This Etsy guide will help you strengthen your brand's presence in the Internet space. We'll explore Etsy dropshipping policy, the inner processes, and what steps to take to develop your online store promotion.
For twelve years, Etsy has been an online marketplace with over 81.9 million unique buyers. The platform nurtures small and seemingly unremarkable ideas, making them great projects. Here, hobbies and creative passions take on a new face and authenticity. For example, one of the most famous million-subscribe stores is Planner Kate, which sells colorful supplies for printed schedule planners. More than 50,000 fans follow the company, but that doesn't stop other players selling the same goods from entering the market at all.
Sometimes beginning entrepreneurs may not have enough experience in creating their line of products, so seeking to expand their online store, it is worth paying attention to print on demand and dropshipping. Etsy may be a good fit for manufacturers considering getting the goods in clients' hands.
Dropshipping on Etsy comes with a built-in audience whose different segments require specific strategies. Read on about where to start, how to make a memorable brand, and why dropshipping can be a helping hand for business.
Pros and cons of Etsy dropshipping
Etsy dropshipping vs Shopify dropshipping
Dropshipping from Aliexpress to Etsy
How to boost your chances to win?
Dropshipping on Etsy has recently become more attractive than ever before, with about 2.1 million active retailers who seem to have struck gold. They essentially can sell goods without being involved in their manufacturing, storage, and delivery. This business model benefits from getting products directly into customers' hands for suppliers.
At the beginning of the journey, a dropshipper needs to understand how to sell POD on Etsy. To do this, they should preliminarily evaluate the audience and its preferences; it is worth taking care to cooperate with a reliable supplier. The latter, in turn, will ensure production, assembly, and delivery. The dropshipper coordinates and monitors all manipulation of the item. Here are a few more advantages of working in this market:
Such an ideal scheme has its disadvantages. Here’s a quick rundown:
Best Dropshipping Products to Sell in 2023
Etsy is entirely different from other marketplaces, but its main difference is its features. For instance, in 2018, Etsy closed its wholesale program. Is dropshipping still allowed on Etsy? Yes, but it can sometimes excite its users about rule updates. Let's take a closer look at them.
The platform describes a unique space for out-and-outer items in its "What Can Be Sold" section. Essentially, anything you sell should be handmade, vintage, or artisanal with the obligatory indication of authorship.
Remember that you will have to overcome many difficulties before getting your first profit. But if you're reading this guide, you've already done a good amount of work. So, to attract the client, apply the tactics of introducing explicit and exciting content. Suppose you are promoting eco-friendly items. In that case, you should specify how sustainable your Etsy dropshipping suppliers are, or what materials the items are made of. These details will help eco-activists decide on a choice, but for the ordinary users - to pay attention to such a promising direction. In the "About Us" tab, you can describe the process of making things by filling the text with interesting photos. Visual elements and deep semantic content will interest the users. But how to get them further down the sales funnel? To grow trust in the brand in their souls, you'll have to ask your customers to share feedback about the service, quality of products, and delivery. This is what a brief version of an engagement strategy looks like. Learn more about it here.
When you're seeking options to take your company outside of Etsy, It's impossible not to notice Shopify. So, the goal of this section is to understand which platform is better. Let’s compare the two.
You've already seen that Etsy and Shopify dropshipping are interrelated - each of the items will buy a specific segment of the audience, ultimately leading to a reputation for reliability and relevance, a base of loyal clients, and less spending resources on attracting new visitors. The main reason people choose Etsy is that they like the history of the brand and each unique item. Let your visitors become part of your story - redirect traffic to similar goods on Shopify. Of course, you have to spend a lot of energy attracting users, but this approach will succeed.
How To Build A Shopify Print-on-Demand Business from Scratch
Utilizing Shopify apps, you can promote your website on Etsy. We have previously mentioned the Podza platform. It provides for the synchronization of profiles and the ability to develop a brand. Simplifying many of the processes will allow you to evaluate the dropshipping model better and add the correct elements to the strategy. You will not be able to become a wholesaler, and the huge amount of paid traffic (e.g., advertising) that you will direct to attract a potential buyer will be quite challenging to handle. In addition, such original goods exclude the possibility of replacement, which will lead to clients’ dissatisfaction. Proper risk management will ensure that your brand exists and remains profitable. Dropshipping from Etsy to Shopify is a prime example of multichannel marketing. The point is that analyzing the number of sales of certain products will help you understand which of them will capture more traffic shortly. You can balance store management in Shopify and dropshipping on Etsy. A blockbuster on one site will capture the attention of a new audience on another.
Dropshipping through Etsy involves selling personalized things that you can take to grow on Shopify. That is the principle followed by Lorena Holdeman, the owner of HaldeCraft: she decided to split the sales, attract new clients, and keep regular ones. The woman also introduced the sale of handmade goods on both websites.
Dropshipping from AliExpress to Etsy is forbidden. According to the platform's philosophy, all items must be handmade, vintage, and artisanal. That means that the volume of such products is limited and will bring less profit than bulk purchases. Nevertheless, some entrepreneurs are trying to invade the platform: they take photos, describe the details, and pass things off as crafts. If such accounts are detected, they face a ban.
Aliexpress dropshipping model is designed to work not only with online retailers but also with resellers. The scheme is quite simple: no upfront fees or charges allow you to test items without a significant financial investment. How does this relate to the ban on Etsy sales? If you're running a print on demand dropshipping store with designs made on your own, you have unlimited access to the marketplace. Thus, use white label items with their unique design and packaging.
When selling such items on Etsy, your competitive advantages may be price or authenticity. To attract more customers, you need to develop your brand's marketing. Facilitate web page navigation, make a convenient and attractive online store interface, replenish the assortment with trendy goods, set up a smooth operation of the support service, etc.
Maybe Etsy isn’t the best platform for dropshipping. Although that doesn't mean you should work on different marketplaces - all you need is omnichannel trading. In addition to Etsy, utilize other markets such as Aliexpress, Shopify, etc. That way, adapt the product lines to the audience's demand.
All you need is to create your powerful brand. People always remember the corporate identity, logo, niche products, specifics of service, and delivery. So, there's nothing better than having a database with customer contacts, notifying them about new products' availability, telling fashion news with the news digest.
You can redirect dropshipping to Etsy if there is a low demand for specific products on other websites. Plus, you may sell countless items with no listing fees or any additional charges.
Here are five tips to help you develop your business promotion strategy:
Of course, customers most often buy from sellers who offer competitive prices, quality products, and direct delivery. In addition, the latter should have a low cost compared with competitors or even be free.
This article has finally answered the main question that bothers many entrepreneurs: does Etsy allow dropshipping? Yes, this platform is perfect for this business model. The basic principles of omnichannel marketing can help you manage multiple websites and not lose profits. To do this, determine the niche, segment the audience, and analyze what items are better to sell on a particular site. There is nothing inexplicable in the world except for the universe. So the creation of the store and product testing can be the first step in exploring the limits of your abilities.
REQUEST A FREE DEMO