Key Points Every User Should Know About Etsy

Things I Wish I Knew in the Beginning

You Can Sell Most Anything on Etsy

While Etsy is known for handmade and unique items not found in retail stores, it is also known for a trillion other items like T-shirts, makeup, clocks, and so much more.  All you have to do is search on Etsy to see all they sell or click on any of their headers at the top of https://etsy.com.  Personalized and custom clothing is a big hit. Check out Etsy's policy before deciding what to sell on Etsy.

Etsy is Easy to Use

If you are selling T-shirts for the first time online, I recommend Etsy.  I also use Printify in conjunction with Etsy.  Both tools are user-friendly and easy to learn.  To use Printify, you select a product from their catalog, upload your design, and create a listing.  They provide essential mockups to connect your Etsy store, and what you publish in Printfy will automatically interface with Etsy.

You can edit your listing directly on Etsy to add attributes or other information that is not in Printify.  Printify will produce the mockups, the title, the description, keywords, and shipping information.  

My experience does not dispute or override information from Etsy's Seller Handbook.  Please read the handbook.  This blog just shares my own personal experience.

Title

1.  Include relevant keywords - consider what customers might search for on Etsy.  For example, if you created a St. Patrick's Day t-shirt with a cat and cool sunglasses, they will most likely be looking for a St. Patrick's Day T-shirt (or shirt).  Include the essential keywords in the title towards the front.

2.  Be descriptive - include details on the color, material, sizes, style, and relevant features.  

3.  Keep it concise and informative - avoid overly long titles - Etsy allows 140 characters, but that does not mean you have to use them all.

4.  Highlight the main selling point - what makes your product unique?

5.  Capitalize the first letter of each significant word in the title.

6.  Avoid redundant words, ensuring the words add value to the title and don't repeat keywords

7.  Punctuation - there are differing views, but Etsy says if you use punctuation like dashes or symbols in the title to separate phrases, the search can still read each phrase to match a shopper's search.  I have heard dashes are better than comments.  I use dashes.

Key Tip:  While you will see a long list of keywords in the title that don't make sense, Etsy advises against this or anything that will confuse buyers.

For example, let's say we will create a title for the pattern below.  You will get a list if you ask Copilot or AI for keywords for an Irish St. Patrick's Day shirt.

Don't put them all in the title like this:

St. Patrick's Day Tee - Shamrock St. Paddy's Shirt - Lucky Clover Shirt - Cheerful Irish Shirt - Irish Heritage Tee - Luck of the Irish

A better title would be

Green Shamrock Pattern St Patrick's Day T-shirt - Cotton Crew Neck Shirt - Fun Original Irish Graphic Design

I have my relevant keyword of St Patrick's Day T-shirt, I am being descriptive with the color, material, and style.  I am concise and informative.  I am also highlighting a selling point by emphasizing a one-of-a-kind design.  I capitalized the first letter of each significant word in the title.  I avoided redundant words.

Regularly review your titles using Stats for performance.  Analyze competitors to examples of successful listings.  Experiment with different titles to see which are performing best. 

Mockups

Mockups: Use the mockups Printify provides and make your own.  Websites like Placeit are designed to help with mockups.  Fmockupst I read, most people suggest having a person mockup, a person wearing your shirt, for t-shirts.  Placeit provides photo models so you can add your design to their pictures.  Others sell templates on Etsy.

Another type of mockup shows the shirt on a flat surface surrounded by other props.

Google creates mockups for Google Shop that show the t-shirt with an actual photograph of something in the background. 

After trying each mockup, I decided to use Google's suggested format.  

Creating mockups takes time when setting up a listing.  I am going to warn you now.  I have not found an easy way to do this.  I have found what is the easiest method of what I have tried.  

Before

I took a screenshot of the mockup Prinmockuprovided from my Etsy listing (after I published it from Printify).  You can also download it from Printify.

Then, I uploaded the shirt to Canva, created a design at 2000 x 2000, selected an element for the background, moved the shirt to the design, removed the background, and then downloaded the mockup.  You can see the mockup of the before-and-after photos.  I agree that taking time to create mockups for listings is a good investment.

After

I was curious how a shop like Life is Good did its mockups, so I visited its website at Life is Good®: Shop the Official Company Website. I am glad I did. I like how they show the image itself closeup in their mockup.  I will be using that in my mockups from here on out.  That is a good idea!  If you visit their site, they use a plain background, and I wonder if it is because they are a well-known brand.

While thinking about it, I noticed that their descriptions have a good balance of being to the point and informative.  I am gleaning many helpful tips from their website, which I will look at.  Dang, I wish I had seen this earlier.  Definitely a good site to check out.  Plus, I love their shirts.

Best advice: Use quality images and show the product from multiple angles and settings.

Descriptions

1.  Know your audience - tailor your language and style to reach your customers. 

2   Highlight the benefits and features - how will your product improve their life?  How is the product unique?

3.  Use clear and concise language - keep sentences short and to the point.  I started using emojis and realized Google does not like them, so I removed them from my listing.  Instead, I use bullets.

4.  Keywords - use keywords, especially at the beginning of the description.  This will help customers find your produce.  Ensure the keywords flow naturally in your description (e.g., rather than repeat the design title).

5.  Tell a story - everyone loves stories on how and why the product was created or shares customer testimonials.

6.  Use persuasive language - use words to solicit emotion and excitement.  Use action verbs like "experience" or "discover."

7.  Include details - dimensions, materials, usage, and instructions.  Try to anticipate and answer questions your customer may have.

8.  Create a sense of urgency - encourage immediate action:n "limited edition," "only a few options," or "sale for a limited time."

9.  Maintain a consistent tone throughout - remember your branding and values even when writing descriptions.

Click here, and then look at the Item Description for an example.

Etsy Fees and Taxes

The good thing is that Etsy collects your taxes from buyers, which helps.  I will blog about taxes in another blog.  Be aware of the fees when listing your products.  There are listing fees, transaction fees, and payment processing fees.  Understanding these costs is essential for pricing your products effectively.

Customization Options

Customization options are popular and allow buyers to personalize items with names, dates, or specific designs.  This is a great option to provide for your customers; I'll discuss Etsy's policies on prohibited items, copyrights, and trade in an upcoming blog. Askssy also makes it easy to communicate with the community and find support.  We will talk about marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).  More to come!