# What is Etsy Marketplace?

What is Etsy Marketplace? A marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique design items. 95M active customers.

## How it works in practice

Etsy is a home for artists and makers. If your product is unique, handmade, or vintage, Etsy can bring highly relevant traffic without an ad budget. If your product is generic, you'll be squeezed on price.

## Related metrics

- SEO (Etsy) — Etsy SEO differs from Google's
- Reviews — critical on Etsy
- Handmade Policy — Etsy's rules for handmade items
- Social Commerce — Etsy plus Pinterest is a strong pairing

## Common misconception

'Etsy is free.' Etsy carries relatively high fees — listing plus transaction plus processing. On a $30 product: $0.20 listing + $1.95 transaction + $0.87 processing + advertising (if enrolled) = 15-20%. Calculate before adding it as a channel.

## How to fix it

Low Etsy sales? (1) Etsy SEO — the listing title needs the keywords customers search for, (2) images — 5-10 photos, including a scale photo (to show size), (3) reviews — ask every customer, (4) shipping time — faster shipping boosts ranking.

## Real-world example

A jewelry designer had 3 sales/month on Etsy. She changed the title from 'Silver Necklace' to 'Sterling Silver 925 Necklace with Moonstone — Gift for Mom — Birthday Gift.' 34 sales/month for the same product, with no price change.

## Where to start

Etsy is a small investment with high return for handmade businesses. Minimum viable Etsy shop: 20 listings, 10 reviews, and Etsy SEO optimization. Set it up and expect results within 90 days.

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Category: Marketplaces · From the [Jimmy OS KPI Glossary](https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi.md) · Source page: https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi/etsy-marketplace