The short answer is probably not if you are just selling handmade items. With handmade items the rule of thumb is material cost plus fees x 3 = sales price. If you offer free shipping you woukdbthen minus that from the sales price. So if it cost you $5.00 to create the items – 15% of $15.00 =$2.25 (Amazon’s fee) – shipping normally 7.95 that leaves you with 0.2%. There are also sales taxes. Etsy has a more ebay style pricing structure. .20 cents per listing plus a 5 % fee, you also have store fees and square or PayPal fees.
Obviously it’s working for some, or they just enjoy doing it. Selling supplies like beads, fabric, notions has always done well on etsy but any real money would need to come from large sales and loyal costumers.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Approaching it as a business is recommended. Keeping costs down, learning merchandising to increase your chances of multiple quantity sales, and social networking utilizing free outlets like Pinterest may be beneficial. I absolutely encourage you to become a creative, but again to do so thoughtfully and efficiently.
Happy crafting and remember time is money pimpin.
