Ecommerce marketplaces that are good for dropshipping but haven’t been fully explored? Etsy meets the description. It’s an online platform that allows people to sell, buy, and source handmade and craft supplies. Etsy got 90 million active buyers in 2021, and over 53% of those have bought on the website twice or more, according to the report of Etsy Shopper Stats. And the data is still growing.
You can tell there is profit potential if dropship on Etsy in 2024. Want to try your hand at it? This article will be helpful to learn Etsy dropshipping. Start with the table of contents, you will find answers more quickly.
Table of Contents
Can You Dropship on Etsy?
What is Etsy Dropshipping?
Is It a Good Idea to Dropship on Etsy?
How to Dropship on Etsy?
5 Tips to Dropship on Etsy Successfully
6 Best Etsy Dropshipping Suppliers
FAQs about Dropship on Etsy
1. What are the best items to dropship on Etsy?
2. What payment methods are supported on Etsy? How do sellers get paid?
Can You Dropship on Etsy?
Dropshipping is allowed on Etsy. Whether you are sourcing or selling drop shipping products through the marketplace, you’re legal to do that.
As a seller, you may wonder if you can use Etsy drop shippers. Though there is no official Etsy dropshipping policy, the eCommerce platform gives a Seller Policy to explain the operability of drop shipping. It tells what the seller can do and cannot do.
For example, from the first point, you can notice that Etsy only requires sellers to promise shipping and processing time, but it doesn’t limit the fulfillment methods you use. In other words, dropshiping, as a fulfillment way, is available on Etsy. If you fill in the appropriate shipping time according to your supplier and timely handle the transportation issues, you can dropship on Etsy.
In addition, the e-commerce website offer API for third parties. This is another proof to show dropshipping with Etsy is workable. How so? The open-source allows third parties to develop Etsy-related applications. As a result, sellers can better run their business by enjoying services like online store integration, product listing, order status synchronization, etc. Look at Shopify as a typical case. Shopify is a popular e-store builder used for dropshipping businesses. In its app store, Etsy Marketplace Integration is enabled to install. Store owners can do e-trades between the two platforms via the drop ship model.
What is Etsy Dropshipping?
To better understand the term, we need to go through ‘what is dropshipping’ first.
Dropshipping represents a cooperation mode between online sellers and suppliers. Within that framework, the traditional e-commerce business work is repartitioned. The original inventory and delivery responsibility of the seller is changed to the supplier. That’s to say, less work for sellers, more work for suppliers.
So, how does dropshipping work in eCommerce business? The process is as follows.
Now, let’s combine Etsy with dropshipping. You can understand the term in this way. Etsy dropshipping is an e-biz mode which Etsy sellers promote and sell products while suppliers take over warehousing and fulfillment for them. When fulfilling an order, the supplier will directly deliver the product to the buyers, and the package won’t show his name.
Is It a Good Idea to Dropship on Etsy?
Etsy is not saturated yet. As the mentioned data shows, its users is growing as well as the market. This makes selling on Etsy worth trying. Furthermore, there are more benefits to dropship with Etsy.
1. Starting an online business freely is possible.
It charges nothing to be an Etsy seller. Together with a free dropshipping supplier, you do not have to keep inventory and are able to import products to your Etsy store without payment. Next, you can start selling.
2. More time on marketing, thereby getting more sales.
Etsy drop shipping suppliers carry the entire fulfillment, from stocking, picking, packing and shipping. Hence sellers can take a breath when processing orders. They get more time to handle other work, such as promoting the products.
3. Being protected by Etsy and reducing business risk.
Etsy has announced a new Seller Protection Policy which will be effective on Aug 1st. As it states, all sellers are eligible and enjoy keeping earnings from the sale once refund disputes occur. And Etsy is responsible for the refund. Despite some requirements, online sellers can avoid the risk of loss.
It must be said in advance that Etsy is strict with product listing and charges more service fees than expected. Sometimes, it can lead to shutters and bring a grueling process to sellers. Even though there are disadvantages, dropship on Etsy is worth a try.
How to Dropship on Etsy?
Dropshipping with Etsy sees no difference with other eCommerce platforms like Shopify, eBay, Amazon, etc. You have to open a shop and find drop ship suppliers to start. Now, go with the step-by-step guide. You will learn how to start Etsy dropshipping from the first stage!
1. Open an Etsy Shop
Open the website and dropdown to the bottom of the homepage. You will see “Sell on Etsy”. This is the entry for signing up for a free Etsy seller account. Once you finish the registration, you need to fill in some shop settings:
- Shop preference: language, country, currency
- Shop name
- Listing (at least one product)
- Payment and billing
2. Find Trendy Dropshipping Products
Best-sellers collection of giant e-commerce websites is helpful to get ideas. Etsy puts best selling items and top selling items into collections. Those are a direct resource to find hot products.
Also, influencers on social media are weathercocks. You can catch a glimpse of the best dropshipping niches. Next, you may need to use tools for advanced product research, such as Sell The Trend, AliExpress Dropshipping Center and others, so you can better decide what to sell.
If you’re looking for a time-saving way to find hot-selling items, you can check recommendations on Etsy dropshipping platforms. Quite a few suppliers list popular products on their websites.
3. Add a Listing on Etsy
Figured out what to sell? Then it’s time to complete your Etsy online shop – create a product listing. To add a listing, you need to prepare these things:
- Product photos
- Product details: title, category, type, description, shipping time, inventory, pricing
Reminder for Etsy dropship beginners:
Etsy charges $0.20 per listing which is published to the marketplace. And the listing will exist for four months or before being sold.
As for a private listing, which is used for custom orders and will not appear on your shop publicly, a seller does not need to pay the listing fee. In this event, the fee will add to the payment account of the buyer.
4. Find Etsy Dropshipping Suppliers
Etsy dropship integration should be one of the requirements to find suppliers. Why? Because not all suppliers can integrate your store with their platforms and are unable to provide automated dropshipping Etsy service. This will cause more work for you. For instance, you may need to add a listing manually but not one-click importing products to your store. Or, you may need to send an order Excel sheet to your supplier but not proceed with the payment directly.
So, how do you find Etsy-integrated dropshipping suppliers? Using a search engine work best. Try some keywords and you will get lots of results. Of course, we place 6 best Etsy dropshipping providers below to save your time.
5. Connect Etsy with Dropshipping Suppliers
Build up the partnership between your Etsy store and the dropshipping platform. You need to register an account with your cooperative supplier, then finish the authorization.
When you finish the connection, you can dropship on Etsy easily. Something you can do with the platform: design custom products, import items to store, automated order fulfillment, etc.
6. Import Products to Etsy Shop
Select dropshipping products and push them to your store. Products will be active on Etsy automatically. Now, you can start selling and waiting for customers to come.
7. Receive and Fulfill Orders
When you get sales, the order info will not only show on Etsy but also on the dropshipping platform synchronously and automatically. What you need to do is to confirm and pay the order on the platform. After paying, your Etsy dropshipper will help fulfill and ship products to your customer.
5 Tips to Dropship on Etsy Successfully
To dropship on Etsy successfully, online sellers need to take a few steps further. You can do these things better and win more sales.
- Know what you cannot sell on Etsy
There are restrictions on products being sold. If you violate the rules, you have to say goodbye to your shop. The marketplace gives a Prohibited Items Policy to help. You can check the directory before adding listings.
- Sell exclusive and unique products
Selling your own designed products can make your business more competitive. Moreover, Etsy loves unique products and encourages sellers to list self-designed items. Supported by the platform, you can easily build up one’s ecommerce brand and get more repeat customers.
- Work with Etsy print on demand dropshipper
Due to the preference of the marketplace, working with a print on demand drop shipping supplier is a great idea. In this way, you can sell your own products and do not have to carry inventory.
- Optimize Etsy shop
Etsy SEO has high operability. Using keywords to describe shops and items is helpful to improve the ranking of your shop. Besides, product tags and in-bound links are aspects to optimize as well.
- Use Etsy Marketing to promote products
Etsy Ads gives a hand to marketing. Running ads on Etsy cost less than $25 per day. And your product will show in front in Etsy search results.
6 Best Etsy Dropshipping Suppliers
1. EPROLO POD – Free Dropshipping Platform
Over 2000+ products are available to customize and dropship in EPROLO Print on Demand. Categories are not less than 11 kinds, covering clothing, hats, bags, shoes, pet products, home decor, accessories, etc.
The free Etsy drop shipper supports one-click pushing custom products to store. Thus, you can add a listing easily. What’s more, handling multiple online stores is possible. You can just add all your shops to the same account and switch them in one click. your Etsy orders.
It’s worth mentioning that building a brand with EPROLO is easy. The platform offers a one-stop solution to Etsy sellers from custom products, and labels, to packages.
2. AliExpress
AliExpress is one of the best sources for Etsy dropshipping. Its product quantity is considerable and the prices are also competitive. However, you should keep in mind that Etsy is strict on listing. Thus, you’d better find suppliers with exclusive products and make your own design.
3. Printful
Starting in 2013, Printful is now playing well in the on-demand printing and fulfillment industry. Its fulfillment centers have spread to the U.S. and Europe and reached a number of 17. The company also works with printing facilities around the world, such as in Australia and Brazil.
Once you integrate your Etsy shop with Printful, you can design and sell products like custom t-shirts, phone cases, footwear, jewelry, etc.
4. Printify
Printify is another print on demand supplier to dropship on Etsy. The platform provides more than 600+ products, including apparel, electronic accessories, posters, handbags, and others.
Printify is now partnering with more than 70 print providers, which are located in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. Using the supplier and you can sell all over the world easily.
5. Art of Where
Art of Where is a Canadian dropshipping company that supports Etsy shops. There are nine product categories you can choose to make custom items, such as clothing, bags, wall art, and fabrics.
If you want to have your logo on the label and packages, Art of Where can do it for you. An additional fee is required for the service.
6. Prodigi
Etsy sellers can use Prodigi as their dropshipping supplier. The on-demand printing provider is free to signup and provides a vast range of products. Prodigi is available for prints, posters, framed prints, photo books, stickers, etc.
FAQs about Dropship on Etsy
1. What are the best items to dropship on Etsy?
According to the survey of Statista, the most popular category in the handmade segment is home & living, followed by arts, and jewelry, with the proportions of 25%, 21%, and 15%. Some other best items to dropship on the marketplace are clothing, accessories, bath and beauty, toys, and bags. Those are on high ranking as well.
2. What payment methods are supported on Etsy? How do sellers get paid?
PayPal, credit card, ApplePay, iDEAL, Sofort, Klarna, Google Wallet, and others are available on Etsy. Sellers can receive buyers’ money via these payment methods.
And the process can’t be simpler. Revenue from the sales will be deposited directly to sellers.
3. Can I dropship on both Etsy and Shopify?
Yes, you can. Since you have a Shopify online store, you can install an integration tool to connect Etsy with Shopify. With the tool, you can sell Etsy dropship items on your Shopify store.
