How To Change Your Etsy Shop Name: A Guide

Maybe you’re rebranding and want a new Etsy store name to go along with it, or maybe you simply feel like the old name doesn’t go along with the new products you’re planning to sell. 

At any rate, an Etsy shop name change is in order. But how do you go about it, and are there any particular things you need to know before making this change? Let’s find out!

Etsy shop name requirements

Your Etsy shop name:

• Can only be between 4 – 20 characters long
• Can contain capital letters to distinguish between different words
• Can contain numbers
• Can’t contain any spaces or punctuation
• Can’t contain any accented letters
• Can’t contain any profanity
• Can’t infringe on another person’s trademark

Here’s an illustration of what’s allowed and what isn’t:

✔️ ariceramics
✔️ AriCeramics
✔️ ariCeramics27
❌ ari ceramics
❌ ari_ceramics

Whatever Etsy shop name you choose will become part of your URL. Let’s say you compile and sell essay writing service reviews from scamfighter and your shop name is StayLegit. This be your URL: etsy.com/shop/StayLegit, (or) StayLegit.etsy.com. 

How to change your Etsy shop name

Here’s a step-by-step guide. 

1. Once you log in to your Etsy account, head over to the Shop Manager. You’ll find it right beside your name on the top right corner.

2. Select Settings and choose Info and Appearance. 

3. Near the Shop Name you’ll see a button called Change. Click on that.

4. A box will appear, prompting you to enter your new name. Enter your chosen name and click on Save. Keep in mind that your chosen name may not always be available, so be prepared to make slight modifications to it. In case the name you want is already taken, Etsy will suggest a few other similar names. You can choose one of those, or come up with a different version on your own.

5. And you’re done!

What if you want to change your Etsy shop name again?

Well, you can! You can change your Etsy shop name as many times as you want before you start your shop. But, once your shop is live, you can only change your shop name a maximum of 5 times.

What happens after you change your Etsy shop name?

Once you pick a new Etsy shop name and save it, your store name displayed on your profile will change to reflect the new one. Your Etsy shop URL will also change. Anybody who clicks on the old URL will automatically be redirected to your new one. 

Now that the new shop name is yours, nobody else will be able to use it on Etsy.

As a bonus, Etsy also adds a small icon next to your shop name for 45 days to indicate to everyone that your shop name has changed. This icon will show up beside your shop name on all of your shop pages, your shop profile, and even any search results that your shop pops up in! Pretty neat, huh?

While Etsy does help people know you’ve changed names, you should also let everyone know yourself by making a shop announcement, mentioning it in your “about” section, and even adding the change to your cover and profile pictures. Something as simple as “previously [old shop name]” will do.

What to do if the shop name you want isn’t available?

Life doesn’t always go our way. Sometimes, the shop name you had in mind might already be in use. Or it might have once belonged to a shop that is now closed (yes, on Etsy, shop names don’t become available once the original shop has closed). 

In both these cases, you won’t be able to use the same name. And yes, this rule applies even if you were the one who previously used a certain shop name and then closed that shop. 

What can you do here? In the first two cases, you can’t do anything but accept your fate and think of another name. But if you want to reuse a shop name that you previously used on another account and then closed? You can get it back if you reopen that shop!

How to reopen an Etsy shop

The first thing you need to remember about reopening an Etsy shop previously closed is that you’re going to have to remember the login details you used for it. You also can’t complete this process on the Etsy Seller app or a mobile browser, so get your desktop booted and ready to go. 

1. Sign in to Etsy and select the Your Account icon. You’ll see it in the top right corner of the page. 

2. From the dropdown menu, choose Account Settings.

3. Select the Your Closed Shop option and choose Reopen Shop. 

That’s it! Your shop will be reopened again, and you’ll be able to use this shop’s name. 

📝 Note: While this option is great for Etsy sellers who closed up shop (literally) and want to reopen their business with the same name, it’s not really an ideal option for sellers who already have another active Etsy shop and just want to rebrand. If you choose to reopen your old shop just for the shop name, you’ll lose the following you have built on your new shop. So, if you belong to the second category, it might be better to just use a slightly modified version of the name you wanted instead of reopening your old shop. 

What if a shop name for which you hold the rights to isn’t available?

Let’s say you have your own brand name that you use everywhere. You hold the intellectual property rights to it. But when you try to create an Etsy shop with the same name, you find out that it’s unavailable.

If this is because it’s currently being used by someone else, you can either contact them directly to resolve the issue amicably, or file a notice of intellectual copyright infringement. While filing the notice won’t free up the shop name for you, it’s certainly a good step to fight for your rights.

If the name was used on a now-closed shop, there’s nothing you can do, unfortunately. Your only option will be to use a slightly modified version of the brand name. For instance, “FrogAndToadUSA” instead of just “FrogAndToad.”

Tips for making your Etsy shop name stand out

Your Etsy shop name is not just a name; it’s your brand. It’s the name that people are going to know you by, so you need to make sure that it really reflects your business. Here are some tips:

• Keep it short, unique, and memorable. Your name needs to stay in people’s minds so that they can recommend you to others and purchase from you again. It should also be easy to pronounce and spell so that people remember your name and find you easily.
• Check for availability on Etsy and also make sure the name you choose hasn’t already been trademarked by someone else. You can check this on your country’s trademark database. Here are some quick links for your convenience: US; Canada; UK; and EU.
• Make sure you create a website and social media accounts with your Etsy shop name. This gives you greater discoverability and also prevents others from creating accounts with the same name. 

• Do some keyword research and identify the most crucial keywords for your niche. Try to include them in your Etsy shop name. For instance, if you make and sell homemade candles, ‘homemade’ or ‘handcrafted’ might be one of the keywords that your target audience particularly looks for. So, you can come up with a name such as ‘HomemadeCandlesByAri’ to increase your discoverability on the platform.
• If you already have an established brand name and you find that name isn’t available on Etsy, you can slightly modify it by adding some action words like “buy” or “sells” to the beginning or the middle, using words like “a” or “the,” adding your location to the end of the name, or using store-related words like “vintage” or “handmade.” You can even tack on a “store” or “shop” to the end to keep it simple. For example, if you wanted the name ‘CandlesByAri,’ but found it unavailable, you can use ‘HomemadeCandlesByAri,’ ‘ScentedCandlesByAri,’ ‘BuyCandlesByAri,’ or even ‘CandlesByAriUSA.’

Your Etsy shop deserves a name that’s as unique as the products you sell, so go out there and make it happen!

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