Any one have an Etsy Account?

[lovemychicks9]

Does anyone here have and use an Etsy account to sell things on the net? Would you mind if I asked you some questions about them? Scooters mom and I are thinking of partnering up and trying to sell items on it but I really need feedback on it before I jump in and do it with her. Please pm me if you would be so kind so I can get my questions answered. Like some of them are, how do they handle paying etsy, how do you handle payment to you , what to do about shipping items and how much time do you allow for turn around on ordering/ shipping, are you having success, ect. I would certaily appreciate any help you could offer to us before we begin this venture. Thanks Trudy and Rosie

 

[Queen Scoot]

we need input!

 

[Krysstyllanthrox]

To do it legally, you need to investigate the small business practices of your state of residence.

Example: I live in Oklahoma. To sell on Etsy I need to buy a $20 license, keep records, and file taxes on the business.

Etsy doesn't track whether or not you are legal, as far as I can tell they don't really care. However, if you think you will make enough to have a steady-ish income from it you should really be prepared to be on the up and up.

When you sign up for your store Etsy will ask you for a credit card to keep on file. That is where your listing fees will be billed to. Once a month they will bill for the listing fees you've had. As far as I can remember, that is all Etsy charges.

Decide on your shop policies and spell them out! Etsy will not necessarily follow them, but at least you have guidelines for your customers.

Unless something is a custom order, most people expect it to be shipped out immediatly. Unless your policy states you get to the post office on X and Y days or once a week, be prepared to have sellers ask when they will get their stuff.

I've got more info but I'm at work and have to go do a site visit, so I'm out of time. Feel free to PM me.

Haley

 

[Krysstyllanthrox]

more info on this Etsy site and how they operate and how happy or not so are people with it so I have asked members to pm us with info hope you don't mind. I have so many questions about it , some of which are, what about shipping , how do they and how do they figure the charge for it? I know you would have to allow that into the price of the sale, and you need to figure how much it costs you for the materials, plus time involved to figure what to chage. I knot the post office will sell you a priorty mail envelope or boxes for one flat rate and you can fill them and there is no extra fee. How do they recieve payments , do we have to pay state and fed. taxes on what we make, how do they handle gathering the order and shippiing if 2 or more folks are working together and they live in differnet places, , I know that you have alot more items to sell then I do and how would we figure out who is going to ship it, should I just make my things and send them to you to ship , ect, ect? please send your answers to both myself and lovemychicks9
thanks for your help!

I'm going to post this here in case others need/want the info.

1. Etsy does nothing but host your store in a giant searchable database. Shipping, packaging, prices, payment processing, pictures, et. all are up to you.

2. The Etsy accounts are free to open. You'll have to give credit card info for the seller information but they do not charge you until you list an item. I recommend you sign up and read some of their FAQs.

3. Payments. Most sellers I know of accept Paypal. Sometimes they will also accept the Google Wallet and one other form of payment. Some also accept check and money orders. If you accept checks or money orders have a policy that state you will not ship the item until the check/money order clears the bank.

This means you will likely need to sign up for a Paypal account. Go to their website and read up on some of the FAQs. Most 'big' sellers I know of have a seperate business bank account that they link to their Paypal account as an extra security precaution.

4. Taxes will depend on the rules of your home state(s). Google for "(State) small business" and see what the rules are. For instance, I would be legally required to collect taxes on any items sold within the state of Oklahoma, where I live.

5. "Gathering the items" doesn't exist. It would be a case of X person has Y item and ships it to the buyer while A person ships B item to the buyer: buyer gets two packages.

6. Shipping. I belive that USPS has some info on their website on ranges of prices for packages. I would do some digging around there and see what the average would be for you to ship something. Are you prepared to ship overseas? across the border?
Price materials that you would need to package your items and include that in the shipping prices.

Now here comes the hard and fast advice that I've learned from a year of researching Etsy and online selling, not to mention being a knitter myself... Be prepared, some of it will be a bit harsh.

There is not much market out there for finished, hand knit items. To be competitive you generally have to price your items so low that you are losing money.

Etsy can be a great thing, but is also a double edged sword in some ways. Avoid the forums as much as you can, they are mean, nasty, sink holes of bad vibes.

Research, research, research. If you have favorite shops, go read their policies. check them weekly-ish and see how they price their items. Read, read, read.

Decide what this is for you. A fun venture or a business. If it is a business: get serious about it and treat it as such. There is a book I would recommend you read. I have a copy at home and will post the name/title for you later.

If this is a fun venture, do what you will, how you will it. But remember, above all, Etsy only hosts your store and charges you a listing fee per item to use their space. EVERTHING else is on you.

If you have other questions, or want more details. Again, feel free to message me. I've spent a lot of time researching selling on Etsy.​

 

[blessedchickenmama7]

I have an Etsy account. So far I have done okay, but have only had it for a few months. I sew, crochet, knit, etc. It is a hobby and not a job for me, but I have made a little. I have gotten orders locally from folks who saw things on the site from my blog. Even with Etsy, you're still going to need to do things to draw folks to your shop.

I would agree with the previous poster that hand-knit items do not sell for enough to pay a profit. Sewing, however, is different. Get on there and look, look, look. Find a niche that you can fill.

I am just now getting my feedback on the shop up high enough that I feel folks are not leery of ordering from me. I have noticed that in the last few weeks I have gotten more orders as my feedback has climbed past a certain point. For me, it's not been a fast process, and if I were depending on the income I'd definitely need to find another outlet to sell in.

It's enjoyable, though, and each time I sell something, especially to people I've never met, I feel like I have a real business. I did get a tax id number for my business and go about it the correct way, but you'll have to research all that for your state and locality.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I do and Terrie Lacey does too.

 

[DuckLady]

I have an Etsy Shop and with that and doing craft fairs and Street Team events, I do pretty well.

I am finding that for quality items, people who go to Etsy are prepared to pay for it. I price my items directly based on what I pay for my fabrics and for my time. There are some priced higher and some lower for similar items, but if you are offering quality, your customers will come.

PS, if you look at my shop, it is rather empty. I just came back from a very successful weekend at a festival and I need to restock.

 

[conradpdx]

My wife is an Etsy seller. Infact you've probably had to deal with her at one time or another terrielacy (if your part of PDX Etsy---she's got something to do with signing in the new members---her name is rubygirl.)

My wifes done pretty good with Etsy, but she devotes a lot of her time to it, and got in at the right time. Right now it's getting more difficult for a lot of sellers there, there's just way more of them now than there was 2-3 years ago when she started. So she's at least established a reputation and a customer base (she's on the admin. of three teams). But really the best part has been that she's gotten some wholesale customers that found her on Etsy. It also helps in that she's a jewelry artist and working in metals is pretty tool/cost intensive for many so the competition though still fierce isn't as bad as some of the other crafts like beaders.

But anymore she also uses sites like Twitter and Facebook to help promote her Etsy shop. Because an old trick of relisting items to get on the front page doesn't work anymore since they get 1000's of new items listed hour now a days.

The most important thing though is getting good pictures. Nothing will scare off customers more than bad pictures. It also gives you a better shot at getting into treasuries (potential front page exposure). Most the top sellers are as much photographers as they are masters at their chosen craft.

I also know there are many other sites like etsy that starting up. And getting in on some these while they're still new might be a good or even better option for someone just starting.