POD Insights

Decided to dive into the print on demand business world and open an Etsy shop? You’ve come to the right place! This article will walk through how to create your Etsy shop and get it in shape to start creating listings. We will cover how to connect your print on demand platform at the end but you can jump there now if you’ve already completed setup.

What you will need:

Email address that you want to use for your shop. I recommend getting a separate one to use for your business, any free email account service is fine.
Name for your shop. Not sure about a name yet? Consider what your shop strategy will be and it might help you come up with the name. Check out the shop strategies episode of the podcast if you want to think it over.
Checking or savings account. This is where you’ll tell Etsy to send your payouts. In the US, the only options are a checking or savings account. It can be a personal or business account.
Credit/debit card. This is for Etsy to have on file as the default billing method, only if your seller account has a balance due and no incoming revenue to cover it. An example would be if you pay to run Etsy Ads but are not making sales. This shouldn’t be necessary often as the balance in your account from sales should be enough to cover costs.
A sample mockup image to use in the first listing. Etsy requires you to create one listing as part of the process to open your shop, so grab any sample/mockup image from your print on demand platform. You can replace it later with real product information, we just need to create a “dummy” listing to get through the setup process.

Step 1: Creating Your Account

The first thing you’ll need is an Etsy account. If you have an Etsy account that does not have a shop associated, you can use your existing account if you’d like. But if you want to have your Etsy signon set up with a dedicated email address for your business instead of your personal account, I would recommend getting that separate email address first. I find it helpful to have a separate email address for my Etsy business for many reasons. Once you have that, you can create a new Etsy account. You can start creating your shop using the POD Insights referral link below and you will receive 40 free listings! That is $8.00 in free listings because Etsy charges $0.20 per listing you create, so it’s a nice way to get started for free. No pressure, you can certainly create your account and set up your shop without using the link. But why not get some free listings!

Start your Etsy shop and get 40 FREE listings!

Now that you’re ready to start the process, follow along with the video below to open your shop!

Step 2: Shop Home Page, Profile & Settings

Your shop is open! WOOHOO! 🎉 With that step out of the way, you can now finish setting up your shop homepage and update a few other settings that are necessary before you dive into connecting your print on demand platform and creating listings. Follow along with the video below to get your shop settings in ship-shape!

I referenced several other resources and videos in this video, so here’s a rundown of those:

You’re Ready!

You’ve completed all the necessary steps to start selling print on demand products in your shop! Take a minute to saw “phew”, that part is done. But don’t get too comfortable, now the real work can begin! You’re ready to start creating product listings using your print on demand platform of choice, research niches and design ideas, come up with your pricing strategies, start promoting your shop on social media, and lots of other fun stuff! There’s a whole bunch of resources you’ll want to become familiar with. Check out the POD Resources Page to get started. Many resources are completely free but totally necessary to “up your game” in creating designs, product mockups, and more. Not sure which print on demand platform to go with yet? Check out the POD Platform Comparison 2022 episode of the podcast & article. If you have selected your print on demand platform(s) and created an account, the video below walks through how to connect to your Etsy shop.

Keep Learning

If you are brand new to some or all of this process, the most important thing in the next few weeks and months is: don’t get discouraged! There’s a lot to learn if this is your first venture into e-commerce. Don’t expect to make dozens or hundreds of sales in your first month. Expect to make mistakes, and know you will keep getting better at every aspect of running this business with time. I made plenty of mistakes in my first few months, and I still make mistakes over 5,000 sales later. Print on Demand selling is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It’s a legitimate business model that works if you give it time and effort. Set goals for yourself but don’t be too aggressive or set yourself up for disappointment.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Here are some next-step articles and guides to keep you going! All the podcast links have a full text article with links if you’d prefer to read vs. listen.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the POD Insights YouTube channel!