The first month of a new Etsy shop is about getting the basics right so your listings can be found and trusted. This checklist follows the order that matters: shop setup, listing quality, pricing, first traffic, then measuring what works.
Week 1: set up the shop
- Add a logo and complete your shop — Etsy names an incomplete shop as something that can lower search visibility
- Write your About section and shop policies, including a return policy; Etsy prioritizes listings that have one, even "No returns"
- Set up shipping profiles with realistic processing times; for US listings, Etsy prioritizes domestic shipping prices lower than $6
- Check Etsy's fees for your country before you set prices
Open your shop step by stepAccount, payments, identity verification and storefront setup.Free shop name generatorShop name ideas that fit Etsy's rules.Etsy fee calculatorBefore you set your first prices, check what Etsy takes from each sale and what's left as profit.
Weeks 1–2: create listings that can be found
- Research what buyers search for before you write titles and tags
- Title: say what the item is first; titles can be up to 140 characters
- Use all 13 tags, each a different phrase
- Choose the most specific category and fill in the attributes
- Add several high-resolution photos (Etsy allows up to 20) and a short video if you can
Find what buyers search forEstimated searches, competition and opportunity for Etsy keywords. Requires an account.Check demand for a product ideaStrong and rising products in a niche, with prices. Requires an account.
Etsy says a newly published listing can take up to 48 hours to appear in search results.
Weeks 2–3: get your first traffic
- Share your listings with people you know and on social media — early visits often come from outside Etsy
- Etsy Ads become available 15 days after you open your shop; if you use them, start small and judge results after at least 30 days, as Etsy recommends
- Know the Offsite Ads fee before your first sale: 15%, or 12% once your shop passes $10,000 in sales over the prior 365 days
Week 4: measure and adjust
- Listings with views but no sales: review the photos, price and shipping
- Listings with no views: review the title, tags and category
- Customer service: reply to messages on time and ship on time with tracking
What to expect
Etsy doesn't promise a number of views or sales to new shops, and neither can we. What you can control is listing quality, price and service — and the first month is the right time to get those right.
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Connect your shop to Listy AI and it will tell you what each listing is missing, one by one.