7 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING AN ETSY/CRAFT BUSINESS (What I Wish I Knew) Etsy Tips For Beginners

Oh what I wish I knew back then before starting an Etsy shop... maybe things would've been different! Today's video I go over some of the hard lessons I learned while navigating my Etsy shop/craft business. These tips are perfect for anyone who already has an established business, or for beginners -- in no way am I an expert; I just want y'all to learn from my experiences ❤

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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Getting Deactivated
1:53 - Stock Up On Inventory
2:49 - Be Aware Of Policies
4:09 - Shipping Tips
6:43 - Start An Email List
7:28 - Post Consistent New Product Listings
8:54 - Success Doesn't Happen Overnight
9:53 - Thank You for Watching!

Please keep in mind that my intention is to teach & help others. All crafts and projects on my channel must be completed at your own risk. I do not take responsibility for any injury that may occur during the making.

[deandrad]

Listening to you confirmed to me why I've been so adamant about having a website. I have seen quite a few creators being banned by Etsy or Amazon KDP. I always wanted to have a website for a landing space for lifelong customers...

[RachaelSchup]

Appreciate the “doesn’t happen overnight “. Really hard to remember that. Oh and staying consistent

[kimberlyk]

Finally someone to give information I can understand, thank you for sharing

[Lucy-bvwq]

What a great video. Thanks for the encouragement as well ❤

[desleyroberts]

For all you Extra T-shirt’s Amy maybe Sell them as Blanks to embroidery places, At a Cheap price like $10 or to get rid of them $8, It can still make money, Blank shirts are popular with printing places or print on them and give it as a Extra for the customer buying from you as a Freebie print a positive note on the shirt 👕 🎉 Rather then throwing it out ! It’s money back to you rather then a loss!❤

[DsPs]

Thank you so SO much!!! I am seriously considering opening up our own craft business with my Cricut maker & 8 in 1 heat press. I’m trying to learn all of the ins and outs and if it’s worth our time to expand or just do things for friends and family. Your videos are so helpful!! THANK YOU!!

[tiawilliams]

Thank you for the reminder to not give up. Especially because I see others shops doing so well. Definitely have to work on being patient.

[vincentferrari]

glad you made this because shipping is a thing so many people struggle with when starting a "from home" business.

1. Pirateship is great, but limited. You can only use USPS and that's problematic currently because USPS has been less than reliable. Last year, around February, I switched from Pirateship to Shippo and I am super happy with the change. They integrate with all carriers (not just USPS) and offer a heavily discounted UPS account (54% off published prices) that you can use for free (and get billed by UPS directly). When you factor in that discount, UPS (which currently is way more reliable than USPS) is about the same price as USPS and WAY faster. They also rate shop, so if you configure Fedex, USPS, and UPS, you'll see the rates for all of them and can make an educated decision based on the ship time and cost. It changes the way you approach your shipping drastically.

2. Definitely get a thermal printer. The Zebra ZP450 is an industrial grade one (we use it in multi-million dollar warehouses) and will never die. You can buy refurbished ones on Ebay with 5 rolls of labels for under $200. You'll never replace that printer. Ever. And the amount of time it saves is immeasurable.

3. The other advantage of shippo is that it literally integrates with every ecommerce platform and does it transparently. I use it with Wix and when I get an order it shows up in Shippo. When I ship it puts the tracking and fulfillment info back into Wix. It's just braindead simple and you can make it do more than I use it for (you can have it send ship notifications if your ecommerce system doesn't, for example).

I'm always available, Amy, if any of your listeners need some help getting going. This is something I wish people were around to teach me about but I learned it at the day job the hard way (by being tossed into the fire) and now I want to save other people the stress. You can contact me via my profile if you need any help and I'll be happy to help as best I can!

[meltrinh]

Your videos are amazing!!!! I’m just starting my shop and all your videos have been so informative. Thank you!

[nerissataylor]

I like when you said be consistent. That what Im going strive for thanks for that,

[kathleenmcclatchey]

Thank you SO much for sharing all this information so clearly and understandably. This is such great information and amazingly helpful for those of us who are just getting started with a side hustle. You also have a kind and delightful voice - easy to listen to and again, so articulate. Thank you! I hope all this "paying it forward" comes back to you in wonderful success in all of your own endeavors. BTW, I love your name - "Amy Makes That" - easy to say, read, remember, and it leaves you open to doing all kinds of things. Perfect example of a great business name. Again, thanks for sharing!

[Katurexoxo]

Thank you for sharing your advice - I am just looking to start up and feel really lost right now with so much to take in!! so thanks for bein open with your experiences <3

[alenavas]

thank you for every video that you make to give us some good advice. God bless you for that! You have helped us a lot.

[dncefrq]

Thinking of starting an etsy shop and of all the videos online, your delivery of the info just resonates with me. Great video. Thank you for sharing your tips!

[justinanoboa]

Thank you so much!! I really needed this and I’m hoping to see all your videos. They’re very informational.

[imankhatib]

So sorry you lost your Etsy listing!! Thanks so so so much for sharing these tips, honestly youre probably going to save so many of us just starting out! I love your IG and videos. Keep em coming girl, you’re AMAZING

[edwardharris]

Great Info havent started my business yet. Doing all my homework first. Great Advice

[uniquelyalana]

Thank you so much for this🥺this was really helpful <3 God bless u and ur super pretty btw💙💙

[rickmelcher]

Wow! You are GREAT at this! Your information is amazing for a relatively short video. First time I’ve actually picked up pen & paper to take notes! Thanks so much. Be well & God Bless

[foxdogsst]

When starting out with digital how many listings ? and what the min. you should charge ?