Founded in 2005, Etsy is an American marketplace dedicated to handmade, vintage and artisanal products. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Etsy is attracting more and more French merchants looking for more international visibility. So what makes Etsy such a unique marketplace, and why sell on Etsy?
Etsy, a unique marketplace
As you can see, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find unique products when shopping online. Indeed, it’s very common to find exactly the same item on different marketplaces. As a result, unique products are becoming increasingly rare.
While this may suit people looking for everyday consumer products, it doesn’t meet the needs of consumers looking for bespoke, unique, even personalized, vintage products… like those you might find in your local village market. What’s more, most of the time, the shopping experience is very impersonal, as it’s impossible to interact with the salesperson.
Etsy has the advantage of having positioned itself in a niche market that emphasizes craftsmanship and handmade products, while promoting proximity. This makes it a unique marketplace.
Why sell on Etsy?
- A particularly low commission of 5% (compared with 8-15% for Amazon, for example)
- Develop international visibility: Etsy is an international marketplace with a large customer base from all corners of the globe. What’s more, the Marketplace has an automatic translator for all languages.
- An ergonomic, easy-to-use mobile application that lets you manage everything from your smartphone. Etsy also recently launched a website creation tool.
- Specialization: Etsy is often compared to Ebay and other marketplaces. Although they may be similar in some respects, Etsy is a specialized marketplace, unlike eBay and Amazon.
- A supportive community: on Etsy, you benefit from a great deal of support from the community. Sellers can easily interact with each other, ask questions and get feedback from those who have been on the marketplace longer.
- Ease of use and ergonomics: the platform was created for people who are not e-commerce, marketing or SEO professionals. Setting up an Etsy store, promoting it and interacting with customers is easy enough. And if you still need help, you can always turn to the Etsy community!
And registration is free!
Etsy has the advantage of having positioned itself in a niche market that emphasizes craftsmanship and handmade products, while promoting proximity. This makes it a unique marketplace.
Etsy in numbersEtsy is :
- According to Etsy’s official presentation for 2020, the number of users of the platform has grown from 9.3 million people in 2012 to 81.9 million people in 2020
- 4.36 million active sellers
- More than 60 million products on sale
- 92% of customers believe they can find items not available elsewhere
- 1.72 billion in sales by 2020
- 10.28 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2020
- 61% of transactions carried out on cell phones
What you need to know before selling on Etsy
2 types of subscription :
→ Etsy Standard: provides access to the basic tools that were available before the introduction of Etsy Plus. Subscription is available at no additional cost.
→ Etsy plus: €8.63/month. Provides access to a suite of tools designed for merchants who want to take their business to the next level. As Etsy tells us on its website, among the features included in this subscription we find:
- “A monthly budget of credits for product sheets and Etsy Ads,
- Access to a discount on a personalized web address for the store,
- Replenishment requests for buyers who are interested in your products or have sold out,
- Advanced store customization options,
- Access to discounts on customized packaging and promotional materials such as boxes, business cards and signage.”
Costs to be taken into account :
- Listing fee: €0.18 excl. VAT (cost per product listing, valid for 4 months or until sold)
- Transaction fee: 5% excl.
- Etsy payment processing fee: 4% + €0.30
- Regulatory operating costs: 0.4
- VAT: 20% VAT is added to each charge.
- 15% external advertising: etsy pays for the promotion of items via external advertising. You’ll only owe the commission when you make a sale thanks to one of these ads.
Selling on Etsy while diversifying your sales channels!
Shippingbo has developed a connector to enable you to sell on Etsy, including a worry-free module on the Marketplace! Real-time retrieval of Etsy orders, multi-carrier parcel label edition, automatic customer notifications… Everything is done to save you time and simplify your life as an e-tailer. Plus: 200 plug-and-play integrations to open up other sales channels, while keeping you on top of your game!
ShippingBo has developed a connector to enable you to sell on Etsy, including a module for total peace of mind on the Marketplace! Real-time retrieval of Etsy orders, multi-carrier parcel label edition, automatic customer notifications… Everything is done to save you time and simplify your life as an e-tailer. Plus: 200 plug-and-play integrations to open up other sales channels, while keeping you on top of your game!
And for those looking to expand their online presence even further, consider “Selling on ManoMano“ and “Selling on the Leroy Merlin marketplace“. These platforms, which specialize in DIY, renovation and gardening, are essential channels for reaching customers who are passionate and committed to these fields.
Using the ShippingBo connector, you can easily integrate these marketplaces into your sales strategy, benefiting from our expertise to optimize your sales and management processes. Discover how these platforms can complement your Etsy business and open up new growth opportunities for your company.
Want to know how to sell on Etsy with Shippingbo? We’ll explain it all in this article. Would you like to discover French marketplaces?
