Saturday, February 20, 2010

Etsy versus 1000 Markets

After taking a break from my Etsy shop over the holidays, I am spending some reconsidering if Etsy is the right venue for me and my work. I also have a shop at 1000 Markets, but just like Etsy, it gets no traffic without marketing. My view is that whichever way I go, I am simply renting shop space and I will have to drive my traffic there, so it is really a matter of which shop I want to drive traffic to.

Pro for Etsy: 

  1. It has the name. It is hard to find someone in this business who has not heard of Etsy.
  2. The forums. They are very active and have been very useful for hints, suggestions, and a sense of community.
  3. Time - as in, I have put a lot of time into my Etsy shop. I think letting it go, or distancing myself from it, is more of a psychological issue than anything.
  4. Paypal allows for instant payment directly into my account. 1000 Markets uses Amazon Payments, which can take a bit longer because the money has to be transferred into my account.
Pro for 1000 Markets:

  1. The look. It is a sleeker, more professional design that just looks cleaner.
  2. It is not as crowded - or shall I say bloated - as Etsy.
  3. The quality of merchandise appears to be superior, compared to Etsy. I have thought for a while that Etsy was beginning to get watered down. There is some OUTSTANDING work on Etsy, but let's face it, some stuff that is, well, not.
I have not made a decision yet, other than to put more of my focus on 1000 Markets and see how I feel about it from the seller point of view. I would like to get some feedback from buyers, too, to see if it matters to them at all. But, eventually, one will have to take precedence over the other.

If you would like to check out my 1000 Markets shop, this is a sample of what I have for sale:

 
PEACE PENDANT NECKLACE
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  1. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2010 at 8:28 PM

    Michelle;
    I would not suggest to let go of any of the shops you have today. You may want to focus on 'some of them' more than on others, but the more you spread the word, the better. My direct sales at markets or throuh retail beat out on-line sales any given day, simply coz people like to touch things.
    BUT - i have been discovered by all, but one of my retailers through Etsy, without basically needing to approach them myself.

    I also shop at Etsy - and I would not have learned about many indie brands I purchase from today, simply because they would never appear on Google's or other search engines' first 5000 or so listings, espec.; if you search for cosmethics - or for that matter - jewellery.

    I am finding Etsy - or other sites - great for exposure, not so much for sales (unless you're selling $6-9 worth items) - sales come once you establish your brand over the years, but for now I use art shows, retail and ocasional on-line gig.
    I would say it is smart to keep all shops - incl. Etsy. I have just tried Artfire, which is a way better site, but it just doesn't seem to have the audience yet. It will.

    There are also art or fashion focused sites, such as BigCartel or.. well, embarrassed to say, but - Chictopia... Those seem to be growing faster than many pure craft sites.

    good luck,
    jolanta

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