How to Sell Your Crafts Online: A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond

by Derrick Sutton

With over 400,000 sellers on Etsy, how can you make YOUR shop stand out and increase your sales? This is a key question for many crafters and artists who are selling online these days. Now here are all the answers and much more from author and Etsy seller Derrick Sutton.

Based on Sutton's self-published guide, and drawn from his practical experience, you will learn how to boost your Etsy sales, attract more customers, and expand your online presence. He shares his proven online sales and marketing knowledge in an easily accessible format, complete with simple actions steps at the end of each chapter. Learn how to completely optimize your Etsy shop, website, or blog, and much more.

Some of the topics covered include:

- How to design a catchy Etsy banner
- How to gain an instant analysis of your shop and where you need to focus your efforts
- A crash course on photographing your items and key mistakes to avoid
- Fail-safe copywriting secrets
- How to take advantage of Etsy's forums, Treasury, and more
- The effective way to use Facebook and Twitter, and why so many people get it wrong

A perfect gift for entrepreneurial artists, How to Sell Your Crafts Online offers crafters practical internet marketing techniques from an experienced Etsy seller that will pave the way for a profitable online business!


Praise for Derrick Sutton's e-Guide Crafting Success :

"This is really a great guide through the mind-boggling thicket of internet selling. It's so easy to follow and straight forward…" --- Etsy seller jenniferwhitmer

"I definitely saw a difference in my sales after doing many of the things suggested." --- Etsy seller mishmishmarket

"A true wealth of useful information." --- Etsy seller helixelemental

"[The steps are] easily presented, so making changes to your shop can be done instantly as you are reading." -- Licky Drake, HappyGoLicky Custom Silver Jewelry

"A tremendous amount of information. I learned more from [this book] than from anything I have purchased in five years." --- Etsy seller HandpaintedGifts

Genres: Crafts, Nonfiction, Business, Art, Self Help, Reference, Design

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2011

Reviews

[Melissa Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information and examples to boost your Etsy shop profile. There are so many tools available that I didn't know about that will help with my pricing/inventory strategy. I'm in the process of implementing many of the author's recommendations in hope that my sales will increase.

So far, I've recieved more "likes" than before. Much of Etsy success has to do with being connected and all over the social media. It takes time, but in the end, should hopefully be worth it.

[Noemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it to be very useful. I have used Etsy in the past to buy but never to sell. The author shows you a lot of different tools that you can use to promote and set-up your store. I read one other book on how to set-up an Etsy store and this one did a better job job showing you exactly how to do that.

This edition is a bit outdated. It talke about webpges that no longer exist such as Su.pr and Google Reader. I did appreciate it's explanation of Google analytics and how to set it up. The author also convinced me to set-up my own blog to help promote by Etsy business. I was on the fence about it but he convinced me to do so.

[Gen L · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is pretty useful as a very very beginners guide. The tips on photographing your crafts was especially helpful. However, the all of the web marketing stuff is pretty obsolete at this point, which at the rate that shit changes isn't really surprising.

[Anne]

** note to self: to re-check from library later: lots of good help on marketing & promotion

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit dated as some of the why they describe websites shows it as well as some of the ways they refer to Etsy Tools is out of date. However, it is still really worth it. If you are thinking of selling your crafts and artwork online, this covers more than just Etsy but they are the biggest name online for that type of stuff. It covers creating a business vision, mission, setting up a store, places to get free graphics usage and free music for videos, the need for a logo, various ways to publicize and drive people to your online store. Definitely a must read if you are thinking of going for it or all ready have.

My own sites are all called Thisoverstuffedhouse and I was able to tweak my store front on Etsy in ways I had never thought of. I also made sure I set up a header, I have a logo, and changed settings and made policies on things I never thought of on my own. I put my store on vacation mode for a few days while I revamp it and can't wait to reopen it again. I still have to get some new listings up but I have a better idea of what my store should be and how to make it work better for me now. All from reading this book.

[Bookich Store · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure whether to buy this or a different book focusing on general craft selling but I'm glad I did! Lots of information on things I didn't know, direct links to websites, and honest advice. Gives some great tips on how to start and promote a business effectively. Would definitely recommend it.
Buy the ebook NOw:
How to Sell Your Crafts Online: A Step-By-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful, easy to understand, with great examples and lots of screenshots to guide readers through each phase of the process.

[Jennifer Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very informative and helpful without being over whelming. It is a little out dated now, though.

[Sandra Mandziuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long winded. I lost the will to continue!

[Amanda Parson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great easy to read setup. Each chapter has a checklist of things to complete that you learn about in the chapter. Sadly due to the ever changing internet some websites and things discussed in the book are no longer available. The author does update this on his website for the book.

[Aisha Oaktree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Posted on By The Broomstick

My sister is a businesswoman and she has been pushing me to make my scarves and sell them for years now. Before I jumped into the fray I decided I needed to know more. This book is great for those who have never used Etsy before and wanted to know how to use the craft site and promote your products without going to a website developer.

I have personally played around with Etsy for a little while. I was once going to start selling my crochet crafts but decided to focus on finishing school first. Maybe one day I will go into selling my stuff online and because of this book I will be well versed in how to get it done and done well.

The books is very easily laid out. The author is well informed and makes using Etsy extremely easy. The author shared so many great tips on how to maximize your viewership & search ability as well as your optimization of your website. Along with how to link and share with others your site, how to get your name out there, how to add other features onto the site and even how to make your pictures of your products look great. I especially liked learning how to use the stats section of the website, so you know who is viewing & what they are looking at, which helps with product productions and sales. I also especially loved learning more about apps I already use but haven't completely taken full advantage of for instance Google's Document Section. This gave me tons of ideas for regular use, not just for the suggested options in the book.

Everything you need to know to START an Etsy is in this book, but for more detailed business aspect information you will have to look at other books, the author does give some great resources wit the book on finding more information and how to expand your brand. But of course no one book can give you everything.

I would highly recommend this book for those looking to jump into Etsy, as it's specific to Etsy but it's also great for those who need some information on selling crafts online. It's a crafter's resource, especially because it's set up artistically as well. Many of his suggestions are great for us bloggers as well. So when you see changes around here, you know where some of it is coming from.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Sell Your Crafts Online: A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond is very much on Etsy and not so much beyond. It would be a great resource for someone who wants to set up an Etsy shop and is not very internet-savvy.

The book provides step-by-step instructions for setting up an Etsy shop as well as accounts on several social media sites. Most of this is overkill for anyone who's fairly internet-savvy, but the book is probably still worth a flip thru for anyone selling online. Particularly if you can get it from your public library, as I did. For instance, I learned that the "shop title" field in my etsy shop setup page is the web page title that appears in search engine results and in the browser header when on my page (with "by EtsyShopName" appended). I hadn't ever really thought about this and hadn't realized I could control it beyond my shop name. If you sell through Etsy or use any of the social media sites the book covers, you'll probably learn some similar small detail that will improve your online marketing.

I do worry that the book will date quickly as the sites covered update their interfaces. I already found that my twitter home page did not match the one shown in the book.

[Janette Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have sold on eBay for many years but I just opened an Etsy shop a few months ago. I have been looking for books that would help me get up and running on this site.

This book covers every subject that you need to know to get started on Etsy. There are instructions for setting up the shop, writing listings that sell, tagging and taking photographs of your items.

The author explains the importance of getting involved in the Etsy community by participating in forums, forming teams and creating Etsy treasuries.

This book provides a detailed guide for promoting your Etsy shop on the Internet. The author encourages crafters to promote their craft business by blogging, tweeting on Twitter, setting up a Facebook page, creating a lens on Squidoo and making a movie on YouTube.

I really like the way the author provides "Action Steps" at the end of each chapter. These steps summarize the information in the chapter and give you specific things to put on your "to do" list. This book will be very useful for new shop owners and it will also help established shop owners improve their shop design, get more involved in the Etsy community and establish new marketing techniques.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is helpful in understanding how to post and promote craft products you wish to sell online. One thing I like about this book is that it gives you many options to do this and the cost of each of these steps. Where he can the author also tells you free options, such as free websites or applications that can help. I also like that some of the information in this book can be used to improve my media skills in using the internet in general... even if I do not end up starting an Etsy business. Thanks Derrick Sutton for the information in your book! I checked this book out from the library and will probably check it out again. :)

[Jessi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have checked out several books like this one recently, and I have to say that I wasn't impressed with any of them. I've been using social networks since the beginning, basically, so maybe that's why a lot of the information in this book seemed like common sense to me. If you really aren't familiar with the internet and have never visited websites like Etsy, Facebook, and eBay, this book may be helpful to you. I would recommend getting this book and others like it from the library, though. To me it doesn't seem quite worth the purchase price.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly highly recommend this book! To me, it was a lot more user friendly than others out there (Craft Inc, The Handmade Marketplace, etc). I love the format of each chapter being a lesson with things that you can apply to your etsy shop at the end of each chapter. I especially loved the chapter about SEO and the following chapters about creating powerful backlinks to drive traffic to your shop. Extremely helpful!

[AdultNonFiction Teton County Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

TCL Call Number: 745.5068 Sutton D

5 stars - Diana

If you have ever thought about selling crafts online through Etsy, this book will walk you through the process very clearly. It gives everything from basic information, like how to choose an Etsy shop name, to insider tips, like choosing strategic keywords and taking the best photos possible. Armed with this book, a digital camera, and of course your crafts, you can be selling on Etsy by the end of the day.

[Rebeca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ok. But nothing in here is new, it is already outdated and there is really no "beyond" - this book applies almost entirely to Etsy. The good thing about it is that is is really step by step. It shows you in depth how to create things like banners for free, how to design your own logo etc. However, if you have a passing understanding of photoshop, know how to use google and email and have basic common sense, this book will offer very little insight.

[Milka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful book on how to start an Etsy shop, especially if you've never done it before. Sutton takes you step by step on setting things up, and then finding many ways to promote your shop online. This book can be applied to any online shop, not just an Etsy shop, although half of the content really is about an Etsy shop set-up. Great book to get you started. There are probably many other books out there to help you keep going once you're passed the early steps.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to Sell Your Crafts Online... what begins as a successful tool to startup an etsy seller's site and accompanying social media, blogs, and research platforms quickly morphs into a boring and un-relevant guide with too much technical information, not good enough description and personal information for me to relate to. I hoped to see more examples of photography, how to group items, how to price items, where to look for quotes on shipping, fee structures, etc.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction for those entering the world of Etsy.

Would have liked more visuals and example stores, but it covers the basics of creating a shop, marketing the shop, shipping, etc.

P.S. I have to say, I was surprised to see this was written by a man. Every crafty book I've read recently seems to have been written by a 20-or 30-something gal.

[Cari · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first third of the book would be very helpful if it wasn't already outdated by the time it was published. The last two thirds are blatant filler (here's how to post a Squidoo lens! Want to publish it? Click the "publish" button! Now it's published! etc.). Online how-to articles will get you farther than this book.

[pea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

get it from the library.
good to scan while sitting in the car waiting for the kid to finish practice... not too much new, a few things i may look into later. can't say I expected much ... the 'w' embroidered on the cover is formed incorrectly and would drive my third grade handwriting teacher ballistic.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been on Etsy for a few years so, this probably isn't the book for me. I already knew most of the stuff but I admit I do not take advantage of all of it. It was a good book to skim through. If I was just starting out I think it would be very helpful.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, this has a lot of information. As someone completely unfamiliar with online marketing, I had no idea how all this worked and interconnected. It's really more involved than I'm prepared to be at this time, and as some other reviewers stated- parts are out-of-date. I may revisit this later.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of it felt like common sense, (at least if you have some idea to what sells). Then the other half felt like you'd need to overexpose yourself in every outlet you can find.
Really I think this is just a live and learn thing.

[Pauline]

Looks like it is really an overview of small operator on line marketing

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this book all the way through yet, but so far it's been very informative and full of great ideas. I can't wait to apply this info to my own Etsy shop. EmsieOnEtsy.etsy.com

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of good information here, but it is more about promoting your shop than about getting started.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is great for newbies and SEO. Otherwise, I think the other book I borrowed was more valuable in terms of scope of information in regards to selling your crafts.