Will you believe that LitCommerce is about to show you how to start an Etsy shop with no money?
Etsy has already been a great place where you can start a shop with a low initial budget. And for sellers who are looking to start out on Etsy, it is quite possible that you can enter this marketplace with little or no cost at all. Exciting, right? Now, let’s dive into 7 clever tips and tricks for the wonder: How to start an Etsy shop with no money?
- Sell products that have a low investment cost
- Self-design your Etsy store brand for free
- Take Etsy product photos using your smartphone
- Edit photos with free photo editing software
- Use free SEO tools for Etsy
- Get as much free listings as possible
- Make hand-writing shipping labels and Thank-you notes
Wait no more! If you want to know how to sell on Etsy for free, check this article right away|!
How to Start an Etsy Shop With No Money?
Now, you might want to start selling on Etsy since you know that this marketplace costs you nothing to begin with. However, not everyone can start a business on Etsy without any Etsy startup costs. So, how to start an Etsy shop with no money? Below are 7 tips for you.
1. Choose products that have a low investment cost
When starting your Etsy shop with no costs, you should focus on items requiring minimal resources and inventory. Choosing such zero-investment products is a way to lessen initial outlays and risks.
Finding affordable product ideas can be difficult, but we are here to assist you. We have gathered some specially curated ideas for the minimum to zero-cost products/niches to help you get started.
Sell Digital Products
If you want to know how to start an Etsy shop with no money, a great way is to sell digital goods. Digital goods are items that can be sold in digital formats like eBooks, graphic templates, printable designs, SVGs, and more. Popular digital items for small business owners include printables such as social media templates, wall art, craft guides, and more.
The best part about digital products is that they don’t require shipping, maintenance, or inventory costs. You don’t need any budget or investment to start selling digital products online. You just simply need an iPad or computer to design or create something that you can sell using tools like Canva or Adobe Photoshop.
List Digital Items on Etsy for FREE with LitCommerce
LitCommerce is a powerful listing tool for marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon. We support listing digital items for FREE. Learn more now!
Sell DIY Items (Using Recycled Material)
Just think about it. Our houses are always filled with various extra materials and other things. Why not utilize them to create our own products? It’s a great idea if you want to know how to sell something for free on Etsy.
Of course, you may need to brainstorm to figure out what you can use to make a product worth selling. But it will be worth it in the end. You won’t need any money because all the materials are already in your house. Plus, you won’t have to pay someone else to make the products for you.
You can consider the items you have lying around the house as an excellent starting point for generating product ideas. It could be leftover paint, woodworking scraps, fabric scraps, old jeans, and more. All of these can be potential product concepts. For example, you can turn leftover fabric into cute tops and bags or transform paint and wood into stylish home decor.
Make products with low-cost raw materials
Another way how to start an Etsy shop with no money is by making products with inexpensive materials. Finding affordable and suitable raw materials for your product can be a bit challenging. But here’s a tip. You can search for some wholesale stores that offer lower-cost supplies when you buy in bundles.
You can also explore Etsy stores that sell inexpensive raw materials for creating various creative items. For example, in the image below, these stores offer affordable raw materials for making DIY candles.
Feel free to reach out to these stores and inquire about additional discounts. Ordering in bulk will likely make it easier for you to get extra discounts.
Obtain supplies from secondhand and thrift stores
You might have come across Instagram posts where someone transforms a used cabinet from a thrift store into a modern-looking piece and sells it for a higher price.
You can do the same when you start a business on Etsy by searching for potential items in secondhand and thrift stores. Many old kitchenware or home decor items can be easily refurbished and resold. Purchasing materials in this way is much cheaper than buying them new.
Just remember to select relatively lightweight and small items to minimize future shipping costs.
Do dropshipping
How to start an Etsy shop with no money when you cannot make physical or digital products? We recommend you start with dropshipping.
Dropshipping lets you purchase products directly from suppliers and manufacturers, who then ship them directly to your customers. This means you can use the money you receive from customers to place orders with the suppliers. It’s a less risky approach to entering the eCommerce industry because you can sell on Etsy without inventory.
However, it’s important to note that Etsy makes it challenging to engage in dropshipping on its platform. While there isn’t explicit communication prohibiting dropshipping, there are guidelines regarding similar business models and operations, such as reselling.
Do you have a dropshipping business and want to scale up with Etsy? Updating listings across platforms can be time-consuming, but with LitCommerce, managing your Etsy integration becomes effortless. Click the link to discover how we simplify this process for you.
2. Self-design your Etsy store brand for free
When you’re starting out, logos and banners are a need for branding. As your sales increase and you earn money, you can expand your branding efforts.
Instead of hiring an expensive designer to create your Etsy logo and make an Etsy shop banner, you can save Etsy startup costs using free tools and apps to create your branding assets.
Canva is an excellent and mostly free software that you can use to design your logo and banner. Inside Canva, you’ll find thousands of pre-made templates. Simply search for a template like “Etsy shop cover,” choose the one you like, customize it to your preferences, shape the banner to match your shop’s theme, save it, and upload it to your Etsy store.
3. Take Etsy product photos using your smartphone
Another tip on how to start an Etsy shop with no money is to take your product photos using your phone. Having high-quality product photos is essential for your Etsy shop, but investing in an expensive camera or hiring a photographer can be costly.
Instead, you can save money by taking product photos with your phone’s camera. Nowadays, phone cameras are advanced enough to capture good-quality photos.
Here’s a budget-friendly photography setup you can use at home:
- Clear a table in your home, preferably one that is clean and not too colorful. You can cover it with a white cloth or paper to create a clean background for your photos.
- Position the table next to a window to utilize natural light.
- Take photos with strong, indirect sunlight to avoid harsh shadows.
Keep these rules in mind for good product photos:
- Use a clean and simple background that doesn’t distract from the product.
- Place the product in the center of the frame and ensure it is in focus.
- Utilize good natural lighting.
You can try different lighting and backgrounds to capture the best shots of your products for listing. You can also use cloth and paper to create various background options.
4. Edit photos with free photo editing software
Among all the available photo editing software, our personal favorite is Lightroom. It has been in the market for a long time and offers a user-friendly interface that anyone can use. It caters to both beginners and professionals with its advanced options for precise photo adjustments.
We believe Lightroom is the best choice if you’re seeking a reliable and easy way to edit your photos. Even the free version of Lightroom provides everything you need to transform an average product photo into a great one. And if you require more advanced editing features, you can upgrade to the paid version.
Canva is another option for photo editing. Even in its free tier, it offers decent photo editing capabilities. You can easily include text and various elements in your photos within Canva, eliminating the need to switch between platforms.
5. Use free SEO tools for Etsy
When launching your Etsy shop with limited funds, you better maximize your efforts, especially when enhancing your store for search engines. How to start an Etsy shop with no money but you can still have your listing reach potential customers? While paid SEO tools can assist, there are also free alternatives.
A recommended free tool is eRank, which is designed for Etsy sellers. It provides valuable insights on keywords, aiding in research and analysis. eRank helps identify the best keywords for your product listings, which is vital for drawing the right customers to your shop.
In addition, eRank provides helpful tools to track your shop’s performance, including views, favorites, and sales. These metrics give you a better understanding of how your products are performing, and then you can enhance your listings.
6. Get as much free listings as possible
Is Etsy free to sell? Typically, Etsy charges sellers $0.20 for each listing. However, as a new seller, you can reduce Etsy startup costs by getting free listings on this platform. So, if you want to begin selling on Etsy without any money, taking advantage of these free listings is a great idea.
To obtain the free listing opportunity, you can participate in Etsy’s referral program. There are two ways you can receive 40 free listings through this program:
- Invite someone to open their own Etsy shop: If someone uses your referral link and successfully sets up a new shop, you will receive 40 free listings for your own shop.
- Start selling on Etsy by clicking on a referral link: If you create your seller account using an Etsy referral link provided by an existing Etsy shop owner, the platform will reward you with 40 free listings.
If you want more information about Etsy free listings, read our guide on how to get 40 free Etsy listings.
7. Make hand-writing shipping labels and Thank You notes
You don’t need to stress about fancy boxes or thank-you notes right now. If you wonder how to start an Etsy shop with no money, simplicity is key. Write thank-you notes to your customers on paper you have at home.
For packaging and shipping your items, use boxes or packing materials you already have from your own orders. Just make sure to inform your customers about this approach so they know what to expect. This way, you won’t need any money for packaging if you sell physical items.
How to Sell on Etsy for Free: FAQs
Getting your first sale on Etsy can be challenging, but don’t let it discourage you. The first sale is always the toughest to achieve, especially on Etsy, where reviews play a significant role for shoppers. Without any reviews on your shop, you will hardly gain the trust of potential buyers. So, if your store is new, you should focus on researching potential products and applying effective SEO strategies. Yes, you can start an Etsy shop without having a listing. To do this, you can follow these steps: Go to the Etsy homepage and select the “Sell on Etsy” option, then click on the “Open your Etsy shop” button. Provide some basic details about your shop, and you will have the option to decide whether or not to list an item for sale Unlike other marketplaces like Amazon, setting up an Etsy shop is free. So if you wonder but there are costs involved when it comes to listing and selling items on the platform. Is it free to open an Etsy shop? Opening an Etsy shop is free, but fees are involved when it comes to listing and selling items. For each item you list, there is a fee of $0.20 USD. These listings last for 4 months and can be renewed for an additional $0.20 USD per item. In addition, Etsy charges a transaction fee of 6.5% based on the total cost of the sale.
Start Selling on Etsy with No Money Today!
Once you know how to start an Etsy shop with no money, it’s on you to make it happen. You can sell with little or no money, but you need to spend time building your shop. Some Etsy stores succeed, while others don’t earn anything. Yet, if you’re committed, Etsy can bring in extra money or become a full-time job!
So, if you need more tips and guides to develop your Etsy store, check our eCommerce blog for more. Join it now to be a part of the eCommerce world. Should you have any questions, contact us anytime.
