Anyone who is a frequent user of Etsy is starting to notice the controversial changes to our beloved site that is moving us from a respected selling venue to a new version of Facebook. Don't get me wrong, I still love Etsy, but at the same time, they are making me nervous. Sales have been way down, the site is getting less attractive to buyers only and the dependence on other sellers for sales is getting hard to handle. I have to spend too much time on the forums- I mean on the teams- to figure out what the heck is going on with changes to the site, blah blah blah. It takes up too much time fighting to get people to MY shop, to stay on MY pages, to view MY items and to buy from ME because there are circles and networks and teams and lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! It just makes my head hurt some days. So I am going to test out Artfire and see how it goes. I am going to start out basic, list the same items in my Etsy shop and see how things go. IF things pick up, then perhaps I will switch over to the pro program and ditch Etsy. I hate to do it because I spent all that time promoting my Etsy site, but I will if it comes down to it.
Things are rough around the edges right now, but feel free to stop by and check it out! And don't be afraid to leave some feedback/thoughts/ideas:
I've been debating on Artfire...I wasn't sure about it since I thought I had seen a monthly fee, etc...and I don't sell enough to justify a monthly fee. BUT, I would certainly be curious to see how you do. :-)
ReplyDeletePlease keep us posted!
Artfire offers three different account types: Buyers only, a basic free seller's account and a "pro" sellers account. For now, I have opted for the free seller's account until I get stuff set up and get a few sales under my belt. Right now, a monthly fee for the pro plan is about $10 with unlimited listing, sales and quantities. You can add a lot more to your listings such as extra photos, information, coupons, promotions, etc.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Artfire looks a little more jumbled compared to Etsy's sleeker design. Right now, my banner looks horrendous, but I will eventually get that re-situated. You can get very nice looking banners going with the pro plan, but for now I am limited to one size in three different color schemes. Pro also offers sections, widgets and galleries. Some of these seem much more advanced than what Etsy has to offer. You can still create collections comparable to treasuries, interact on forums, etc. Pro allows you to set up shop on your facebook page and even basic allows you to link to your other sites.
Artfire does not charge listing fees, renewing fees, quantity fees, selling fees, etc. like Etsy. When sales are down, I spend about $5 a month on Etsy. When sales are up, I spend a bit more renewing sold items, selling fees, etc. When you sign up for pro, you can set large quantities so you are not constantly renewing items like Etsy.
So far, I have barely scratched the surface of Artfire! I have a lot to learn of the basic before I switch to the Pro plan.
Thanks for that info...I will have to research more of Artfire and really consider it.
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