Want to make money on Etsy.com? Here's how

Three years ago, Alicia Kachmar became chronically ill and had to quit her teaching job in New York City. Living what she called a "bed-ridden existence," Alicia taught herself to crochet as a way of passing the time, encouraged by her then live-in boyfriend to be creative. He told her about a new ebay-meets-Facebook site for crafts people, founded in Brooklyn, called Etsy. She tried her hand at selling her crochet items on the site. At first her creations literally carried a frown, to express how she felt about being sick, which actually won buyers' attention. As Etsy took off, Alicia took off with it, selling soaps, origami, stationary, and baked goods before sticking to crochet.

"It's easier to 'specialize' [on Etsy], for your own sanity and so that your shop looks organized and well-thought out," she says. Since joining in spring 2006, Alicia has sold 1307 items as EternalSunshine - the name of her shop and a big piece of her income pie.

Making your living from running your very own Etsy "shop" is possible, as this video profile of Etsy seller KnitKnit, Nguyen Le, attests.