Etsy – An undiscovered golden niche for crafters?

Crafting unique items, designing clothes and dreaming of introducing it to international audiences, however unsure how to do it with limited budget? Great news for those who haven’t heard much about ecommerce platform Etsy - in this platform all your unique and creative products will blend in perfectly.

Etsy platform for unique crafters

Etsy can be simply defined as an online marketplace where independent crafters from around the world sell various handcrafts, artwork, clothes and any other unique items.

This platform is slightly different comparing to major ecommerce giants such as Amazon or eBay, as the main focus is crafters who have their own original homemade products and those who have vintage collections. Low price is not the key factor of Etsy – it’s uniqueness and good quality.

How much will it cost to have an Etsy shop?

It is free of charge to create an account for your Etsy store, however there is a fee for your listings. The cost of one listing is 0.20 $ and it is added to the payment account once the item has been listed.

In addition, when a sale is made through Etsy, transaction fee of 5% of the price you have displayed for each listing as well as the amount charged for shipping and gift wrapping will be applied. More about fees policy can be found here.

First impression of your store

Product presentation in Etsy is crucial like in any other ecommerce platform. Item’s name, description and brand logo must look professional and aesthetically – just good quality images are not enough.

Customer who visits Etsy store expects to have various choices, for this reason ensure multiple items are available including various colours and sizes. Furthermore, the style of the store should be consistent – use similar style of product description, images, etc.

In the store description include not only the type of products you’re selling, but also add information about yourself – why you’re creating these items, what has inspired you, crafting process, etc. Interesting stories has a bigger opportunity to convert your potential customer into a loyal customer. Try to create trustable seller’s image using various techniques such as images, descriptions, ratings and comments.

SEO keywords is a necessity

Etsy has a large number of users and every one of them is looking for an opportunity to stand out from the crowd, so competition between the stores is unavoidable. One way to increase your store visibility is through SEO keywords. Put yourself in customers shoes and think what words would you use to find a particular product – make a list of all of them.

There are two type of keywords: broad and specific. When using broad keywords remember that it should clearly indicated the product that is being sold, its size, colour, material, etc. Specific keywords are highly beneficial as it narrows down to specification of the product is being search. Once you have selected SEO keyword, try to add it wherever it is possible – product’s name, description, etc.

If you think you are unable to do it yourself, look for a SEO professional, this way you’ll avoid wasting time and resources for something you’re unsure about.

Flexible delivery options - more international customers

Undoubtably, customers who are purchasing unique and expensive items, will be concerned about their delivery, so various delivery options are highly beneficial, particularly during festive seasons. Having an opportunity to get a product anywhere in the world in just few days before those special occasions will generate more conversions.

For this reason, do not limit your customers with just one single option for delivery. Give your customers a choice to select from regular post and express courier services. This is particularly relevant for those sellers who are planning to sell their goods in USA or other far east countries.

Share experience and success stories

Often Etsy is described as exceptionally friendly platform due to various forums and groups available for sellers to share their experience, tips, success stories and failures. Participating in such conversations not only gives better idea of what works best but also enables you to share your comments about each topic – building more valuable community. In addition, a number of groups are available on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. Join it today and pick the most relevant and useful information for yourself.

Have any questions? Comment below – we’ll be happy to answer it!