How to Open an Online Business on “Etsy”

“Etsy” is a popular online platform where individual sellers (like you!) can list their products to sell to a virtual audience. This step-by-step guide will show you the process of “Creating an Account”, “Creating a Store”, and “Managing your Store”. The Etsy website answers frequently asked questions about building and managing your store here. For any questions, please contact the Illini Union Board Advisor, J.B. Bailey at jmbail@illinois.edu.

Creating an Account A more detailed version of this process can be found here.

1. Go to https://www.etsy.com/join to Register a new account a. Fill in your email, First Name, and create a Password

2. Now you’re ready to shop! A confirmation email will be sent to you in a few days

asking to verify your account.

Creating a Store Once your account is set up it’s time to create your shop! A more detailed version can be found here.

1. In the top right corner, click “Shop Manager” which is circled in red here:

2. A series of steps must be completed in order to create your shop, the first is finding your “Shop preferences”

- Enter the Language you want your shop to be in, in the picture below the selected Language is “English”

- Next, the selected “Country” as “United States” - Finally, the currency/money used in transactions will be “$ United States Dollar” - Below your selections, choose whether you sell “Full-Time”, “Part-Time, but want

to sell Full-Time” or “only Part-Time” in the bubbles below. If none of these describe you, click “Other”.

3. Once you press “Save and Continue” you will “Name your shop” a. A shop name must NOT contain any accented letters or spaces. b. Once you enter a potential name, click “Check Availability” to see if that shop name is taken, and alternatives. In this example below, “JohnDoeShop” is taken, however, I can select a different name from the options given.

c. Here is how an available shop name will appear:

4. Now, it’s time to add your listings to sell a. Click the box “Add a New Listing” and add a photo or video of your product. Etsy recommends adding multiple angles of your product to show to customers exactly what they’re getting. To add a photo or video simply click “Add a photo” or “Add a video”

b. Then, include the details of the item under the section “Listing details”. Things to include in this section are the Title of the piece, i.e. Blue necklace, who made it, i.e. handmade, and a description, i.e. a beaded blue necklace that is 12 inches long and

has a metal clasp.

5. After this section, you need to list the price of your item a. When determining the price, keep in mind that Etsy will deduct Fees, described under the “Managing your Store” section in this document.

handmade, and a description, i.e. a beaded blue necklace that is 12 inches long and

6. In the final section of this step, add your shipping information so the customer knows where the product will ship from and you can estimate shipping costs.

Information to provide in this section include expected shipping prices, processing time, if you want to offer free shipping, and the weight of your listing.

Click “Save shipping profile” so that you do not have to fill out this information with each listing.

7. The next step, “How you’ll get paid” is where you set up your bank account information so that the customer can deposit money into your account.

Select whether you’re an individual seller or an incorporated business. Most vendors fall under the first category.

In the section below enter your personal information as required, this includes your Country of residence (the United States), first and last name, birthdate, and bank account information.

8. In the final step, “Set up Billing”, choose a form of payment you will use to pay the “Etsy Fees” described in the “Managing your Store” section.

Click “Add a credit or debit card” under the “Choose your form of payment” section

Finally click the “Open Your Shop” button at the bottom of your page! This will successfully open your store for business, and customers on the Etsy site can view your products.

Managing your Store 1. Etsy Fees

a. Listing Fee i.Each item you upload to your store has a flat-rate charge of $0.20, regardless of whether or not the item sells.

ii.Different variations of your item count as separate listing fees, i.e. if you list a red necklace and a blue necklace there would be a $0.40 listing fee. b. Transaction Fee

.Unlike Listing Fees, these fees only apply if a customer purchases your item. i.Etsy collects 5% of the total cost (including gift wrapping and shipping) as a transaction fee. c. Payment Processing Fee

.In the U.S. the fee is a set rate of $0.25 + 3% of your total sale price of the item. i.These fees are in addition to the Transaction Fees.

2. How to Purchase a Shipping Label. An important feature of having an online business is shipping the purchased

products to your customers. a. Log into your Etsy Account and click “Shop Manager”, then click “Orders & Shipping” b. Find the order you want to buy a shipping label for c. Click the van icon to purchase a shipping label from Etsy d. Under “Get shipping labels for” check that your address is correct, if not, click “Edit”e. Under “Ship to” on the right side of the page, check that the buyer’s address is correct. If you need to update their address, click “Edit”. f. Fill out “Shipping information” for the package, including weight, type, dimensions, and delivery service.

.If you’re shipping an international order, fill out the customs form.g. Click “Review your purchase” to view a summary of your purchase. h. Confirm the documents you’d like to print.

i. Click “Purchase”.

3. How to Print a Shipping Label . Download the .pdf of your purchased shipping label following the directions from “How to Purchase a Shipping Label” above. a. Click on the .pdf to open it. b. In the “File” dropdown, click “Print”. c. Secure the Shipping label onto the correct package with clear packaging tape.