Question about etsy

[mkstylessoap]

I have been selling on etsy for about a year and one thing that I am curious about is I see people listing only one item, say, instead of saying they have 5 in stock. Is it less expensive to list that way? It seems I get charged the same .20 whether I put I have 1 or 8.

 

[Numbers]

Etsy used to charge you for each item including one listing with more than one in stock. Like if you posted one listing with 5 in stock it they would charge you $1 for the listing instead of .20 cents. Now you can list having more of one item and they only charge you their listing fee once for each time it's renewed if not sold out. For example if you list 5 bars of soap they charge you .20 to list it. If you sell one it will auto renew at 4 in stock and charge you another .20 cents.

 

[paillo]

I don't understand why people list only one, unless they have only one in stock. Like Numbers said, you can list as many as you want for the same $.20 for the total, and Etsy will automatically count down when you sell each item.

 

[mkstylessoap]

Thanks! I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything I didn't know about. I see people all the time list one and say "I always have multiples in stock, contact me for a customized listing if you need more than one" so I was a bit confused.

 

[Stinkydancer]

I don't understand why people list only one, unless they have only one in stock. Like Numbers said, you can list as many as you want for the same $.20 for the total, and Etsy will automatically count down when you sell each item.

Ok to hijack this...LOL. I sell on a few different sites and I small batch soap so I do the 1-3 on Etsy. I just don't know how a soap will sell and I balance between 3 sites. If I was only on Etsy- I would definitely put in more than 1-3.

Back in the old days of Etsy, they used to charge for more than 1 in the listing but they have changed this now.

 

[PirateGirl686]

What factors should you consider before selling your stuff on etsy? Do you have to trademark your name, collect taxes, get a tax ID etc just like starting a small business, or is it more low key than that? I don't want to pick a name just to have someone from the government send me a cease and desist order or anything. I just wasn't sure how difficult it would be to start an etsy shop (not a legitimate small business, I just want to do it as a hobby/small way to make some extra money). Thanks for your advice!