Is It Worth Selling on Etsy: 10 Amazing Reasons Why It Is
So you’ve been asking the question ‘is it worth selling on Etsy?’ Whether that’s because you’ve been considering starting an Etsy shop, or whether you have one and don’t know whether to continue, it is a valid question.
In short, it is worth selling on Etsy. This is because there are no upfront costs (besides 20p listing fees), you can gauge the popularity of your products and also learn important business lessons before moving onto paid sites. Therefore, Etsy is a brilliant stepping-stone online marketplace to use. It is also super quick and easy to set up an Etsy store unlike other online marketplaces, it has a great connection with Pinterest to promote your products and, most importantly, has its own built-in traffic.
Despite the increasing fees, you can still make a GREAT hustle (and full-time income) on Etsy. I’ve put together 9 reasons why selling on Etsy is worth it – read on! You will also find these 29 selling on Etsy tips useful, as well as these 23 Etsy SEO tips. Remember, if you want more Etsy tips and tricks, subscribe below:
Why Is It Worth Selling on Etsy?
1. Perfect For People Making Handmade Products Who Want to Dip Their Feet Into Business (No upfront costs)
This really is one of the most important take-home messages.
If you’ve been contemplating starting an Etsy store, I’m telling you now… it’s worth it. In my opinion this comes down to one simple fact… you will lose nothing.
Many crafters have a hobby and will be making their products anyway. This is because they love their chosen craft. (Don’t worry if this isn’t you and you’re starting a new skill/hobby to start an Etsy – this was me too!). But if you’re already making products and want to dip your feet in, Etsy is the place to be.
Etsy is the perfect place to start because it costs nothing to try it (except the 20p listing fee). This is a SIGNIFICANTLY better option than paying for a Shopify or Amazon store when you’re not even sure you’ll enjoy selling.
Whilst there is no start-up or monthly fee, it is important you still know about Etsy costs. When you make a sale, Etsy does take a proportion of this. To work out your pricing strategy and what Etsy would take per sale, check out this Etsy pricing calculator. I use it for all my listings!
2. Get A Gauge For How Popular Your Products Are (Great Testing Ground)
Selling on Etsy is an absolutely brilliant way to list all sorts of products. Have you got a few products or hobbies on the go? At the start you can list them all and see which ones are the most popular.
As there are no upfront costs, besides the 20p listing fee, Etsy is an amazing place to see which are your best products and which ones are less popular. You can then hone in on your popular products, make more like this and really carve out a niche for yourself.
3. Etsy Gives You Time to Learn Business More Effectively Than Other Platforms
What many people forget when they’re deciding on a platform is that starting a business is complicated. The learning curve is STEEP. Especially when it comes to pricing your products, taxes and simply keeping on top of things.
As Etsy requires no upfront costs, it’s a brilliant place to start learning business without having to pay for your website. Whilst it’s true other websites will provide advice and support; I’ve found nothing quite beats the early support Etsy can offer you when you’re learning.
This is for three main reasons:
• There is an Etsy Support function.
This allows you to view a significant number of FAQs to see if the answer is there for you. However, if it is not, you can select the ‘I still need help’ button and you can send a specific question/email to Etsy Support. They always reply with 48 hours and are active 24/7. My point is, there is significant support for newbies because Etsy recognises a lot of their users can be first-time sellers.
• Etsy Seller Handbook
This handbook Is incredibly detailed. It has everything about Etsy ranging from ‘Pricing, Taxes and Finance’ to ‘Photography’ to ‘Branding and Marketing’. If you’re a newbie to the online Etsy world, and business in general, this is a super helpful handbook that allows you to very quickly learn key business tactics and rules for success.
• The Etsy Community Makes It Worth Selling On Etsy!
Without a shadow of a doubt the Etsy community is one of the best, if not the best, community around. They are incredibly helpful and kind. From my experience, if you sell on Amazon or eBay for example, you simply don’t quite have the same community experience.
With Etsy, there are hundreds of support groups to help you on your way. I’ve even put together these 30 Etsy seller Facebook groups that can support Etsy sellers. These groups are amazing for learning business as they are full of sellers selling all kinds of products at all different stages. They range from Etsy sellers with 0 sales starting out to sellers with over 10,000 sales! These Facebook groups give you direct access to people clearly succeeding at Etsy and business.
4. Etsy is HUGE on Pinterest (Compared to Other Online Marketplaces)
(Definitely makes selling on Etsy worth it!)
It is worth selling on Etsy because of the link it has to Pinterest.
This partnership is amazing and an absolute game-changer for Etsy sellers. Whilst, of course, you can still promote your products on Pinterest if you sell on Shopify or Amazon… it’s nowhere near as effective or efficient.
This is because there are hundreds of Etsy group boards to start promoting your products with thousands of followers. However, there are SIGNIFICANTLY LESS boards when it comes to other online marketplaces. There is even an option on Pinterest for you to specifically link your Etsy store.
I’ve put together 50 Pinterest Etsy group boards you can join to start promoting your products. These groups are brilliant to get your products in front of many more people quickly. You could also join any of these 20 Etsy group boards that all have over 10,000 followers each!
5. Super Quick and Easy To Set Up A Shop (Quick to see if you like it!)
Another great reason why it is worth selling on Etsy is because creating a storefront in the first place is SO much easier than other platforms.
If you are not gifted when it comes to technology… Etsy is perfect when comparing this to the likes of Shopify or your own WordPress store. These other options can get quite complicated, and if you’re a total beginner, can also take quite some time to get to grips with.
An Etsy store allows you to set-up, fill in a title, upload a logo, a banner and your products and you’re ready to sell. Other online marketplaces, whilst it is important to be fair and say they do allow for MUCH greater customisation, can get complicated. This is because you have to choose themes, widgets, plugins and so much more.
Therefore, Etsy is a quick and easy alternative to get started.
6. Online Marketplace Selling is The Key To Any Successful Business Online (not just because of COVID)
It is worth selling on Etsy because it’s an online marketplace. If you’re not selling online, making a successful business is going to be that much harder. Just check out this article written by Xanda on the importance of having an online shop, or this article written by SquareUp.
Selling online isn’t just key because of the COVID pandemic. Granted, the coronavirus pandemic has stopped craft shows, fairs, selling events and closed high-street stores. But even before this, online shopping is the direction you need to take your business.
Etsy, as mentioned above, is the perfect place to get your business online with no upfront costs. However, many budding businesspeople feel they need their own Shopify store or WordPress website. They believe that having their own standalone website is important for their brand, to stand out and prove to people they’re a real business.
However, you really can achieve all this on Etsy too. There are an incredible number of users on Etsy that have built wonderful brands from scratch and are taken seriously. Etsy isn’t just a place for small-time crafters anymore, there are 6-figure businesses too.
Once you have started selling on Etsy and you’re up and running selling and building an email list, many users expand and create their own website then. This is why Etsy is the perfect online marketplace… it acts as a stepping stone! But, don’t forget that you can sell on multiple platforms from the off… see below for more on this.
7. Etsy Adds Another Sales Channel to Increase Income (don’t have to purely sell on Etsy)
The reason why Etsy is definitely worth it in 2021 is because you DON’T just have to sell on Etsy. I’ve talked about why I personally believe Etsy is a great starting block over other online marketplaces if you are choosing one. However, if you’re stuck deciding which platform to sell on, like Ebay, Shopify, your own website… remember that you CAN sell your products on more than one site.
Many crafters feel like the only place for them is Etsy – but this simply isn’t true. Whilst Etsy is a fantastic place to be, you can spread your wares across multiple selling platforms (if you want) and see which ones take off.
So, why is it worth selling on Etsy if you are also selling on other platforms? Because you have nothing to lose. It is another online marketplace you can test to sell your wares without upfront costs. It makes perfect sense to use Etsy if you are also considering other avenues because of these no upfront costs and potential for more sales.
8. In-built Traffic With An Established Audience and Buyers
(This one definitely makes it worth selling on Etsy over your own site!)
This is the single biggest benefit for why selling on Etsy is worth it. If you start your own Shopify or WordPress store, you have to bring your own traffic.
However, on Etsy, it has its own MASSIVE audience with potential buyers already on the platform. This means that you can focus on creating HIGH-QUALITY products and photography to get natural traffic, instead of having to drive your own.
This coincides nicely with the first point that there are no upfront costs on Etsy (besides listing fees). Therefore, it will always be worth also selling on Etsy.
9. Can Easily See Trends and Add Listings To Get Increased Traffic
Selling on Etsy and immersing yourself in the Etsy community ensures you see current trends and keep up to date with hot selling items. If you have your own platform, it is unlikely you will be seeing other people’s products or trending items.
This means that when the popularity for certain products is on the rise, you are unaware or haven’t seen this surge traffic. Therefore, you would not adapt your products or add new ones to fit this trend.
10. Etsy Is A Growing Platform (Definitely worth selling On Etsy!)
Many people think the reign of Etsy will soon come to an end. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, the platform is growing… FAST.
Just check out this article written by FORBES titled ‘is Etsy’s Run Over?’. The short answer is absolutely not. They state that ‘Etsy’s revenues can grow by 2.7x to levels of about $2.2 billion in 2023 from about $820 million in 2019 and an estimated $1.2 billion in 2020, representing a growth rate of almost 38% per year.’
This means that Etsy is going nowhere. Traffic on Etsy is increasing. Sales on Etsy are increasing. Simply put, it is worth selling on Etsy because its audience is growing and you could get your products to an even greater number of people.
Is It Worth Selling On Etsy: Final Thoughts
This article has detailed the positives of selling on Etsy. Similarly with everything in life, there are pros AND cons. If you would like an article also detailing the cons, let me know in the comments or through our Instagram account, @pastime_to_profit.
The biggest takeaway message however, is that due to the no start-up or monthly fees there really isn’t much to lose. By creating an Etsy store, you’re just giving yourself a great, almost free opportunity to see if selling your products is for you.
As mentioned, Etsy very often acts as a stepping stone to eventually creating your own website. If starting a store has always been something you’ve wanted to try, I’d love for this to be a final push for you to just START.
If you’ve decided to start an Etsy store, I HIGHLY recommend you read this article on 29 Selling on Etsy tips. These tips detail how to create a more successful store! I also strongly urge you to read this article on 23 Etsy SEO tips that will significantly boost the traffic and sales in your store. Good luck!
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