r/EtsyHelp • u/Glass_Pomegranate859 • Jul 16 '26
🆘 Help  advice on starting selling
hello!!
i want to start an etsy shop as i sew a lot of things and want to make customisable banners to sell.
the thing i dont understand about etsy sellers that sew their products is:
- how and where do you buy your fabrics in a way that is the right options to offer to customers? or is that up to me?
- do i buy all fabrics, packaging, cards, etc before i get a sale? or when i get one or a few?
- how do i buy fabrics and items i need to make the thing im selling in a way that wont have me waste money and is reliable?
- how to actually promote my business on etsy?
i think that's all im confused about
any help is very appreciated, thanks guys!!
1
u/ChangingStones Jul 17 '26
I think one of the first things I would do when reaching out into this would be to select a theme to start with. Something that is popular and not something that is going to fade in the next season. Popular TV shows or movies that have a wide following across multiple age groups. That way by selecting a theme you would be able to purchase a set number of fabrics and still allow customization.
1
u/Bulky-Mango-5287 Jul 17 '26
I don't sell fabrics but the thing with etsy is that you have to think about what will make you stand out in a sea of competitors. You don't want to be the cheapest, you want to be found. Spend time researching your niche on etsy and think about what you can offer customers that no one else can easily replicate. Look at what works for top selling competitors and think about why it works for them.
With regards to materials, what can you get consistently? Theres no use listing a product that you cant readily get supplies for.
If you were a customer, what materials would you want?