1. Etsy.com

2. What you need: An Etsy account! A valid email address A credit/debit card An idea and a creation A digital camera A computer And a paypal account

3. Get an account From etsy.com, register Pick a clever name (or not so clever… really pick something that is available … that is the best idea!) Check your email and confirm your address Away you go!

4. Now lets buy some sock monkeys! Back to etsy.com (the homepage) we go! Lets find something you might be interested in. Categories on the left or the search bar on the top are great places to start. Don’t forget featured and new items as you scroll down the page.

5. Etsy as mind reader Don’t know what to buy that difficult person? Do they have a facebook account? Well, Etsy can make suggestions based on what is on their facebook. Find the ‘buy’ at the top of the homepage. Now ‘get gift recommendations’. Disclaimer: Since my friends don’t list every single thing they love on facebook, these are not always accurate.

6. Getting rid of sock monkeys! Lots of extra sock monkeys hanging around? Sell them on Etsy! Time for a little more detailed registration. Look for ‘sell’ at the top. Now ‘sell on etsy’. All the digital paperwork complete, get rid of sock monkeys! Back to sell, and ‘list an item’.

7. A little advertising… Be creative! Take great pictures. Tell an interesting story. Be accurate. But be funny.

8. Money and legal issues Fees: Etsy isn’t free. – $.20 for each item listed and there is a 3.5% fee of the selling price when it sells. – However, your item will be listed for until it sells or 3 months. Legality: Don’t try to sell things that aren’t legal. Example: it isn’t legal to sell homemade foods from Michigan on the internet under the Cottage Foods Act.