How to Sell on Etsy: From Opening a Shop to First Sale

Short answer: to sell on Etsy, you open a shop from Etsy.com/sell with an Etsy account. You choose your shop language, country and currency, pick a shop name, connect your bank account and a card, verify your identity, turn on two-factor authentication and add your first listing. Etsy doesn't require a business license, but you need to follow the laws that apply to you as a small online business. Here is every step, in order, based on Etsy's own help pages.

Before you start: what can you sell on Etsy?

Etsy is a marketplace for items made, designed, handpicked or sourced by the seller. Reselling mass-produced items isn't allowed. Before you open a shop, review Etsy's Creativity Standards and Prohibited Items Policy, and check that Etsy Payments is available where you live.

Step 1: Open your Etsy shop

An account and a desktop browser

You need an Etsy account before you create a shop; you'll use it both to run your shop and to buy from other sellers. Set up your shop in a desktop web browser; once it's open, you can manage it in the Etsy Seller app. Go to Etsy.com/sell, select Get started and answer a few questions about your business experience.

Language, country and currency

• Shop language: the default language you describe your items in. You can't change it later, but you can add other languages after your shop opens.
• Shop country: the country you run your shop from.
• Shop currency: the currency you price listings in. Currency conversion fees may apply if your bank's currency is different.

Shop name

Shop names must be 4–20 characters with no spaces, special characters or profanity, can't already be in use by another member and can't infringe someone else's trademark. If a name is taken, Etsy suggests available alternatives. You can change your shop name after your shop opens.

Payments, billing and the set-up fee

You connect a bank account to get paid and add a debit or credit card to pay your Etsy bills. For tax purposes, you choose whether you're an individual or sole proprietorship, or an incorporated business. A one-time, non-refundable shop set-up fee may then apply: Etsy shows the amount during setup and may waive it in some cases.

Identity verification and two-factor authentication

Etsy works with Persona for identity and fraud-prevention checks: you provide a photo of a valid government ID and a clear selfie. The name on the ID must match the name on the bank account you added. Finally, you turn on two-factor authentication; Etsy recommends an authenticator app, and SMS or a phone call also work.

Step 2: Set up your storefront

Besides your shop name, add a logo, banner, shop title, About section and shop policies. Your shop title can be up to 55 characters: say what you sell in one sentence. Etsy names an incomplete shop, such as one without a logo, as something that can lower search visibility.

Step 3: Add your first listing

You need to add at least one listing before you can open your shop. A good first listing uses the words buyers search for and answers their questions before they order.

1. Title: say what the item is first; titles can be up to 140 characters.
2. Tags: use all 13, each a different phrase.
3. Category and attributes: choose the most specific category and fill in attributes like color and material.
4. Photos: up to 20 photos and 2 videos; make the first photo clear, well lit and high resolution.
5. Description: what the item is, materials, size, what's included and processing time.

Step 4: Price for Etsy's fees

Etsy's standard fees: a $0.20 listing fee per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping and gift wrap, and a payment processing fee that depends on your bank account's country (3% + $0.25 in the US). Set your price so you still make a profit after these fees and your own costs.

Step 5: Set up shipping and policies

Create shipping profiles with realistic processing times. For US listings, Etsy prioritizes domestic shipping prices lower than $6 in search. Every physical listing needs a return policy, even if it's "no returns"; listings without one may appear lower in search.

Step 6: Get your first visitors

• A new listing can take up to 48 hours to appear in search results.
• Early visits often come from outside Etsy: people you know, Pinterest, Instagram.
• Etsy Ads become available 15 days after you open your shop; test them with a small budget.
• Listings with views but no sales: fix photos, price and shipping. Listings with no views: fix the title and tags.

Common mistakes when selling on Etsy

• Picking a shop language without thinking: you can't change it later
• A name on your ID that doesn't match your bank account
• Leaving the logo, banner and policies empty
• Empty tag slots or single-word tags
• Pricing without counting Etsy's fees

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