How To Start Dropshipping On Etsy: A Guide To Starting A Unique Online Business

Are you looking to start your dropshipping business on Etsy and maximize your store’s potential? If so, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we will guide you through the world of Etsy dropshipping, revealing its numerous benefits and showing you how to get started. By the end, you’ll have all the key knowledge and strategies needed to succeed in this thriving online marketplace.

By offering unique, handmade products, you can attract a wider customer base and safeguard your business. Discover the power of dropshipping on Etsy and unlock the potential for substantial growth.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the fascinating world of Etsy dropshipping and pave the way for your online business success!

Why Sell On Etsy?

Of all dropshipping marketplaces, why should we dropship on Etsy? Well, Etsy offers a comprehensive list of advantages that will benefit our online business.

Here are the top reasons to start an Etsy dropshipping business:

• Open marketplace 
• Free organic traffic
• Minimal competition
• Low upfront costs
• Niche platform 
• Branding opportunities
• Higher profit margins
• Scalability
• Integration with AutoDS

Etsy is an open marketplace, so any dropshipper can start selling on this platform. Additionally, dropshipping on Etsy lets us enjoy free organic traffic so that we can maximize our sales conversion potential. Besides that, Etsy’s minimal competition and low upfront costs allow us to build our business easily.

Similarly, Etsy is a niche platform that enables us to offer unique and hand-crafted products. With that said, we can enjoy more branding opportunities and higher profit margins. As a highly scalable platform, we can expand our business globally and earn substantial passive income.

As a matter of fact, Etsy generated about 11.8 billion USD in gross sales in 2022. This value speaks about the profitability of Etsy dropshipping, which we can enjoy while selling in this marketplace.

Above all, Etsy integrates with AutoDS, allowing us to automate our Etsy store. As a result, we can enjoy complete business automation while gaining massive sales and profit.

What Am I Allowed To Sell On Etsy?

Since Etsy vows to offer quality business to its clients, it regulates the product types allowed on the platform. As dropshippers, it’s important to identify the right products to sell while ensuring our business runs legally. 

With that said, here are the products we should dropship to attain success on Etsy:

Now, we know the trending handmade, vintage, and unique items for our Etsy dropshipping stores. But, how can we find these top-selling items on Etsy? 

Well, search no more! These unique product ideas belong to the best-selling categories on Etsy. In particular, here are the product categories where we can find and sell these products:

• Jewelry
• Clothing
• Home goods
• Art and Entertainment
• Party invitations, gifts, etc.

Meanwhile, we must remember that there are products to avoid when dropshipping on Etsy. We should not sell products that belong to the following categories:

• Hazardous materials
• Liquids
• Medicines, supplements
• Choking hazard
• Tobacco
• Firearms

Dropshipping items related to these categories can lead to store suspension or legal sanctions. That’s why, we must curate all items we are adding on Etsy to ensure that they’re acceptable and legal. In this way, we can run our Etsy dropshipping stores smoothly while enjoying huge profits.

Etsy Shop Manager Overview

Now, let’s explore the Etsy Shop Manager. Here, we can find all aspects that we need when running our Etsy dropshipping stores. As an overview, here are the features of the Etsy Shop Manager:

• Dashboard
• Listings
• Messages
• Orders & Delivery
• Star Seller
• Store Stats & Analytics
• Finances
• Marketing
• Integrations
• Community & Help
• Store Settings

In the following sections, we’ll discover how each of these features works.

Dashboard

To begin, the Dashboard contains the general overview of our Etsy dropshipping stores. In this section, we can access insights, such as total product views, store visits, orders, and revenue. Besides this, we can see how many customers add our products to their favorite lists.

Generally, the Dashboard gives us the outline of what’s happening in our Etsy dropshipping business. It summarizes the processes and transactions in one place for easier access.

Listings

Next, we have the Listings. This menu highlights our active, inactive, and draft store listings on Etsy. This section helps us monitor the performance of our product listings. Plus, it lets us modify our listings to suit our Etsy dropshipping stores’ needs.

Messages

Another aspect of our Etsy Shop Manager is the Messages. This feature lets us connect with Etsy and get updates on the latest announcements. In addition, the Messages section allows us to communicate with our customers.

Since we want to extend exceptional customer support, we have to manage the Messages section. Subsequently, we must ensure that messages are promptly checked and addressed. 

Orders & Delivery

Under the Orders & Delivery section, we can set order processing times and manage customer demands. Likewise, this section helps us manage shipping labels and shipping rates. Moreover, we can handle reviews and cases with the help of this feature, in cases of negative reviews or case resolutions.

Star Seller

Then, we have the Etsy Shop Manager’s Star Seller section. Being a start seller on Etsy enables us to rank higher on customer search results. Plus, getting a star helps us gain customers’ trust in our business, leading to higher sales conversions.

To qualify as a star seller, we must achieve at least a 95% message response rate and 4.8+ product ratings. Also, a 95% timely shipping and delivery of customer orders is required, depending on our store policies.

Furthermore, our Etsy dropshipping stores must have minimum sales of $200 and at least five successful orders. Once we meet the given criteria, we can obtain the star seller rating.

Store Stats & Analytics

Now, let’s explore Store Stats & Analytics. In this section, we’ll learn about visitor demographics and how they were able to discover our stores. Aside from that, we’ll gain insights into our Etsy dropshipping stores’ orders, conversion rates, and revenues.

Under this section, we’ll understand customer behaviors through their product views, favorites, orders, and more. In this way, we’ll know how to diversify our store listings, according to customer demands. 

Finances

On to Finances, this section provides everything we need regarding payments and financial statements. Here, we’ll see the amount we need to settle for our transactions, such as the listing fees. Additionally, we can monitor our monthly statements and change our payment preferences.

Marketing

The Marketing section allows us to run ads, making our Etsy dropshipping stores more visible in customer searches. Plus, this feature enables us to create sales and discounts to maximize our store sales. For instance, we can send offers to previous buyers to attract more repurchases.

In addition, Etsy helps us manage abandoned carts by sending customers reminders of their pending orders. Moreover, we can turn customers’ favorite items into orders by offering exclusive deals.

Integrations

To help us improve our Etsy dropshipping business, the Integrations page provides helpful apps that we can add to our stores. We can select from several marketing, SEO, bookkeeping & taxes, and inventory & analytics apps in the platform. With the help of these add-ons, we can optimize and manage our Etsy stores efficiently.

Community & Help

Then, we have the Community & Help section. We can create ticket submission options for our customers so that we can address their concerns promptly. Also, this section allows us to access what clients say about our service, helping us improve our business.

Moreover, the Etsy Help Center allows users to search for frequently asked questions and discover possible solutions to queries. Also, the page has featured articles to guide sellers and buyers on doing business with Etsy. As dropshippers, we can explore relevant content to help us get our Etsy dropshipping business started.

Store Settings

Finally, the Store Settings enable us to choose from Etsy’s subscription packages. In particular, we have the Etsy Standard and Etsy Plus plans. The Etsy Standard is a default plan for all dropshippers, with no monthly costs, that comes with basic tools. Meanwhile, Etsy Plus costs $10/month, available with more exclusive features to help sellers take their business to a higher level.

In this section, we can set up our ‘About Us’ page, helping customers understand our business. Also, this feature lets us establish our business policies, such as delivery, shipping, returns, and more. Moreover, the settings enable us to create offsite ads and integrate our Etsy stores on social media platforms, such as Facebook Shops.

On top of everything, the Store Settings allow us to customize the appearance of our Etsy dropshipping stores. By doing so, we can create a unique storefront that will distinguish our business from the competition.

Etsy Selling Fees & Payment Methods

Before we go further, let’s first understand the platform’s different selling fees and payment methods. Here are the fees that we will encounter when dropshipping on Etsy:

• Listing Fee
• Transaction Fee
• Payment Processing Fee
• Etsy Ad Fees
• Offsite Ad Fees
• Etsy Plus Program

Listing Fee

The listing fee costs $0.20 for each product we add to our Etsy dropshipping store. This fee automatically renews every four months and/or per product sale. We continue to pay the listing fees as long as we add new products or until we cancel automatic renewals. 

Transaction Fee

Another type of charge when dropshipping on Etsy is the transaction fee. For every sale we make, we are charged a transaction fee. This value corresponds to 6.5% of the displayed price of each listing plus the shipping fee and gift wrapping cost, when applicable.

Payment Processing Fee

We also pay the payment processing cost for every transaction on Etsy. Depending on the seller’s location, this fee ranges from about 3%-4.5% plus $0.30 per sale.

Therefore, it’s crucial to set competitive product prices to gain substantial profits. To address this concern, we can utilize the AutoDS Price Optimization Tool to help us assign the best prices to our Etsy dropshipping products.

Etsy Ad Fees

Investing in marketing tools is crucial to establish a distinctive name within the Etsy marketplace. One way to promote our Etsy dropshipping business is to subscribe to paid advertisements under the Advertising Dashboard on the Shop Manager. However, purchasing paid advertisements is optional, depending on our marketing budget.

If we opt to subscribe, we can set our daily maximum budget or follow the predetermined minimum value required by Etsy. The Etsy ad fees are recurring and deducted from our current balances unless we unsubscribe to paid advertisements.

Offsite Ad Fees

Another type of marketing strategy on Etsy are the offsite ads. When paying for offsite ad fees, Etsy will promote our product listings on external sites, such as Google. Then, when customers access and purchase our products through offsite ads, an additional fee of 12% or 15% applies, depending on our store’s collective sales.

Meanwhile, sellers who made at least $10K in sales in the past 365 days will automatically qualify for offsite ads. We can choose to opt-out by connecting with Etsy’s customer service.

Etsy Plus Program

By default, sellers are on the Etsy Standard plan. However, we can subscribe to Etsy Plus if we want to access additional tools to expand our Etsy dropshipping business. Subscribing to this plan is optional, costing $10/month.

Under the Etsy Plus Program, we can gain 15 listing credits amounting to $3, and $5 worth of Etsy Ads credits. The subscription fee is automatically renewed every month unless we cancel our subscription.

How To Start Dropshipping On Etsy

Yay! After getting an overview of the shop manager, it’s time to start dropshipping on Etsy. Here are the eight simple steps toward establishing a winning Etsy dropshipping business:

1. Create An Etsy Seller Account
2. Connect Etsy To AutoDS
3. Find Best-Sellers For Your Etsy Dropshipping Store
4. Select A Dropshipping Supplier
5. Import Your First Product To Your Etsy Store
6. Promote Your Etsy Dropshipping Store
7. Fulfill Customer Orders
8. Offer Exceptional Support To Your Customers

Let’s get into the action, beginning with creating our account.

1. Create An Etsy Seller Account

To get our Etsy dropshipping store started, we need to create our seller account. Begin by going over to Etsy’s website and clicking ‘Register.’ Then, input your name, e-mail address, and password. To proceed, click ‘Get Started,’ and we will be directed to Etsy’s homepage.

Scroll down at the bottom of the page, click ‘Open your Etsy shop’ and proceed by clicking ‘Let’s do this.’ Then, click ‘Start your shop,’ and we’ll start setting up our Etsy dropshipping store.

We need to choose our store’s language, country, and currency for our store preferences. Then, click ‘Save and continue.’ Next, we must input an enticing name for our Etsy dropshipping business.

To continue establishing our Etsy dropshipping store, we need to create a product listing. Here, we have to upload images or videos of our product listing. Plus, we need to provide the product title, description, category, and other relevant information.

We can begin our Etsy dropshipping store by listing something we have at home as our first product. From there, we can explore more trending product ideas to keep our business running.

Besides the product information, we must also add our shipping arrangements and return/exchange policies. Notably, Etsy provides ready-to-use templates that we can adopt, or we can upload our own store policies. Moreover, creating an account requires us to set our payment options, billing details, and shop security. 

Verification Process

After listing our first product, we must undergo the verification process. This process requires our personal information, such as name, address, birth date, and more. Likewise, Etsy will ask us for our payment/bank information, where we’ll receive customer payments and process our payouts.

To complete our application, we have to provide our government-issued ID. Then, Etsy will proceed with the verification process. For some sellers, the confirmation only takes one day after the submission.

Etsy’s Seller Policies

When starting an Etsy dropshipping store, we need to familiarize ourselves with the Seller Policies. In particular, Etsy imposes guidelines on Advertising & Marketing, Community, Fees & Payments, Prohibited Items, and more.

These policies help us know our rights and obligations as dropshippers on Etsy. With the help of these policies, our business is well-guided and can remain sustainable in the long run.

2. Connect Etsy To AutoDS

To take our business to the next level, we need to integrate our Etsy dropshipping stores with AutoDS. As such, AutoDS is an all-in-one dropshipping automation solution that can help us streamline our Etsy business processes.

With that said, here are some key features that we can automate with AutoDS:

• Quick product importing
• Price/stock automation
• Automatic orders
• Easily set your break-even, profit percentage

Essentially, dropshipping automation lets us connect our Etsy stores to our suppliers for faster product sourcing. With automation, we don’t need to manually copy product details and input them individually to our Etsy stores. Instead, we can import diverse product options to our stores in just a few minutes with the help of dropshipping software like AutoDS.

With dropshipping automation, price and stock monitoring is easier than ever. The system automatically updates stock and price fluctuations under one dashboard, so we don’t need to go back and forth on different platforms. Plus, AutoDS automatically detects what products sell best and which ones have poor sales conversions.

Moreover, we can conveniently manage customer demands with the AutoDS’ automatic orders feature. The program automatically processes orders as they come so customers can receive their packages promptly.

Another beneficial aspect of automation is price optimization. AutoDS helps us set our break-even prices and profit margins to help us achieve optimum revenue from our sales.

Undoubtedly, business automation saves significant time in running our Etsy dropshipping stores. Many dropshippers have attained huge successes while partnering with AutoDS. Even while we’re away, AutoDS ensures that our stores are running efficiently and massive profits continue to flow.

3. Find Best-Sellers For Your Etsy Dropshipping Store

When starting an Etsy dropshipping business, offering the right products is crucial. Remember that when selling on marketplaces, like Etsy, we need to establish distinct product listings to get ahead of the competition. That’s why, we need to undergo thorough product research to find best-sellers that will help us stay ahead of the dropshipping game.

To find winning products to sell on Esty, here are free product research methods we can utilize:

• Etsy’s Top Sellers
• AutoDS TikTok Spy
• AutoDS Winning Products Hub
• Product-Finding Blog Articles 
• Sell These Now YouTube Playlist 
• AliExpress Dropship Center

Etsy’s Top Sellers

On Etsy’s website, we can explore the ‘Top Sellers’ section to get insights about products with high sales volumes. By knowing customers’ recent purchases and frequent needs, we can add items that can attract maximum traffic. As a result, we can maximize our sales conversions.

AutoDS TikTok Spy

Another great way to discover trending products is to use the AutoDS TikTok Spy tool. It allows you to watch tons of videos and ads on TikTok that are currently promoting hot items. You can tune your product research with filters and sort videos by the number of likes, impressions, interaction rate, etc. So instead of spending time searching through TikTok manually, you get trending videos with products in a few clicks.

AutoDS Winning Products Hub

The AutoDS Winning Products Hub is another tool that can provide the best products to sell on Etsy. What’s more, the hub lets us access insights about the products, such as retail costs, selling prices, and profit margins. In addition, we can analyze the sales potential of an item by analyzing ads, engagement rates, target audiences, and the current seller’s website. 

AutoDS Blog & YouTube Channel

Moreover, AutoDS provides timely top product suggestions through its Product-Finding Blog articles. Likewise, its Sell These Now YouTube playlist provides best-selling product ideas that can maximize our profits on Etsy.

AliExpress Dropship Center

Meanwhile, the AliExpress Dropship Center is an excellent source of the most trending products to sell on Etsy. This platform lets us search for millions of profitable products and lets us set filters to narrow down our choices. For instance, we can find items according to their warehouse locations, price ranges, and other aspects to help us find our next winning items.

4. Select A Dropshipping Supplier

To ensure that we dropship high-quality vintage and crafted items, we need to work with reliable suppliers. Since our suppliers are our business partners, we must ensure to connect our Etsy dropshipping stores with the best sourcing platforms.

Here are the factors we need to consider when selecting a dropshipping supplier:

• International Warehouses
• Fast Shipping & Delivery Times
• Partner With Reliable Shipping Couriers
• Various Payment Options
• Affordable Product Pricing
• Wide Product Range
• Positive Reviews
• Excellent Customer Service
• Practical return, payment, and shipping policies

There are many dropshipping suppliers to source from, such as AliExpress, Banggood, Walmart, Amazon, and more. Remarkably, AutoDS integrates with reliable dropshipping suppliers to help us cater to customer demands worldwide.

In addition, we can work with the AutoDS warehouse and private suppliers. The AutoDS warehouse is an order fulfillment center, allowing us to brand products with our logos. Likewise, private suppliers cater to AutoDS, ensuring that our competitors do not have access to the same product catalog as us.

Keep in mind that specific product categories apply when dropshipping on Etsy. Therefore, we need to choose suppliers who can provide us with the best vintage and hand-crafted product choices.

5. Import Your First Product To Your Etsy Store

Importing products to our Etsy dropshipping stores can be a tedious process when done manually. Manual product importing requires us to copy all product details from the supplier’s website and paste these details on our Etsy dropshipping stores. This method requires significant time to accomplish and can be prone to input errors.

But we don’t have to worry about undergoing the long process anymore. With automatic product importing methods, we can add as many items as we want on Etsy in the least amount of time possible.

As our partner in dropshipping, AutoDS helps us streamline the product importing process with these easy-to-use methods:

• One-Click Importer
• Single Product Uploader
• Multiple Product IDs/URLs
• Bulk Importer

Let’s go over importing a vintage item using the single product uploader.

Single Product Uploader

The single product uploader is designed to facilitate the quick import of individual products. To initiate the process, we need to copy the product URL or ID from the supplier’s website and navigate to the AutoDS platform. Once there, click the ‘Add Products’ option from the left menu, followed by the ‘Single Product’ button.

Next, we should paste the URL or ID into the dialogue box, and click the ‘Edit Now (Quick)’ button. At this point, the product will appear as a draft, and we can proceed to optimize it.

Optimization involves assigning a search-engine-optimized (SEO) title, image, description, tag, location, and other relevant details. Doing so can enhance the product’s ranking potential in customer keyword searches.

Dedicate time to crafting quality product titles and descriptions. Do not just copy-paste them from the supplier’s website; this is a bad practice. Our listings must be original and well-written if we want to attract customers.

We can also utilize bullet points and emojis to add flavor to the plain text. Remember that optimized product titles and descriptions give off a more professional appearance in our stores as well as increase our store’s visibility on marketplaces and search engines.

After completing the optimization process, we can click ‘Save’ to update the changes. To transfer the product to Etsy, click ‘Import.’ Finally, the item will move to the ‘Products’ page, indicating that it is now visible in our Etsy dropshipping store.

AI Rewrite Tool

To help with product optimizations, we can take advantage of the AutoDS AI Rewrite tool. Developed to save time and hassle, this powerful AI tool enhances the titles and descriptions of the products we import.

With the AI Rewrite feature, we can effortlessly enhance and optimize the titles and descriptions of our products after uploading them to our store. Instead of manually writing prompts for ChatGPT or using the supplier’s un-optimized title/description, we can now optimize our listings in seconds from within the AutoDS platform.

Here are the main benefits of the AI Rewrite tool:

• Saves time and effort
• Easy to use and save
• Generates quality descriptions and titles that sell

You can choose what to update: title, description, or both. In addition, you can set the tone and temperature of the generated sections to make them funny or more sellable.

Forget about manual copy-pasting between supplier pages and your listings. All you have to do is press the button, and AI will handle it.

Etsy Templates

We can use AutoDS Etsy templates to create product listings that truly stand out. With customized themes, page visualizations, quick navigation links, etc., we can make our listings unique, attract buyers, and boost sales.

For example, you’re preparing for a Halloween sale. During this time, the competition is fierce. Therefore, every seller is vying for the attention of potential buyers. Instead of blending in with the crowd, AutoDS templates provide a playful and thematic backdrop, allowing your products to resonate with the festive spirit. Whatever you sell, these templates empower your listings to tell a story and connect with potential buyers.

There are templates for each occasion and for different product categories. Moreover, we can apply them to both new listings and update already active ones. You can edit each product separately, drafts, and multiple listings through bulk editing.

Bulk Edit Products

As you might know already, the ability to edit multiple products at once is a huge time-saver. With AutoDS, we can update hundreds of listings simultaneously and change pricing, quantity, templates, etc.

But, due to technical limitations, not everything can be bulk edited. Until now, our users had to change the category for each product separately. Now, with the recent updates, we can do it in bulk, too.

You can change Etsy categories from the Drafts and Products page, which is very convenient. This improvement makes your selling experience even more efficient and enjoyable.

6. Promote Your Etsy Dropshipping Store

Marketing is crucial for any business, and dropshipping on Etsy is no exception. Essentially, marketing on Etsy is crucial to increase visibility, target ideal audiences, build our brands, gain competitive edges, and uncover valuable insights.

By investing in marketing, we can grow our Etsy dropshipping stores and achieve our business goals. When it comes to marketing, Etsy has internal and external marketing methods. 

Marketing Methods Within Etsy (Internal):

• Etsy ads 
• Etsy offsite ads 

Marketing Methods Outside Etsy (External):

• Facebook PPC Ads 
• Influencer Marketing 
• Posting On Social Media (go viral for free!)
• TikTok Marketing

Since Etsy is a vast marketplace, we need to utilize effective promotional methods to establish brand awareness. When we can reach a substantial audience, our sales potential increases. As a result, we can multiply our successes and gain a competitive advantage while dropshipping on Etsy.

7. Fulfill Customer Orders

When our Etsy dropshipping store starts getting sales, we need to fulfill orders quickly. Fulfilling orders as they come is a key component of a successful dropshipping business. By prioritizing prompt order processing, we can improve customer satisfaction, optimize stock management, improve cash flow, and increase productivity.

One way to serve customer demands is through manual order fulfillment. This method requires us to purchase the order from the supplier’s website and input customer details for shipping purposes. Using the manual method when dealing with multiple orders can lead to delays and unsatisfactory service.

So, there is no better way than automating the order fulfillment process. With automatic order fulfillment, we can enjoy continuous business operations, even while we’re away.

With that said, AutoDS has the Automatic Orders feature, which uses our buyer accounts to fulfill customer orders. These buyer accounts are our preferred payment methods set on our suppliers’ websites. With this feature, we can monitor the whereabouts of orders under one dashboard to ensure that customers receive them on time.

Another automatic method of serving customer demands is the Fulfilled by AutoDS service. With this feature, we won’t worry about order limitations as the system utilizes our auto-order credits on the AutoDS platform. Plus, we can extend real-time order tracking updates and managed shipping fees or cashback with supported suppliers.

Product Sourcing Quotes

Due to the nature of the platform, Etsy sellers enjoy lower competition, comparably with marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. Still, this doesn’t mean we don’t have to compete. On the opposite, because each Etsy seller has its own shipping & return policies, shoppers pay attention and look for the best terms. How do we ensure we can offer the best terms? By using the Product Sourcing Quotes service from AutoDS!

This innovative feature transforms order fulfillment and addresses common pain points dropshippers face. It simplifies and optimizes the order fulfillment process, particularly when dealing with Chinese suppliers. Here is how it works:

1. When you receive an order from a Chinese supplier or an unmonitored source, you can request a quote from AutoDS.

2. Our team swiftly processes your request, typically within 48 hours.

3. After processing, you’ll receive a range of options to choose from, including product variations, shipping methods, and associated costs.

4. Once you decide to source a product, its status changes to “linked.” You can connect only your product to the chosen AutoDS-sourced item (for future orders) or link existing pending orders.

For Etsy sellers, this means faster shipping options, possibly cheaper products, and product quality assurance. Here is why we should consider using this feature:

• Quality Assurance: We established a warehouse where products undergo thorough inspections before shipping to your end customers.
• Faster Delivery: We’ve streamlined the sourcing process, allowing you to choose from various shipping options and prices and enjoy faster delivery times for your customers.
• Effortless Process: The process is quick and efficient. Within 48 hours, you’ll have multiple options at your fingertips.
• Customization: Tailor your sourcing with various options for product variations, shipping methods, and costs, meeting your specific needs.
• Cost Savings: Find competitive and often lower-priced products, maximizing your profitability.

With Product Sourcing Quotes, we can stand out from competitors by offering our Etsy customers the best shipping terms. We can attract shoppers with lower prices, while quality inspection guarantees customer satisfaction, which can lead to repeat purchases. Moreover, you don’t even have to contact the suppliers. AutoDS will handle that!

8. Offer Exceptional Support To Your Customers

Extending excellent customer service helps us differentiate our Etsy business from the competition. Likewise, the level of customer satisfaction can greatly impact the success of our Etsy dropshipping ventures.

By offering exceptional support to your customers, we can build stronger relationships with our clients. Thus, we can establish our business as a trusted and reliable provider of vintage and hand-made products.

Etsy’s support team is accessible through the help center. Here, the company provides a selection of frequently asked questions or related issues on Etsy. In addition, Etsy is easily accessible through phone, email, live chat, or ticket submissions.

Then, we can extend these services to our customers through our Etsy dropshipping stores. Doing so will give us a clearer communication line with our customers. As a result, we can connect with them easier and serve their concerns efficiently.

How To Handle Returns & Refunds On Etsy

After knowing the different fees on Etsy, let’s proceed with understanding the return and refund policies on this selling channel. Here are the most important concepts we need to know:

• Free Returns
• Paid Returns
• Seller Fee Refunds

Next, we’ll discuss how these features work.

Free Returns

When we offer free returns, we need to connect with the buyer through Etsy messages and send a return label. When a customer returns a product, we must secure a return label from the supplier and send it to the buyer. Then, we can track the whereabouts of the return.

Once the sourcing warehouse receives the returned item, the supplier will issue a refund. Next, we will forward the refund to our buyer through the Etsy Shop Manager.  

Paid Returns

On the other hand, paid returns require customers to handle the shipping expenses back to the supplier. In this case, we need to send the buyer the return address. Then, the customer will purchase a return label and ship the package back to the supplier.

Once the product is returned, the supplier will give us a refund. Subsequently, we can send the amount to the buyer through the Etsy Shop Manager.

Seller Fee Refunds

Since a sale has taken place, this means that we have covered the costs of transaction and payment processing fees. So, what happens to these fees when a customer returns the order?

After sending a refund to the customer using the Etsy Shop Manager, the applicable fees that come along with the order will be reimbursed to our seller account. Remember that if we approve returns after the 180-day period, the refund can no longer be processed by the Etsy Shop Manager.

In this case, we can send the refund through other payment services, such as PayPal. However, we will no longer be eligible for the seller fees reimbursement.

4 Best Etsy Chrome Extensions To Optimize Your Store

To fully optimize our Etsy dropshipping business, we can adopt helpful tools to make our processes more efficient. Here are the top Etsy Chrome extensions for our Etsy online stores:

• AutoDS
• EtsyHunt
• Toolsy.io
• Marketsy

Let’s go over each tool.

AutoDS

With AutoDS, our Etsy dropshipping stores can enjoy full business automation and seamless integration with global suppliers. Here are the best features of this dropshipping solution that will benefit our Etsy business:

• Automatic Product Research
• One-Click Product & Draft Imports
• Stock/Price Monitoring
• Price Optimization
• Automated Order Fulfillment
• and more!

With AutoDS, we can enjoy extensive product research and analysis. Plus, the tool allows fast and easy product imports, so we can add top-notch vintage products to our Etsy dropshipping stores. Aside from that, the system automatically monitors fluctuations in prices and stocks, so we don’t have to check changes on our suppliers’ websites.

Moreover, AutoDS maximizes our profit potential by optimizing product prices. Its automated order fulfillment methods also help us serve customer demands on time. With all these benefits, AutoDS is a top tool that can help us scale our Etsy dropshipping business.  

EtsyHunt

Another chrome extension that will help us expand our Etsy dropshipping business is EtsyHunt. The following are the key features of this tool:

• Product and Shop Analysis
• Product Research
• Keywords Search

EtsyHunt enables analysis of product insights to determine their profitability and sales potential. This tool helps us conduct thorough product research on Etsy to determine the most in-demand items to sell. Plus, the keyword search enables us to utilize SEO-relevant texts that will help our products rank higher within the platform.

Toolsy.io

Next up, Toolsy.io is another excellent tool that will help expand our Etsy dropshipping venture. With that said, here are the main reasons to utilize this chrome extension:

• Competitor analysis
• Keywords search
• Metrics analysis
• Product listings

With its competitor analysis capabilities, this tool can help us uncover the selling metrics of other Etsy sellers. Additionally, this Chrome extension can analyze trending keywords, shipping prices, customer reviews, and other insights on Etsy. With access to SEO tools, Toolsy.io helps us build a substantial product listing using high-volume keywords and the best tags. 

Marketsy

Finally, Marketsy focuses on helping us improve our promotional techniques when dropshipping on Etsy. Here are the top factors that make this chrome extension a superb choice for our Etsy dropshipping business:

• Targeted email marketing
• Etsy email extractor

This tool can collect and download customer e-mail addresses, which we can later use for marketing purposes. The goal of this tool is to target customers who are interested in our product listings and convince them to buy our products through email marketing. With the help of this tool, we can connect with more target audiences and increase our sales conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Etsy Dropshipping Worth It?

Yes, dropshipping on Etsy is worth it. This selling channel is a reputable online marketplace that offers a wide variety of unique products, such as handmade items, vintage goods, and craft supplies. Plus, Etsy has free organic traffic and low upfront costs, giving you greater chances of reaching more audiences and expanding your business.

Is Dropshipping On Etsy Legal? 

Yes, dropshipping on Etsy is legal as long as you follow the guidelines on the platform. For one, you must only sell vintage/retro goods, craft supplies, handmade items, and party favors. At all costs, you must avoid selling hazardous materials, liquids, medicines, supplements, choking hazards, tobacco, and firearms on Etsy.

How Much Can A Beginner Make Dropshipping On Etsy? 

When dropshipping on Etsy, it’s crucial that you consider the selling fees so that you can assign substantial profit margins. For beginners, a profit margin ranging from 20% to 60% is common.

What Are The Best Products To Sell On Etsy? 

Since Etsy is a marketplace for unique products, you can sell hand-crafted and vintage items. In particular, you can offer handmade accessories, customized clothing, collectible materials, and similar product categories.

Conclusion

Congratulations! We now have the fundamental knowledge of how to start dropshipping on Etsy like a pro. Now, we don’t have to worry about selling the wrong products or getting no sales. With the profitability and market potential of the Etsy marketplace, we can surely welcome massive profits in no time.

Of course, we need to consider dropshipping automation to fully scale our Etsy online business. With more efficient processes, we can multiply our successes and take our venture to greater heights.

To step up our dropshipping game, we need to know more about how dropshipping works and the right products to sell. With that in mind, here are insightful articles to guide us in expanding our dropshipping know-how:

• Etsy Dropshipping 101: Best Sellers & How To Get Started
• How To Start A Dropshipping Business: A Complete Guide
• 100+ Best Dropshipping Products To Sell In 2023