Selling successfully on Etsy.com-PART 1

So you want to sell on Etsy do you? You are talented, and you have unique products you think people will love...that's great! If that's the case than this article is for you!

Our first article will cover the basics of getting started on Etsy. From there we will work on more advanced techniques for selling on Etsy. So climb aboard and enjoy the ride!

Finding Your Niche.
The first thing you need to do is find your niche. What are you good at? Are your products unique and original? Once you have determined what it is you are going to make and sell, you'll need to find your business name.

Finding your business Name.
It doesn't have to be complicated. Maybe you have a favorite word (mine's Joyous) that you can combine with a word that describes your products, like HappiKnits, who sells lovely knit caplets, scarves, and gloves. Short, sweet, and to the point...I like it!
Or maybe you have a unique first or last name that can be combined with a word that describes your business. People often use their name in their business name because it makes it easier for people to remember, thus, making it easier to find you again.

Setting Up Shop With Etsy
Etsy makes shop setup very easy. When you set up your account, you will be asked to enter the url you want. You should use your business name for your shop url. For instance, my busniness name is Joyous Treasures , so my url looks like this http://www.joyoustreasures.etsy.com (note, you don't need to put the http://www. or .etsy.com, they will do this for you). Once you have registered an account with them, just click the "sell" button up near the top of the page, and Etsy will guide you through the steps of setting up a sellers account. Once you've done this, you can customize your shop. You won't be able to customize extensively like you would if you had your own unique .com domain name, but you can set up your shop announcment, profile, categories, shipping and payment policies, etc.

Shop announcment.
So what's a shop announcement? What is it for, and what do you put there? Your shop announcement is what people will see when they visit your shop. There you can describe your shop and what you sell, along with any specials or discounts you are having. You can also draw attention to any special ingredients or supplies you may use there.

Setting Up Your Profile.
Your profile is where you tell the world about yourself! People are always interested in who you are, and how you came to be doing what you're doing. If you have a funny or interesting story about yourself, include it!

Setting Up Shop Policies.
Your shop policies are important. This should be done before you start listing products. People need to know what your return or refund options are, what their payment options are, and how you ship.

Your Alchemy.
What's an alchemy? An alchemy is a custom request. If you take custom requests, this is where you tell about it...and how your customers should go about contacting you about it.


So, there you are! The basics. Now that you have all that done, you are ready to list products, and start marketing them! All of which I will cover in Selling successfully on Etsy.com-PART 2! In article 2, we will cover listing products, the benefits of renewing, your forum presence, and much more!

So hang in there! It's coming soon!

Etsy crazy chick is signing off for now...