Friday, February 4, 2011

to etsy or not to etsy?

I am trying to decide if it would be worth the time/money to start selling on Etsy. I've been making lots of crafty things lately, but most of my creations are just sitting around my room taking up space. I thought, Hmm..it would be nice if I could sell this stuff and make some money.

So I'm trying to decided if it would be worth it, with the fees that you have to pay for listing and selling. What do ya'll think?

3 comments:

Elven Maiden said...

Hello! I don't believe I've introduced myself. I'm Elven Maiden. I've recently discovered your blog and I loooooove it! :) I think it would be worthwhile. But one thing I would suggest is artfire (artifire.com) it's a lot like etsy except it's FREE to be a basic member.

Shaylynn said...

Jenna, I'd say the same as ElvenMaiden (HI MARY! I think I know whose blogger following list you looked at... lol!).

Etsy is good but with the fees and all it can add up. And you probably just want to do it more as a hobby. Artfire has a basic, free option... but they also have less advertising, so you'll have to do word of mouth.

Laura said...

There is also Bonanza.com. Also a lesser known and less advertised online selling option. They do have a listing fee, but it is very straight forward and they are easy to work with and don't have a bunch of hidden fees.

Ebay has more hidden fees and charges then Etsy.
Etsy has more fees that Bonanza.
Bonanza has more fees that a standard Artfire.

And don't forget that if you are going to use Paypal they have their fees also.

And there is always a certain pressure about selling online with making sure you ship something quickly and at your buyers timing.

Then there is also figuring out your return policy.

Have fun