Your Etsy shop starts with a plan
How to Start Your First Etsy Shop
You have a creative idea. Give it a place to grow. Kendra Portnova’s beginner-friendly eBook helps you work through what to sell, how to price it, and how to set up an Etsy storefront—with a checklist to prepare for launch.
Read at your own pace · 30-day refund policy
A practical place to begin
- Written for first-time Etsy sellers
- Learn at your own pace
- Pre-launch checklist included
From “I could” to “I’m starting”
What to do before opening an Etsy shop
Start by deciding what you want to sell, who it is for, and how to price it. Then bring your storefront, business basics, and promotion plans together before you open.
If you’re wondering how to start an Etsy store for beginners, those connected decisions can feel like a lot. This guide gives you a way to work through them, with practical examples and lessons from Kendra’s own experience.
Keep it beside you as you plan your shop, return to the topic you need, and use the launch checklist to organize your next steps.
Find your starting point.
Explore your skills, interests, product ideas, and the buyers you hope to reach.
Work through the setup decisions.
Bring pricing, business organization, and the look of your storefront into your plan.
Prepare to introduce your shop.
Think ahead about promotion, customer service, and what to review before launch day.
Inside the eBook
An Etsy shop setup guide for beginners, from idea to launch.
How to Set Up Your Etsy Store brings the early decisions into one resource. Here’s what you’ll work on as you prepare to open your shop.
What to sell and how to price it
Start with your skills and passions, research products and their audience, and learn a simple approach to pricing your items.
Bookkeeping and business basics
Get an introduction to the organizational side of running a shop, including bookkeeping resources, business licenses, EINs, and tax considerations.
Setting up your Etsy storefront
Work through a storefront checklist and the details that help your shop look welcoming, organized, and consistent with what you sell.
Common beginner mistakes
Learn which missteps to watch for as you build your store, so you can make more considered decisions from the beginning.
Promoting your Etsy shop
Explore social media, building an email list, and the role that consistent communication and detailed customer service play in running your business.
Your Etsy shop launch checklist
Bring the preparation together with a checklist to review before launch day and keep your setup tasks in view.
Give your shop idea a clear next step.
Get Kendra’s eBook and work through the planning at your own pace.
Meet the person behind the guide
Hi, I’m Kendra. Creativity has always been part of my life.
My background includes ceramics, watercolor painting, and studying photography at university. Making things has always given me a way to express myself and connect with other people.
After cancer treatment, art became part of my recovery. I opened my first Etsy shop while raising my family, and later opened another focused on colon cancer awareness.
I created this guide to share what I learned along the way: the early choices, the practical tasks, and the details worth thinking about before opening a store of your own.
If starting an Etsy shop has been on your mind, I’d love to help you take that first step with a clearer plan.
Read more about KendraA sneak peek at Kendra’s shops
See the shops behind the guide.
Take a look around two of Kendra’s Etsy shops in these videos from her own YouTube channel. See the storefronts behind the experience she shares in this guide.
Blue Legacy Designs
A preview of Kendra’s Blue Legacy Designs Etsy shop.
Watch on YouTubeAViewThruMyTTVLens — Sneak-Peek
A closer look around another of Kendra’s Etsy storefronts.
Watch on YouTubeWant to start a shop of your own?
Work through Kendra’s beginner guide at your own pace.
A few things you may be wondering
Questions about starting your first Etsy store?
Here’s what the guide covers and what to know before you buy.
Is this Etsy guide suitable for complete beginners?
Yes. It is written for people preparing to open an Etsy shop, including those still deciding what to sell. It covers products, pricing, business basics, storefront setup, promotion, and preparing for launch.
What do I need to do to start my first Etsy shop?
Plan what you’ll sell, research your buyers, work through pricing, and prepare your storefront. Opening the account also involves Etsy’s payment and verification steps. The eBook helps with planning and setup; see Etsy’s current opening instructions for its live requirements and fees.
Will it help me decide what to sell and how to price it?
Yes. The guide covers researching products and their audience, starting from your skills and passions, and using a simple pricing approach to plan what to charge.
Does the eBook include an Etsy shop launch checklist?
Yes. It includes a checklist to review before launch day, along with guidance on the decisions and setup tasks involved in opening your store.
What do I receive for $9.97?
You’re purchasing Kendra Portnova’s digital eBook, How to Set Up Your Etsy Store, for a one-time payment of $9.97. It includes the setup guidance and launch checklist described above. This is a digital product; a printed book is not shipped.
Does the price include Etsy’s shop or selling fees?
The $9.97 is the price of Kendra’s eBook. Etsy’s account requirements, shop setup charges, and selling fees are separate and set by Etsy.
Can I use the guide if I have already opened a store?
Yes. You can return to the topics that fit your current work, such as pricing, storefront presentation, promotion, or customer service. The main focus is helping sellers with the early stages of building a shop.
What is the refund policy?
You can request an eligible refund within 30 days of purchase if the digital product is not as described or is low quality. See the full refund policy for eligibility and request instructions. If you have a question before buying, use the contact page.
Put your plans into motion
Ready to start your first Etsy store?
You don’t have to make every decision at once. Get Kendra’s guide, choose your starting point, and work through the next step for your shop.
- Product research and pricing guidance
- Business basics and storefront setup
- Promotion and customer service ideas
- A checklist to prepare for launch
How to Set Up Your Etsy Store
$9.97One-time payment · Digital eBook
Get the GuideCovered by our 30-day refund policy. Please see the policy for eligibility and request details.