How to Sell on Etsy UK for Beginners in 2024

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Are you a UK-based entrepreneur looking for a creative way to sell your products online but do not want the hassle of setting up your own website? If so, then you should definitely consider opening a shop on Etsy UK!

In this How To Sell On Etsy UK blog article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to open and successfully run an Etsy shop in the UK.

What is Etsy UK?

Etsy is a global marketplace for unique, handmade, and vintage products and craft supplies. It’s the perfect place to sell items that are too unique to be sold on mass-market platforms like Amazon or eBay.

Etsy has become one of the biggest online marketplaces and is spending significant money on advertising in order to grow its market share in the UK. Now is a great time to get on the platform and become an Etsy seller.

What Does It Cost To Sell On Etsy

Etsy charges the following:

A one time shop opening fee

A listing fee that gets your item listed on the marketplace for four months

A transaction fee and a payment processing fee are calculated against the total sale price including shipping

In some countries, there are other charges you need to pay like VAT and a regulatory fee.

To get a more detailed breakdown of what it really costs to sell on Etsy, check out our blog post.

There are subscription services offered by Etsy like Etsy Plus and Etsy Pattern. These offer additional features and functionality. Not necessary for beginners though.

Choose What You’re Going to Sell 

This may seem like an obvious step, but it’s important to take some time to really think about what types of items you want to sell in your shop.

Do some research on popular items in your niche and see what’s selling well on other Etsy shops. Once you have an idea of what kind of products you want to sell, it’s time to start creating listings! 

Setting Up Your Shop 

The first step in selling on Etsy UK is to set up your shop. This is where you’ll list your items for sale and provide all the information potential buyers will need before they make a purchase. To set up your shop: 

1. Log in to your Etsy account (or create one if you don’t have one already). 

2. Click on “Sell on Etsy” at the top of the page. 

3. Click “Open your Etsy shop.” 

4. Select your shop language, country, and currency, then click “Save and continue.” 

5. Choose your shop name, then click “Save and continue.” 

6. To open an Etsy store you have to list a single item, so follow the instructions and fill in the product details, and upload product images.

7. When you’re finished adding listings, click “Continue.” 

8. Set up billing so you can get paid for your sales. You’ll need to enter a credit or debit card so that Etsy can charge you a small listing fee for each item you list for sale (more on that below).

9. Once you’ve entered your billing information, click “Open Your Shop.” And that’s it! Your shop is now open and ready for business! 

Creating Listings 

Now that your shop is set up, it’s time to start adding listings for the items you want to sell.

1. Log in to your Etsy account and click on “Sell on Etsy” at the top of the page. 

2. Click “List an item.” 

3. Enter the listing details (title, description, price, etc.) and upload photos of the item being listed. Be sure to fill out as many fields as possible so potential buyers have all the information they need before making a purchase from your shop. 

4. When creating listings it is important to use keywords in your title, description, and tags so that the Etsy search algorithm can show your listings in response to customer searches that match your product.

The better job you do of finding and using the right keywords, the more likely they are to appear in search results and get seen by potential buyers!

5 Hit “Publish Listing” when you’re finished and your listing will go live! Repeat this process for each listing you want to add to your shop.  

Promote Your Shop

Now that your shop is all set up and ready to go, it’s time to start promoting! One great way to promote your Etsy shop is through social media platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook.

You can also join relevant online communities and forums related to your niche and share links to your shop there.

How to sell on Etsy UK - Social Media

If you really want to get serious about marketing your Etsy shop, there are a number of paid promotion options available as well (such as Google Ads), but if you are going to pay for traffic, you may as well have your own website instead.

Manage Orders and Shipping

Once you start receiving orders from buyers, it’s important to stay on top of them and ship them out promptly. Use reliable shipping like Royal Mail and wherever possible use tracking.

Usually, buyers expect their orders to ship within 1-2 weeks after purchase (unless otherwise noted in your listing).

Be sure that you communicate with buyers throughout the process to know when their order ships and when they can expect delivery; this will help reduce the chances of negative feedback or reviews. 

Tips for Selling On Etsy UK

I have run an Etsy store for a number of years now, selling print on demand products. Here are some key tips to help you build a successful store whether you are selling vintage items, jewelry, or print-on-demand products.

Branding

Whilst branding isn’t that important when starting out, its worth having a shop icon and banner to make your shop look professional and trustworthy.

Customer Service & Communication

One way to stand out from the crowd is with top-class customer service and communication. Etsy recently introduced a Star Seller badge that rewards sellers for a number of things including swift responses to customer messages.

Make sure you treat Esty as a business and provide business-class customer service. If you do it right you will get 5 star reviews and many repeat customers.

Test Test Test

As it only costs about £0.20 to list an item it enables you to list many different products and see how they fair. Look at the data and learn from what it’s telling you.

If you find a product that sells, can you build out on it. Can you list similar products in the same niche, that share similarities to the product that is selling well?

Better Product Images

No matter what sort of products you are selling, the better your product images the higher the chance of getting sales.

If you are selling print on demand products, you must use better mockups than the standard print provider flat lay mockups.

You need to make an emotional connection with your customer. Make them want your product.

Learn Etsy Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

One of the main benefits of Etsy is the large number of customers that come to Etsy to buy. So ensuring your products are shown to buyers is critical. Mastering Etsy SEO and Keyword research is the best way of doing this and the great news is its free.

Check out Youtube for videos on how to master SEO. Kara Buntin is one of my favorite Esty SEO experts.

Wrap-Up

Congratulations—you now know everything there is to know about getting started with selling on Etsy UK! Setting up your shop and creating listings may seem like daunting tasks at first, but we promise it’s not as difficult as it may seem.

And once you get the hang of things, it’ll be a breeze!

Just remember that to do well on Etsy, Etsy SEO is critical to ensure your products appear in relevant searches. Make sure you use great photos of your products, and provide as much information as possible in each listing—and soon enough, customers will be knocking down your door!

>> Sign Up To Etsy Today and Get 40 Free Listings <<

Have Questions? We Have Answers.

Here are some frequently asked questions about selling on Etsy.

As long as the product itself doesn’t need a license for you to sell it, then you do not need a license to sell on Etsy UK.

No, you do not have to set up a business to sell on Etsy, you can sell as a sole trader.

Yes, I would say it is. I have personally made thousands of dollars in profit from selling Print on Demand products on Etsy. It isn’t the cakewalk some would have you believe, but with hard work and perseverance, you can turn your Etsy shop into a full-time income.

To sell on Etsy there is no monthly fee unless you sign up for additional services like Etsy Plus or Pattern.

You have to pay to list an item for sale and then Etsy will charge you transaction and payment processing fees once you sell an item. As it only costs £0.18 (+VAT) to list an item, it is a really cheap way to start on your eCommerce journey.

Yes, but its not as easy as some make out and you have to learn to operate within Etsy’s rules. There are many things you can and cannot do on the marketplace, but they do make it easy to list products for sale. They remove the technical challenges and help by submitting sales tax on your behalf.

Some. Etsy has done a great job making its platform easy to use. If you have a phone, tablet, or laptop and are comfortable uploading images, then you can create and manage an Etsy shop.

As Etsy has become extremely popular, there are many free Youtube videos available to help you on your journey.

This would depend on your personal circumstances and we can not give advice on the matter. However in the UK in tax year 2021-22 taxpayers can earn up to £1000 revenue before they need to register as self-employed or register as a business. You can find out more here https://www.gov.uk/set-up-sole-trader .

To sell on Etsy there is no monthly fee unless you sign up for additional services like Etsy Plus or Pattern.

>> Sign Up To Etsy Today and Get 40 Free Listings <<