Etsy Tutorial 2: Time to Set up Shop!

Okay! So you’ve signed up with Etsy and are ready to launch your new shop. Here are some basics about setting up your Etsy shop:

Your shop’s “Back Room”.

Whenever you click on “your Etsy” you get to see the “back room” of your shop. Here is where you will find menus for setting up your shop announcement, shop sections, profile avatar, banner, etc.

Shop Appearance.

This section allows you to put in information for your shop announcement, the message to the buyer at the time of purchase and requests for alchemy. Your shop announcement should usually be short, readable and provide the customer with updates on any promotions you’re having, information about you or anything else you’d like to share with them. The message to the buyer should include information on shipping, a thank you or anything else you’d like to provide them with. It is automatically sent at the time a customer purchases an item. Alchemy requests are custom requests that people can send you. You can set-up information on terms of your custom orders, what materials you have available, etc.

Banner and avatar.

Your shop banner and avatar should include your shop or business name, a tagline (if you have one) and be eye-catching. Many of the most attractive banners I have seen feature popular items from that shop or a representative selection of items or items related to your products. Also, make sure to size your banner to the appropriate dimensions. There is nothing worse than going to a shop and seeing a banner that looks blurry, out of focus or pixilated. Your banner should catch the eye of the shopper. Similarly, your avatar should do the same. If you post in the forums or attend the virtual labs, your avatar is how people will identify you. Having an avatar that features a popular item in your shop, something representative of your shop or even a sale sign when you have a special promotion in your shop can be a great way you draw attention to yourself.

Profile.

Your profile is a great place for you to include information about yourself. It should be creative, informative and let the customer get to know you. Tell people about how you got involved with your craft, what inspires you, how long you’ve been doing it, what you do when you’re not crafting, what you love, hate, etc. Something to catch their eye and get them to relate to you.

Policies.

Your policies page is perhaps the most important page in your shop. Here is where you should clearly layout your terms and conditions about shipping, forms of payment accepted, custom orders, returns and exchanges and anything else you’d like to include. Having firm deadlines for payment and timelines, methods and description of packaging for shipping can do a lot of things for your shop. First, it shows that you are professional and organized. Second, it protects you from bad transactions and from uncomfortable situations with potential customers.

Sections.

You can have up to ten sections in your shop. It’s up to you how you’d like to describe them, but whatever you decide, make sure that it is easy for the customer to shop. Sometimes doing “boring” section titles such as necklace, earrings, bracelets, etc, can make your shop a lot easier to search through than having really creative, unique named sections.

Shipping profiles.

You are allowed to create a series of “Shipping profiles”. These profiles are ways you can set-up various shipping prices and is especially helpful if you plan on doing a promotion involving free shipping or a discounted shipping rate. Simply create a new profile and include shipping prices to all destinations you will ship to. I have five main shipping destinations I typically send to: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and Everywhere else.

Message to the buyer.

This is the message that will be sent to the customer when they purchase from your shop. It’s a great place to include a thank you to the customer, remind them of any size or color variations for items, shipping timelines or a reminder to complete the checkout process for Etsy by paying through Paypal. It’s up to you what you’d like to include.

Now that you’ve set-up your shop announcement, policies, profile, banner, avatar and sections, you’re ready to start listing!