How to Make Money Using Etsy: A Guide to the Online Marketplace for Crafts and Handmade Products [Paperback]

Timothy Adam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 2011

In a world where most products are manufactured by machines, Etsy offers an online platform for makers of handmade products and crafts to market and sell their goods to a vast network of buyers who demand unique, genuine products. To date, the site has attracted over 400,000 sellers who collectively have sold over 30 million items, generating more than $180.6 million in revenue. The only resource of its kind, How to Make Money Using Etsy--written by Tim Adam who has successfully been selling his products all over the world through his Etsy shop since 2007--guides readers step-by-step through the many stages of selling online. How-to topics include:

• Establish your Etsy shop
• Effectively photograph your products
• Post your products to optimize visibility and increase sales
• Brand your business
• Use social media like blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with buyers and grow your business

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Back in the olden days—youknow, circa 2004 or so—artists and craftspeople had to drag their portfolio and wares to galleries and craft shows, and popularity in the local market didn't mean an end to your day job. But thanks to Etsy, a website that connects makers of handmade products and crafts with buyers, those same artisans can now market and sell their goods to a worldwide network of motivated shoppers.

Etsy.com is the newest tool of the arts and crafts trade, and How to Make Money Using Etsy is your instruction manual. To date, the site has attracted over 400,000 sellers who collectively have sold over30 million items, generating more than $180.6 million in revenue.

Whether an Etsy newbie or a veteran seller, you'll get a step-by-step guide to running a successful Etsy shop. Successful Etsian Tim Adam leads you through the Etsy community, including the forum, where fellow Etsians offer support and critiques vital to defining your brand; the Etsy Storque blog; and the Etsy Teams, like-minded sellers who help promote each other's work.

Mastering your craft is only step one in developing a successful Etsy brand. You'll learn how to:

• Properly set up your Etsy shop and start listing your handmade goods
• Develop a good keyword and search engine optimization strategy
• Create compelling blog content to drive traffic to your Etsy shop
• Promote your brand through Facebook and Twitter

In a world where nearly everything has been made by machine, the demand for handcrafted goods is growing. You know how to make the products—now master the age-old craft of making money.

From the Back Cover

"If you want to learn solid techniques to get noticed online, spend time with expert Etsy seller, Tim Adam. Tim is up on the latest how-tos, plus his passion to share his knowledge will get you motivated and improve your online presence and sales."—Alison Lee, host of CRAFTCAST

"Tim Adam is a real voice for the handmade community online, always atthe cutting edge of news, ideas, andprogress. His information and communication style have made him an authority on successto a whole new generation of artists andcrafters. Tim seeks to combine innovationwith the age-old art of craft—a beautiful combination."—Tara, Scoutiegirl.com

"I met Tim on the Etsy forums in early 2008, when he was working on Vol. III of The Handbook to Handmade. At the time, I felt as if I had hit a pulse, a heartbeatinto Etsy. How right I was! Tim has been in the rightplace at the right time and has skyrocketed past all ofus! In flight, he brought me up to speed on the basics, startingwith copy/paste. We moved on to the 'how tos' of blogging, virtual links, Google Analytics, and keywords for my Etsyshops to be on the top of the search engines, Facebook, Twitter,Handmadeology, and most important, linkingeverything back to Etsy. I am delighted for Tim'stremendous success, and, even more so, to call him'friend.' "—Amy Lilley, Amy Lilley Photography (Etsy seller)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470944560
• ISBN-13: 978-0470944561
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Computers & Technology > Internet & Web Culture > E-Commerce
  • #56 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Marketing

More About the Author

I am a self taught metal artist, and a certified Mig welder. I started designing modern metal furniture in 2004. I built my first piece in Baltimore with my sister-in-law who is a furniture designer. I found my passion in metal and kept on designing and building. I struggled for 4 years to make a name in local galleries in the Grand Rapids Michigan area. A friend of mine introduced me to Etsy in February of 2007, and it changed my business. I started creating a jewelry line and have not turned back. In November of 2007 I had to quit my full time job cause my passion was becoming a dream come true! I am now selling all over the world through my Etsy shop. I also have wholesale accounts around the country with galleries, museums and salons.

Teaching other artists and crafters how to sell on Etsy quickly became my passion. Handmadeology.com launched in early 2009 and has grown into community of like minded artists, crafters, sellers, and writers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 131 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Made Me Think of My Etsy Store In a Whole New Way March 11, 2011

By Kari Esparza

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been selling knitted items on Etsy for over a year now, but only recently started getting serious about it. Sales have come in, but they are slow. I wanted to do something to get more buyers. It's just that Etsy has grown to be so big now, unless you're luckly enough to be featured on the main page, your store can get buried (and mine was buried). So, I bought this book and also Etsy Success - How to Make a Full-Time Income Selling Jewelry, Crafts, and Other Handmade Products Online to get ideas on how to get the word out.

The author takes an "internet marketing" approach to the advice he gives. Basically, he has taken the things that have worked for successful internet marketers (who sell ebooks and other products) and shows you how to apply them to your Etsy store. This was a new approach I hadn't thought of.

There's a lot of mention of SEO (search engine optimization) but it wasn't too complicated to understand. He gives really good advice on setting up a blog and that was helpful. There are also interviews with successful bloggers (some of whom I had read before) which were helpful to better understand how a blog works to get new buyers and keep them interested. Reading about their success also really inspired me.

The big thing I learned was that there's a big difference between advertising your Etsy store and marketing it. Marketing takes a little more work, but can lead to the best results, so it is more efficient in the long run.

This book gave me ideas on how I can spend minimal time marketing my store without it turning into a full-time job, so I have the best of both worlds. This was especially important to me, because I still need time to knit! :)

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Six Stars For This Book - Must Have for Beginner or Seasoned Etsy Seller Worth It's Weight in Gold March 25, 2011

By Ira Mency

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been selling on Etsy for awhile; and I'm a vintage seller. I'd like to think by reading the Storque and all of Etsy's updates that I would know everything there is to know. I bought this book because I knew anyone as successful as marketing guru Tim Adams, may have something worth reading. I can't tell you how glad I am that I did. I quickly realized how much it was I didn't know and probably never would have known if it wasn't for this book.

It has far exceeded my expectations.

The book is loaded with how-to diagrams and screen shots, so that you can understand every step of what Tim is talking about. It's not just about selling on Etsy, that's a big part of it but it's loaded with simple tips and tricks that you can use to market your shop and gain more exposure. It talks about trending, finding your market niche, blogging, and SEO. Basically, it's marketing techniques that are proven to work. Put it this way, I also bought a SEO/marketing book not too long ago this book puts that one to shame.

On top of that there's interviews with Etsy top sellers. Their tips and tricks and secrets. Things you always wanted to know but couldn't ask, well, it's in there.

Here's an example, the first night I was only on page 12-13 when I learned something new - a tool that I should have been using all this time (for years) that is free. I worked on that for awhile, to learn and master that--I could not believe the resources available to me for free that I hadn't been tapping into. Then, I read to page 90 taking in tons of new information. I'm still reading because it's a learn as you go book and Tim shows you how to use the tools he's talking about.

I can't say how much this has helped me as an Etsy seller. It doesn't matter if you sell vintage, supplies, or handmade on Etsy, you need this book. It is worth it's weight in gold.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Didn't help me but maybe others... May 12, 2011

By Deborah Price VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are wanting to set up an Etsy shop, this book would be very helpful. If you already have an Etsy shop, you can get much of this information through their newsletters. I'm not very good with computers and I had my shop up and running in no time. Sales have been great following the advice in the newsletters. I really expected this book to give me more ideas to link different social sites to my Etsy shop. The section on Facebook was useless. The pictures he has you refer to are too dark to even be able to see. It was very confusing. Another thing that really annoyed me with this book was the editing. Or should I say, lack of editing. There were way too many words misused or repeated twice, etc. This is something that is very distracting to me.

What I liked most about the book were the interviews with Etsy shop owners. Those were very interesting.

So, I gave this a four star only because it would be great for someone just starting out.