Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies. Gatski Kate

2 through 4 of this book are devoted to selling on Etsy.)

      ❯❯ Register: Click this link to register with the site (see Chapter 2).

      ❯❯ Sign In: If you already have an account, click the Sign In link to log on (see Chapter 2).

      ❯❯ Cart: Click this link to view items in your shopping cart.

      When you sign in to the site, the following links replace the Register and Sign In links (refer to Figure 3-1). (The Sell on Etsy link will remain until you create your Etsy shop, discussed in Chapter 8.)

      ❯❯ Home: If you’ve navigated away from Etsy’s home page to another page on the Etsy Marketplace site, you can click this link to return. (Or, as mentioned, you can click the Etsy logo in the upper-left corner of the header bar.)

      ❯❯ Favorites: Etsy enables you to bookmark your favorite items and shops by adding them to your Favorites. To view your Favorites, click this link. For more on adding Favorites, see Chapter 22.

      ❯❯ Shop Manager: After you set up your Etsy shop (see Chapter 8), this link appears in your header bar. It offers easy access to all the tools you need to manage your shop.

      ❯❯ You: Access your Etsy account from this drop-down menu. Options include View Profile, Conversations, Purchases and Reviews, Account Settings, and Your Teams. Or choose Sign Out to log off your Etsy account. (You get the scoop on managing your account in Chapter 4. For help with your profile, see Chapter 2.)

       The rest of this chapter assumes that you’ve signed in to your account and created your shop. (If you haven’t yet, that’s okay; just be aware that you may not see all the home-page features discussed here.)

      Etsy’s header bar includes one more important feature: a Search bar. When you know just what you’re looking for – say, Kermit the Frog suspenders or a reclaimed barn wood unicycle – you can search for it here. Simply type in a relevant word or phrase and press Enter or Return on your keyboard or click the Search button. (For more info on searching, see Chapter 5.)

Category Eight: Browsing Etsy’s Category Links

      At last count, Etsy featured roughly 1.7 million active sellers, all with their own shops. Don’t worry, though: The items in these shops are organized into broad categories – eight, to be exact – so you can easily find what you’re looking for. Categories include Clothing & Accessories, Jewelry, Craft Supplies & Tools, Weddings, Entertainment, Home & Living, Kids & Baby, and Vintage.

Clicking a category reveals a menu of subcategories and even sub-subcategories to help you narrow the field, as shown in Figure 3-2. When you select one of these, Etsy displays listings for related items (see Figure 3-3). Whether you’re after a bit of jewelry or some vintage awesomeness, Etsy’s categories can help you find the item that’s just right.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 3-2: Drill down to the items you want to see.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 3-3: Etsy displays listings in the chosen category, subcategory, or sub-subcategory.

But Wait! There’s More! Exploring More Ways to Shop from Etsy’s Home Page

      Remember in When Harry Met Sally… how Sally had her own unique way of ordering at a restaurant? “I just want it the way I want it,” she explained. The same is true with shopping on Etsy. Not everyone wants to do it in the same way! Fortunately, Etsy offers several ways to enhance your shopping experience, right from its home page.

       Viewing personalized picks

      Etsy’s home page features a few special areas with listings just for you.

       Some of these areas may not appear, depending on whether you’ve viewed or favorited any listings or shops. If not, you may simply see an additional Categories section, which, like the links along the top of the page, offer easy access to various Etsy categories. The same goes if you’re not signed in.

      ❯❯ Recently Viewed: This section of the Etsy home page offers you quick access to the items you’ve viewed most recently. Simply click an item to open its listing. Or view additional items by clicking the See More link. (You’ll see a similar link on several parts of the Etsy home page.)

❯❯ Recently Favorited: Anything you’ve favorited lately appears in this part of the home page. Figure 3-4 shows the Recently Viewed and Recently Favorited parts of the Etsy home page.

      ❯❯ Our Picks for [You]: Based on listings you’ve favorited, Etsy generates a personalized list of items that just may pique your interest.

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      New from Your Favorite Shops: Etsy doesn’t limit you to favoriting listings. You can also favorite shops. When you do, fresh items from those shops appear on Etsy’s home page. As always, simply click an item to open its listing.

You can also keep up with your favorite shops by perusing the Updates from Shops You Like feed. It’s kind of like an Instagram feed. Shop owners use it to share news, reveal works in progress, highlight new items, and show different ways to use their products (among other things). Figure 3-5 shows the New from Your Favorite Shop and Updates from Shops You Like sections of the Etsy home page.

      ❯❯ From People You Follow: Etsy enables you to follow other site members, kind of like how you can follow people on, say, Twitter. For example, you could follow the owner of a shop you love or a friend you’ve made on the site. When someone you follow favorites an item on Etsy, that item appears in the From People You Follow area of the home page. (You can find out more about following people on Etsy in Chapter 22.)

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 3-4: Revisit recently viewed and recently favorited listings here.

      Source: Etsy.com

       FIGURE 3-5: Keep up with shops you like.

       Perusing more suggestions from Etsy

      In addition to offering you personal picks, the Etsy home page includes sections with additional suggestions. You’ll see the same suggestions regardless of who you are, whether you’re signed in or not.

      ❯❯ Shops Worth Exploring: This section features a handful of shops that, in Etsy’s estimation, deserve a look.

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