Whether you’re looking for a new side hustle to make some extra cash or you’re a designer wanting to launch your own label, starting a fashion business on Etsy is one of the easiest ways to get started.
Etsy currently boasts over 2.5 million independent sellers all over the world and some have found huge success. The most successful Etsy shops sell hundreds of items each day and make six figures a year.
As many fashion markets and craft fairs have now been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s no better time to sell fashion clothing and accessories online on Etsy.
Your Shop Can Sell Original Designs or Vintage Items
Many people think Etsy is a marketplace for designers and crafters. While this is true, there are also some very successful vintage resellers on Etsy so it’s not necessary to design or create all the items you sell.
Vintage clothing and other goods must be at least 20 years old to sell on Etsy, so don’t think you can use it as a platform to flog your cast-off clothing from last season.
You must have information about how your vintage items are sourced and how you know how old they are. For fashion items you should be able to name the designer and the collection that the item is from.
Keywords Are Key
Most people shop on Etsy by typing in what they’re looking for into the search bar, so it’s vital to include descriptive keywords in your product title, description, and tags.
To get an idea of what sort of words you should be including, you can check out listings of successful shops selling similar items to you.
Once you’ve been trading on Etsy for a while, you can take a look at your shop stats to find out which keywords are attracting clicks and sales.
Learn the Art of Product Photography
When people are shopping online they can’t see and touch items they’re considering, as they would do in a shop, so it’s vital that your product photography is top-notch.
It should go unsaid that your product photographs need to be clear and taken in good light, but you should think about props for styling your items too.
As well as taking studio shots with a plain background, consider taking some lifestyle shots of your fashion items in attractive locations. Think about how clothing and accessories are photographed for fashion magazines to make them appealing.
How Much Does it Cost to Run a Fashion Business on Etsy?
Just like any business, there are costs associated with opening a shop on Etsy.
While there are no monthly fees for running a shop, Etsy charges listing fees of £0.16 per item with a 5% transaction fee and a payment processing fee of 4% + £0.20.
If you’re designing and creating your own fashion clothing or accessories you’ll have to factor in the cost of materials and tools.
You might also want to outsource tasks such as logo design and branding, photography, and writing product descriptions.
Postage and packaging can also be a significant expense when you’re selling online. You can incorporate these costs into your pricing model but you’ll need to have a good idea of how much it all costs before you start listing items.
Don’t forget to keep aside some of your Etsy income for paying taxes. You can earn up to £1,000 a year on Etsy without needing to register with HMRC, but beyond this you’ll have to register as being self-employed (even if you have another job) and pay income tax and national insurance on your Etsy earnings.
Don’t Forget to Promote Your Etsy Fashion Shop
While you’ll probably get most of your traffic via the Etsy search engine, it’s definitely worth promoting your Etsy store on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
This is particularly important if you’re a fashion designer starting your own label, as you’ll most likely want to move your shop off the Etsy platform once you grow bigger.
Building your social media channels will grow a following for your brand and can help to bring in more sales and get you more exposure.
