If you’re an artist who wants to make some extra money on the side, Etsy can be a really great way to do that. Etsy is a specialized artist-driven website where people can sell handmade goods to those who love and appreciate artistic crafts.
How and Why Does It Work?
In 2009, Etsy sold over 1.3 million items totaling over $180 million dollars in sales. It has over 400,000 people selling their products and is one of the most active artist communities on the Internet. Etsy creates a vibrant marketplace where sellers and buyers meet. It works because both sides have a common appreciation of art. The people selling on Etsy are real artists, not commercial mass producers. The buyers on Etsy are people who love artistic pieces. Together they create a vibrant and financially sustainable community.
Getting Set Up
The first step is to find a product that you love creating. People should be able to immediately see that you really do love what you’re selling. It should feel artistic and have something that makes it truly special. Ideally you should have a whole line of products that go well with one another. Once you have your products, then set up your store on Etsy, which is easy to do. Just follow their on- screen instructions and you’ll be set up in about 30 minutes.
Product Listing Tips
Start listing your products as soon as you store is set up. There are three crucial elements to any listing: The title, the photo and the description. The title needs to be descriptive and should get people to click on your ad. Try to use a title that actually tells someone useful information, rather than just a name. “Johnson Necklace” doesn’t say as much as “Quartz-embedded 3-Piece Necklace.”
The photo should be clear and artistic. Remember that it is an artistic community. The pictures that work on Etsy tend to be more artistic than pictures that work on eBay. Finally, give as much detail as you can in the description. Describe the item, how it was made, its dimensions, weight, history and any other characteristics.
Examples and Success Stories
Tracie Howarth started selling in 2006. What started as a small single store quickly grew into a product line, then into three stores. Today she sells over $130,000 of product a year.
Mollie Chen also started in 2006, except she started on eBay, which never gave her a consistent income. Sometimes there were sales, sometimes there weren’t. On a whim, she put her products on Etsy to see how they would sell. Almost overnight she was getting three times as much volume on Etsy as she was getting on eBay. Shortly thereafter, she stopped selling on eBay, quit her job and has been selling on Etsy full time ever since.
These are just two of the many success stories on Etsy. Create a great product, take good pictures and write good descriptions. It doesn’t take a lot to get started. In fact, all you need to do to start making money on Etsy can be accomplished in a day or two.
