Starting an Etsy Business

The book I read to research this post was Starting an Etsy Business for Dummies by Kate Shoup which is an excellent book which I bought from Kindle. I think a lot of the advice could apply to running an online business with Amazon or Ebay as well. A lot of the people who sell on Etsy sell craft products which they often make themselves or sell collectibles which are defined by Etsy as anything older than 20 years. You can sell almost anything on Etsy although certain things like drugs & live animals are banned. When you join there site it's worth reading their rules & also worth reading there blog which features a featured seller I think every couple of days. This can get you inspired as well as advising you about some of the pitfalls. If you choose to sell collectibles you can often get stock at garden fetes or car boot sales often at good prices. They advise if you are selling something especially if it's something you have made that you take the price it cost you to produce it & as a rule of thumb double it to get your retail price. This book is american & a lot of your customers will be to so you may have to pay state tax on their order although some states like Alaska don't charge this. If you are selling something that will probably be a gift for someones partner consider charging a higher price because a lot of people will have a price in mind & will look for something that's that price. If your item is cheaper you will lose the sale. A lot of people sell things on this site you can't get in the shops which gives people a reason to buy from you. Also it might be an idea to expand onto sites like Ebay to get more orders.