Etsy is a popular site for retailing hand-made products. The site is based in the United States. However, people from other countries can sell there as well.

Why should you sell there? One of the reasons is that it is one of the biggest marketplaces for hand-made items. So you can really boost your popularity by using it.

It’s a very secure site, which means you don’t have to worry about your personal information getting stolen by a third party. And they accept many forms of payment, such as cash, check, PayPal, and so on.

However, while there are lots of potential customers that use it, there is also a lot of competition. So you can’t just put something up and expect it to sell. Here are four tips for making money on the site:

#1) Do good product research

Without knowing what sells, you won’t make a lot of money. So if you are marketing hand-made t-shirts, first check and see the average selling price of comparable t-shirts on the site. If the sale price isn’t sufficient to make a big profit, either market another product or sell your t-shirts somewhere else.

#2) Use pictures

This will make your product stand out.

#3) Be active on the Etsy forum

This will help you establish yourself as an expert. Therefore it will be more likely that people will listen to you. Engaging your customers is one of the best strategies for making money.

Make sure to ask them a lot of questions about what they want, and provide useful answers. Giving away great free information is the best way to brand yourself an expert.

#4) Have a good profile

Don’t just use your profile to talk about things like payment methods and return policy. This is not interesting. Instead, tell a little of your story here, such as why you are selling your particular product, what got you into it, and what keeps you motivated. Incorporating personality into your business is important.

Customers do not buy from businesses; they buy from people. So bringing your personality into your marketing is smart. Keep the paragraphs short and to the point, and emphasize your passions for the topic.

Also, mention rewards or publicity you’ve gotten. If you’ve received a write-up in a popular niche magazine or the newspaper, mention it here! This gives you more credibility, and will help build you as an expert without being a blatant ad.

So Etsy is a great site for making money – when you do it right. But you can’t just throw something up and expect it to sell. Instead, you need to brand yourself as an expert. This is how to make a lot of money on Etsy, selling items you are passionate about.