How to Sell Your Handmade Jewelry Through Etsy

Are you ready to turn your jewelry-making hobby into a business? Etsy.com is a great place to start selling handmade items. Since its launch in 2005, Etsy has expanded into one of the biggest online marketplaces in the world and is the place for selling handmade goods, art and vintage items.

With its low fees, Etsy offers jewelry-makers the ability to start, manage and scale their online business without needing to create a website. It also provides powerful tools, support and education for business success.

Setting up Shop

The good news is it's simple and free to set up an Etsy store on Etsy.com. Their website guides you through the step-by-step process of creating your store settings, setting your language, currency type and location. This is where you will select a store name, which should be between four and 20 characters.

Build a seller profile that shares who you are and tells the story of your brand. It's always a nice touch to include a photo of yourself and a bio to create a personal connection. You can also share your social media links, giving customers the ability to further engage with you.

Once your store is set up, provide Etsy with your billing information and choose the payment methods you will accept. You can offer customers the ability to pay via PayPal or through Etsy Payments, a popular option because customers can pay in several ways.

Next, set your shipping fees and decide if you'll be shipping internationally. Etsy makes it simple to determine shipping options and allows you to purchase and print shipping labels directly from their site.

Listing Products

You will pay a 20-cent fee for each new listing or when renewing a listing (listings are active for four months or until an item sells), a 6.5% transaction fee, a payment processing fee of 3% + .25 and optional promotional/advertising fees.

One thing unique to Etsy is that a single listing can include many different variations of a jewelry design (such as color, birthstone and metal options) which can help you save money in fees. It's important to accurately list the number of pieces you have in stock for each listing, as well as different colors, sizes, metals or other product information.

Good photography is important! Etsy advises sellers to use all 10 product photos for each listing. View our article on photographing your jewelry for great results: 5 Simple Tricks for Photographing Jewelry. Make sure that your thumbnail pictures are sized correctly and display your jewelry beautifully because that is the first image shoppers will see.

Don't make the common mistake of underpricing your jewelry. Make sure to account for all your material costs and time, adding in profit, in your pricing.

Use effective keywords to describe your jewelry based on highly searched terms. Test drive your Etsy store to see how customers will view it and how they can find it through search.

Gift wrap your orders and include a business card to set your store apart and encourage customers to return for more. And lastly, take advantage of the online forums and networking opportunities with other jewelry artists on Etsy.

There's never been a better time to take advantage of selling your jewelry on Etsy.com. We'd love to hear your success stories!