Etsy or website? Everything you need to know

Are you thinking about setting up an Etsy account but not quite sure if it’s the best option?

Don’t worry, I’m here to answer your questions.

Of course, setting up an account on a platform to sell things online is fairly straightforward, but it depends on what stage you’re at… some options will work better for you than others.

If you’ve been thinking about setting up an Etsy account, there are a couple of things you’ll need to know first…

Etsy

If you’ve looked into Etsy before, you’ll already know that it attracts customers to your shop all by itself, without you having to spend money on adverts or waste time creating content to promote yourself.

Etsy showcases your art for you, but that comes at a price.

Without mentioning money

Etsy will require you to constantly maintain your shop: it needs to be kept up to date, you need to add new products from time to time and, if a listing isn’t quite working, you need to be able to adapt and change it to make it more appealing.

If you upload a single product and forget about it, not only will you barely make any sales (if any at all), but Etsy will completely forget about you… and on top of that, you’ll have to pay the fee every few months to keep the listing active.

Speaking of money

Etsy takes a large chunk of the money in commission. Whether you sell physical or digital products, the moment someone buys a product from you, Etsy starts taking percentage after percentage until you’re left with little more than half; or at least that’s my experience.

Is it worth it?

Well, yes… and no.

Your other options are your own website, perhaps a Ko-Fi… and now I’ll tell you about the pros and cons of Etsy compared to these two "platforms".

Advantages

Etsy attracts customers on its own
Unlike a website and Ko-Fi

The platform is known for selling artistic products.
So if that’s your thing, people are likely to look there. People are already visiting to buy. You can make sales without needing an existing audience.

You don’t have to worry about preparing almost anything. 
It’s all set up: simply create the product and set the shipping prices; Etsy does the rest.

You don’t have to pay for monthly hosting 
For example, Shopify currently costs €32 a month, and it only goes up

Disadvantages

Fees
Ultimately, between fees on the one hand and commissions on the other, they end up taking a significant chunk of your money (which could even exceed your Shopify subscription)

You have to keep the shop active
Update listings, change photos, titles, etc., until something works well

There’s a lot of competition 
Did you think you’d be the only one on Etsy? I wish. 
There are bound to be dozens of people doing the same thing as you, and you need to work hard to stand out from the crowd. 

It’s difficult to build a community 
Buyers won’t necessarily remember you as an artist; instead, they’ll think, ‘I bought this on Etsy’. 

So… should I set one up?

If you’ve already looked at the pros and cons of having an Etsy shop and you’re still not sure if it’s for you… I’m going to explain when the best time is to set one up. Who knows? Maybe Etsy is perfect for you.

If you’re just starting out and don’t have your own community
Etsy could be a great option for you. From there, you can only grow!

If you don’t have time to set up your own website, Etsy makes it VERY easy for you, and you can have your own shop up and running in minutes. 
For example, it took me over 10 months to get my website ready… whereas my Etsy shop was more than ready in just an hour. 

In short, if you’re just starting out, an Etsy shop could be your best option whilst, at the same time, you try to build your own community on social media. 
And if you’re not just starting out, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth paying higher commission fees in exchange for more traffic to your products.

What have I done?

As a crochet pattern designer, I have both. 

 

On my website, www.jaddecrochet.com, I’ve created my own visual identity, something that helps people recognise me when they see me, and I try to keep it consistent across all the social media platforms I use. 

Etsy can help you get started. But if you want people to remember your name and not just where they bought the pattern, sooner or later you’ll need to build something of your own.