🎧 Listen to this blog post as a Podcast instead #99 - How to Start Selling on Etsy in 5 Simple Steps (Etsy Shop for Beginners Step by Step Walk Through)

How to Start Selling on Etsy in 5 Simple Steps (Without Melting Your Brain)

If you want to start selling on Etsy, but every time you look into it you end up overwhelmed by SEO, fees, and fifty different opinions in Facebook groups… I get it.

Because Etsy advice online is either:

• wildly overcomplicated

• weirdly vague

• or delivered with the energy of someone trying to sell you a “passive income” course from 2019.

So this is the calm version.

This is Etsy for beginners.

And I’m going to walk you through how to start selling on Etsy in 5 simple steps so you can actually open your shop, list your first product, and start moving.

No business degree required.

No full nervous breakdown.

Cuppa optional, but encouraged.

Before we start: do you need to understand Etsy SEO first?

No.

You do not need to master Etsy SEO before you list one thing.

You need:

• a product people want

• a listing that’s clear

• and enough consistency to give Etsy data

SEO matters, but not in a “spend 6 weeks doing keyword research and never open the shop” way.

We’ll get there. Calmly.

Step 1: Decide what to sell (and check it’s allowed on Etsy)

Before you touch logos, banners, or spend three hours choosing a font in Canva, we need to answer the most basic question:

What are you actually selling? 

And yes, I know you know this, but it needs saying:

Etsy is not Amazon. 

You can’t just resell random bulk-bought stuff from big retailers and hope nobody notices. They will. Etsy will. Customers will. And it’ll stress you out for no reason.

What Etsy allows you to sell (beginner-friendly breakdown)

Etsy generally allows these four categories:

1) Handmade by you 

You physically make the item (or finish it yourself).

Examples: candles, jewellery, art, crochet, ceramics, hair accessories.

2) Designed by you 

You create the design and either:

• sell it as a digital download (printables, patterns, SVGs), or

• have it produced through print on demand (POD) like shirts, mugs, prints.

3) Vintage / handpicked 

Actual vintage (not “I bought it five years ago so it’s vintage now” 😅).

Also curated bundles and certain nature-based finds.

4) Supplies 

Craft supplies, party supplies, blanks that help other people create.

What you can’t do

You can’t chuck AliExpress tat on Etsy and call it handmade.

Etsy is getting stricter. Shops are getting shut down. It’s not worth it.

Your mini task for Step 1

Pick one category to start with, and write this sentence:

“I sell [type of product] for [type of customer] who want [the vibe/result].”

Examples:

• “I sell handmade soy candles for cosy bookish people.”

• “I sell printable planners for busy parents who want to feel organised.”

• “I sell minimal gold jewellery for everyday wear.”

If your brain is going: “But I could also do mugs and keyrings and dog bandanas and…”

Cool. Park it. Not today.

Momentum first. Then expansion.

Step 2: Set up your business foundations (without making it your whole life)

This is the unsexy bit.

It’s also the bit future-you will thank you for when you’re not mixing Etsy fees with grocery money.

We’re not turning you into an accountant.

We’re just giving your business an actual skeleton.

1) Choose a business name (quickly)

You want:

• easy to spell

• easy to say

• gives a hint of what you sell

If your name is “Moonlight Dream Sparkle Boutique Co” and you sell plant pots… we might need a rethink.

Quick checks (10 minutes): 

• Etsy search (is it taken or confusingly similar?)

• Instagram/TikTok handle check

• Domain check (for later)

UK: You might also check Companies House if you want to avoid being too close to an existing business name.

US: A quick Google search + checking your state business database is usually enough at this stage.

Set a timer for one hour. Pick a name. Move on.

2) Light branding (not a £2k logo)

Branding at this stage is:

• your shop name in a readable font

• 2–3 colours that feel like your vibe

• 1–2 fonts for graphics

Enough that it looks consistent, not like five different people made it at 3am.

You’ll probably tweak this later. That’s normal.

3) Basic admin (so you don’t hate your life later)

• Separate bank account or “pot” for business money

• Check safety requirements if you sell things like candles, cosmetics, toys

• Pick one place to track income + receipts (spreadsheet, notebook, app)

Think of it like building a kitchen before you start cooking.

Yes, you can fry an egg on a camping stove in the garden.

But it gets old. Fast.

Step 3: Open your Etsy shop (and stop overthinking the first listing)

This is where a lot of people freeze.

Opening your Etsy shop is basically:

• Create an Etsy seller account

• Follow their setup steps (currency, bank details, etc.)

• Create one listing to open the shop

• Then go back and customise things properly

Important

That first listing does not need to be perfect.

It can be a placeholder. A rough draft. A “I’ll fix this later” listing.

Once you’re in Shop Manager, do these three things:

1. Add a profile picture + simple banner (not your forever design)

2. Fill in your About section with a short human paragraph

3. Set up shipping/returns/payment policies using Etsy templates

Please don’t spend three months designing a banner while your shop is still “coming soon”.

You learn Etsy by using Etsy.

Goal for this step:

“My shop exists. It’s open. I can improve as I go.” 

Step 4: Create your product (and make sure it has a chance)

Now we’re on the fun bit: what you’re actually selling… and whether anyone wants it.

And yes, that sounds harsh.

But it’s better than bulk buying 4,000 metres of fabric and crying into your storage boxes.

1) Find your niche with Etsy research (quick and simple)

Go on Etsy and search a phrase like:

• “lavender eye pillow”

• “minimal birthstone necklace”

• “weekly printable planner”

Look at:

• how many results there are

• what bestsellers look like

• common styles/colours

• price points

Then ask:

• Where could I fit into this?

• What feels missing?

• What am I naturally drawn to making?

Your niche is:

This product + for this customer + with this twist. 

2) Choose your offer type (handmade, POD, or digital)

If you’re selling handmade

• List the materials you need

• Find wholesalers (UK: don’t live at Hobbycraft forever, US: don’t live at Michaels forever 😅)

• Order enough for a small first batch, not a warehouse

If you’re doing print on demand (POD)

• Choose a provider

• Connect your Etsy shop

• Design in Canva/Procreate/Illustrator

• Start with a small number of designs so you can test what sells

If you’re selling digital

• Decide file types (PDF, PNG, JPG)

• Research common sizes for your niche (A4/US Letter/5x7/8x10 etc.)

• Make it ridiculously clear how customers use and print the file

Rule for beginners

Start smaller than you think.

You do not need 100 products to open.

You need a handful of solid products you can photograph well, describe clearly, and fulfil without chaos.

Step 5: Create your listings and start marketing so people can actually find you

Once you’ve got products, we turn them into listings that can be found and bought.

And I need you to hear this if you’re a total beginner:

It can take weeks or even months to get your first Etsy sale.

That does not mean you failed. It means Etsy needs data.

Etsy often takes time to crawl and test your listings, especially when you’re brand new.

Now, here’s what matters:

1) Etsy SEO basics (no panic)

SEO just means:

Help Etsy understand what this is and who it’s for. 

So your titles, tags, and descriptions should use the words your customer would type.

Instead of:

“Sophie Collection – Luna”

Use:

“Lavender Eye Pillow for Sleep and Headaches | Organic Cotton Heat Pack”

You can still use cute collection names in descriptions.

But your title needs to do the heavy lifting.

Tags: use all available spaces with real phrases

Think: occasion, material, colour, recipient.

Descriptions: explain what it is, who it’s for, what’s included, sizing, care, delivery.

Talk like a human. Not a robot.

2) Photos and video (your handshake)

You need:

• one clear bright “whole product” photo

• close-ups of details/texture

• a scale photo (in hand, next to a mug, on a desk)

• lifestyle shots if possible

If you sell digital or POD, mockups help… but use realistic ones.

Not “floating decal on a shiny wall”.

Add a short video if you can.

It doesn’t need to be cinematic. Your phone is perfect.

3) Price for profit, not panic

Do not price by copying the cheapest person on page one.

Include:

• materials

• packaging

• Etsy fees

• your time

• a buffer

Otherwise you’ll get busier and poorer at the same time, which is a special kind of pain.

And yes, people pay for handmade.

They buy based on emotion and confidence, not “who’s cheapest”.

4) Start marketing (pick ONE home hub)

You do not need to be everywhere.

Pick one platform:

• Instagram

• TikTok

• Facebook

• email list

Choose the one you’ll actually use and your customers are already on.

Post consistently. Keep it simple.

“Here’s what I’m making.”

“Here’s how I make it.”

“Here’s what’s new.”

“Here’s why this is useful.”

If marketing makes you want to throw your phone in a bin, that’s exactly why Social Media Sidekick exists.

Every month you get:

• plug-and-post captions

• Canva templates

• hooks, hashtags, prompts

• a full content calendar built for handmade businesses

So you can stop reinventing content from scratch every week.

👉 Join here: handmadebosses.com/sms 

Sam vs Lydia: The Etsy Beginner Difference (and it’s not talent)

Sam:

• spends weeks choosing a name and logo

• scrolls Etsy groups until her brain is mush

• lists one product with dark photos + vague title

• prices cheap to “get sales”

• posts twice then disappears

• decides Etsy is saturated

Lydia:

• picks a name and opens the shop

• starts with 5 products for one clear customer

• uses good natural light photos

• writes titles that actually say what the product is

• prices to pay herself

• posts 3x a week on one platform

• improves as she goes

Same platform. Similar products.

Different outcome.

Lydia had a plan.

Sam had an anxiety spiral.

Be Lydia.

Your Etsy Beginner Homework (do this in the next 48 hours)

1. Write your “what I sell” sentence

2. Pick a name and open your shop

3. Do 15 minutes of Etsy research (set a timer)

4. Make/finish ONE product and photograph it

5. Post ONE piece of content on your chosen platform

That’s it.

Not perfect.

Just moving.

And if you want your marketing done for you each month so you can focus on making, Social Media Sidekick is there.

👉 Join the SMS

Steph xox

👋 Welcome everyone! My name is Steph, I've been running my handmade business full time on Etsy since 2016, and I'm here to help you! 

🧡 I'll help you to start an Etsy shop, Etsy ads, show you how to sell more on Etsy, get to grips with Etsy SEO, Etsy branding, Etsy product ideas, finding your target market, identifying your niche and many many more.

🛍️ If you have an Etsy shop or your own website selling handmade products, or want to start one, this is THE channel you need to be subscribed to!

💰 I help makers start, run and scale their handmade businesses. Turning them from an expensive hobby to profitable businesses making 4 and 5 figure months on Etsy and your own website.

✨ Join the HBSA waitlist

✨ Free resources: Want to make headway in your business but don't want to pay yet? You're in the right place! 

✨ Work with us for deeper transformative results

✨I go live most Mondays on YouTube and in my Facebook group for mini workshops to help you make more money from your handmade business! You can see our upcoming events here

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