How To Sell on Etsy in 6 Easy Steps (2026)

Etsy is one of the biggest marketplaces in the world. There’s more than 5 million sellers serving over 86 million active buyers. Sellers generated $10.5 billion in gross merchandise sales on the Etsy marketplace in 2025. 

Sellers use Etsy to list handmade, vintage, or curated products, while buyers search the marketplace for unique crafts, jewelry, art, clothing, and home goods.

Here's a step-by-step beginner's guide to setting up your Etsy shop and starting to sell.

How to sell on Etsy in 6 steps

1. Create an Etsy account
2. Open your Etsy shop
3. Upload products
4. Choose how you'll get paid
5. Set up billing
6. Customize your Etsy storefront

It just takes six steps to get started selling on Etsy: creating an account, opening a shop, uploading products, choosing a payment method, setting up billing, and customizing the storefront. 

1. Create an Etsy account

It’s free to create an account on Etsy: just navigate to Sign In and select Register. If you're an existing Etsy member, you don't have to create a separate account to open a new shop.

2. Open your Etsy shop

Once you create an account, you'll be able to open your Etsy shop by establishing an Etsy seller account. First you’ll enter your shop preferences and details, including language, country, and currency, then your shop name.

Shop names must be four to 20 characters long, using only letters and numbers. You can’t use spaces, hyphens, underscores, or other special characters. Etsy also blocks profanity, names already in use by another seller, and names that infringe on someone else's trademark.

If you need name ideas, try out Shopify's business name generator. Choose a name that suits your products and isn't already in use by another Etsy store owner. Consider incorporating relevant keywords that describe your products and are likely to be used in customer searches.

Note: Your shop will remain in draft mode until you complete the billing setup in Step 5.

3. Upload products

Create a new listing for each product you're selling through the marketplace.

Product details

As you fill out your listings, you’ll be able to include more product details, such as:

• How and when the product was made
• The product category
• The listing type
• Whether it's a physical or digital product

Images

Photography helps your products come to life. Online shoppers can't touch, smell, or see the item in person, so their decision to buy your Etsy product rides on excellent product photography.

You can add up to 20 high-quality images and one video per listing. Consider using the video slot for a quick tutorial showing your product in action. Make sure each item is eye-catching enough to stand out among products offered by other sellers on the marketplace.

Use clear, high-resolution images that present your product from multiple angles. If you're selling digital downloads, use high-quality mockups to help customers visualize the product on their devices.

Etsy recommends using photos that are at least 2,000 pixels wide and high. The first listing photo must be at least 635 pixels wide, or you risk appearing lower in search results.

Product description

Your product description is another essential element. An effective product description includes pertinent product details, like dimensions, materials, and care instructions, and the primary keywords that customers use to search for your items.

Think about what customers might search for when looking for your products, and use those terms in your tags and attributes. Lead with words that describe what your product is. Consider any synonyms or regional terms for products, and be sure to use natural language that matches the tone and style of your brand.

Pricing

Set the pricing for your product under the Price & Inventory section. Enter the price, number available, and how many items you have available, and the stock keeping unit (SKU) number, if you use them. You can also add variations, such as different sizes or colors.

Shipping and returns

Finally, add the shipping and return information customers will need. Specify where you're shipping the product from and your average processing time, i.e., how long it takes you to pick, pack, and ship the item once they place an order.

Choose whether to offer flat rate shipping or delivery upgrades. If you're shipping to international customers, you’ll want to add a tariff number for customs.

On your Etsy seller account, you can set up several shipping profiles that you can apply to future listings with different price points and shipping speeds.

Try uploading multiple product listings when you open your Etsy store. Make sure to preview all listings before publishing so customers don't encounter mistakes when they visit your shop.

You'll be able to edit your listings or add new products at any time via the Shop Manager dashboard.

4. Choose how you'll get paid

Select whether you're an individual seller or an incorporated business. Then, enter your personal information, including your name and address. Finally, connect your bank account using Plaid, a secure third-party service Etsy uses to verify your bank details.

5. Set up billing

Etsy charges various fees for listing and selling products (more on that below). After specifying your payment details, you'll choose a billing method. This is how you'll pay to publish listings and open your storefront. You can choose credit or debit cards, or any other payment method available in your region.

6. Customize your Etsy storefront

The last step is customizing your storefront, which will be the first thing customers will see when they visit your Etsy shop. 

Create a welcoming online store by adding basic content and information, such as:

Profile and shop banner: Use high-resolution images of yourself, your products, or your logo to help identify your store and create your brand’s visual identity. 

• Bio: Introduce yourself and put a face to your store. Give potential customers confidence that a human is on the other side of the screen.
• Store description: Give first-time visitors a bit of background about you, your shop, and why they should buy your products.
• Shop policies: Delivery, payment options, privacy, and exchange and return policies are essential. Well-defined policies prevent customer confusion and reduce disputes.

How does Etsy work for sellers?

Etsy is a marketplace that connects shop owners with buyers looking for unique, handmade, and vintage items.

Etsy provides the traffic and platform infrastructure, while sellers handle product creation, listing, and fulfillment. When a customer searches for products, Etsy's algorithm matches search terms to listings and displays relevant results.

Sellers pay fees to list items and complete sales. Listings usually renew every four months at 20¢, and Etsy handles transactions, payment processing, and system maintenance. 

Etsy's Shop Manager dashboard is the hub sellers use to create and edit listings, view orders, track sales analytics, communicate with customers, manage shipping profiles, and monitor shop performance metrics.

How much does it cost to sell on Etsy?

Creating an Etsy account is free. For shops, Etsy charges fees for listing products, completing sales, and processing payments, plus a possible one-time shop setup fee. Together, these core fees typically total 10% to 15% of a sale, rising to roughly 25% or more if Offsite Ads fees apply.

Here are the main Etsy seller fees to consider:

Etsy store setup fee

Depending on when you establish your shop and its location, you may pay a one-time setup fee.

Listing fees

Listing fees are the most common Etsy fees. Sellers pay 20¢ for every new listing they upload to their store, whether it results in a sale or not.

By default, Etsy's marketplace displays listings for four months (or until the item sells). If you select auto-renew, you'll be billed another 20¢ once the four months are up.

Transaction fees

If you sell an item on Etsy, you'll pay a 6.5% transaction fee. The fee is based on the total price of the sale, including your charges for postage, shipping, and gift wrapping.

Sellers in some European countries may also need to pay a regulatory operating fee per listing.

Payment processing fees

Etsy Payments is a feature that enables customer payments by credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Klarna. If you choose to enable Etsy Payments, you’ll be responsible for payment-processing fees, which vary by country. You might also be subject to value-added tax (VAT).

In the US, the payment-processing fee for Etsy Payments is 3% of the order total, plus a 25¢ flat fee.

Currency conversion fees

Sellers choose a shop currency when setting up their account. If you receive payment in a currency other than United States dollars (USD), Etsy charges a 2.5% currency conversion fee on the sale amount. The fee is deducted from your sale amount before funds are deposited into your Etsy Payments account.

Offsite Ads fees

Your optimized product listings can reach potential customers through Etsy's search engine, but the marketplace also offers advertising options.

When you opt in to Offsite Ads, your products are advertised across Etsy's marketing and advertising channels—as well as Etsy's Facebook, Google, and display ads—without requiring an advertising account of your own.

You do pay an additional fee for products sold through Offsite Ads. If your storefront made less than $10,000 through the marketplace in the past year, you'll pay 15% of order totals. Once you pass $10,000, your fee goes down to 12%. Offsite Ad fees never exceed $100 per item.

Etsy shipping costs

Sellers in locations that accept Etsy Payments or PayPal can purchase shipping labels through the marketplace, with costs deducted from their account. Rates vary depending on carrier, origin, destination, and size of each package. Additional fees apply for signature confirmation and insurance.

Etsy Plus

Etsy sellers can choose to opt into Etsy Plus, a $10 per month subscription that offers additional tools:

• Customizable shop options
• Discounts on custom domain names
• The ability to email shoppers when an item is back in stock

Etsy Plus sellers also receive 15 credits for creating or renewing listings, and a $5 Etsy Ads credit.

What to sell on Etsy

Etsy has opportunities across various niches, so it helps to find your own. Whether you want a stable, year-round product category or to catch the next big trend, here are some niches to consider:

Top evergreen categories

Home and living, jewelry and personal accessories, craft supplies, and paper and party supplies are the Etsy categories that generate the most gross merchandise sales (GMS), together representing about 85% of the marketplace's 2025 GMS, according to Etsy's 2025 Annual Report:

• Jewelry and personal accessories: Personalized necklaces, birthstone rings, earrings, keychains, wallets, and bracelets
• Home and living décor: Furniture, wall art, storage, and furnishings 
• Craft supplies and tools: Fibers, gems, and paper goods 
• Paper and party supplies: Invitations, signage, and favors

Rising trends to watch

These trendy niches offer the chance to capture new markets on Etsy. Here are the top categories based on Etsy's”Seller Trend Report: Spring and Summer 2026,” reflecting Etsy search data as of February 2026:

• Soft Stitch Era.: Crochet, embroidery, and stitched textures are having a moment: searches for embroidered straw bags are up more than 20,000%, and crochet clothing sales have grown 36%.
• Everyday Exhibits: Shoppers are building curated home galleries, with wall art decor searches up 110% and gallery print searches up 80%.
• World of Whimsy: Playful, joyful pieces are trending: polka dot phone case searches are up 835%, and beginner needlepoint kit searches are up 175%.
• Dear Diary: The analog revival continues, with traveler journal searches doubling and journal charm searches up 395%.
• Treat Yourself: Small, self-directed purchases are rising: "petit cadeau" searches are up 277%, and 55% of Gen Z shoppers say they bought a gift in the past year, outpacing millennials.
• Botanical Bride: Garden-style weddings are replacing formal ceremonies: bridesmaid basket searches are up more than 4,200%, and wedding statement ring searches are up 200%.
• Gothic Romance: Dark, moody wedding details are rising: vintage barware searches are up 1,550%, and sales of lace wedding accessories are up 63%.

Policy watch

In June 2025, Etsy tightened its Creativity Standards to crack down on unoriginal goods. It mandates that all listings reflect a "human touch" to support Etsy's mission of keeping commerce human.

Etsy strictly prohibits the reselling of generic commercial goods. To qualify for sale, items must fall into four categories:

• Made by a seller: Physical goods made by the seller by hand or using personal or computerized tools
• Designed by a seller: Original designs created produced or printed by a third party or offered in digital form
• Handpicked by a seller: Items that have been handpicked by the seller that are vintage, sourced from nature, or part of a curated collection
• Sourced by a seller: Items that encourage creativity, including craft and party supplies and personalized items

For example, to list 3D–printed or laser-cut goods in this category, items must be based on your original designs. Under the new standards, printing a commercial file or a model you did not design yourself no longer qualifies as "made by a seller."

How to sell on Etsy with Shopify

Integrating Shopify with your Etsy shop simplifies inventory management. 

Shopify integration apps serve as a bridge between Etsy and Shopify, maintaining a master inventory list and ensuring that both storefronts remain accurate after sales or changes to product listings.

To connect Shopify to your Etsy store, make sure you already have products listed on Etsy. You can then install a third-party app designed for this purpose, such as: 

• Etsy Integration by QuickSync
• Etsy Integration - DPL
• Etsy Integration - CedCommerce

Note: Shopify Marketplace Connect doesn't currently support new Etsy connections. Sellers already using Marketplace Connect for Etsy can keep using it, but new sellers should choose a different Etsy integration app.

Depending on the app you choose, additional features may include:

• Product, image, SKU, barcode, price, and other listing detail updates
• Etsy order fulfillment directly from Shopify
• Automatic Shopify listings from Etsy listings
• Synced offers and discounts
• Store data migration for platform moves

Price your products to account for each channel's fees and factor in Etsy's listing, transaction, and payment-processing fees alongside your Shopify costs. Third-party apps may also charge additional fees.

Etsy selling tips to boost your shop's success

Here are some selling strategies you can use to help grow your Etsy business.

Build a strong brand

First impressions are important, but you don't need to go all out with an expensive, professional design. You can use Shopify's free logo maker and a template tool like Canva to create branded visual assets, like a logo.

BooandBooFactory uses consistent branding in their profile image and banner, along with a colorful motif of earrings to immediately demonstrate what they sell. 

Optimize your shop

Etsy's algorithm matches popular search terms to the products it displays in search results.

Using relevant keywords in your product titles and descriptions will help Etsy understand what your products are and when to show them in search results. The higher you rank in search results, the more likely shoppers are to see your products and consider purchasing them.

“I went to a couple Etsy workshops and they did a lot of talking about keywords,” says Tamara Mayne, founder of Brooklyn Candle Studio, on an episode of Shopify Masters. “They taught you how to optimize your keywords to make your stuff easy to find and really make sure your store is trustworthy.”

Here are some ways to improve your Etsy search engine optimization (SEO):

• Use all available tags. You can have up to 13 tags per listing. Use every single one, and include multiword phrases that aren't covered by categories, such as "gift for new mom" or "zodiac wall art."
• List accurate attributes. Be as specific as possible so that your items will appear in filtered searches.
• Stick to the 140-character limit. Lead with the most important phrases for buyers.
• Lead with a square 1:1 primary image. This looks professional in search grids and maintains consistent orientation across all 10 available photo slots.
• Reply quickly and ship on time. Fast replies and on-time shipping improve your visibility and conversion, and lead to better reviews, which signal to Etsy that your shop is trustworthy.
• Complete your About Me page. The more information you provide about your brand using relevant keywords, the easier it is for Etsy to match you with the right customers.

Manage your shop with the Etsy Seller app

The Etsy Seller app lets sellers run their shop from a phone, with dedicated sections for orders, listings, and messages. GMS transacted through the Etsy app grew 6.6% year-over-year and made up about 46% of Etsy marketplace GMS in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Etsy's 2025 report.

Here's what each section of the app lets you do:

• Orders: Check the status of each sale, see at a glance whether it's from a repeat customer, and print shipping labels directly from the app if you sell from the US.
• Listings: Search and manage your shop's inventory, and add, crop, or rotate product photos and videos from your phone.
• Messages: View a buyer's order details within the message thread, and send quick replies to answer common questions.

Promote your shop

More eyeballs on your products means more sales opportunities. There are plenty of ways you can spread the word about your store:

• Share on social media. Use social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to display your products and engage with potential customers.
• Collaborate with influencers. Partner with bloggers and creators in your niche to reach a wider audience and promote your products.
• Use Etsy's marketing tools. Sign up for promoted listings or Etsy Ads to get more views on your products.

Use multiple sales channels

To boost your reach, try adding Etsy alternative sales channels. Craft-friendly marketplaces, crowdfunding sites, and ecommerce platforms may give you more opportunities to connect with customers.

Here are some selling platforms to consider alongside Etsy:

Shopify

Shopify is a commerce platform that helps you sell online and in person. Using Shopify, you can set up an ecommerce website, sell on social media, and serve customers at markets, pop-ups, and retail stores, using a point-of-sale (POS) device.

You can also sell on Etsy, Amazon, and other marketplaces from your Shopify store, managing all your orders and inventory from one place. If you run a Shopify store, you can also source products from verified Shopify brands to complement your handmade items.

Artisans Cooperative

Artisans Cooperative is a marketplace for handmade products. Like Etsy, it has a community-driven experience that focuses on inclusivity and supports genuine artisans, with a “verified handmade” badge for qualifying listings.

Ko-fi

Ko-fi has a unique blend of crowdfunding and direct sales, tailored for creatives and crafters. Through Ko-fi, you can sell your craft products directly, receive donations, and establish membership communities to offer exclusive content to supporters.

Amazon Handmade

Launched in 2015, Amazon Handmade caters to small businesses that produce handcrafted items. Amazon's vast ecosystem offers extensive customer reach.

Become a Star Seller

The Star Seller badge on Etsy shows that you meet the highest customer service standards. It proves to shoppers that you care about their experience and your business.

Sellers who earn the badge can get more traffic and sales compared to similar non-Star Sellers.

To become a Star Seller you need to:

• Respond to the first message from a customer within 24 hours
• Earn a ratings average of 4.8 or higher
• Ship orders on time with tracking or a label from Etsy
• Make at least five sales worth $300 and be open for at least 90 days

Offer competitive pricing

Pricing your products on Etsy can be difficult. Most items are handmade, with time and effort invested into each piece. To make sure you get a good conversion rate, your prices should reflect production costs and the prevailing market rate. 

Competitive pricing isn't about always having the lowest price. That can hurt your bottom line, especially if the cost of creating your products is high. 

Follow these tips to price your products competitively:

• Research competitors. See what other ecommerce brands are charging for similar products. Look beyond their prices to determine what other value they're offering. Is there free shipping? Are they running a discount?
• Round down a cent. If most brands are selling the same product for $30, you can stand out by pricing it at $29.99. This pricing model gives the illusion of a cheaper purchase, even if it's only by one cent.
• Add value elsewhere. If you can't justify going as low as your competitors, consider adding value in other ways. Value-adds can include free shipping, custom packaging, a freebie with every purchase, or a discount code for return shoppers.

In this example, the search results for “wooden clogs” include hundreds of results. You can stand out like the store on the left by running a sale, offering free shipping, and including limited stock quantity information.

Encourage reviews and feedback

Etsy reviews distinguish your listings by providing social proof and extra keywords. Reviews reduce the uncertainty of buying when customers are unable to see an item in person. A peer-reviewed eye-tracking study in Frontiers in Psychology found a significant correlation between how closely shoppers engage with product reviews and their final purchase decision.

Encourage customers to share reviews, feedback, and even photos of their products (which Etsy shows on the product page). You can ask via email after a customer has made a purchase and incentivize them by offering a discount code for their next purchase.

Conquest Maps has hundreds of reviews from happy and satisfied customers, many of which include useful product photos.

Provide excellent customer service

Customers are more likely to return if they have a great experience with your online business: 88% of customers say good customer service makes them more likely to purchase again, and 75% have recommended a company after an excellent experience. 

Here are some ways to provide great customer service:

• Respond to questions and feedback quickly.
• Use custom packaging.
• Add a handwritten thank-you note to all orders.
• Extend your return period to give shoppers peace of mind.
• Give existing customers a discount code for their next purchase.
• Reply to Etsy reviews and thank customers for sharing their experiences.
• Be proactive when communicating delivery delays.

Start selling on Etsy

Like Shopify, Etsy is a platform for selling handmade goods, from intricate necklaces and crocheted animals to upcycled furniture.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, Etsy reported 5.6 million active sellers. That was a 1.5% decline from a year earlier, but sellers still grew 1.5% compared with the previous quarter, according to Etsy's earnings report.

Competition exists across most categories. Running a successful shop means selling quality products, setting strategic prices, using effective photography, and providing consistent customer service.