Hi folks!
So here's a good topic that I've had a bit of experience with in the past three months or so. I've sold a few items online in the past, but usually, I do it through Facebook or word of mouth. My first online storefront languished; it was hosted on Etsy before the redesign, and I was very unimpressed with the layout. In fairness, I never ended up listing an item. Around that time, I was pretty busy with helping my husband emigrate from Canada, so not only did I have much free time, but I felt as though I had a lot less to offer back in those days.
I was a big fan of Regretsy back when it was still around. For those of you who don't remember Regretsy, it was a comedy site that highlighted the worst of the worst items that people were selling on Etsy at the time. It also showcased a lot of the problems with Etsy, especially when it came to Etsy's horrible mismanagement of their own site. Their admins were unlikeable, their policies went unenforced, and people sold mass-manufactured items completely unchecked. After a while of reading Regretsy and watching the trainwreck, a Regretsy commenter mentioned Artfire as an alternative. After a while of browsing the site, I decided to join up.
Artfire is a very different site than Regretsy. They're very focused on showcasing only handmade items and craft supplies, and it shows in the quality of work you see there. Etsy CLAIMS to feel the same way, but even to this day, you still see items that were very clearly made in a factory somewhere in China. Artfire charges simply to have a seller account with them. It's about $10 a month if you pay for 3 months at a go. This is a nice feature, since they don't take a commission, and don't charge per item listing. Artifre also doesn't consider your items to be inactive after 4 months, requiring you to re-list them, like Etsy does.
These things were REALLY attractive to me.
Unfortunately, after a few months, the cracks started to show. Artfire is really outdated, where the newly-redesigned Etsy is modern, clear, and convenient. Artfire is a LOT less popular. I mean, when people go to search for handmade items, generally speaking, they just go to Etsy. It's a well-known name, and Artfire just isn't. I imagine this might be the first time that most of you have even heard of it. Were it not for Regretsy, I STILL would never have been there.
So, after some prodding, my friends finally convinced me to at least give Etsy another try. I was very reluctant, but I hadn't seen how amazing the recent redesign was - and it really is amazing. Etsy is incredibly modern and seller-friendly now. I could probably write a novel about all of its convenient features compared to Artfire. I was spending nearly a half an hour per item to list my items on Artfire. There are duplicate information fields to fill out everywhere, unnecessary information (tagging an item as a gift for Summer?), multiple description fields, and slow-loading store section dropdowns. The only thing I miss from Artfire's item listing page is the ability to put a promotional overlay on a picture. As soon as I started using Etsy, I had 10 items listed in a half an hour or less.
So what does Artfire have that Etsy doesn't?
AUTOMATIC TAXES. Oh my god. Etsy, why don't you have this? I don't want to set up tax profiles for every city in the US. I am not an accountant. I don't understand how these things work. I am the equivalent of a crazy cat lady with a stand at the swap market. It is a miracle that I can work the post office.
But, honestly... it's the only place where Artfire excels. Sure, it's nice that Artfire doesn't take a cut of my profits, but at $10 a month, at the moment, I'm only breaking even. Artfire also lets you keep a gallery of past work, but it's shoved off in a corner that most people will never see. But on the whole, the minor conveniences are in no way worth it, considering what you get with Etsy.
With Etsy, I can DITCH PAYPAL. I hate Paypal. With a seething, fiery, burning passion. All you have to do is Google "Why should I hate PayPal?" and Google will tell you allllllll about it. So it's nice to have the ability to never need to use it again. I can just enter my bank account information right into Etsy, and people can pay with plastic. Instead of sitting in my PayPal account, it goes directly to me. With Etsy, I can print shipping labels, save on shipping costs, and never have to wait in line at the post office again. With Etsy, I can view detailed stats about my store, graphs of what days my store and various items are popular, and where my traffic is coming from. With Etsy, I can crop photos right in the item editor for clean thumbnails.
It's time for the ArtFire vs. Etsy bottom line.
Choose Etsy if:
So here's a good topic that I've had a bit of experience with in the past three months or so. I've sold a few items online in the past, but usually, I do it through Facebook or word of mouth. My first online storefront languished; it was hosted on Etsy before the redesign, and I was very unimpressed with the layout. In fairness, I never ended up listing an item. Around that time, I was pretty busy with helping my husband emigrate from Canada, so not only did I have much free time, but I felt as though I had a lot less to offer back in those days.
I was a big fan of Regretsy back when it was still around. For those of you who don't remember Regretsy, it was a comedy site that highlighted the worst of the worst items that people were selling on Etsy at the time. It also showcased a lot of the problems with Etsy, especially when it came to Etsy's horrible mismanagement of their own site. Their admins were unlikeable, their policies went unenforced, and people sold mass-manufactured items completely unchecked. After a while of reading Regretsy and watching the trainwreck, a Regretsy commenter mentioned Artfire as an alternative. After a while of browsing the site, I decided to join up.
Artfire is a very different site than Regretsy. They're very focused on showcasing only handmade items and craft supplies, and it shows in the quality of work you see there. Etsy CLAIMS to feel the same way, but even to this day, you still see items that were very clearly made in a factory somewhere in China. Artfire charges simply to have a seller account with them. It's about $10 a month if you pay for 3 months at a go. This is a nice feature, since they don't take a commission, and don't charge per item listing. Artifre also doesn't consider your items to be inactive after 4 months, requiring you to re-list them, like Etsy does.
These things were REALLY attractive to me.
Unfortunately, after a few months, the cracks started to show. Artfire is really outdated, where the newly-redesigned Etsy is modern, clear, and convenient. Artfire is a LOT less popular. I mean, when people go to search for handmade items, generally speaking, they just go to Etsy. It's a well-known name, and Artfire just isn't. I imagine this might be the first time that most of you have even heard of it. Were it not for Regretsy, I STILL would never have been there.
So, after some prodding, my friends finally convinced me to at least give Etsy another try. I was very reluctant, but I hadn't seen how amazing the recent redesign was - and it really is amazing. Etsy is incredibly modern and seller-friendly now. I could probably write a novel about all of its convenient features compared to Artfire. I was spending nearly a half an hour per item to list my items on Artfire. There are duplicate information fields to fill out everywhere, unnecessary information (tagging an item as a gift for Summer?), multiple description fields, and slow-loading store section dropdowns. The only thing I miss from Artfire's item listing page is the ability to put a promotional overlay on a picture. As soon as I started using Etsy, I had 10 items listed in a half an hour or less.
So what does Artfire have that Etsy doesn't?
AUTOMATIC TAXES. Oh my god. Etsy, why don't you have this? I don't want to set up tax profiles for every city in the US. I am not an accountant. I don't understand how these things work. I am the equivalent of a crazy cat lady with a stand at the swap market. It is a miracle that I can work the post office.
But, honestly... it's the only place where Artfire excels. Sure, it's nice that Artfire doesn't take a cut of my profits, but at $10 a month, at the moment, I'm only breaking even. Artfire also lets you keep a gallery of past work, but it's shoved off in a corner that most people will never see. But on the whole, the minor conveniences are in no way worth it, considering what you get with Etsy.
With Etsy, I can DITCH PAYPAL. I hate Paypal. With a seething, fiery, burning passion. All you have to do is Google "Why should I hate PayPal?" and Google will tell you allllllll about it. So it's nice to have the ability to never need to use it again. I can just enter my bank account information right into Etsy, and people can pay with plastic. Instead of sitting in my PayPal account, it goes directly to me. With Etsy, I can print shipping labels, save on shipping costs, and never have to wait in line at the post office again. With Etsy, I can view detailed stats about my store, graphs of what days my store and various items are popular, and where my traffic is coming from. With Etsy, I can crop photos right in the item editor for clean thumbnails.
It's time for the ArtFire vs. Etsy bottom line.
Choose Etsy if:
- You are new to selling items online.
- You are successfully selling fewer than about 50 items a month.
- You hate PayPal.
- You need more exposure.
- You hate the post office AND have a working printer.
Choose Artfire if:
- You already have a customer base.
- You are selling more than at least $10 worth of items each month.
- You want a showcase of your work and studio, rather than "just" a storefront.
I chose Etsy, by a long shot. What's better for you?
Good luck!
Cat
