Many creative people dream of beginning their own business selling their own handmade creations, but plenty of people think that it is either hard, pricey or both.
Well that may have been the case a few years ago, but since the launch of Etsy in 2005 it is probably the simplest business to start. You can get your handmade creations in front of millions of potential buyers in 150 countries worldwide, & setting up your shop is not only simple to do, but is also free, which is why I took the plunge & setup my Cross Stitch Pattern business.
Another important point when filling out your shop information & appearance, Etsy give you a preview of the way you shop homepage will look in Google search results. Make sure you give plenty of thought to this, when I first set mine up I didn't, but fortunately I could return & change it.
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In the Shop Title section you will require to put what your shop does, & not your shop name, for example mine says �Unique Modern Cross Stitch Patterns', & in the description I have put �Cross Stitch Patterns with a contemporary twist on Etsy designed by Lucy Lu Cross Stitch Charts the home of unique cross stitch designs' so when people search for �Cross Stitch Patterns' in google my shop will appear in the results showing the following:
There's few things to keep in mind when beginning your new Etsy business & probably the most important is that your username is also you shop name, & one time this has been registered it cannot be changed, so make sure you know exactly what you require your shop to be called & setup your account with that name.
Unique Modern Cross Stitch Patterns by LucyLuCrossStitch
Cross Stitch Patterns with a contemporary twist on Etsy designed by Lucy Lu Cross Stitch Charts the home of unique cross stitch designs
So as you can see getting your shop name, shop title & shop description right is important in the event you also require to be present in organic google searches.
Now as all of us know not everything is free & that is the case when listing your items, & although Etsy charge you for listing your product & take a percentage when you sell, that is all they charge for. So what are Etsy's charges, well Etsy charge 20cents per listing which is over 13p sterling, & when you sell Etsy charge you three.5% of your selling cost, so if I sell for $6 then Etsy will charge me 21cents which again is over 13p sterling � not much to pay thinking about you are getting your handmade goods in front of so plenty of potential buyers.
So you have your shop up & walking, your shop name, title & description have all been saved, you are now prepared to start listing your handmade goods. First thing to keep in mind is to make sure you have nice photo's of each of your products, & preferably from different angles. You will require to name your product & give it a significant description, this might be its function, or what inspired you to make it. You will then be able to preview your listing before it goes live, one time happy you require to publish it, it is that simple.
Beginning an Etsy business is something that you can do in your spare time, you don't must give up your day job, unless of coursework you require to, also it is an incredible & comparatively cheap way of testing the market. You will never know unless you try!
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