Online Shops

Home Shop TAFA Social Media Product Photos Videos Imagine

Online Shops Brick and Mortar

There are hundreds of places online where one can set up shop.  The most known are eBay, Amazon, and now, Etsy.  Smaller ones may target a certain niche or have big dreams of becoming the next eBay.  Sellers can also use their websites or blogs to sell directly to their customers.  I have tried many venues.  Each involves learning a new platform for listing the products, different pricing structures, and getting to know a unique community.

I have chosen to focus my time, energy and money on Etsy.  (See Shop)  I believe that Etsy offers a better platform for a small craft business than setting up a shopping cart on a website or blog.  Reasons:

  • Immediate access to the customer base each brings through their own marketing.
  • Customer confidence in having a larger umbrella organization to iron out potential disputes.
  • Platforms are attractive or already set up with needed seller tools.

 

Every marketplace has their own set of pros and cons.  The following may help you decide whether Etsy might work for you.

  Pro Con
Etsy
  • Inexpensive to list
  • Easy listing
  • Attractive platform
  • Enthusiastic staff
  • Excellent forum and blog
  • Loyalty among peers
  • High quality products overall
  • Integrated with Google Analytics
  • Integrated with Facebook
  • Accepts international sellers and customers
  • Etsy mini very useful
  • Integrated with Pay Pal

 

  • Lousy search engine
  • Staff is young and biased towards certain products
  • Site penalizes both supplies and vintage in how it is set up, but fees are the same
  • Seller tools are minimal
  • Listing process could be streamlined
  • Should allow more photos
  • Not enough shop sections
  • Shipping fees are all about good guesswork

In looking at where to sell, it is important to think about where your traffic will come from, whether they are the audience you want and if your competition is selling similar products as yours.  I use Google Analytics for my shop and blogs which helps me see whether people are coming from my social media efforts, web searches or within the marketplace itself.  There are other places to sell and I think it is good to have several places so that the business is not completely dependent on the health of one particular market.  That is, IF you can manage the time and energy for more than one. 

 

 

 

Home Up Online Shops Brick and Mortar

 

Images