Latest / The Modern Etsy Seller Podcast / 53. Can I Have More Than One Etsy Shop? | Etsy Tips for Sellers

Transcript

53. Can I Have More Than One Etsy Shop? | Etsy Tips for Sellers · The Modern Etsy Seller Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hey there, welcome to the Modern Etsy Seller Podcast and What You're Wondering, the segment where I answer one specific Etsy question in under five minutes.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Melissa, a busy working mom with two profitable Etsy shops, and I help other busy women make money with Etsy and print on demand.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: So a little change this week with the episode order.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't been feeling well the past few days, and so I thought a shorter episode would be better today.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then I'll do the longer episode and have that out for you on Thursday.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: So here we are doing a Tuesday, what you're wondering.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And today's question is: can I have more than one Etsy shop?
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: And the answer is yes.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy allows you to own and operate more than one shop, and there's no limit actually to how many shops you can have.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: But there are a few rules you should know before you decide to open another shop.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: The first thing to know is that each Etsy account can only have one shop.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: So if you already have an Etsy shop and want to open a second one, you're going to need to create another Etsy account using a different email address.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: This means you'll have separate logins for each shop, which can be a bit of a pain on your desktop.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: But one way around that is to use different browsers for each account so you don't have to continually log in and log out as you move between shops.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: On the Etsy app though, it's really easy to switch from one account to the other.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: You can click more, choose switch account, and you'll see all your accounts right there.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Just pick the one you want to go into and boom, you've got it.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: The good news is that even though the shops require separate Etsy accounts and email addresses, you don't need a separate bank account.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy allows you to use the same bank account for Etsy payments and the same credit card for seller registration.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Another role that I want you to know is that Etsy requires you to disclose all of the shops you operate in the public profile section of each account.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: So your profile should identify any other Etsy shops that you run.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: You should also know that Etsy doesn't provide a way to transfer shop information from one account to another or to combine two shops later.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're opening that second shop and hoping to move some of your current products over, there isn't a quick and easy way to do it.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: You'll need to create those listings in the new shop.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then if eventually you decide you'd rather have one shop and want to combine them, again, there's no real easy way to do that.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: There's also a rule about duplicate shops that I want to clarify because you'll sometimes hear people say that you can't sell the same product in more than one Etsy shop.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Etsy's policy doesn't say that.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: What Etsy specifically prohibits is creating duplicate shops for the purpose of manipulating search or getting around Etsy policies.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to sell candles in one store and then you open another shop, you can have some candles in there.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: You just can't have the exact same candles in there.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: They have to be different.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: A few other things to consider are that you'll have a new shop opening fee and you'll be treated as a new seller when it comes to getting paid in that shop.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: So funds for new sellers are generally available for deposit 14 days after a sale.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you'll need to plan for that delay in cash flow when you're starting the new shop.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: There's also the possibility of Etsy placing a payment reserve on a new shop, which can hold back a portion of your funds even longer.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then, of course, you're giving yourself another shop to manage, which means more work.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Overall, Etsy does make it pretty easy to own multiple shops.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: The bigger decision is figuring out whether opening another shop makes sense for your business.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think it can make sense when you already have an established shop that's built around a specific niche and you want to start selling something that's gonna take it in a very different direction.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, let's say your current shop is built around pet owners and you sell personalized pet products like bandanas and bowls and ornaments for pet lovers, mugs for pet moms.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Everything in that shop is created for the same type of customer, someone who loves their pet.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Then you realize you really love making and selling mugs and you want to start creating mugs for all sorts of different customers.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: At that point, I would consider opening a second shop that's focused specifically on mugs, or maybe even more broadly on gifts.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Your first shop is built around a niche customer, so you can sell that customer lots of different products.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Your second shop could then be built around a niche product.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you can sell mugs to lots of different customers.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: And if you eventually want to branch out beyond mugs, that shop could grow into more of a gift shop or general store where you're selling different products to different types of customers.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: The important thing is that you aren't taking your established pet shop and suddenly filling it with mugs for teachers and nurses and bridesmaids.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: You're giving that new direction its own place to grow.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of the clearest reasons I see for separating shops.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: You're changing the way you're niching your business, and the new products don't really fit the customer or focus of the shop you've already built.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been listening to this show for a while, you already know that I have two Etsy shops myself.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: One's digital and one's print on demand.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't believe you need to open a second shop simply because you sell print on demand and want to add digital products, or vice versa, because you sell digital products and want to add print on demand.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: There are plenty of situations where both can work really well in the same shop.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, that is what Thursday's episode is going to be about.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna talk about adding digital products to your existing Etsy shop as a growth strategy, and I'm gonna be sharing a third party tool that makes doing that a whole lot easier.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's it for today.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for joining me, and I will see you on Thursday.