Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7

Sell Coverage: Understanding What You Can and Can’t Sell on Etsy

In This Chapter

Figuring out what you can sell on Etsy

Determining what items Etsy doesn’t allow

Understanding the consequences of selling prohibited items

Many people think of Etsy as a sort of eBay for arts and crafts. Indeed, Etsy and eBay are similar — people use both sites to buy stuff from other individuals; the sites’ business models, which involve charging listing fees and taking a small commission on every sale, are clearly related; and members use feedback to rate sellers.

But the differences are hard to ignore. For starters, unlike eBay, Etsy doesn’t use an auction format. Furthermore, although Etsy is certainly growing, it’s significantly smaller than eBehemoth. But the biggest and most obvious difference is that, unlike eBay, where sellers can list pretty much anything (anyone need a ghost in a jar?), sellers on Etsy are limited to selling items that meet Etsy’s strict criteria. In this chapter, we fill you in on what you can — and can’t — sell on Etsy.

For more information about what you can ...