Can I open two Etsy stores in 2023?

Etsy have become an increasingly popular online market place. The reason why they have become so popular is because they have built their brand in a more unique way compared to Amazon or AliExpress.

Etsy have focused on a more vintage/artsy/unique/homemade product ranges and don’t allow any random people selling random products. As a seller you want to capitalize and sell your products in two different stores, so the question is Can I open two Etsy stores ?

“Stay true to your core values” is what Etsy have been enforcing since they started. In that saying they have a strict set of policies and guidelines to stop people from turning Etsy into just another Amazon or AliExpress.

How many Etsy shops can I open?

Etsy rules stated that you can only legally open one shop on their platform. However, people have recently started opening multiple shops. But how many Etsy shops can I open?

In my opinion, opening multiple Etsy stores is incredibly risky. With the astronomical increase in sellers on Etsy they have some pretty good technology to ensure that people are not breaking the rules.

If you want to learn how to open an Etsy store you can read my blog here. How to open an Etsy store.

The cons of opening more than one Etsy store:

There are multiple reasons why you shouldn’t open more than one Etsy store.

• If Etsy notice you have more than one store, they will close both of your stores and remove you from their market place.

• Having more than one store will require you to double your work load. This can sometimes lead to bad customer service. It’s better to have one store doing incredibly well than have two stores doing mediocre.

• If Etsy notice you are selling the same products on more than one store, they will remove all the profiles under your name.

If you are not interested in the cons and repercussions of opening more than one store, I will explain how you can prevent the above from happening.

How to open more than one Etsy store:

I mentioned above that people are opening more than one Etsy store. Whilst I done condone doing this, there are ways to limit your chances of getting removed from their market place. Here i will explain how to open more than one Etsy store

You can open multiple shops by doing the following:

• Create a new email and google account for each Etsy store.

• Use a new device.

• Make sure your store is in compliance with the product guidelines.

• Have a separate bank account.

• Use a different identity document to verify your store.

I will explain why you should be taking the flowing steps above in more details.

Create a new email and google account for each Etsy store.

It is recommended that you create a new email and google account for each Etsy store you open.

Etsy have the right to take information from your computer. Some of this information they take are the google browser you are using and the email attached to it.

My suggestion is to create a whole new browser first and from there create a new email address. 

Use a new device.

Yes, you read that right. You will need a whole new device to open your second Esty store.

When I say device, I mean a new laptop. Etsy are able to get your IP address information from your laptop. They will be able to pick up that your new store comes from the same Ip address and they will remove both your stores from the market place.

Make sure your store is in compliance with the product guidelines.

If you have one store already doing well then you need to make sure your second store follows their product guidelines to perfection and vice versa.

If you have two stores and you haven’t taken the above-mentioned steps then if they find you have broken one product guideline, they will close your store and eventually link that store to your new store and remove them both and vice versa.

Have a separate bank account.

This one might seem fairly obvious, but because not everyone;

• Has a second bank account or
• Don’t have any people willing to lend their bank account.

They seem to just skip this step and hope for the best.

If you don’t have a second bank account or if you don’t have someone willing to lend you theirs then don’t open a second Etsy store.  You will end up getting both your stores removed from their market place.

If you do manage to find someone who is willing to lend you theirs then please make sure you trust them. They will have to transfer you your money every time you get paid out by Etsy.

Use a different identity document to verify your store.

Etsy do keep your identity documents and will find out about any additional stores you open if you use the same one for all your stores.

This gets tricky as the identity document needs to match the name on the bank account you will use. They will find it suspicious that the bank account and identity document do not match and they will do further investigations into your store.

This will ultimately lead to both your stores getting banned.

Finishing words:

In closing I would like to answer your question “Can I open more than one Etsy store?”. The answer to this question is YES YOU CAN.

However, you should consider what I have mentioned above before trying to open a second Etsy store. If you are unable to get a different bank account or identity document then you are risking the chances of getting banned from Etsy for good.

Please note that I don’t advise opening multiple Etsy stores even if you follow the above guidelines there is still a possibility that Etsy will catch you out.

Nothing is guaranteed.