How To Sell Your Art on Etsy

If you are an artist, it's easier now than ever before to sell your work. You no longer have to wait for art gallery visitors to drop by or hope that word of your items will spread.

Etsy is now the perfect place for artists to get noticed and make sales. It's an online marketplace with a global audience.

You Can Have Your Own Virtual Store

Instead of a website to maintain on your own, you could have an Etsy "store." People from all over the world browse Etsy every day, looking for a special gift or trying to find a unique decoration for their home.

Stores and items within the store can be designated "favorites" by online shoppers. Even if sales don't take off immediately, it can be encouraging to watch as people discover your store and designate it as a favorite.

You Are in Control of Your Own Advertising

All you need to open your Etsy store is your art and photographs of it. You will also need a dependable and rugged laptop and a reliable internet connection since your entire business will be online.

If photography is not your forte, consider learning some techniques to best capture your art. There are many helpful tips as well as online classes. If you choose not to go that route, you can always hire someone to be your photographer. An art student from the local high school or college would be an ideal choice.

Don't worry if you aren't very tech-savvy. It's easy to upload your photos to your store, and Etsy will help if you get stuck. 

After photos are chosen, make sure you produce an excellent write-up. Use plenty of descriptive terms that potential buyers might search for, such as "beach scenes" or "mid-century modern shapes." You aren't really on your own with Etsy. They provide lots of helpful information like this Keyword 101 sheet. 

You Decide What To Charge

Artists who are used to having galleries take care of the practical end of selling art might have no idea what to charge for their wares. It might be good in that case to study other artists' Etsy stores and try to find something similar to what you create. Do other artists have lots of sales, and do their customers seem happy to pay what is asked? Then maybe you will be successful in charging similar prices.

Remember that you will also have to ship your items and need to try to find out the actual cost before posting the item in your store. Shipping costs are rising all the time and can make a significant dent in your profits if you undercharge the customer.

You may need to visit several shippers in person with one of your items to receive an accurate quote. Another option is to charge a higher purchase price and obtain the shipping charges that way. Most customers are attracted to an item that has free shipping.

Make sure, however you ship, that the item is securely wrapped and will arrive safely. One thing to think about is whether your customer can potentially damage their art purchase by having to do something like hack at the tape with a knife. The Etsy community also has tips on how to wrap art pieces safely.

You Can Build a Large Customer Base

From the minute your first patron gives you 5 stars and writes a glowing review, you start building customers. This is why you need to be careful to do everything perfectly, including communicating well, shipping quickly and addressing any problems instantly. 

Once you have the formula right, you should be able to relax a bit and watch the sales come in. During high volume times, you might even want to consider dropping your items at a shipping facility so you can devote your time to uploading new items.

Above all, give yourself time to create new art so your store will never be empty.