HOW AN ETSY SELLER SPENDS HER TIME Making, designing, acquiring 3% 2% Purchasing supplies Marketing and promoting 3% 11% Communicating with customers Shipping 6% Accounting and paperwork 5% 55% Managing inventory 8% Planning for the future 7% Other After income volatility, Etsy sellers rank tasks related to microbusiness management, like time management and expanding their creative business acumen, as the next biggest barriers to achieving their goals. Etsy offers a wide range of Seller Services and tools that help creative entrepreneurs start, manage, and scale their microbusinesses. But cumbersome and confusing tax and regulatory structures still present administrative challenges that make it difficult for microbusinesses to focus on making. International shipping Etsy makes it possible for sellers to start exporting goods to other countries from the moment they open their shops. In fact, 30% of Etsy sales in 2016 were international (came from an Etsy seller or an Etsy buyer outside of the U.S.).20 Sellers with customers in other countries report frustrations with understanding customs fees and tariffs (22%) and providing accurate tracking information (35%). Etsy sellers also worry about the differing consumer protection regulations that apply to some products in varying countries. 12 2017 Seller Census Report