Selling on Etsy {an insider's view}

I have been selling on etsy since 2012. What began out of necessity as we were needing extra income to help start the adoption process soon turned into a great part-time job for me.

I have had countless friends ask me about running an etsy business, so I know there are people out there who are curious. So from the perspective of a small etsy shop that has consistently grown these past several years, I’d like to pull back the curtain and share what I’ve learned along the way. Who knows? Maybe you will decide that selling on etsy is right for you!

First let’s talk about the benefits of owning an etsy shop.

Work from Home

Working from home is a great benefit to me, as I have five children and we homeschool. I am able to “work” whenever it fits my family’s schedule. Sometimes it’s only at nap time. Sometimes it’s in the evening as my chance to decompress from the day. Some days I never work on my business, but I still earn profit. I even leave my shop open when I go on vacation, manage emails from away, and keep selling while I’m on the beach.

Low Overhead

I started selling on etsy when I had no craft or hobby room. All you need is internet access and your saleable goods. You don’t have to rent a storefront. It’s even more cost effective than selling at craft shows, in my opinion. Craft show tables cost a bit of money, plus your time for a whole day or two, and you’re not guaranteed a good return. You’re not guaranteed to sell on etsy either, but the risk is lower. {keep reading to find out how you can list for FREE on etsy!}

Do what you love & get paid for it

I love my etsy business! I get paid to go thrifting, yard sale-ing, and crafting. Creating is “downtime” for me after being with 5 littles all day. It’s great to have this creative outlet.

But here’s the thing with etsy, as with all of life….

You get what you put into it

If you list 10 items and expect to sell out quickly, it just won’t happen. Somehow there’s a magic number on etsy of about 100 listings. That is, if you work on your shop enough to have 100 items listed, you will probably start seeing sales nearly once a day.

It took a while to build my shop, but if you keep at it, listing several items or a dozen each week, you will get there. I try to keep my shop at around 300 items. Sales drive sales on etsy.

If you’ve always wanted to take the plunge into selling on etsy, I would say go for it! It really is low risk, and you may just end up loving it.

Are you ready to sell on etsy? If you open a shop using my link, we will both get 40 free listings.

Next up, I’ll tell you about my shop set-up at the beginning and now and share some tips I wish I had known when I first started selling.