This little blog post is designed to help you avoid the mistakes we have made and learned from when starting and growing our Etsy business. Some things work better in the long run when they are set in place from the beginning. So let’s look at 7 of our best Etsy store opening tips:

1. Read the guidelines about selling on Etsy

This is probably the MOST IMPORTANT tip we can give you. The Etsy Seller Policy is available on their platform, and it states that Everything listed for sale on Etsy must be handmade, vintage, or a craft supply.

Make sure to consult these rules before starting to list products on Etsy. Your shop can be banned and your Etsy seller privileges revoked if you don’t respect the guidelines.

2. Make sure your products respect the Intellectual Property Policy

Our second tip is an equally important one because if you don’t respect it, your seller privileges can be revoked as well. And some people have learned that the hard way.

Before listing any products on the platform, make sure that no copyright or trademark rules are disregarded. If you use brand or franchise names in your product title and description, you may get flagged. Don’t forget that even some words are trademark protected. Here is a little article that shows a few examples.

Branded products that are vintage can be sold on Etsy, there is no issue there. But with handmade products that are inspired by brands, movies, or superheroes, you have to be careful with the words you use to describe them.

3. Work to perfect your Etsy product

After reading the first two tips, you can now have a clearer picture of the product you want to sell on Etsy. If the product respects the rules mentioned above, it is time to perfect it for your customers.

And an easy way to do that is to test it yourself first. Give your honest opinion: would you buy it? is there something you could improve? Is Etsy the right market for this product? Then, maybe get some feedback from a couple of friends.

We regularly ask for feedback from our friends and family, because they have different points of view and come up with ideas we wouldn’t think of ourselves.

Set up your Etsy store correctly from the beginning! Gain access to our Ultimate FREE Guide to a Successful Start on Etsy! A step-by-step PDF guide you can fill in, making sure you don’t forget any steps when opening your store and listing your first products!

7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Opening my Etsy Store

4. Open a bank account for your Etsy store

Your Etsy store will probably become a regular income stream for you. That is why, when you do your finances, it would be wise to have all your Etsy-related transactions in a separate place.

Keep in mind that in addition to your earnings, you will also have expenses: Etsy fees, shipping supplies costs, etc. These will be considered write-offs in your annual tax return.

So, it’s easier to keep things organized from the start.

P.S. You don’t necessarily need to open a business account for your Etsy business. It may be cheaper to open a regular account, in addition to the one you regularly use.

5. Research your competition and their prices on Etsy

Your competition on Etsy is a good thing. You have a lot to learn from the successful sellers on the platform. See what your fellow community members do wisely in terms of product photography, keywords, prices and promotions, etc.

What would be your strengths in this market? And how can you creatively explore them?

6. Organize your inventory

Even if you only have a few products you want to list on Etsy at the beginning, make sure you organize them wisely. From the very start, you want to think of your Etsy store as a growing, successful business. That means that your inventory will grow, along with your sales.

If you don’t organize your products in a practical way from the start, you will have to organize them later anyway. And it will be harder to do this when you have tens or hundreds of products already.

We have also faced this issue. And let us tell you, it was very hard to find a particular product that had just sold in the many unlabeled storage boxes we had in stock.

7. Choose a great Etsy store name

If you’re ready to open your Etsy store, then it’s finally time to choose a cool, catchy name for it. We have created a blog post designed specifically to help you create the best Etsy shop name for your little business. Find out How to pick a good Etsy shop name!

7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Opening my Etsy Store

If you respect these 7 things, you will have no regrets about opening your Etsy store. Moreover, you can rest assured that your seller privileges are safe and that you aren’t in violation of Etsy’s seller policy.

Make sure to check out our second blog post dedicated to those just starting out on Etsy. We give you 7 tips about setting up your Etsy store as a business and about doing a bit of personal branding. Check it out here!

For a carefree start on Etsy, make sure to get our FREE Ultimate Guide to a Successful Start on Etsy, a step-by-step workbook to help you set up your store effortlessly.