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How Many Etsy Shops Can You Have?

Updated on February 17th, 2023
opening a second etsy shop

If you’re considering opening a second Etsy shop, you may be wondering if it is possible or against Etsy’s guidelines.

You can have as many Etsy shops as you want, as long as you stay compliant with Etsy’s Seller Policy.

Etsy’s rules allow you to open multiple stores, especially for the reasons mentioned above. However, there are a few rules and conditions that you need to follow to stay compliant with Etsy’s policies.

Watch this short video explanation or continue reading to learn more!

Most people who have multiple Etsy stores use it to sell different products, but you can still sell the same product across multiple stores under certain conditions. You must have enough products in stock to cover the listed quantity for both stores. If you are selling a unique, one-of-a-kind product across multiple stores, you are not allowed to make duplicate listings since only one of these items exists. Trying to sell the same products across multiple stores can be difficult to manage, so most of the time it is not worth it.

You must also be aware that you cannot open a second Etsy store and list duplicate products as an attempt to outsmart rankings. Your second shop should have a clear difference in the target market or type of product.

Additionally, you will need to list all of your stores in your public seller profile to obtain transparency with Etsy users. Etsy may even contact you to confirm the need for your second store. They will investigate and verify that the shops differ from each other and you have a valid reason for running two Etsy stores. If Etsy believes that your second store is in violation of their policies, they may close it down.

Make sure you are fully compliant with all of the Etsy Seller rules and policies. Etsy has a responsibility towards giving their shoppers a positive experience while using their site to buy goods, so you should be aware of these as a seller. One common reason why you won’t be allowed a second store is if your first one was closed down due to violating their rules and policies.

How to Open a Second Etsy Shop

There are multiple reasons for which someone would want to run two separate Etsy stores: different types of products, niches, different audiences and so on… Running one store for all your products if they’re very different may seem like a bad idea. For example, if you’re selling jewelry you make yourself but are also selling all those vintage items you found in your garage, it can get confusing for your customers.

There are several reasons why someone would be interested in running two different stores on Etsy: different types of products, niches, audiences, etc… If some of your products are very different from the rest of what your store is offering, having only one store may seem like a bad idea.

For example, if you’re selling hand-crafted jewelry but are also selling a bunch of vintage items you found in your garage, your customers could be confused about what your shop is about! This may be one reason why you’re wondering if it is possible to open a second Etsy store.

infographic for opening a second etsy store

Do I Really Need a Second Store?

There are many Etsy sellers who sell a wide variety of creations on their store. If these creations are not centered around a general theme, your potential customer could become confused, distracted, or uninterested.

For example, someone who is looking for a cross-stitching pattern should eventually come across a pattern they like. If they like a particular pattern and find your design style to be interesting, they may want to browse the rest of your patterns.

Now imagine that your store was filled with a wide variety of products, such as handmade bags, vintage movie posters, and shoes… The customer did not find what they were looking for (or expecting)! Even though they may end up buying the original pattern they landed on, they definitely won’t be coming back to your shop to look for new cross-stitching patterns.

Another example is if your store has multiple target audiences. If you are selling items for mothers and also sell NSFW items, it may not be a good idea to have them listed together in the same Etsy store, even if they are in separate sections.

Although, if the items are similar enough you may not need a second Etsy store. For example, if you’re selling knitting patterns and also crochet patterns, having one store will work since your audience is nearly the same.

But just because you have different products does not mean you should necessarily start a second Etsy store.

If you don’t have enough products to populate the second store, then don’t bother setting it up. If you wanted to sell a few homemade keychains in your knitting store, go ahead and list them. You can separate these keychains into their own section within your store. You should only consider opening a second Etsy store if you are planning to sell a lot more than just a few different items.

If your keychains eventually become popular and you start to expand their product, then you could consider opening a new store. Do keep in mind that you will not be able to transfer your listings directly into the new store, so plan ahead.

The goal of creating a second Etsy store is to keep your theme consistent and make your store easier to understand. Think about your products and audience to determine if it makes sense to open a second store. Opening another store is not easy, so make sure you’ve made a solid decision before doing so.

The Pros of a Second Store

There are several advantages of launching a second Etsy:

  • Clear separation of products
  • Easier to measure store performance in relation to your products/audience
  • If one shop fails, you still have another one
  • Advertising and promotion is easier
  • Easier to develop a fanbase

Obviously, you’ll have a clear distinction between your stores and the products they offer. You’ll also have a better idea of which products are performing better since your analytics will not be mixed with different types of items. Advertising your store and products will also be easier since your store will center around one theme. This allows your marketing messages to be clear and concise.

Another benefit to starting a second Etsy store is the ease of building a following. Since your stores are focused on different themes, you’ll attract people who are interested in those themes. Additionally, customers of one of your stores may also be interested in your other store. This allows you to cross-promote between each store. If you just have one store with a mess of various items, it will be hard to gain any sort of devoted following.

The Downside

Although there are great advantages to starting a second Etsy store, there are also some disadvantages:

  • More difficult to manage
  • More social media accounts to create
  • New branding (logos, profile, etc.)
  • If one store is shut down due to a policy violation, the other will be too

Having two stores means you’ll be doing double the work. You’ll have to jump from one to the other in order to keep track of sales, inventory, advertisements, traffic, promotions and so on. If both stores become popular, you may even end up needing an extra set of hands to keep up with your stores. Etsy favors active shops, so you’ll also need to keep both stores updated with new listings.

Tracking inventory will be another difficultly in managing your stores, especially if you have hundreds of items. Having customizable products will also be difficult to manage. You’ll also have to keep up with your inventories to prevent your products from running out of stock. All this becomes even more difficult you have your own website for your Etsy shops!

If you’re using social media to promote your store, you will probably have to create separate accounts for both stores. That will increase your time spent managing social media. This also applied to branding. Since your stores are different, you’ll have to create a separate logo, banner, shop profile, etc. for each store.

The “Sell on Etsy” mobile phone app allows you to easily switch between your different shops, which makes it easier to manage. Unfortunately, this feature is not available on laptops or desktop computers.

As mentioned earlier, if you have had a store closed down, you can’t open a new one. This also applies to all your current stores: if one of them is closed down due to a major violation, your other stores will be closed down as well.

Can I Close My Etsy Shop and Open a New One?

Yes, you can close your Etsy shop and open a new one.

Doing this would involve opening an entirely new Etsy account, since you will not be able to open another shop under the same email address. Read the next section for more information about opening your second Etsy shop.

Keep in mind, you can also choose to re-open your previously closed shop if you want to continue running it again!

How To Open that Second Store?

When opening another store, you will need to go through the entire process from scratch. This means you’ll need a separate account with a new email address.

If you’re using Gmail, you can easily redirect your emails to one email address. Although you will still have to log in to these emails separately, you can set your incoming mail to direct to one of the accounts. This helps make owning a second Etsy store easier to manage.

Even though you need a different account with a new email address, you are still allowed to use the same banking information or PayPal account for both stores. This is great because it keeps your finances much more organized since all your income will go to the same place. When it comes to managing your finances, it will not be much more difficult than normal.

Final Thoughts

If you already have an established brand and are considering jumping into another venture, this will not be terribly difficult. You are already familiar with the process and your other store is already established. If you’re considering launching two stores at once, you may want to re-think your decision. It may be overwhelming to start two stores at the same time, so you risk both stores failing if you are not ready to handle that situation.

Remember, just because you are starting an online business does not mean it is easy! There are many difficult skills you’ll to learn when launching an online business, and one of the most important ones is time management. If you spread yourself too thin from the start, all your efforts may disappear

As mentioned before, it is best to launch one store at a time, rather than all at once. If you only have a few differing products, it is okay to keep them all in one shop for now. Make sure you are familiar with selling on Etsy and marketing your product before expanding too quickly. When you’re ready to move onto the next store, it will be much easier to get started since you already have some experience.

Managing multiple Etsy stores is feasible and a lot of people are doing it every day. Before you do the same, make sure you actually need to and that you are ready to take things on!

Managing multiple Etsy stores is possible and a lot of people are doing it, but you should make sure you actually need (and are ready) to start another store.

Comments

Linda

Can the same Etsy password used for the first shop with a gmail account be used for the second shop with the slightly altered gmail account?

Reply

Once you create a separate account, the password you choose has nothing to do with the first one. Please keep us posted on what happens with you as what works today might change tomorrow.

Reply
Jack Dorner

Im having a develop time figuring out how to create a second Etsy store. Is there some link Im missing on the website. ???

Reply

Hi Jack, please reread the How to open a second store part of the article. You have to create a new account from scratch and declare it to Etsy.

Reply
Anna

I am having a hard time locating My Shops link on Etsy. As of now, I have one shop but want to open a second one for a different line of products (handmade).

Reply

Hi Anna, you have to open a separate account to have a second store.

Reply
Bev

Great article. I was able to create a second shop easily. I will stagger opening the second shop, taking your advice to not get overwhelmed launching two shops!

Reply

Good to know Bev and good luck with your online business! I haven’t had the chance to update this site in a while but make sure to come back to learn more about monetizing your crafts!

Reply
Andrea

Hi,
Will you ever make it possible to hade multiple shops on the same account? That would be sooo much easier and would save a lot of us a lot of time. Like you can have multiple accounts on instagram, facebook and pinterest and easily switch between them.

Reply

Hi Andrea! I totally understand your frustration and I wish I could do more but I’m not at all in control of what Etsy does.

Reply
Michele

Can I have 2 stores under the umbrella of the same bank account?

Reply

Shouldn’t be an issue. The important distinction between the two accounts has to be the email address used which is your account’s identifier. Make sure to declare your stores to Etsy!

Reply
Thad

Hi! Can I send myself a link to benefit (twice) of 40 free listings?

Reply
Marie

I opened a second store and Etsy terminated it less in five minutes without an explanation. I’ve no idea what I did wrong and the customer service isn’t replying. Now I’m terrified that Etsy will terminate my first store as well.

Reply

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