Etsy

Real stories by entrepreneurs

In the following video, we will go through the stories of some entrepreneurs we have worked with to open and set up their Etsy stores:

What is Etsy?

Etsy is an online market for handmade products and vintage items. It was founded in 2005 in New York (United States). 

It offers consumers a customized buying experience and provides independent and creative enterprises the tools to make their businesses work.

How does Etsy work?

On Etsy (https://www.etsy.com) you can sell:

  • Handmade items.
  • Vintage items (they must be at least 20 years old).
  • Material for art crafts.
  • Downloadable design pieces.

Etsy applies some specific conditions, i.e.:

  • Reselling is not permitted.
  • If the product is handmade, but you are not the author (even if it’s partially), you must declare it when uploading the items to your Etsy store. 

On this link to Etsy’s Help Centre (https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360024112614-What-Can-I-Sell-on-Etsy-?segment=selling ) you can check what products are permitted and forbidden, as well as other requirements and conditions.

How much does Etsy charge?

The payment method of this marketplace is as follows:

Fee per uploaded product

+

% fee per transaction, PayPal fee

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Offsite advertising fee

You should take the following into account:

  • Adverts are active for a limited period of time or until the whole available amount of product is sold in accordance with the stock specified on Etsy. 
  • If your store’s currency is different from that of your bank, the payments you receive can be subject to a conversion fee.
  • If you don’t choose a specific currency for your store, the one by default is the US dollar (USD).
  • You can change the currency of the store ads any time.
  • If you accept PayPal payments to your own PayPal account instead of Etsy Payments, the funds will be in your PayPal’s currency.
  • Etsy will turn your Etsy Payments funds from the currency of your store to the currency of your bank. When converting, Etsy applies a fee.
  • The transaction fee will be calculated according to your add the price and shipping expenses after the conversion to USD. All Etsy fees and invoices will be charged in USD.
  • Etsy buyers can see the prices on each of the currencies offered by the platform. 
  • To declare and pay for the taxes over the money you have earned with your sales on Etsy, we recommend you speak with a professional on the matter to review local regulations.

To learn more about the updated fees and conditions (https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360035902374-Etsy-Fee-Basics?segment=selling)  click on the link to visit Etsy’s Help Centre. Changes to terms and conditions are also announced on that page.

Creating a shop on Etsy

Starting from the basics, here is a link to the Help Centre (https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115015672808-How-to-Open-an-Etsy-Shop?segment=selling ) where you can learn how to create a store on Etsy and the requirements you must comply with to start selling on this marketplace.

If you visit Etsy’s Help Centre homepage, you will see the links to a series of articles that will help you understand how to manage your new store: