How to Start an Etsy Shop: The Technical Bits

woman sitting behind a computer

A quick and dirty rundown of the exact steps you need to take on your computer to start a new Etsy shop. Learn how to start a second Etsy shop too. 

It’s actually really easy to start an Etsy Shop. I’m going to walk you through it so you don’t have to go it alone. 

What Do I Need Before I Can Open an Etsy Shop?

First, You will need to have the following things ready: 

  1. You have determined that you CAN sell on Etsy. Etsy does not allow sellers from all countries, and they do not allow all things to be sold on their platform. Review this list of permitted seller locations for Etsy, and understand that you must be selling handmade items, vintage items, or craft supplies.

You should also review Etsy’s fee structure, so that there aren’t any surprises later on. See this information about how much it costs to sell on Etsy.

  1. A Shop Name – You’re going to have to put one in the box. If you haven’t thought about it, do that now. You can change your shop name later if you need to, but know that there is a limit of 5 Etsy shop name changes allowed once the shop is open. 
  2. An Etsy Account – You probably already have this. Most of us have a personal Etsy account that we use to shop with. You can absolutely use that account to open your shop. If you prefer to keep the two things separate,  you will need a different email address and then you can create a new Etsy account to sell under. 
  3. A computer – you can’t start a seller account on the Etsy app, so you will want to be on a computer web browser for this part. 

That’s it for right now, we can do everything else later. 

How to Create a Second (or third, or fourth) Etsy Shop

Need to make a second Etsy shop? Get a new email from gmail or elsewhere. You'll need that to create a new Etsy account and to stay inside of the rules. Follow the instructions below with the new email and you will be all set. Be sure that your new shop is different than your first one (selling different items, different theme, etc.).

How to Sign Up as an Etsy Seller. 

  1. Log in to Etsy or create a new Etsy Account. 
  2. To open an Etsy shop, visit Etsy.com/sell
  3. Now you’re going to follow the instructions to open your new etsy shop. Click on “get started”, select your language, country, and currence, then click “Save and Continue”
  4. Choose your Shop Name, then “save and continue” again. 
  5. Set up payment and billing details. You’ll need to enter your bank account information and a credit or debit card. 
  6. Select “Open Your Shop”

That’s it, your Etsy shop is open and live! 

What Do I Do After I’ve Created a New Etsy Shop? 

I’m going to suggest that you add some products to your new shop ASAP! The key to making sales on Etsy starts with making sure that your products are on the platform and ready to be sold. 

You will also need to finish setting up your new Etsy shop by including more information about you and your processes: 

Set Up Your Etsy Storefront. 

Setting up your storefront includes adding a shop logo and banner image

Next, your Etsy Shop Announcement should be a brief welcome message to your potential shoppers. Think of this like you were opening up a real brick and mortar shop. Your Etsy storefront should be welcoming and give shoppers an idea of what they can expect. 

The “About” section of your Etsy shop should share a story about you, your products, and how they came to be. 

If there are other members of your shop team, you can also add them now. 

Adding Shop Policies and Shipping Profiles

Shop policies are important. You should be clear about all of your policies regarding shipping, returns, exchanges, and custom items. Here you can outline any special policies you may have too. 

Shipping profiles can be created as you are adding new listings if you haven’t already figured this part out. But if you already know the size if your packaging, creating shipping profiles ahead of time is a good idea. 

Start Selling on Etsy!! 

A well set up Etsy shop is ready to start making money. Keep learning about how to sell on Etsy, Etsy SEO, and other best practices, and improve the shop little by little as you go. Be prepared to pivot or make changes as you start to understand what is working and what isn’t. 

Read more about Selling on Etsy:

Let's Hang Out!

There are lots of ways for you to stay in touch with Bingecrafter! Share our posts on Pinterest, Follow on Facebook, or come say Hi on Instagram.

Sign up for our Newsletter below to get posts and news emailed right to you.

Have questions? Leave a comment below and I will get back to you!

a colorful craft supply store with a text overlay that says, how to start an etsy shop

Oh hi there 👋 It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive awesome Crafty content in your inbox, every month.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Oh hi there! It’s nice to meet you.

I'd love it if you'd sign up for our email newsletter here!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top