Name: 10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy • Adirondack Girl @ Heart
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10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy • Adirondack Girl @ Heart

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Skip to contentHi there! Recently I surveyed my subscribers and members of my Facebook group (Your Vintage Headquarters) asking them what questions they had regarding running a successful vintage and antiques business. I received literally hundreds of responses and have set out to answer as many as I can.&nbsp;One line of questions related to selling vintage on Etsy so in today’s post, 10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy, I’ll be answering a number of the questions that relate to this mammoth vintage selling platform.For many the idea of signing up for something new online feels overwhelming. After all, we’ve all encountered forms that are not only long, but actually painful to fill out.And sometimes you get to the end of the form, push “Enter,” and then get an error message(!). You failed to fill in a “required” field and dog nab it, you cannot figure out what that is. So you give up. All that time wasted.The Etsy sign up process is easy peasy and practically fail-proof. I promise. Here’s how to create an Etsy account if you don’t already have one (which you need to buy OR sell):Having an Etsy account means that you can now buy on Etsy, but it also means you can set up your very own Etsy Shop, and it costs absolutely NOTHING to do that(!).This means that essentially you have very little to lose. You’re not signing a 6-12 month lease on a building or booth space that you must pay rent on, no matter how much (or little) you sell each month.Here’s how to set up an Etsy shop:* NOTE: You can change your name easily ONE TIME. After that you’ll have to ask Etsy for permission. Here are some things to think about when naming your shop.Once you’ve opened your shop, it’s time to make it look attractive and inviting to potential buyers by posting a profile photo, a banner (optional), a shop icon/logo and a shop announcement/description.It’s easy to get distracted by these steps, so I encourage you to move through them as quickly as possible and start listing your products and making sales(!).Each of these parts of your Etsy shop can be added, edited, and/or replaced at any time.After you open your shop (#2 above), you’ll be prompted to create your first listing. Be prepared to spend about 20-30 minutes familiarizing yourself with the process.Etsy has prompts to enter A LOT of information about your item. Those with an * are required to be filled out.You will need photos of your item to create a listing. For the “thumbnail” (the photo buyers see first), you’ll need an oblong or square photo (2000 pixels on the long side) with your item dead center with space around it.To see your listing “live,” scroll down the left side bar in your Shop Manager and look for SALES CHANNELS. Click on the with the white “E”.Here’s a video that can help you with your first listing.After creating your first listing, you’ll be prompted to identify how you want to get paid and how you plan to pay your Etsy fees. I chose to get paid AND pay my fees via PayPal.You can sell one item or 1000 items on Etsy–your choice. What does that mean in reality though? In fact, you want your shop stocked with at least 24 items at all times so it appears full and like you’re a serious seller.But that doesn’t mean you have to list them all the first day. When I initially created my shop, I listed five items per day for five days, until I hit 24. After that, my minimum goal was to list one item per day.&nbsp;Stocking your shop with 100 items at all times seems to be the sweet spot for many sellers.By comparison, if you were to open an antique booth, you would want to start with a few hundred items (depending upon the size of your booth) right from the get-go because you’d be paying rent immediately.In the photo above you see a shelving unit in my workroom where I keep the inventory for my Etsy shop, eBay, and my Vintage Blog Shop (VBS). Depending up on the size of your items (I sell mostly smalls online), you don’t need a huge amount of storage space for inventory.NOTE: The set of plastic shelves on the lower left holds all of the jewelry that I have listed for sale online–one drawer for each platform (Etsy, eBay, and VBS).As someone who sells on multiple platforms, I can report that Etsy’s fees are relatively low compared to other platforms, especially antique booths in antique malls or eBay.Etsy Listing fee: Sellers on Etsy are charged .20/item listed on the site–every four months. So if you list an item and it doesn’t sell until month five, you’ll be charged .40 total.Etsy Selling fee: In addition to that, they’ll charge you 6.5% of the total cost of the item + the shipping cost (as opposed to eBay which charges 10%).Etsy Payment Processing fee: In addition, Etsy charges .25 + 3% (U.S.) of the total cost of the item + shipping for processing payments. There are NO additional credit card or PayPal fees. This fee varies by country.Offsite Ad Fees: Etsy has a relatively new “Offsite Ads” program whereby they specifically advertise some of your merchandise and when it sells, charge you an additional 15%(!). Fortunately, if you make less than $10,000/year on Etsy, you can opt out of the program, which I recommend you do immediately.While outside pressure (like a monthly rent payment) can sometimes be motivating, it can also work against you if sales are bad any given month.Because your overhead with Etsy is minimal (stock + shipping supplies), you can build your business at your own, perhaps slower, pace. For many sellers this is a big plus.You can buy a few items and try them out, see how well they sell (or don’t), and then move from there to make slightly more informed decisions about what to sell and for how much.You can learn how to take great photos, write killer titles and descriptions, and how to achieve successful Search Engine Optimization (SEO)–at your own pace. Make some money as you grow in knowledge and experience with the platform.&nbsp;Etsy supplies a few methods for answering your burning questions:In addition to these resources, feel free to join my Facebook group–Your Vintage Headquarters–where you can ask your questions, and my 2000+ members will be glad to help you answer them.Furthermore, if you have an Etsy question, chances are YouTube has a video on the exact topic. So check them out. [And check out my channel while you’re there–I’d love it if you’d subscribe!]Since Etsy has a huge following of millions of shoppers, store owners do not need to focus on marketing. Etsy does that for you.&nbsp;Compare this to setting up your own website or opening a Shopify store. It’s NOT like the movie Field of Dreams–“If you build it,they will come.” Trust me. They won’t come, LOL. It can take years to gain traction with your own website, and Shopify doesn’t send customers your way.You need a certain force to drive traffic to the amazing vintage goods that you’re offering to the world. That force could be Google if you have your own website, but it takes a long time and a lot of effort to get Google to pay attention to you. An email list could also be that force, but the average person doesn’t have an email list in their back pocket. So go with Etsy.I let the idea of shipping keep me from selling online for years! There are two very good reasons why I have an entirely different feeling about it nowadays:(1) Both eBay and Etsy have taken a lot of the guesswork out of shipping costs, and both have mechanisms for you to pay for and print out shipping labels in your own home. And it’s cheaper to ship via Etsy (and eBay) than your local post office.(2) I have a designated area in my office that’s specifically for shipping. It contains all the necessary supplies: bubble wrap, pillows, shredded paper, tissue paper, small boxes, tape, a stapler, business cards, pens, scissors, a lamp, mailing envelopes, twine, and cardboard.Don’t be afraid of shipping! Everything is Figure-Out-Able (Marie Forleo). I talk about shipping in my FREE Ebay Seller 5-Day Challenge and some of it is applicable to Etsy.My sweet cousin and a family friend keep me stocked up with almost everything I need for shipping. In addition, I reuse poly bags, envelopes, and padded envelopes that come in the mail. I buy rolls of wide, clear tape at Dollar Tree and that pretty much covers all my needs. Oh, and I pick up boxes whenever I come across them.Listing Your First Item: When listing your first item, I recommend using the option the first time around. Weigh your item in the box you plan to ship it in, along with whatever supplies (e.g., bubble wrap) you plan to use, plus a 1/2 sheet of paper (to reflect the shipping label), and a business card.Enter the package dimensions and weight. Etsy will calculate the shipping charges when the item sells, depending upon your buyer’s zip code.Etsy has a reputation as a friendly, buyer-focused place to purchase handmade and vintage items. Sellers tend to be responsive to questions and take extra-special care when shipping their products. They often use brand-specific shipping products and may even including a small token of appreciation like a hand-written note or free small gift.Because Etsy utilizes a store front format, buyers can easily get to know shops and shop owners. With one click, shops can easily be “favorited” and you’ll smile every time your own shop gets a new favorite 🙂The number of favorites your shop has received, along with recent reviews, are both prominently displayed on your shop page, making it obvious to potential buyers what it’s like to do business with you.&nbsp;You’ve probably heard it said that Etsy is saturated with both craft and vintage sellers. But I have found that with very little effort (as in 30 minutes or less a week), I make a steady $100-200/month. Can you imagine if I worked at it a couple of hours a week?My problem, as you can imagine, is that I have my finger in a lot of pies. Not only do I sell via multiple platforms, I write my blog, run my FB group, create courses, create content for Farmhouse Style magazine, and write eBooks. I have very little time to spend on my Etsy shop, though I’m upping my game at the moment.All that to say, I strongly believe that there is good money to be made on Etsy, but you have to put time into it both listing and learning the tricks of the trade.In today’s post I introduced you to Etsy, but I plan to write at least one more post (or create an email challenge perhaps) covering some of the next level information to help you grow your business.So there you have it friend, 10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy. I hope you found the post informative and beyond that, just the impetus you need to open a shop, if you’ve been thinking about doing so for a long time.If you’re looking for an intensive course and someone to “hold your hand” while you establish your Etsy shop, consider my course Savvy Antique Seller: Etsy Edition.&nbsp;Thank so much for stopping by!If you enjoyed your visit, I hope you’ll SUBSCRIBE and never miss a post.Get a FREE copy of my mini eBook when you do,10 Vintage Items Often Overlooked &amp; Undervalued at Garage Sales:&nbsp;Great article Diana! I have an Etsy shop and love selling there, in fact I moved there from eBay when eBay got all crazy with their rules and fees. Since Etsy has their Etsy Payments system now buyers have many more options than Paypal to pay, the fees are 3% + .25 per sale.TaniaReplyHi Diana. I very much enjoy reading your posts and watching your videos. What are your thoughts on Etsy and eBay charging fees on shipping? When I last sold on eBay (2013 – whew!), I don’t remember that fee existing. I never padded shipping to make money. Just another fee to add to their pockets? Thanks!ReplyInteresting article, Diana…I’ve been selling on Etsy for seven years now…and this week alone I had 6 sales from my meagre 150 listings. This year has been my best year ever, dollar wise. Although there seems to be a bit more of an increase of total cost for selling-now running to about 8% for me. This is from sales made through Etsy’s new ad program which you can’t really opt out of. But, they have also adjusted the postage fees down instead of making a profit on YOU paying for the postage at a rate higher than what the USPS was charging Etsy.I’m madly trying to get new listings up—after a year of not adding much at all. Definitely a good venue for the at home seller. Most important though is doing research on your items so you can add tags that are accurate and will actually capture buyers those looking for that specific item. Most of my sales come from exact searches on my tags—so like you so often share…accurate information on your items is doubly necessary and profitable. Hugs, SandiReplyGreat article. I’m not tempted–yet, but you do make it look easier than I thought it would be! Finally found 3 yard sales this Sat.–first I’ve been to this year in Maine!ReplyHi, Diana! I love reading all your ‘stuff’ and also questions and answers. I always have loved antiques. Now, I have a question. I have a bedspread that my mother in law embroidered on muslin, probably as a teenager. She was born in 1915. Would there be a value to it, now? Just curious. I’m sure a family member will ask for it, so would probably never be for sale. As I am aging, we are making a list of who wants what!! I still have several antiques, but mostly just ‘family stuff’ to pass on to them. Hope you have a estimated value.ReplyThis is great! So easy to follow. I have weary of Etsy because I did not want the hassle of tracking income and expenses for tax purposes. Especially since the time spent on paperwork and posting might mitigate any $$$ I get. How does this work? For me it is more of a hobby than a business.ReplyThank you for this post! I am on both Etsy and Poshmark (Canada). Etsy for the vintage stuff and Posh for the newer.Your three drawers of jewelry made me smile. That’s what I love about selling jewelry on Etsy — it takes up so LITTLE room! The clothing/shoes/purses I sell on Poshmark take up a whole closet to store!So far, I make way more *per item* on Etsy than on Poshmark. The fees are lower on Etsy — and I think the clientele is more-willing to pay what something is worth.Thank you!ReplyGood article on ETSY. There are a couple of things I’d like to mention.A) Negative: ETSY needs a little help with their math. I’ve put up a number of items (mostly antique canning jars) that clearly have a production date of 1890 – 1910. In other words they’re over a hundred years old and yet ETSY wants to call them vintage. Early on I was told that antique = 100+ years.B) Positive: eBay is focused on sell…sell..sell. If you put up an item (I have lots of proof coin sets listed) they want you to start low and have a bidding war. There are people whose tactic is to sneak in just before the item closes and low-ball their bid. At ETSY you can determine what something’s worth and price it accordingly. I don’t recall ever going to the Super Market and putting in a bid for a gallon of milk.C) ETSY keeps pushing movies at me. Whether they facilitate a sale is hard to say. I don’t think a 20 second movie is going to affect my purchase decision very much. One has to recall that my primary merchandise is coin sets and canning jars.Peace and BlessingsReplyInteresting. My husband and I are resellers. Right now we do auction-style sales on Facebook and eBay listings. I’ve mentioned selling on Etsy to try it out and see if it works. Now I may just have to start our store. eBay makes it pretty easy and most items sell quickly, would you say your items sell quickly on Etsy?ReplyIt’s a great article but I am amazed you can spend 3O minutes a week and make 100 to 200 a month. It takes me about 30 minutes to do an ebay listing from start to finish counting photography, description writing and posting. So I think it would take the same for Etsy. So, how exactly do you do it? 4 listings at $25 each? And that assumes they all sell.I did/do have an Etsy store but am not currently using it because there’s a lot to search term optimization on etsy which you don’t mention. Depending on key words that you use, your potential buyers may or may not see your item – or your items may consistently show up on page 10 of their search results and the potential buyer may never get to your listing. I got discouraged when I saw little payback for the effort I put into it.Etsy is also getting the reputation for ridiculous prices which you can see by shopping there. A lot of sellers seem to “park” their vintage jewelry there at high prices and hope that someone will buy it eventually. For me, turnover is the name of the game since it is called buying and selling, not buying and listing it so it can languish and gather dust on my shelves.ReplyWelcome to Adirondack Girl @ Heart; I'm so glad you stopped by. If you love vintage and antiques, then you've come to the right place. Stay a while and read about my vintage finds, check out my free price guides, and consider subscribing to get full access to my Member Library.Adirondack Girl @ Heart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Skip to contentHi there! Recently I surveyed my subscribers and members of my Facebook group (Your Vintage Headquarters) asking them what questions they had regarding running a successful vintage and antiques business. I received literally hundreds of responses and have set out to answer as many as I can.&nbsp;One line of questions related to selling vintage on Etsy so in today’s post, 10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy, I’ll be answering a number of the questions that relate to this mammoth vintage selling platform.For many the idea of signing up for something new online feels...

10 Reasons Why You Should Sell Vintage on Etsy • Adirondack Girl @ Heart

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