Hi all - does anyone know if it’s possible to open a store without having to post an active listing? I’ve read mixed things online about posting a listing to complete the store set up and then immediately deactivating it, but some people appear to have had their accounts suspended for 7 days for a TOS violation. I’m new to selling on Etsy and don’t want to cause trouble with a violation right off the bat. Appreciate any help!
I’m co-owner of a handmade dice shop that opened late last year and we ended up going for the “list and then immediately deactivate” option. We didn’t seem to have any ill effects from that (we did get hit with the withheld funds thing but that seems pretty standard for new shops). Afaik there was no other way around it at the time, although that admittedly might have changed in the last year.
But of course this is just one anecdote and we all know how random Etsy can be with their interpretation and enforcement of their own rules. Ultimately if you open a shop there you just have to accept some level of uncertainty about how they’re going to react to absolutely anything you might do (or in fact not do).
Good luck with your shop, but remember! Never rely on Etsy as a single source of income, it’s way too easy for them to pull the rug from under you at any time.
Thank you for the response! I’ll take a look at the TOS and see if it specifically mentions this scenario and go from there.
No worries on the single income source - this will likely always remain a supplement to my day job, which I have no plans on giving up any time soon. Way too risky!
Fair enough, just wanted to put it out there!
What sort of thing are you selling?
I appreciate it!
I knit and make cold process soap and bath products. An acquaintance of mine is opening a brick and mortar store locally and asked me to create stock for it, so I needed to purchase insurance, which meant I also needed to officially start a business since I wouldn’t be selling as an individual. I figured since that’s all done, I might as well put the inventory that isn’t ear marked for her store into my own on Etsy. I’m glad I decided to go this way because at this point, her store still isn’t open and I have a ton of stuff just sitting in my house doing nothing.
I also do shuttle tatting, which I’m going to open a separate store for, since it doesn’t really fit the feel of the first one. Plus, I can make and list as much as I feel like with that one since it isn’t involved at all in the physical store.
Oh nice, a crafter after my own heart! How exciting to be selling in an actual RL shop too, hope that goes well!
I’m a knitter (obligatory shill for [email protected]) and a newbie soapmaker too. Tried a bit of needle tatting but I can’t seem to get away with the shuttle version…although recent experiments in macrame kind of got me the knack of the very similar “flip” so maybe it’ll come a bit easier next time I try 😄
There was an attempt to make [email protected] a thing too, worth keeping an eye on just in case it takes off one day!
Always nice to talk to someone with similar hobbies! I’m excited to sell in a RL shop, but she’s been trying to get it off the ground since May/June (I think her original target date was June 1), and here we are in November with no storefront. I’m still interested, but not holding my breath either. Just going to do my own thing for now and if it works out with her later, that’s cool too :)
I think I’m already in that knitting group, but l’ll definitely check out the soap community - thanks for linking it! I started off with needle tatting, but I found it frustrating to have to keep a bunch of different needle sizes around, so I kept at shuttle tatting until it made sense. Definitely give it another shot, it’s so satisfying when it finally clicks!
I’ll get round to it eventually, got a cheap shuttle that sits in my craft bag at all times just in case the urge comes back lol. My latest foray was into hand embroidery and it took like a week to get full feeling back in my thumb so other new crafts can wait a little while 😆
If you do pick it back up, I can’t recommend a bobbin shuttle enough. I use Aerlit shuttles (slightly modified - I grind off the posts used for winding the bobbins so they’re a bit shorter) and they’re great, especially considering they’re about $4 USD a piece.
I enjoy embroidery but I’m not very good at it and there are so many other things to do that I find it hard to get motivated to practice. I do like counted cross stitch though :)
