How to Make Money on Etsy in Nigeria. Are you thinking of starting an online business in Nigeria? Or you are thinking of a business idea that has to do with doing business online? Read this article to the end. In this article, I am going to be guiding you on how you can start making money selling items on Etsy from Nigeria.
I will be informing you on what you can sell on Etsy from Nigeria; how you can be paid for every good you sell, whether Etsy ships to Nigeria and more. Making money on Etsy is just like making money on eBay from Nigeria.
What is Etsy?
Etsy.com is also known as Etsy.Inc. It is an online American e-commerce store where goods are sold and bought. Examples of goods that are popularly sold on Etsy are pieces of jewelry, accessories, clothes, shoes, craft supplies, vintage items, and more.
On Etsy, you can sell almost anything as long as it falls on their categories. On Etsy, sellers can have personal storefronts where they can list their products at a fee as low as US$0.20.
Common Items to Sell on Etsy
The most common items Nigerians sell on Etsy from Nigeria are:
1. Vintage items
2. Craft supplies
3. Toys
4. Home decor
5. Pieces of jewelry
6. Clothing and more.
How Etsy Pay Sellers in Nigeria
The most commonly recognized way Etsy pays Nigerians is through PayPal. Whether you want to buy or sell goods on Etsy you need a Paypal account preferably a Paypal business account. This is to make sure your account is flexible and there are no restrictions to your account.
PayPal is the most recognizable online method of payment so it is easy for your customers to also transact with you through the platform. Check out top 101 products to sell online in Nigeria for money for more guide.
How to Make Money Selling on Etsy in Nigeria
Here are steps to make money selling items on etsy in Nigeria.
1. Sign up on Etsy Website
The first step to start making money from Etsy in Nigeria is to sign up as a seller. To sign up as a seller you need to visit etsy.com on mobile or any computer device and scroll down to the bottom of the website and click ‘sell’. When you click “sell” it is going to drop down and display ‘sell on Etsy’.
Click ‘sell on Etsy’ and you will be taken to the sign-up page where you can open your Etsy shop. Click on ‘open your Etsy shop’ and you will be directed to a page where you will fill in all required fields as a seller or simply sign up with your Facebook account, Gmail account, or apple account.
During the sign-up process, you will choose your product or brand name, give your shop a name, select the first product, set up your shop, and list more products. You do not have to stress yourself with worry after signing up as a seller of the e-commerce website as the website has so many engaged audiences – customers that visit to buy items regularly.
2. Select your Items
After signing up as a seller on Etsy the next step for you is to immediately start selling your items or products on your shop. As an Etsy seller, you will automatically see buyers that will order for your items even if you do not direct buyers to your shop.
Like I said earlier, Etsy is just like the most popular e-commerce websites in Nigeria (Jumia and Konga). Consumers normally visit the website to purchase items. As a seller on Etsy, you can sell your product or items or sell the most popular items that are bought on the e-commerce website.
To discover the most popular items on the website you can do so personalized searches. However, the items that sell fast on Etsy are customized items. These items are rapidly bought because it is unique and very rare to buy elsewhere.
It is rare for you to find customized items on most online e-commerce stores but you find these on Etsy. About $1.72 billion was generated by 4.36 million active sellers on Etsy.com If this information does not tell you anything it tells you one thing and that is you can truly sell on Etsy and make huge profits.
Etsy analytics is also there to help you understand customers behavior and what items they are really interested in. Understanding the analytics will help you sell only what Etsy buyers are interested in which will, in turn, increase your profits as time goes by. It is also beneficial if you understand SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as it will help buyers locate your items and store them easily.
3. Set your Perfect Competitive Price
Anywhere goods or items are sold is very competitive. It is competitive because every seller wants to increase their sales. This happens in physical markets and it happens in online stores. I am sure you have also experienced this when you go shopping on Konga or Jumia.
When you are trying to buy a particular product you will often go for the lowest prices at the same quality. Therefore, you will buy your product from the seller that has the lowest prices. On online stores sellers with the lowest prices often sell more and faster than sellers who want the high prices.
As a seller who wants to increase sales on Etsy.com, you need to put the prices of your items at the best offer possible to increase your sales easily. To do this you need to look at other sellers selling the same items as yours and set your prices lower than theirs.
4. Drive Traffic to your Etsy shop
Apart from the organic traffic that visits Etsy.com, you can also direct your own traffic to your Etsy shop. This traffic is very important because it increases the chances of more sales. And it is easier to deliver the items. Let me give an example.
Imagine you are selling art portraits on Etsy and you are able to attract buyers from Nigeria it will be easier for this buyer to pay you; it will be very easy to ship these artworks to these buyers because you are in the same country with them. To attract customers to your Etsy shop is simple.
You just need to use social media like WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram. On each post, talk about your items and the amazing prices you are willing to sell them then drop links for intending buyers to visit your shop.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Etsy
There are many pros and cons when it comes to selling on Etsy but I will focus on one pro and con. The major disadvantage you have as a seller on Etsy is that you have to share a certain percentage of the money you have made with Etsy. According to Etsy, you will be charged 3.5% for every item you sell in the shop.
This money might not seem much but if you have plenty sales it is. The advantage is that you will be able to sell your products easily. Instead of having different places where you sell your items you can have just one place. This makes it easy to track your sales and it gives you focus.
Note: If you are really serious about making money on Etsy you have to use VPN to sign up because Nigeria is no longer part of the listed countries that can sell on Etsy.
Conclusion
Etsy.com is highly underestimated by Nigerians because they do not understand how it works. With this article I hope you now know how you can go about it to start making money.
Image Credit to Etsy.com
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Hello Ralph,
Thanks for the write up. However, you did not mention the most important factor in selling from Nigeria which is shipping. How does someone from Nigeria ship to Etsy customers and still be able to offer competitive pricing.
Can you shed light on that?
When setting up your Etsy seller account, you are required to select your country, but Nigeria is not among the Country you can select from. What do I do to pass this problem?
I am at the same spot. I can not proceed. No one is talking about this step. Every blogger keeps skipping it.
You are blogging about selling on Etsy from Nigeria. Are you not aware that you cannot sell on Etsy from Nigeria anymore? I registered as a seller on Etsy since 2018 and I made tons of dollars there as I was using PayPal to receive payment.
Hi Francis! I hope you are not using your phone to sign up there? The user interface is always different there. Try using your laptop.
It’s the same. I have been stuck on the how you will get paid part. How do we get past this stage???
Have you found a way past that stage yet?
Nigeria has been suspended from Etsy. Simple.
Its really painful to find out that Nigeria was removed on 26th April 2022. Only Nigerians who registered before this date can still participate on Etsy. I wish there was a way to go around this. Now, you will need to verify your identity and location before being approved for Etsy payment as that is now the only accepted means for the approved countries.
Thanks for the article. Can you enlighten me on how to use my business PayPal to receive payments. I have been using a friend PayPal account on my Etsy shop.
There are many videos by Nigerians on how to open a business PayPal Mope. You can check them out. However, I think ‘Online Hustle’s video on it stands out. Visit his YouTube Channel, search for the video and follow the steps.
Etsy does not have Nigeria on its list of countries permitted to sell on their site. Is there any way around this?
Thanks for the write up sir. I want to ask that is it possible for me to open Esty on laptop and after sign up and log in to it on my phone?
Yes, it is possible. You just make sure you sign up on your laptop first.
I tried creating an Etsy account but Nigeria is not listed as part of their selected countries. Do you have or know any method that can be used to bypass this?
Use VPN Robert. I mentioned it at the end of the article.
Hello sir. I have gotten to the fourth stage where I have to fill in my home address country, tax and payment methods. Since Nigeria isn’t on their map things a little difficult
What do you advise me to do?
You did not read the article Godwin. I explain why you should use a VPN in the registration process. Read the article well.
He is asking how he can fill those details which is required, not about using VPN. How do you fill in all those details like your SSN etc when you don’t have them? I think bloggers should be forthcoming with info they put out and they should also try to verify what they write.
This article was written before the ban and we have tried to update the article numerous times Jay. The last time I checked VPN was the way out. 1. You have to change your location to USA. 2. You have to have an address that can be verified. It is best if you have someone there. This makes it easy. Etsy is just like any ecommerce store. They update their site requirements regularly. By the way bloggers do not know everything. They just guide their readers with what they know. If you cannot find what you want here, I think youtube should be your next option.
I have been on Etsy since 2016 before my account was suspended. I am surprised that you updated this post without letting people know that you can’t operate Etsy again from Nigeria even with a VPN. One needs a Social Security Number to open an Etsy account. Tell them the whole truth.
Please, how do I open a shop on etsy from Nigeria?
I have an opened etsy account for sale. If anyone is interested, just talk to me.