Getting started

In this chapter you'll learn how to create your Protsy account, manage your plan and credits, connect your store, and find your way around the app's main screen. You only need to complete these steps once before creating your first listing.

Creating an account

You can sign up for Protsy with your email address or your Google account.

Signing up with email

1. Open the sign-up page (/register). The page title is Start free.
2. Fill in the Email and Password fields. Your password must be at least 8 characters.
3. Check the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy box. You can't finish signing up until this box is checked.
4. Click the Create account button.
5. A Check your email message appears on screen. Click the verification link in your inbox to activate your account.

Tip: If the verification email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder. You can't sign in until you click the link.

Signing up with Google

1. On the sign-up page, first check the Terms and Privacy Policy box. This consent is required for Google sign-up too.
2. Click the Continue with Google button and choose your Google account.
3. Google sends you back to Protsy.

Warning: For security reasons, the sign-up screen doesn't tell you whether an email address is already registered. If you sign up again with an address you've already used, the verification email may not arrive; in that case, try signing in or resetting your password.

Signing in and resetting your password

1. Open the sign-in page (/login). The title is Welcome back.
2. Click Sign in with your email and password, or choose Continue with Google if you signed up with Google.
3. After you sign in, Protsy takes you straight to the new listing screen. For details, see the Listings chapter.

If you forgot your password:

1. On the sign-in screen, click the Forgot password? link.
2. Enter your email address and click Send reset link.
3. Open the link in the email, enter your new password twice on the Set new password screen, and click Save new password.

Warning: The reset link can expire. If you see the message Unable to update password. Your link may have expired., get a new link with Request a new reset link.

Plans and trial

Note: The plan and credit system applies once it is enabled on Protsy's side. If it isn't enabled, the plan selection screen doesn't open and "—" appears instead of a credit balance.

Protsy has no free tier. New accounts start with a 7-day trial. When the trial ends, or when you don't have an active plan, the app sends you to the plan selection page (/plans). According to the FAQ on the pricing page, nothing is deleted in that case; your drafts and settings will be waiting for you.

The pricing page lists three plans:

The trial lasts 7 days and includes a one-time 100 credits.

Note: Your store count includes the Etsy stores you connect and any Shopify or eBay stores connected on their own without Etsy; disconnected stores count too. A Shopify store you add to an Etsy store is its twin and doesn't count separately. When you reach your plan's limit, the Connect new store window shows a Store limit reached message and a See plans button. Reconnecting a store that's already connected doesn't count toward the limit, and removing a store frees up its slot. You can always connect your first store.

Note: Always rely on the pricing page in the app for current prices; the table above shows the plans as they were when this guide was written.

Choosing or changing a plan

1. Open Account settings from the account menu in the bottom left, or go directly to /account.
2. The Plan card shows your current plan and its Renews or Trial ends date.
3. To upgrade your plan, click the Upgrade button; the plan selection page opens.
4. Use the Manage subscription button to change your payment details or subscription. This button appears only if you've paid before.

Tip: If you use Protsy through Shopify and Shopify handles your billing, you'll see a Manage plan in Shopify link instead of the plan button. In that case, you make plan changes in Shopify.

Credits

Credits are the wallet that every AI action, such as photos, videos, and chat, draws from. You can open the credits page at /credits or from the Credits row in the account menu. If the credit system isn't enabled on your account, the Credits row doesn't appear in the account menu and AI jobs run without deducting credits.

On the credits page you'll find:

• Available credits: your current balance.
• Top up: click it to see the 1,000, 5,000, and 15,000 credit packs with their prices. Pack credits never expire.
• Manage subscription: your payment and subscription details.
• Choose a plan: plan cards and their monthly credit amounts.
• Recent activity: your last 50 credit transactions, earned and spent, newest first. Positive amounts are top-ups or refunds; negative amounts are spending.

When your balance drops below 200 credits, a warning dot appears next to the account menu; when you open the menu you'll see the warning Running low — top up to keep generating.

Tip: Credits for a photo or video job that fails are refunded and show up as a positive amount in the Recent activity list.

Connecting your store

Protsy makes a separate connection with each store; there's no shared access between stores. You can connect Etsy, Shopify, and eBay stores. The Amazon option currently shows as Soon and can't be selected.

Connecting your first store

1. If you don't have a store yet, the Dashboard screen shows the message Connect your first Etsy store to get started. and a Connect store link. Click it.
2. In the Choose a platform window, choose the platform you want to connect:
   • Etsy: you're sent to Etsy's permission screen. Sign in with your store's account and approve the permission.
   • Shopify: enter your address in the yourstore.myshopify.com format in the Shopify store domain field and click Continue. You're sent to Shopify to approve the connection.
   • eBay: you're sent to eBay's permission screen.
3. After the Etsy connection, the What do you sell? screen opens. Choose your store type here (see below), or skip it with Skip for now.
4. You then land on the Settings > Connection page, and the notification Etsy store connected successfully! appears.

Warning: The Dashboard, Orders, and profit screens currently work only for Etsy stores. If your active store is a Shopify or eBay store, you'll see the message Catalog for this platform is coming soon. on these screens.

Adding a second Etsy store

Etsy uses the Etsy session that's open in your browser. So when adding a second store, you need to sign out of Etsy first; otherwise Etsy reconnects the same store.

1. Sign out of Etsy in your browser.
2. In Protsy, open the store switcher and choose Connect new store, or use the Connect a different store → link on the Settings > Connection page.
3. Sign in to Etsy with the second store's account and approve the permission.

Warning: An Etsy store can be connected to only one Protsy account. If the store is connected to another Protsy account, you'll see the warning "…" is already linked to another Protsy account and can't be connected here. You need to remove it from that account first.

Store type: Physical, POD, or Mixed

Every store has a product type. This choice tailors the listing tools to you and determines which menus appear in the sidebar.

When you choose POD or Mixed, the Mockups, Designs, and Studio menus appear in the sidebar. These menus don't appear for physical stores. For details, see the POD, Designs, Mockups, and Studio chapter.

You choose the store type on the What do you sell? screen while connecting. If you skipped this step, the store stays Physical. To change it later:

1. On the Settings page, open the General tab.
2. Choose the new type from the Product type list.
3. Click Save changes.

Working with multiple stores

Every screen in Protsy works with the store that's currently selected: listings, orders, settings, and AI chats all belong to the active store.

The framed box at the very top of the sidebar is the store switcher. Your store's logo, name, and connection status (for example ETSY · CONNECTED) appear here. When you click the box, these options open:

• Sync store: pulls the active store's products, store name, and logo from the platform again. When it's done, a Store synced notification appears, or Synced with some errors if part of it failed.
• Switch account: if you have more than one store, the submenu lists all your stores with their platform icons. The active one has a check mark next to it. When you pick a store, Protsy switches to it and takes you to the Dashboard screen.
• Connect new store: opens the Choose a platform window.

If a store's connection breaks, its status label changes to ETSY · DISCONNECTED, and the warning This store's Etsy connection needs to be renewed. appears below the store switcher along with a Reconnect link. Just click the link and approve the permission again.

Tip: Etsy access permission renews automatically in the background. You'll only see the "Disconnected" warning when the connection has actually broken (for example, when you revoke the permission on Etsy).

Interface tour

Sidebar

On desktop, there's a fixed sidebar on the left. From top to bottom:

1. Protsy logo: click it to open the new listing screen.
2. Search icon: opens the search palette (see below).
3. Collapse sidebar icon: turns the sidebar into a narrow strip of icons only. In the collapsed strip, click the logo (Expand sidebar) to bring it back. Your preference is remembered.
4. Store switcher.
5. New chat and past chats (if Protsy AI is turned on for your account).
6. Menu:
   • Dashboard (/dashboard)
   • Listings (/listings)
   • Orders (/orders): if there are unshipped orders, their count appears next to it in an orange badge.
   • Templates (/templates)
   • Mockups, Designs, Studio: only for POD or Mixed stores.
   • Marketplace (/marketplace)
   • Insights (/insights)
   • Profit & Fees (/finance)
   • Tools (/tools)
   • Settings (/settings)
7. At the very bottom, the account menu and the notification bell.

Note: The Marketplace, Profit & Fees, and Tools menus appear only if these features are enabled on your account.

When you open the AI chat panel in a listing's editor, the sidebar hides temporarily to make room for your workspace. It comes back when you close the panel.

Search palette

The search palette lets you find your listings and AI chats in one place.

1. Click the search icon in the sidebar, or press ⌘K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows) on your keyboard. The shortcut works anywhere in the app.
2. Type the word you want to search for.
3. Move through the results with the up/down arrow keys, open one with Enter, and close the palette with Esc.
4. If Protsy AI is turned on for your account, you can switch between the All, Chats, and Listings tabs with the Tab key. If it's off, only listings are searched.

Keyboard shortcuts

When you're not typing in a text field, you can quickly change pages by pressing g and then a letter:

Notification bell

The bell at the bottom right of the sidebar lists the notifications Protsy sends you. The number of unread notifications is shown on the bell ("99+" if there are more than 99). When you click a notification, it's marked as read and the related page opens. To clear them all at once, use Mark all as read.

In addition, Protsy checks your active store for unshipped orders once a minute. When a new order comes in:

• a short cash register sound plays,
• the number of waiting orders appears in the browser tab's title,
• a desktop notification appears if you've allowed notifications in your browser.

Tip: The sound can only play after you've clicked on the page or pressed a key at least once; this is the browsers' own rule.

Account menu

Click your name or initial at the bottom left to open the account menu:

• Credits: your balance and the Top up → shortcut (if the credit system is enabled).
• Account settings: opens the Account page. For details, see the Dashboard and Settings chapter.
• Dark mode / Light mode: changes the interface theme.
• Log out.

Introduction to Protsy AI

Protsy AI is the chat assistant you use to create listings and ask questions about your store. You start from the New chat row in the sidebar; your previous chats are listed right below it. The Protsy AI tile on the Dashboard screen also shows your recent chats.

Note: Protsy AI chat appears if this feature is enabled on your account. For detailed usage, see the Protsy AI and Insights chapter.

Using Protsy on mobile

When you open Protsy on your phone, a fixed tab bar appears at the bottom of the screen instead of the sidebar:

• Home: the Dashboard screen.
• Listings
• Orders: along with the number of unshipped orders.
• More: shows the full desktop sidebar as a panel that slides in from the left. The store switcher, all menus, the account menu, and the notification bell are here.

When you tap a menu, the More panel closes on its own.

Theme and language

There are two ways to set the Theme:

• Quick switch: Dark mode or Light mode in the account menu.
• Saved preference: in the Theme section of the Account page, choose Light, Dark, or System, which follows your device's setting.

To change the Language:

1. Open the Account page (/account).
2. In the Language card, choose English or Türkçe. The interface changes instantly.

Warning: The interface language is stored in your browser. In a new browser or on a new device, the interface opens in English the first time; you need to choose the language there once more. The interface language doesn't determine which language AI writes your listings in. For that, use the Content language option in your store settings (Dashboard and Settings).

Frequently asked questions

Why does the listing creation screen open after I sign in instead of the Dashboard? After you sign in, Protsy takes you straight to the new listing screen. You can go to the Dashboard from the Dashboard menu in the sidebar or with the g, d shortcut.

My sidebar doesn't have the Mockups, Designs, and Studio menus. Why? These menus appear only for stores whose product type is Print on demand (POD) or Mixed (both). Change the Product type in the Settings > General tab and save.

I'm trying to connect my second Etsy store, but my first store keeps reconnecting. Etsy uses the session that's open in your browser. Sign out of Etsy first, then use Connect new store and sign in with the second store's account.

Why do I go back to the Dashboard when I switch stores? When you switch to another store, the page you had open belongs to the previous store, so Protsy takes you to the new store's Dashboard screen.

I connected my Shopify store, but the Dashboard says "Catalog for this platform is coming soon." The Dashboard, Orders, and profit screens are currently ready only for Etsy stores. For what you can do with a Shopify connection, see the Integrations chapter.

Will my data be deleted when my trial ends? No. Your access to the app pauses until you choose a plan, but your drafts and settings aren't deleted.

Other chapters

• 02 · Dashboard and Settings
• 03 · Listings
• 04 · POD, Designs, Mockups, and Studio
• 05 · Templates
• 06 · Orders, Shipping, and Finance
• 07 · Protsy AI and Insights
• 08 · Integrations