Are you ready to launch?

Add up everything that goes into one unit: raw materials, packaging materials (box, tissue, tape, labels), and any supplies used. Divide bulk purchases by the number of units they produce. If you're not sure, use the cost helper in the Pricing Tool — it walks you through each component.

This is the number most new sellers skip entirely — and it's the one that determines whether your business is actually viable. Time yourself making 3 units in a row and average the result. Then pick a labor rate you can defend. Even $12/hr is better than $0/hr.

The Pricing Tool calculates both numbers for you. The break-even floor is not your target — it's the hard minimum. Never price below it. If you can't price above it in your market, that's important information before you list, not after.

Etsy: 6.5% transaction + 3% payment processing. Amazon Handmade: 15% referral + 2.9%. Shopify: 0% transaction + 2.9%. These are taken from your final sale price, not added on top — meaning your pricing must already account for them before the sale happens.

Search your platform for comparable products. You don't need to be the cheapest — in fact, being the cheapest is often a disadvantage. But your price should be defensible given your product quality, photos, and positioning. If the math requires a price the market won't bear, that's something to solve before you launch.

Photos are your most important conversion driver. Natural light beats a ring light. A plain background beats a styled one for clarity. Required shots: main product flat lay, close-up of texture/detail, lifestyle or scale shot, back/underside, and packaging. If your photos aren't good enough, don't launch yet.

Search your product on your platform. What do the top listings call it? Use the same language. Front-load your title with the most important keywords. Don't bury "personalized oak cutting board" at the end of a title that starts with "Beautiful handmade gift." Algorithms and buyers both read left to right.

Read your description as if you've never seen the product. Ask: dimensions? materials? what's included? how is it made? is it ready to ship or made to order? how long does it take? Every unanswered question is a reason for a buyer to close the tab. Answer them all.

A sale isn't the finish line — fulfillment is. If you get 3 orders on day one, can you ship them within your stated turnaround time? Set realistic turnaround expectations in your listing. It's better to promise 5–7 days and delight with 3 than to promise 2 days and miss.

Platforms penalize incomplete listings in search. On Etsy, use all 13 tags. On Amazon Handmade, complete every attribute available for your category. Think of tags as a second title — they're your chance to reach buyers who search differently than your main keywords.

Read it out loud. Check for inconsistencies (different dimensions mentioned in the title vs description). Errors don't just look unprofessional — they actively signal to buyers that you're not detail-oriented, which matters when they're trusting you to make and ship something carefully.

Shipping is one of the most common places new sellers lose money. Weigh your packaged product (product + box + packaging materials) and measure the box. Check USPS, UPS, and FedEx rates for your most common ship-to distance. The Shipping Calculator walks you through this if you're not sure.

Undercharging for shipping eats directly into your margin. Overcharging increases cart abandonment. Aim for accurate. If you're offering free shipping, make sure the cost is built into your product price — free shipping is never actually free.

Don't wait for your first order to figure out packaging. Have at least 5–10 units' worth of packaging supplies on hand before you go live. USPS Priority Mail boxes are free — pick them up at the post office or order online at usps.com. Time your first few pack jobs to know how long it actually takes.

Most platforms (Etsy, Amazon) have built-in label printing that's cheaper than buying postage at the counter. Print a test label before you need one. Know your label printer setup or how to print on paper and tape it. Don't learn this step during your first sale.

It will happen eventually. Know your platform's process for filing a claim, and know what your policy is for the customer in the meantime. Most successful sellers reship immediately and deal with the carrier separately. A customer waiting weeks for a resolution while you figure out the insurance process will leave a review. One who gets a quick replacement won't.

A missing policy doesn't protect you — it just means the platform's default policy applies. A clear "no returns on custom orders, 14-day returns on standard items" is better than silence. Food products typically have a strict no-return policy for safety reasons. State yours clearly and you'll have fewer disputes.

Make a test purchase from your own shop if the platform allows it, or verify your payment settings are connected to an active bank account. Some platforms hold first payments for 3–5 days for new sellers. Know this before you're waiting on money you thought you had.

It doesn't need to be professionally designed. A clean photo of your work, your workspace, or a simple text banner with your shop name is enough. The goal is to signal that a real person runs this shop. Canva has free templates that take 10 minutes.

Handmade buyers aren't just buying a product — they're buying from a person. 3–5 sentences is enough: who you are, what you make, why you make it, and what buyers can expect. Don't over-polish it. A genuine paragraph beats a corporate-sounding bio every time.

Platforms measure your response rate. On Etsy, responding within 24 hours affects your Star Seller status. Set up notifications on your phone if you're not checking the platform daily. An auto-reply setting to let buyers know their message was received buys you time without hurting your rating.

Etsy and Amazon automatically collect and remit sales tax in most US states. Shopify can automate this but requires configuration. This is not financial advice — but you should understand what your platform does on your behalf before your first sale, not at tax time.

Preview your listing on mobile — that's where most buyers are. Ask yourself: would I buy this? If not, why not? Send the preview link to someone honest (not a family member who'll be encouraging regardless) and ask them to tell you the first thing that confused them.

A single listing shop looks incomplete. Even if you only sell one product, consider whether it comes in variations (sizes, colors, quantities) that could be separate listings. 3–5 listings at launch creates a real shop presence. More listings also mean more chances to be found in search.

New listings start without any sales, reviews, or rank. Tell people in your life first. Post on your personal social media. Share with relevant communities. The first 5 real sales are the hardest to get organically — a small network push at launch gives you the initial data and reviews that start working for you passively.

On Etsy, buyers are prompted to leave a review after delivery. You can (carefully) include a thank-you card that mentions how much reviews help small sellers. Never directly ask for 5 stars — that violates platform policy. Respond to every review, positive and negative, professionally and briefly.

This isn't discouragement — it's preparation. Organic search ranking takes time. Reviews take time. Algorithm trust takes time. The sellers who build something real are the ones who don't give up after two weeks of silence. Measure activity (views, favorites, messages) before you measure sales. The data tells you what's working.

Every platform has basic analytics. Check them weekly. Views tell you if buyers are finding you. Conversion rate tells you if your listing is convincing them. Low views = SEO/discovery problem. Good views + no sales = listing problem. Knowing which you have determines what to fix.