Selling Handmade Work with Etsy

Earn money and get exposure with this popular Internet marketplace.

A successful and economical way for artists to get exposure for their work is through community-based websites, such as Etsy.

In contrast to the regional limitations and high entry costs of craft shows, community-based websites have broad reach and fees are typically set up on a commission basis.

In 2005, members of the Etsy community sold approximately $166,000 worth of merchandise. By 2010, sales had reached $314.3 million. With buyers and sellers in more than 150 countries, Etsy.com logs more than 1 billion page views per month and offers more than 8.5 million items for sale.

It’s easy to sell items on Etsy. After you register and set up the free shop, it costs $0.20 U.S. to list an item for four months. When you sell an item, Etsy charges 3.5% of the total sale price, excluding the shipping. Etsy e-mails you a bill on the last day of the month, which you can pay with the credit card used to set up your shop or via PayPal. You can manually pay your account balance at any time.

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