Have a hobby you’ve thought about turning into a little extra money? An Etsy shop can be an easy way to test the waters without investing a ton of money upfront.
Years ago, I knew a guy who started an Etsy shop selling handmade wood items. What started as a small side hustle took off pretty quickly, and before long he was bringing in around $3,000 a month from his shop.
Obviously, not every Etsy shop is going to make that kind of money — but it stuck with me because he wasn’t running some huge company. He was simply making something people wanted and selling it online.
If you have a hobby, craft or product idea you’ve thought about selling, Etsy is still one of the easiest places to test the waters without investing a ton of money upfront. And if you’re a new seller, you may be able to start with 40 FREE listings through an Etsy seller referral link.
Here’s how to start an Etsy shop, what it actually costs and how to keep your startup expenses as low as possible.
Get 40 Free Etsy Listings Here
How the 40 Free Etsy Listings Work
Etsy normally charges 20¢ every time you create a listing. Listings remain active for four months or until the item sells.
That doesn’t sound like much, but 40 listings would normally cost $8 just to put online. Using an eligible Etsy seller referral link lets a new seller start with 40 listing credits instead.
Important: This offer is intended for qualifying new Etsy sellers, so use the referral link before opening your shop. If you’ve already started setting up a seller account, the referral offer may not apply.
What Can You Sell on Etsy?
You don’t have to be a professional artist or have a garage full of inventory to start an Etsy shop.
Depending on your skills and interests, ideas could include:
- Handmade jewelry
- Personalized gifts
- Home decor
- Woodworking projects
- Crochet and knitted items
- Stickers
- Craft supplies
- Wedding and party items
- Vintage items
- Printable planners
- Invitations
- SVG files
- Digital templates
- Printable wall art
Etsy has specific rules about what qualifies for sale on its marketplace, so be sure your products meet Etsy’s current seller and creativity standards.
Digital Products Can Be One of the Cheapest Ways to Start
If your goal is to try a side hustle without spending much money upfront, digital products are worth considering.
Unlike physical products, you don’t need to purchase inventory, boxes or shipping supplies. Once you’ve created the file, customers can purchase and download it without you having to pack and mail an order every time.
Think printable planners, invitations, checklists, wall art, templates and other useful downloads.
That doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to sell — you’ll still need to create something people actually want — but the upfront cost can be very low.
How to Start Your Etsy Shop
- Use the 40 free listings referral link first. Don’t create your seller shop before activating the offer.
- Create or sign in to your Etsy account.
- Choose your shop name. Keep it easy to spell and broad enough that you can add different products later.
- Create your first product listing. You’ll need photos or digital previews, a title, description and price.
- Add your payment and billing information.
- Finish setting up your storefront.
- Start adding products using your free listing credits.
Don’t Spend a Fortune Before You Make a Sale
This is probably the biggest mistake I’d avoid when trying a new side hustle.
You don’t need a $300 logo, custom business cards, expensive packaging, paid ads and 100 products before opening your shop.
Start small.
Use your phone for product photos. Use free or inexpensive design tools for basic graphics. Start with a few products and see what people actually click on and buy.
If something starts selling, then put more time and money into it.
What Does Etsy Charge When You Sell Something?
The 40 free listings cover Etsy’s standard listing fee for those listings — they don’t make everything about selling on Etsy free.
Etsy currently charges a 6.5% transaction fee on the total order amount when something sells. Payment processing fees also apply and additional fees can apply in certain situations.
Etsy may also charge new sellers a one-time shop setup fee. The amount varies by location and, if it applies to you, Etsy will show the fee during the shop setup process.
Make sure you account for those costs when deciding how much to charge for your products.
Is Starting an Etsy Shop Worth Trying?
If you already make something people might buy — or you have an idea for a digital product you can create without spending much money — an Etsy shop can be a relatively inexpensive way to test the idea.
You don’t have to quit your job, order $2,000 worth of supplies or decide you’re suddenly an entrepreneur.
Make a few things. Put them up for sale. See what happens.
And with 40 free listings available to qualifying new sellers, you can test quite a few ideas before paying Etsy’s regular listing fee.
Get 40 Free Etsy Listings & Start Your Etsy Shop
Note: Etsy offers and fees can change. The free listing promotion is for eligible new sellers using a qualifying referral link. Additional Etsy fees, including transaction, payment processing and potentially a shop setup fee, may still apply.
