If you’ve ever considered buying handmade, unique crafts online, you must have heard of Etsy.
The marketplace connects thousands of artisans with interested buyers.
In this article, well answer this and all the related questions about selling on Etsy.
What Is Etsy, and How Does It Work?
It is a consumer-to-consumer platform that provides value to both buyers and sellers.
The process of selling on Etsy is quite simple.
First, create an Etsy account, provided you don’t have one.
On Etsy, sellers are responsible for packaging and shipping the product.
However, you’re free to buy shipping labels directly from your Etsy shop to fulfill your orders.
When they receive the shipment, buyers can leave the reviewswhich are essential for the growth of your shop.
Is Etsy Only for Handmade Products?
Etsy is only for handmade products, vintage items, and craft supplies.
This means that you might sell non-handmade products if they qualify either as vintage items or craft supplies.
Vintage items should necessarily not be handmade, but they must be at least 20 years old.
This means that non-handmade collectibles that arent 20 years old cant be sold here.
Another exception is craft supplies.
They can either be handmade or mass-produced.
Examples include beads, DIY items, and knitting kits.
However, if youre planning to sell, wed advise you to strictly follow thecompany guidelines about handmade items.
Can You Sell Anything on Etsy?
Anything that is produced commercially, cant be sold here.
Apart from all these physical items, Etsy lets you sell digital products as well.
A few of the best-selling digital products are printables, business cards, resume templates, and sewing patterns.
What Items Are Prohibited?
Can You Sell Medical Devices?
Additionally, services, rentals, and metaphysical items (spells and hexes) are banned.
As for medical devices, you cannot sell medical drugs, pharmaceuticals, and regulated medical devices.
Etsy permits selling face masks and covers, provided sellers comply with the companys policy.
Moreover, you’re able to sell tools like pinwheels and tubie clips.
If in doubt, you should checkEtsy’s prohibited items page.
What Are Etsy’s Commissions?
With several fees involved, Etsy commissions are not as straightforward.
Etsy Listing Fees
For listing a single product, youll have to pay $0.20.
This 6.5% fee also applies to shipping, wrapping, and personalization costs.
Etsy Payment Processing Fees
For payments processed through Etsy Payments, the platform charges extra fees.
This fee varies depending on the country.
For the USA, its 3%+0.25 USD.
For other countries, its in the range of 3-6.5% along with a fixed amount.
Etsy Offsite Ads
Etsy places ads on various social networks and search engines.
If someone purchases your product through Offsite Ads, Etsy will charge a 12-15% fee.
Those over $10,000 will pay 12% with no option to opt-out.
Besides these, there are several optional fees you might have to pay.
These include shipping labels, Etsy ads, subscription, pattern, currency conversion fees, etc.
Can You Re-Sell Items on Etsy?
No, you cant re-sell items on Etsy.
The only exception to this is vintage items and craft supplies.
In other words, anything that falls under the handmade category cannot be resold.
Selling hand-crafted products that you didnt make or design is considered reselling.
However, if products fall under the category of vintage or craft supplies, you may resell them.
Are There Any Etsy Alternatives To Consider?
Despite being the first-of-its-kind, Etsy is not the onlywebsite for finding unique artworkor handmade products.
