Etsy: A Free Site for Selling Crafts Online

People who do crafts know that finding, signing up and participating in craft shows/fairs can be a hassle, get expensive, and don't always promise good sells. Now there is a easier way to sell crafts or other homemade goods right from your home. A fairly new site called Etsy provides its users with a easy way to sell their crafts and homemade items. Sellers on Etsy have the benefit of setting their own prices, putting how many are in stock, setting the shipping price and where they will ship, and choosing what type of payments they will accept.

It is free to sign up for Etsy whether one is interested in shopping and or selling. If someone wishes to be a seller you have to a valid credit card and be at least 18 years of age (parental permission is required for people under 18). Once you sign up for a seller acount you will be given a unique url (which you choose) for your etsy shop. There are two fees that Etsy charges their sellers a ten cent listing fee and a 3.5% fee on all final sales. They have a simple once a month billing for fees where they withdraw the fees accumulated from the previous month.

Listing items for sell is fairly easy and they provide a step by step guide that takes you through the process. During this process you are able to upload pictures to represent your product, enter a description, set the price and how many you have in stock. You also have the choice of where you ship whether it domestic or everywhere. There is also a selection of the types of payments you accept. Once your item is listed if one purchased Etsy automatically reduces the number of your stock. All items will stay listed for 6 months.