Etsy is the most popular platform for artisans, craftspeople and everyone else with a unique product to sell. The benefits of selling on Etsy will convince anyone to migrate to the platform, market their products, find buyers and grow their business.

So, what makes Etsy unique? Among all the e-commerce platforms out there, it's the one specifically built for small businesses specialising in handmade products. Once you know the benefits of selling on Etsy, you'll realise that joining the platform is one of the best decisions you can make for your small business.

What is Etsy?

Before we get to the advantages of selling on Etsy, let's understand the platform first. Etsy is an online marketplace where you can only sell handcrafted products, materials for crafts and vintage objects that are more than 20 years old. This makes it different from other e-commerce giants such as Amazon or eBay, where you can sell practically anything.

You can only sell handmade products if they're made by you. You can also sell products made by others if they fall in the craft supplies or vintage category — in other words, you can't be a reseller of handmade goods on Etsy.

This doesn't mean you have to be a crafting expert to be on the platform. You can search for craft supplies, decorative objects, old clothes or accessories from places like flea markets and start selling on Etsy.

The benefits of selling on Etsy

If you're a craftsperson, artisan or small business owner, these are the main advantages of selling on Etsy:

01
Unique positioning
One of the biggest benefits of selling on Etsy is the platform's specific positioning. If you deal in mass-produced goods, you can look at other marketplaces such as Amazon. But if you have a unique and creatively made product, Etsy is your home — and customers know it too. Those who come to Etsy have already made up their mind about what they want, giving you highly qualified "buyer intent" traffic.
02
High reach
With Etsy, you can reach millions of potential shoppers worldwide. 90 million active buyers visited the marketplace in 2021 — a number that has been consistently growing. What's more compelling is that 36.3 million of those were repeat buyers, showing strong loyalty to the platform. This helps new sellers not only reach the right buyers but retain them too.
03
Marketing boost
As a seller, you want the marketplace to invest in its marketing — and Etsy does. The company invested close to $600 million in marketing in 2021 and has made clear it will be increasing that amount. Etsy is using influencers, tastemakers, podcasts and email marketing to drive more buyers to the platform — which means more potential customers for your store.
04
Low costs
For small business owners, selling on Etsy is more cost-effective than larger marketplaces. Listing and transaction fees range from $0.20 to $0.30 per product. Even with the increase in transaction fees from 5% to 6.5% in 2022, Etsy still has competitive rates — Amazon Handmade charges 15% per sale, while eBay has a 13.4% transaction fee.
05
Tools and resources
Etsy makes it easy to get started, list, market and grow your business. You don't need a photographer — you can generate professional product images with mockup photo generators. AI writing tools make product descriptions easy. Design tools like Canva handle marketing materials. All of these save small business owners time and money.
06
Better targeting
Etsy enables enhanced marketing opportunities for small business owners, including automated email campaigns, personalised product recommendations and SEO tools to improve visibility in search results. All of these help improve lead generation and conversion — and eventually allow you to build a loyal community around your store.

These benefits of selling on Etsy make it a compelling proposition for small business owners, craftspersons, and artisans. Without any marketing experience or expertise, you can get started and build a sustainable business. All you need is a truly unique product.

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