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For those of you not familiar with Etsy it is an online marketplace for selling anything that is handmade, vintage or a supply item. To date there are over 1.5 million sellers creating and selling over 32 million items. What is wonderful about Etsy is that anyone can open a shop to an audience of  21.7 million buyers. You don’t have to be an expert at your trade, you don’t have to put your life savings into it and you don’t need to quit your day job to do it. Here’s our story…

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“Our Etsy Story”

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Back in 2008 we opened an Etsy shop selling hand decorated wedding guest books and small paper craft items. We had no experience in selling or creating expertly crafted items and the shop was opened just to support our hobby. The shop started small with only a couple of items in it. When we got our first sale it was so exciting to see that somebody had parted with their hard earned money and wanted to spend it on something that was created from our little home in the UK. As time went on we started to expand our range and ploughed any earnings that were made back into the business. Sales were slowly trickling in and we could see that there was potential in not only selling online but using Etsy as a marketplace to do so.

Eventually after realising that this business wasn’t exactly what we wanted to do we turned our attention to the digital world. On Feb 23rd 2013 we opened our Create the Cut digital shop. As we had already set up a shop on Etsy it was slightly easier to get started and be able to work out what was needed in order to get the shop up and running. Even though we saw potential on Etsy we never would have thought that it could turn into a business that could support us. Even after years on Etsy the excitement of making a sale doesn’t ware off. Etsy has literally changed our lives and it has been such a fun and unknowing adventure.

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Etsy has been a wonderful tool for us and it can be for you too. You can make a living from selling on Etsy! It can seem a little daunting to jump right in so why not start by dipping your toes in first.

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How to get started…

• Create an account.
• Etsy is as much about community as it is selling. Start by hearting some your favourite items. Follow other people that like similar items to you and favourite the shops that you admire.
• Get inspired in by the treasuries or even create your own.
• Get active on the forums, start chatting to like minded sellers of your craft and get a feel for what is involved in setting up your shop.

Doing this is really a great start before opening your shop. You will be surprised at how much insight you can gain from seeing how others are doing it and get a clearer idea of what you like and dislike.

If you are thinking of opening a shop why not get started with the above steps which wont cost you a penny to do so. You just never know what business venture might be awaiting you!

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