Since my May post Where to sell handmade products online
I have felt somewhat homeless on the internet, a bit like in real life when I haven't felt sure where exactly I wanted to live or put down roots. The result has been a handful of items listed on one online selling venue and a handful there, while I make up my mind where to put the majority of my listings. Not having tried them all yet and not having sold anything either because I need to list more, promote more and buy more in order to build up my feedback, I am nonetheless getting a FEEL of what these different venues are like, so anything I write about any of them are all based on personal preference and not on sales figures (yet).
Etsy is a site that a few seem to do well on but is swamped with so many listings, and from what I've heard they look like they are going the way of ebay now they have become so big, as the complaints sound very much the same re customer service, treatment towards sellers etc and I still have the scars from ebay not to want to repeat all of that. Admittedly they get a lot more traffic to the site than some of the other online venues for handmade goods, so I will keep some presence there at least for now.
Folksy is the UK equivalent although only a year old and so not in the same league as Etsy even though some sellers have migrated over from there. It will no doubt grow but I'm getting the impression that there is little promotion going on for the site if the forum is anything to go by. Deciding whether to list some jewellery components under supplies I was surprised at how little there was in the category I was going to list in. Now this could be viewed either as negative in that there was less choice on this website, or positive as there was less competition and my listing wouldn't get buried like it would on Etsy. In fact the forum is the best part of Folksy for me (same for eBay now) and I have had some useful advice for improving my shop and am glad that I've now changed the banner more to my liking.
I remembered a seller on DaWanda who I had bookmarked as liking her banners so bought one from her, which I'd seen via a link to her website and which was also listed in her Etsy shop where I finally bought it. So I think this illustrates how having a presence on a number of websites is the way to go, but to maybe have a couple where the most effort towards listing is directed. For me I've decided to open an Artfire shop recently (or studio as it's called there) as my USA presence and to have DaWanda as the European one. At the moment I haven't found one based in the UK that I feel happy about joining, not that it matters as everything is shipped from the UK from any of my shops and Paypal converts the currency.
What I like about Artfire is the way you can see everything in your own currency and can also link to your other shops like Etsy. I've only taken out a basic account which allows you to list 12 items for free. For unlimited items and other features you can pay $12 dollars a month for an upgraded account as a verified member.
At the moment they have what they call a Freeride Program which involves referring 12 people to sign up for a verified account for the $12 a month subscription, and when you get 12 others to also sign up you can have your account (plus one for a friend) free for life - which means no subscription, no listing fees, no commission on sales, everything free - for ever! So check out Artfire yourself via my link below. I've only recently opened an Artfire shop so am still listing my items. If you decide to join as a verified member via my link (thank you!) I am one point nearer to having no fees and you can do the same once registered by referring others.
I have felt somewhat homeless on the internet, a bit like in real life when I haven't felt sure where exactly I wanted to live or put down roots. The result has been a handful of items listed on one online selling venue and a handful there, while I make up my mind where to put the majority of my listings. Not having tried them all yet and not having sold anything either because I need to list more, promote more and buy more in order to build up my feedback, I am nonetheless getting a FEEL of what these different venues are like, so anything I write about any of them are all based on personal preference and not on sales figures (yet).
Etsy is a site that a few seem to do well on but is swamped with so many listings, and from what I've heard they look like they are going the way of ebay now they have become so big, as the complaints sound very much the same re customer service, treatment towards sellers etc and I still have the scars from ebay not to want to repeat all of that. Admittedly they get a lot more traffic to the site than some of the other online venues for handmade goods, so I will keep some presence there at least for now.
Folksy is the UK equivalent although only a year old and so not in the same league as Etsy even though some sellers have migrated over from there. It will no doubt grow but I'm getting the impression that there is little promotion going on for the site if the forum is anything to go by. Deciding whether to list some jewellery components under supplies I was surprised at how little there was in the category I was going to list in. Now this could be viewed either as negative in that there was less choice on this website, or positive as there was less competition and my listing wouldn't get buried like it would on Etsy. In fact the forum is the best part of Folksy for me (same for eBay now) and I have had some useful advice for improving my shop and am glad that I've now changed the banner more to my liking.
I remembered a seller on DaWanda who I had bookmarked as liking her banners so bought one from her, which I'd seen via a link to her website and which was also listed in her Etsy shop where I finally bought it. So I think this illustrates how having a presence on a number of websites is the way to go, but to maybe have a couple where the most effort towards listing is directed. For me I've decided to open an Artfire shop recently (or studio as it's called there) as my USA presence and to have DaWanda as the European one. At the moment I haven't found one based in the UK that I feel happy about joining, not that it matters as everything is shipped from the UK from any of my shops and Paypal converts the currency.
What I like about Artfire is the way you can see everything in your own currency and can also link to your other shops like Etsy. I've only taken out a basic account which allows you to list 12 items for free. For unlimited items and other features you can pay $12 dollars a month for an upgraded account as a verified member.
At the moment they have what they call a Freeride Program which involves referring 12 people to sign up for a verified account for the $12 a month subscription, and when you get 12 others to also sign up you can have your account (plus one for a friend) free for life - which means no subscription, no listing fees, no commission on sales, everything free - for ever! So check out Artfire yourself via my link below. I've only recently opened an Artfire shop so am still listing my items. If you decide to join as a verified member via my link (thank you!) I am one point nearer to having no fees and you can do the same once registered by referring others.
This promotion is for a limited time only, so act fast to start qualifying for your free account for life.
Click on this link to join Artfire's Freeride programme as a verified member and refer 12 others to get your account free for life.
Related posts:
Buying and Selling on DaWanda
Where to sell handmade products online
Posts
Welcome to ArtFire and thankyou for adding your creative voice to our community! If you ever have any problems you can always contact our support team at service@artfire.com . May you have good luck and many sales.
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Artfire.com
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