How to set up an Etsy Shop for free – with 40 free listings

Do you want to earn some extra cash by starting an Etsy shop, but you don’t know where to start? Opening an Etsy store can be a great way to make money from home. Etsy is the perfect way to test whether your products are saleable. You do not need a professional photographer, own website or large inventory to test whether your products will sell.

This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon.com. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Here’s a few more reasons why you should start an Etsy shop:

• You want to get started for free
• You want a platform with lots of traffic
• You want to start selling before investing a lot of money

Get 40 free Etsy listings by using my link

Let’s dive into the guide. Today I will show how you can start an Etsy shop for free.

Find your niche

Before you start selling it’s important to find your niche. This can be digital downloads, handmade items or crafts.

Concentrate your efforts on what products you are going to sell. Whatever you enjoy making, make sure you make it well. Research everything you possibly can about your niche. Make crafts that you can be proud of and that you would give to your friends as a gift.

Choose a shop name

First, you have to think of a name for your Etsy store. Think of a name that fits with the products you’re going to sell and what you want to be known for. If you are not satisfied with your name, you can change it once.

If you want to change it more often you have to ask Etsy for permission. It is important to state that your previously used Etsy name may not be used by yourself or others after deactivation.

Logo

To make your business appear more professional, I would recommend investing a small amount in getting a logo made. If you’re on a budget but don’t know how to make one yourself, you should try hiring a freelancer on Fiverr.com. Fiverr contains several skilled logo designers that will help you for about $15.

Pretty listing images

It is important to take impressive photos before you start selling. If you want to sell digital designs, you can use mockup images to beautifully display your designs. If you are going to sell physical items, you can take great photos with your smartphone in bright daylight.

You can edit your photos with a free app called Snapseed or you can opt for professional software such as Adobe Photoshop. I use Photoshop myself because I enjoy all its possibilities. If you’re okay with spending a little money you can also add in a portable photography studio for when your natural light isn’t bright enough.

40 free Etsy listings

By using my referral link, you can start your Etsy shop for free with free 40 listings. Normally you would have to pay $0.20 for each listing that you create or renew. So you will save $8! After your 40 free listings have been used you will have to pay to create new ones. But you’re probably already earning some money by then 😉

Get 40 free Etsy listings by using my link

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Etsy seller fees

After you’ve used your 40 listings Etsy receives $ 0.25 + 3.5% of your sales. There is also a Transaction fee (on sale price and shipping price) of 5%.

Now that you have made your store name, logo and photos, let’s continue with the practical tips and tricks on how to start an Etsy shop.

The basics

1. Go to Etsy using my link and click on “Open a shop today”, then sign up with your email address.

2. Create your account.
3. There will be a prompt that says “Open your Etsy shop”, next you’ll go through the prompts about your preferred language, country, currency, and if you plan to sell full-time or part-time. 
4. Enter the store name that you just came up with.
5. “Stock Your Shop” – this is where you will put your photos of your product, all the details about each one, price, the shipping info, size, weight, etc.
6. Next, you’ll set up your payment information.
7. Set up Billing – here is where you will put in your information that will indicate how you will plan to pay the fees to Etsy for your shop. Etsy receives $ 0.25 + 3.5% of your sales. There is also a Transaction fee (on sale price and shipping price) of 5%.
8. Done! Your shop is open and live!

That’s it! Happy selling!
I wish you good luck with your brand new Etsy shop! In my next blog posts I will explain how you can get the best out of your Etsy shop. How you can make your shop more successful and score your first sales. 

Make sure to share your Etsy shop below in a comment!

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