. There’s a tiny bit of tech setup–like adding billing information–but other than that you’re pretty much ready to go.
There’s no coding or html to deal with–you can have your entire shop set up in less than an hour. Then all you have to do is start adding listings, and you’re pretty much ready to go!
iii. it's affordable, especially if you're just starting out
There’s a myth that it costs a lot of money to sell on Etsy and that’s just not true.
There is a small fee each time you publish (or renew) a listing and a transaction fee for every purchase. You can take a look at updated Etsy fees here.
There is a commission fee from sales you make through Offsite Ads, which is when Etsy promotes one of your items on another platform, like Pinterest or Instagram. If you haven’t made $10,000 in sales yet, you can opt out of this.
Optionally, Etsy offers a monthly membership program. The program offers benefits like a custom web address and discounts from Etsy partners. There is a small monthly fee for this option. But you don’t have to join the membership, and you can have a successful Etsy shop without it, too.
You can promote your Etsy shop through advertising in Etsy search, but this is optional. It’s not required to advertise on Etsy, and you can have a successful shop without Etsy ads.
II. What to do before opening an Etsy shop
Sometimes the secret to success is all in the prep work. Pencils ready?😉 This part may seem “skippable”, but don't! Doing the following steps will help you set a clear, focused foundation for your shop.
I. Set your Goals (and track your progress!)
Set your goals and track your progress to see how close you are to reaching them.
Before opening an Etsy shop, ask yourself: What is your biggest wish for your Etsy shop? What needs to happen for you to consider your Etsy shop a success? Get clear on your goals and be as specific as possible.
There are many different key performance indicators you can use to track your progress. For example, increased traffic, increased conversion rate, or increased sales. But before opening an Etsy shop, focus on one key performance indicator.
If you start a calligraphy business on Etsy, your goal might be increased traffic. To increase traffic, you may add new listings regularly and promote your Etsy shop on Pinterest.
Track your progress over the next 30 days (or longer) by checking Etsy stats daily. Is traffic increasing? Where is most traffic coming from? Evaluate your progress so you can determine what steps to take next to get closer to your goals.
II. Determine Your Niche
Doing too many things at once can lead to burnout. It also creates confusion among your brand and clients.
When a buyer comes to your shop, they want to know: is she really good at making the item I want to buy? Does she specialize in this skill/product? What else does she have related to this item that I can buy?
III. choose one Flagship Product
What one product do you most enjoy creating?
When you start an Etsy shop, choose one flagship product. This makes your specialty very clear to buyers. It also helps you rank higher in Etsy search for that specific product.
Think back to the questions a buyer asks when she visits your shop: is she really good at making the item I want to buy? Does she specialize in this skill/product? What else does she have related to this item that I can buy?
For example, let’s say you start a calligraphy business on Etsy. If you love addressing envelopes (bless you!), make envelope calligraphy your flagship product.
Of course, you can sell other, related products, too–like calligraphy place cards or menus. But don’t go too far out of your zone in the beginning and start selling calligraphy pillow cases.
III. Etsy Shop Basics
Focus on these simple tasks in the beginning to help your shop skyrocket to success.
I. price your goods for profit
There are soooo many ways to price your products, so I’m only covering the very basics here. It’s different for everyone and can depend on the type of product you sell and how it's made.
Include the cost of your time and materials, shipping cost, and overhead expenses. Then add your markup. Don’t skip anything here! I know every single detail about my product pricing down to how much my mailing labels cost (7 cents if you’re curious). And all of that is included in my pricing.
Your markup depends on your skill level and product type. In the beginning, aim to mark up items between 50-60% (or higher), but check within your industry to see what average markups are. If you aim to sell luxury goods, your markup will be much higher than the industry average.
For greeting cards, the average markup is 100-200%. If you start a wedding invitation business, the average markup is 2-3 times the cost of the product.
II. add new products consistently
Start with 25-50 products in your shop. From there, add new products on a regular basis to keep your shop fresh.
How often should you add new products? Aim for no less than one new product every week during your first six months in business.
If you can add more than that, great! If not, it’s okay. The key is to be consistent. Set a goal that you know you can reach every week, no matter what.
Tip: Quickly (and easily!) increase the amount of products in your shop by showcasing every style/color of each product. For example, if you start a calligraphy business on Etsy selling calligraphed envelopes, create a new listing for each ink color.
III. free shipping
You can thank Amazon Prime for this one, but nobody wants to see shipping fees added to their order total.
Notice how I didn’t say, “people don’t want to pay for shipping anymore”. It’s not that. Online shoppers know we’re paying for shipping even if it says free shipping. We just don’t want to see shipping fees added to our order. We’re simple minded. We only want to see one price.
Free shipping will increase your revenue by 20%. Etsy also gives items marked with free shipping priority in search.
For those who sell low cost items (like greeting cards) offer a free shipping guarantee for orders over $35. This encourages buyers to buy more from you. Plus, you can still offer competitive pricing.
Get starts with free shipping by visiting your Shop Manager > Settings > Shipping Settings > then click the Free Shipping Guarantee tab.
IV. Optimize your Etsy shop.
What in the world does that even mean? You probably hear all the educators/business coaches talk about “optimization”. But, from my own experience, many coaches aren’t clear on what that actually means.
So, here goes: optimize means to make your shop “perfect, effective, and functional”. You’re basically setting up your shop to make a sale.
I. fill out everything!
Fill out your about section, shop member bio, profile bio, and shop announcement. This adds personality to your shop and makes you look professional. Tell people who you are and what you set out to do every day on the job.
Add a banner photo, shop icon, and a profile photo. Share behind the scenes pictures (or video!) in the About section. Make product descriptions fun, factual, and easy to read.
An Etsy shopper is more willing to buy from you if she can get to know you and your business better–even if you’ve never made a sale before.
ii. Fill out your shop policies and faqs
Set clear shop policies and answer faqs about your products. Make sure shipping times are accurate, especially for personalized products. Give Etsy buyers all the details they need about your shop, process, and products.
II. optimize your shop for etsy search
Think back to your niche and flagship product. What is it? Who (or what) is it for?
Use three to five simple words to describe your flagship product. This is your keyword phrase. Now sprinkle this keyword phrase throughout your shop, like in titles and tags.
For example, let's say you start a calligraphy business on Etsy. Your flagship product is envelope addressing. You could use the phrase “calligraphy envelope addressing for wedding invitations” in several titles and tags.
Full disclosure: I didn't do any research on this phrase so it may not be the best for ranking in Etsy search. This is just a simple way to describe your item.
To find the best keywords, I use Marmalead. Marmalead is the best keyword research tool for Etsy. It’s the reason why several listings in my shop rank on the first few pages of Etsy search for my niche.
If you are unable to invest in Marmalead, use the Etsy search bar or the Pinterest search bar. See what related searches come up when you start typing “calligraphy envelopes”. Then, use those keyword phrases as a starting point.
Use common sense wording for listing titles and tags. If you start a wedding stationery business on Etsy, describe your product in basic terms. Use phrases such as “floral wedding invitations” or “elegant wedding invitation suite”. Avoid using fancy titles like “The Ophelia Collection”.
V. How to get noticed on Etsy.
Considering how many sellers there are on Etsy, creatives often wonder: how can I get noticed on Etsy? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
I. high quality product photos
Use clear, well-lit photos that highlight the best features of your product. Take photos in a room with a lot of natural light. Use a free editing app on your phone, like VSCO or Foodie (my personal favorite) to make photos pop.
Optionally, you can find stock photography on Creative Market and Etsy. My favorite place for wedding stationery mockups is The Styled Stock Shop.
II. add product videos
Add a 15 second product video to your listings to push the sale. This is one of Etsy’s newest features, and it allows buyers to get the most accurate depiction of your product.
III. Encourage repeat buyers
Encourage repeat buyers by giving clients the most amazing experience possible. Start with high quality products. Quality is paramount for repeat buyers.
Other ways to encourage repeat buyers are with gorgeous packaging, an order freebie, fast shipping or a free shipping upgrade, quick turnaround time, or stellar customer service. Go above and beyond so that they get more than what they came for.
Optionally, you can offer them a discount on their next purchase. However, I think you can be a little more creative than that.😉
IV. Ask for reviews
Good reviews are key to showing up in Etsy search, and reviews offer your brand social proof, which encourages more sales.
Make your ask sweet and sincere. Say something like, “I hope you (love/enjoy, etc.) your (product)! It would so be helpful for other (describe your client, i.e. brides/moms/party planners/organized women, etc.) like you if you could leave a review on Etsy with your experience using my (product)…”
For example, if you start a calligraphy shop on Etsy, you could say something like, “I hope you love your calligraphed envelopes! It would be so helpful for other brides if you would leave a review on Etsy with your experience using your addressed envelopes…”
v. Know Your Niche
I know, I know! I keep talking about this. But it really is that important.
It’s easy to get noticed on Etsy when you are clear on your niche. When you have a flagship product and a unique aesthetic, you will stand out online no matter what.
VI. Promote your Etsy shop.
You can make sales without posting your items on social media. You can even have a product go viral after someone else posts it on Instagram or Pinterest.
But to really gain traction in your business, promoting your Etsy shop is essential. Not only will you gain traffic from Etsy buyers, but you’ll also double (or triple!) your traffic and expand your brand’s presence to even more shoppers on another platform.
Here’s how…
I. find the best platform to promote your esty shop
Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest–choose one platform to promote your Etsy shop. It can be overwhelming to do them all at once in the beginning, so it’s best to master one before moving on to the next.
II. promote your esty shop consistently
Promote your Etsy shop consistently on whichever social media platform you choose. Whether that’s posting once a day, twice a week, or more, create a regular posting schedule you can do every week. Regular posting will help you gain traction on your preferred social media network.
One last note…
Here’s the thing: Selling on Etsy is not the same as it used to be. Things have changed a lot since I first began in 2013. In today’s market, you have to know how to start an Etsy shop strategically.
And if you’re already selling on Etsy but your shop hasn’t quite taken off yet, you can still use all of these tips to revive your business.
Wrapping up, be sure to bookmark or pin this post so you can refer to it as you build (or revive) your profitable Etsy shop.
And as always, I would love to hear your feedback. Comment below: Do you have any questions about the guide? Do any parts of this guide surprise you? What area do you struggle with when it comes to starting (or reviving) your Etsy shop?
