How to set up an Etsy shop

Etsy is one of the biggest marketplaces for homemade crafts and vintage items, making it an excellent platform to sell your products from. But if you don’t have experience with the platform, starting up an Etsy shop can seem complicated. That’s why this guide will show you how to set up an Etsy shop in simple steps. 

We’ll explain how to:

• Create an Etsy account
• Set your shop preferences
• Choose your shop name
• Stock your shop
• Choose how you’ll get paid
• Set up billing
• Open your shop

Before starting, it’s important to ensure your shop complies with Etsy’s house rules. For example, you can’t sell prohibited items like weapons or duplicate or coordinate prices with other sellers. Once you’re sure your shop follows the house rules, follow these steps to set it up. 

First, you must create an Etsy account. To register as a seller on Etsy, click on the ‘sign in’ on the top right of Etsy’s home page. Then, you select the “register’ tab in the pop-up menu and fill in the necessary details to create your account, such as username, contact details, categories, and so on. 

You can also create an account by clicking on the ‘Sell On Etsy’ link at the bottom of the home page. After doing so, click on the ‘ Select Your Etsy Shop’ button and fill in your email address to register. Alternatively, you can register with your Google, Facebook or Apple account.

Next, you’ll want to click on ‘Open Your Etsy Shop’ to begin opening your store. You’ll need to select your shop’s language, country and time commitment.  The language you suggest will be the default language used to describe your listed products. You won’t be able to change the language later, but you can register for Etsy to translate your descriptions into other regional languages. 

You also need to select your shop currency, which should be the one you want to use to price your items (most likely British pounds). Etsy charges currency conversion fees if your shop currency is different from your bank currency. 

Finally, the time commitment refers to whether you’re a full-time or part-time seller. Etsy simply needs this for information purposes so what you choose won’t affect your shop. 

You want consumers to find your shop easily, so it’s important to select a memorable name. If you already have a business name, that’s the one you should use for your shop. Although, Etsy has a few guidelines to keep in mind when choosing a name for your Etsy shop:

• Choose a name that helps customers to recognise your brand and products.
• Ensure your Etsy shop name is 4-20 characters long.
• Your name can’t use any spaces or special characters.
• Ensure your Etsy name is unique and that no other seller uses it.
• Your shop name can’t use any profanity or infringe other Etsy members’ trademarks.

You can do a simple Google search to check whether your Etsy shop name is unique. Alternatively, Etsy also lets you check by clicking on ‘Check Availability’ while creating your Etsy account. 

The next step in learning how to set up an Etsy shop is to list your items, which involves separate processes. 

Etsy recommends using between five and ten photos for each product taken from different angles to give customers a 360 view of the product. Your images should also be at least 1,000 square pixels to ensure good quality. 

Your thumbnail is the first image customers see when viewing your listing in your shop, via search, or elsewhere on Etsy. It’s like your product’s headshot, so make sure it’s good. 

You also need to give your listing a name, which should describe the product in as much detail as possible within your 140-character limit. For more information, include a description of the product, including its category, material, purpose, and so on. 

The description section also lets you preview your listing for a Google search result, which you can use to optimise it for SEO (search engine optimisation).

Next, you need to choose the payment methods you will accept for your shop. In the UK, you can use Etsy Payments to charge customers for your items. Etsy Payments gives buyers several payment options and consolidates them in your Etsy Payment account. 

You’ll also need to enter a credit or debit card to open your shop. The card should be a:

• Visa 
• Mastercard 
• American Express 
• Discover

Etsy may ask to keep a credit or debit card on file for identity verification. In that case, you might see an authorisation charge to verify the card you’ve provided. As soon as Etsy verifies your card, the charge will drop from your statement. 

Once you’ve completed the steps above, click ‘Open Your Shop’. Remember, you can always make changes to your shop once it’s life so it can evolve along with your business.

The URL for your shop will be in one of two formats:

• https://www.etsy.com/shop/yourshopname
• https://yourshopname.etsy.com

Once you’re live, it’s time to start promoting your shop to attract customers. You can learn more about how to boost Etsy sales for your business as well as bookkeeping tips for self-employed Etsy sellers in our Resource Hub. 

If you’re self-employed and making your own products, you’ll know how much time financial tasks can take out of your day. Countingup makes it simple.

Designed for one-person businesses, the unique two-in-one app automates the time-consuming aspects of bookkeeping so that you can focus on running your business. Accept payments, capture receipts, receive cash flow insights, view profit and loss statements, and file your tax returns easily with this clever app. 

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Find out more here.