5 Steps To Launch A Side Hustle On Etsy In 2024

Can you imagine what it would be like to tap into your hobbies and interests, knowing that while you’re enjoying your hobby, you’re actually getting paid for it—from the comfort of your home?

That’s what it’s like for many sellers working on Etsy. Some use Etsy as a side hustle (or one of many side hustles), while others use the platform to replace their main job as a full-time ecommerce business or freelance venture.

How To Sell On Etsy

If you’ve ever wondered how to get started selling on Etsy so you can build passive income and/or make money online doing what you love, here are some ways to get started:

1. Research The Market

To be a successful seller on Etsy, you need to research the Etsy marketplace to understand the types of products that are popular and in-demand. This is not a one-time task; you will need to regularly review your products to ensure you are on-trend and catering to your customers’ needs, within your niche of course. It’s also a good idea to identify your unique selling proposition (USP) so that potential buyers can differentiate your products from competitors.

Your research can also help you understand how to price your products.

2. Define Your Products

You now need to decide what you’re going to sell. This is the exciting part. If you’re selling physical products, how will they be produced and delivered? Are you going to use drop-shipping as a solution? Or are you crafting items by hand? And if you are creating products yourself, will you produce as they are ordered or will you have them stocked in your house or storage unit and ready to go?

If you’re not selling physical products, digital downloads work just as well on Etsy. You could sell any digital product from guides, to tutorials, to planners, and wall art—without having to fulfil orders as they come in.

3. Outline Your Goals

While the very concept of a business plan may seem protracted and daunting, doing something similar (setting business targets and goals for yourself) can nonetheless be a useful exercise when setting up your side hustle as an Etsy seller.

For example, once identifying who your target market on Etsy is, you should consider what your goals are as an Etsy seller (do you want to quit your job and make this full-time?), financial targets, and how you will market your products as well—within and outside of Etsy. This roadmap will help you stay focused.

4. Create An Etsy Seller Account

Now you’re ready to create your Etsy profile and shop. You’ll usually need to pay a small one-time fee of $15 to open your account, but after that, the only other fees are seller fees (a percentage Etsy takes from each sale), and any fees you decide to pay for an upgraded account. Some important factors to consider at this stage:

• Your Etsy shop name
• Profile photo for your account
• Etsy shop description
• Initial five items to list for sale

You can use ChatGPT to help you generate some ideas for quality product descriptions. Of course, make your own edits to ensure that all descriptions are in line with your brand voice.

5. Start Listing

For each listing, you will need to consider using SEO tools so you can optimize your product listing for maximum visibility, enabling you to make more money online through this platform.

Forbes10 Free SEO Tools Every Freelancer Needs In 2024By Rachel Wells

In addition to engaging and compelling product descriptions, you should think about taking high-quality photos of your products and placing them in the best settings so they can be showcased effectively and attractively to encourage sales. Etsy recommends you take several photo angles and even include a video of your product, or of the product in use, to increase buyer confidence.

There you have it. Once your first few sales start rolling in, give yourself a pat on the back, but remember, it’s not over yet. You’ll need to repeat the process over and over, fine-tuning each time, until you hit the sweet spot and sales come flooding in consistently.