Seller Handbook

The New Year is a time for looking back at accomplishments, figuring out what’s working (and what’s not) and planning for the future. It’s a time when many creative entrepreneurs open their first Etsy shops, and established sellers think about their business goals for the year and how they can achieve them.

Here at Etsy, we’re excited to start off 2015 with tools and educational programming to help you achieve your definition of business success, whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned shop owner. For instance, we launched a new Listings Manager that makes it easier and faster to list items, giving you more time to focus on making and curating your products. We designed the tool with help from 10,000 Etsy sellers who tested the prototype over the course of several months and gave us their feedback. The new Listings Manager is a great example of what we can achieve when we work together.

Read on for more highlights from the past few weeks, including new educational programming and tools for your shop. Then, stay tuned for the next installment of Etsy Community News, which will now appear on a monthly basis.

New Features for Your Shop

We're always looking for ways to make running your shop easier. Here's a look at some recent updates:

• In January, we launched improvements to your Shop Menu, including quick links to your Dashboard, Shop Stats, Orders and Listings Manager. Check out the Forums announcement for more information.
• We invited sellers to opt into a new Listings Manager, which we developed based on feedback from some 10,000 Etsy sellers in the prototype team for the tool. The new Listings Manager includes advanced filters and sorting, the ability to edit multiple listings more quickly, improved at-a-glance stats and additional features to make the listings process easier. To learn more about the new tool, check out the Forums announcement. Read How 10,000 Sellers Helped Etsy Develop New Tools for a behind-the-scenes look at the development process.
• Based on feedback from sellers, we released updates to the Promoted Listings console to make it easier to use, including a way to remove ineligible listings. Learn more about the updates in the Forums announcement.
• Many of you have told us that giving buyers the ability to verify their addresses would save you considerable time on many shop management tasks. Now, when a US buyer adds or edits an address in her account, she will be prompted to verify her entry against the version that the USPS has on file. In other shipping news, we also announced that you can use SCAN Forms on United States Postal Service Shipping Labels with a ship date in the future.
• In February, we began testing our improved listings categories to make it easier for buyers to find items. Read more about the process in the Forums Announcement.
• For the past several weeks, we’ve been working to determine the best way to handle the European Union’s new rules on value-added tax (VAT) for digital goods. We recently announced that Etsy will be collecting and remitting VAT on behalf of all Etsy sellers providing digital goods to buyers in the EU by automatic download, whether or not the seller is based in the EU. Your EU buyers — not Etsy or Etsy sellers — will be paying the VAT. Read more about the new rules in the Seller Handbook and stay tuned for details on the collection process.

Nurturing Entrepreneurship Through Education

We provide ongoing education tailored to the diverse needs of Etsy shop owners at every stage of their shops. Below is a sampling of our 2015 programming so far:

• Starting in January, we offered a four-week email seminar for new sellers that was packed with quick tips on choosing a name, creating your first listing and more. We also held an online educational program for Etsy sellers based in Australia featuring tips from Jess Van Den of Epheriell and Clare Bowditch of Big Hearted Business.
• On the Seller Handbook blog, we offered educational articles on a variety of topics, including Five Common Etsy Mistakes and How to Avoid Them and How to Get Serious About Your Etsy Shop. We also featured profiles of inspiring sellers, including Amie Cunningham, founder of Thief&Bandit in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Valerie Nethery, founder of LilyEmme Jewelry in Seattle.
• In-person workshops are a great way for us to connect with Etsy sellers — and to connect you with your peers. In January, we held two in-person pricing workshops at our Brooklyn office. In late February, Etsy Admin will be hosting a workshop for Etsy sellers in  Manchester, England. To read more about the workshop and to RSVP, visit the Etsy UK blog.

Fostering Teamwork Around the World

Teams are a central part of the global Etsy community. One way we support Etsy Teams is through our long-standing Teams Fellowship program, which offers project guides and one-on-one coaching for Team Captains and Leaders. In February, we announced our latest group of fellows, which consists of 63 Team Captains and Leaders in 15 countries. One of the fellows, Nadia of La LuNa creazioni in Como, Italy, is Captain of the 16 Wonders team, which focuses on community building and has 116 members around the world. Nadia received the Online Promotion Award and will receive education centered on running social media campaigns with her team. To learn more about the Teams Fellowship Program and how to apply, visit this FAQ. Applications for the next session will open on March 9. Also, join the Captains' Quarters Team for more information about upcoming fellowship offerings and other education.

Spreading the Love (and Boosting Sales)

To help make Etsy shops go-to destinations for sweethearts, we invited sellers to take part in our #EtsyMatch campaign. We provided promotional images to sellers, along with tips for using them to market their products on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In May, Etsy will be holding a wedding fair in London to showcase products made by Etsy sellers based in the United Kingdom. The event, which runs from May 14 to May 17, will be open to the press for two days. After that, bridal shoppers will be invited to buy items for their big day in the market. To learn more about the fair and apply, check out the announcement on the Etsy UK blog.

Save the Date: Craft Party 2015

Mark your calendars for Craft Party 2015, which will take place in cities and towns around the world on June 5 and 6. Now in its seventh year, Craft Party celebrates meeting and making globally. If you’re interested in organizing or joining a local Craft Party, mark off June 5 and 6 on your calendar. Then, stay tuned in the coming months for more information about this year’s theme, along with party-planning tips and inspiration. In the meantime, check out photos from last year’s Craft Party and join the Craft Party Team for party ideas and tips.

Expanding Craft Entrepreneurship

In 2014, Etsy’s Craft Entrepreneurship program helped creative people in underserved communities in the US and UK launch their Etsy businesses. The program flourished, thanks in large part to the local Etsy sellers who taught the classes, serving up both wisdom and encouragement. In March, we’ll begin adding Craft Entrepreneurship classes in new cities and will continue to expand the program throughout 2015. For more information about the program and to apply to teach a class, visit our new Craft Entrepreneurship hub, which includes program updates, teacher bios and more. We prioritize teaching applications in our partner cities and will consider candidates in additional cities as we form new partnerships throughout the year.

Tell Us Your Community Story

This is just a sampling of recent community news. Do you have an inspiring story about the Etsy community? Please share in the comments below!

Also, check out the Seller Handbook and sign up for the Etsy Success Newsletter for business advice and inspiration throughout the year!