I first heard about Etsy a while back now, but it wasn’t until Christmas time that I really took a good look at it. Now I use it as a source for super creative, super unique gifts. You probably have heard of it in passing or are a frequent visitor on Etsy (in which case this may sound a little redundant). Etsy, in my opinion, is like Ebay but for the art community! It’s an amazing tool, that when used correctly can help the hobbyist turn their passion for arts and crafts into a small online business.

There are probably more than 50 things that I absolutely love about Etsy, but for your sake I have narrowed it down. Firstly, Etsy gives you freedom and options. Regardless of whether or not you are a business, or are a skilled hobbyist who wants to supplement their income, Etsy makes it easy for you to run a successful store. An online store gives you the freedom to be able to have a full time or part time job and still allows you to dabble in your hobbies, potentially earning you a little extra money off of your skillful creations.

  
It is also extremely easy to setup an Etsy store. This means no website experience required, and if you are like me, this is super important. Etsy walks you through the setup, step by step, so that basically all that is left for you to do is take amazing photos of your inventory. If you run into issues along the way, I found the FAQ super helpful.

I also really like that each category, under which your store may be found, have certain criteria that you must meet in order to sell items in these categories. For example selling commercial or mass-produced items in Etsy's handmade categories is not permitted under Etsy’s policies. These criterions help speak to the integrity of your work. The categories and criteria also further filter your customer so that you are getting visits from shoppers who are serious about buying and are looking for specific items.

A small piece of advice when setting up your Etsy store, make sure the inventory is there before you start selling. As a customer there is nothing more frustrating than poor customer service and having to wait 2 months for an item that appears to be available. So start crafting now! Ofcourse, this tip doesn’t apply if you are providing a custom service.

As you can see, Etsy has a whole lot going for it. Etsy will continue to grow in popularity and more and more people will clue into it. Get your store and your creations out there ASAP! www.Etsy.com.