Before I get nasty comments, let me say that I’m not against Etsy. In fact, I still have some work on Etsy and sell regularly day in and day out. BUT I also have my own website because while Etsy is a great starting point, it should never be your ending point.
Want to know why you shouldn’t stick solely with Etsy as your online shop and presence? Let’s go through the 10 Reasons Why Etsy is a Starting Point (but only a starting point).
10. If your customer’s friend asks them where they got your product, they’ll answer, ‘Etsy!’ And then what are the chances they’ll be able to search Etsy effectively enough to find you?
9. Every time Etsy changes something, you’re stuck adhering to those changes, no matter if it destroys your SEO unless you spend 8 hours re-configuring every tag and description in your class.
8. You’re limited in how many videos you can show off.
7. You can’t have a mailing list sign-up and thus you can’t keep in contact with your past customers. Did you know that a mailing list is your #1 money maker?
6. You get hit by double fees every time you sell something.
5. You’re stuck in the low price atmosphere that Etsy users have created and thus the customers are sucked into it too.
4. Everyone can see how successful (or not) you are thanks to the stats on the side. It doesn’t let you quite ‘fake it till you make it’.
3. Etsy can’t automatically send files if you have a digital item. Thus it’s more work for you.
2. You can’t tie it to your blog in terms of one website for Google search engines.
1. It holds you back from developing your own site and becoming a true maker and business owner, not just an Etsy seller. Mentally, you have a harder time seeing yourself as a business owner.
I’m curious to know how many of you have an Etsy shop AND your own site. How has it grown your business to use Etsy as a starting point?
I have an Etsy site but not my own site yet. I’ve actually gotten to the point where I know if I want to keep growing and expanding I need my own site. I need to figure out where to start and where the best place to set up shop is.
So good to hear that, Lori! WordPress.org is the best way to go when it comes to ease up setting up a new website. 😀
Even though I agree with Megan that WordPress.org easy to set up . If you want to set up a shop I would really consider taking control from the very beginning and go for a self hosted WordPress site. If you believe in your business and are in it for the long term them having control of your site is a must. However you can use WordPress as a free blogging format, if you are really unsure.
Just updating what i wrote above that WordPress.org is the self hosted site 🙂
I just wanted to chime in quickly–wordpress.org is the self-hosted version of wordpress, which means that you can create a richly featured website. If you use the other version of wordpress (the one they host), they restrict what kind of functionality you can have on your site. Hosting is cheap enough that it makes sense to have your own site. I’m a web developer based in Virginia and I can create ecommerce sites. I’d be happy to talk to you about developing or site, or just give you any advice if you’d like to get in touch.
Completely agree with every point. Came to all these conclusions myself (over time) and published my own website this month (really worth learning and designing yourself – so can control/manage yourself). Still many things I want to add- videos, blog, store, but I love my website – now to figure out to use that SEO plugin! Thanks for all the great help Megan, it really has made a difference (it was you who first said to me – create and manage your own website).
Wendy, you’re making me do a happy dance right now!
Hi Wendy,
Which seo plugin are you using for your WordPress site?
Hi Janet, Yoast WordPress SEO.
Thats the plugin I use, whats the problems you are finding when using it?
I have to learn how to use it, afraid to touch it in case I do something wrong! lol. Bought the training videos last night.
Janet – my version doesn’t have anywhere for keywords (that i can find). What am I missing?
You set the keywords for individual posts at the bottom of the post itself. Then update post by clicking check which is next to the publish button. The check button will either be red yellow or green depending on how much seo work you need to do to your post. Each other has a list represented at the bottom of the post.
Let me know if you get this part
Janet
Hmm, problem is I have no posts/blog, it’s a website only, to showcase my work, but I need to add keywords to catch the searchers. Have setup the rest of the SEO, got my green and orange buttons 🙂
Yes! I have both but my Etsy site is much more successful than my own website. http://www.signsoftheseason.com has been up and running for a couple of months now and has only 2 sales of its own. It’s a great place, though, to send retailers when I’m trying to be a supplier. Makes me look more official! =))
Have to done your seo for your website. That will help in driving targeted traffic to your site.
Blessings Janet
I agree. I’ve been trying to sell on Etsy for a while and it’s really good practice. It does make me feel kind of like an employee. Especially when I work so hard to get a sale & they get a cut. Every little bit is really needed right now. I made my own website almost 2 weeks ago. I’m contemplating adding a PayPal shop to sell directly from my site. I’m just not confident enough that I can generate the traffic. Thanks for the article! I hope people aren’t too mean to you later lol…remember the nice comments you received first!
Hi Nicole,
Add those paypal buy buttons girlfrien to your site, then worry about traffic. I would add paypal buttons while you are just starting. For the more products you have the more buttons you will have to add and trust me that will become a daunting task when you have loads of products.
If you are confident to be at Esty then stop feeling like your site is not worthy. Its better because its yours and you control everything. Remember you still have to pay paypal fees for every sale you make but it is a small fee.
I have a quite a few ways to help get traffic to your site but you have to try before you give in.
Thanks Megan, you point out some very solid reasons for having a site other then Etsy. I am working on setting up a shopping cart on my Weebly site http://www.DAGbags.com Currently I am linking back to my Etsy shop for payment.
Rose
Can’t you add paypal buy buttons to your weebly site?
# 1 is definitely ME!!!! I am stuck! The thought of learning how to design and manage my own web site is frightening! Being a hands on person all the computer lingo is very foreign to me!
I need to suck it up and dig in!
There are SO many books you can find in the library on how to start a simple WordPress site. It’s really not as hard as you think. 😉 Promise!
Hi Kathy,
I agree wih Megan its not hard, but with so much information available I understand it can be overwhelming.
Here’s how to get started:
1 – buy your domain name
2 – buy hosting unless you use a free site. But you have less control
3 – if you buy hosting, use the 1 click feature MOST hosting services has to add a WordPress site.
4 – check out here for a free WordPress theme for a shop style {http://designinstruct.com/roundups/free-ecommerce-wordpress-themes/} you can always update the theme later on. Plus you don’t need to design anything. There are many free stuff available to use that look very professional.
5 – Get clued up on WordPress settings here is a quick tutorial [http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/wordpress_start.htm]
6 – Start adding your product images to your site
7 – Get Paypal buy buttons added to your product images
8 – Promote your site like you promote your Etsy store.
Yes! Megan, I love this article and it is exactly what we talk about over at http://www.flourishthriveacademy.com/2014/02/19/b-school/!
We love Etsy as a starting point but we could not agree with you More for the exact same reasons!
If you want to build a creative brand you must have your own site and platform (in addition to Etsy).
Tracy (& Robin)
good points – but fyi, mailchimp has an etsy (and paypal) plug in so you can add your customers to your mailing list. there’s also an etsy beta/prototype right now going on for digital items download, so that feature is coming – here’s the link to the team – https://www.etsy.com/teams/15225/digital-items.
i have an etsy shop + my own site (i do think everyone should have their own site) … but i def credit etsy with helping new customers find me, i doubt these people would have found me via just my site. i think it also depends on your product offering though – some categories on etsy are very saturated, making it extremely difficult to get found and/or compete.
Its in the best interest of Etsy to promote its buyers the best it can because you are keeping Etsy in business.
Customers would find you if you use seo and get your site in the search engines which millions of people use every minute of the day.
Plus if you can promote your Etsy store you can promote your own site at the same time.
Megan,
Your post today has really got me thinking ONCE more!
I have a shop on ETsy and just recently got my so called website but it has a link to my Etsy shop. Don’t know whether that’s a good thing I did, but like you said, if something happens to my Etsy shop it will reflect on my website on virb.I dont’ have the moolah to start a website on my own and then paying for a cart so that shoppers can shop. So do u think I am doing the right thing by linking my shop to etsy on verb? What do u think?
I think it’s a start but definitely keep a website in your future!
You say you cant afford to start your own site:
A domain name $10
Hosting $7.99 monthly or pay for the year
Shopping cart FREE via paypal.
At worst get ur name and free paypal buttons and use a free wordpress.org site.
With paypal you pay 1 fee only when you sell.
Hope this helps
I have an etsy shop and I’ve been in the works of developing my website with wix and it’s costs for ecommerce site is well over $17.99.I hate to start over with wordpress because building a website is daunting for the first time. Could you give pointers on how to’s at this point in my developing with wix?
Your site is at http://virb.com/ which costs $10 per month that means you could get hosting and have change. Get for domain which you pay for each year and either use paypal or like Tracey has mentioned use http://www.opencart.com.
So actually you can afford it plus you will save when you sell because you have 2 fees to pay with Etsy.
I just started an online shop using Opencart – this is a freeware shopping cart. It was pretty easy to set up and get started. Lots to learn, but it feels more like a real business rather than a hobby. Best of luck to all!
Yes, I have recently realized that to grow, I’ll need to grow outside of etsy. So, I’m in the process of starting my own website. The one GREAT thing etsy gives new handmade sellers is traffic. I’m not sure how to get that amount of traffic to my own website…
It’s all about marketing. You need to use social media and your passion to get people talking about you. Also, it means pitching blogs to feature you, pitching magazines for a spread, etc. It just takes some work.
So on point Megan and seo and offline marketing. Are you spreading the word about your items with your business cards to people you see every day ?
I sell crochet items. I have a business website (http://InterwovenCreationsbyCrystal.com) in addition to my Etsy shop . Most of my sales are custom orders that I receive via the business website. My Etsy shop displays the inventory that I have on hand.
Your products are beautiful, especially the baby products..
Thanks, Janet.
I totally agree with everything. I have to say though, over the course of my 3 years with Etsy, I’ve made over $90k before fees and such. I have my own website through SupaDupa, but I don’t get much traffic at all. It seems to pick up once I start running Google ads.
Michelle,
your website is gorgeous, did you do it yourself?
I have had a website for ten years and added an extra store as an extra. So, it is a great way to connect with customers who prefer to shop on Etsy or would not have found me otherwise. But I do consider it a Plus One to my business. Great, but not the backbone!
Hi, Megan!
Wow! You really opened my eyes to a few things. I have a couple of questions for you:
1. I thought I read on one of the forums that you can have a sign up mailing list link in the message your buyer receives after making a purchase. Is that no longer true?
2. Also, I have been debating about starting a blog that links to my etsy shop. What are your thoughts on that?
Yes, you can send them a mailing list link in your thank you message but that means they FIRST have to buy from you whereas on your own site, they can sign up first and then buy from you.
You can certainly have a blog that links to Etsy but why not build a website that has a blog, links to Etsy (if you don’t want your own shop yet), AND have the mailing list link plus galleries of your work?
We have an etsy site (actually 3 etsy stores) and our own site at http://www.thesilverdiva.com as well. We promote our own site with a coupon to every single person who buys from us on etsy. I agree with all your points except the first one. I definitely think of myself as a business owner no matter where I sell. It helps to have employees that you actually pay every other week too. LOL Etsy allowed me to quit my day job as an attorney and we have most of our sales there, but our website isn’t too shabby either! I think it’s really hard to get found by google for your own website which is why we have stuck so long with etsy too.
I have to suggest a great site I used to build my own site. Wix.com offers great templates, I had tried eveything and even wordpress was limiting, I tried Volusion and Shopify but they charged a % of each sale which was too much for a new business. If you can use powerpoint you will love the templates on Wixx which are 100% customizable.
I built my own site on Wix in 4 days, then used a coupon code to upgrade my account so I can have a shopping cart to sell my items via Paypal. It was the best $130 spent (for 1 year of hosting, the ability to change my website and make updates at any time.)
Azie, I was told that Wix.com websites will not work on Apple hardware (ipads, iphones etc), that it just comes up as a blank screen. Can you tell me if this is true? I went to wix and agree it’s very easy to use but gave it away when I came across that information (that any platform using FLASH software will NOT work on Apple hardware.
Just a note – is good if your website auto adjusts for the size of a phone screen – you want your website to look good on that as well as on a full computer screen – so pick a template/theme with that capability.
I have an Etsy store and my own website. I’ve always been a firm believer that you must not have all of your eggs in one basket. I started my business using Etsy to gain presence as it was already established and I ended up landing my first major wholesale account before even having an actual sale because of the grand exposure/following that Etsy provides.
Having my own website is great because I can control my brand and show what I want on my site. However, it’s much harder to bring traffic, which is my #1 struggle.
I agree with your #1 point wholeheartedly! So many folks don’t see themselves as business owners and it makes me sad. I had a hard time with that concept myself in the beginning and being in the forums shows this point over and over again on a daily basis.
You say – However, it’s much harder to bring traffic, which is my #1 struggle.
Read the following:
1 – https://createhype.com/how-to-get-search-engine-users-to-find-your-products/
2 – https://createhype.com/how-to-use-google-keyword-tool-to-get-found-by-search-engines/
3 – http://best2keepitsimple.com/2012/12/the-importance-of-search-engine-optimization-seo-for-your-handmade-business/
4 – http://best2keepitsimple.com/2013/01/5-seo-techniques/
The best thing you can do for your site is harness the POWER of SEO. Once you do you will get traffic as long as people are search for your products in the search engines. That is free organic traffic flowing to your site every day.
Not going to lie it does take work but once implemented all you will have to do is tweak and you are good to go.
Great advice, I agree. In fact the more ways you find to sell on and off-line the better. There are some good suggestions here for ways to go about starting a site. One thing I found is that it does take a little bit of money to do it right and set yourself up with the best possible chance of growing traffic etc… I finally went with SBI as the vehichle. It is worth the $ per year because it offers all of the tools mentioned and many many more without having to pay extra to get them, like some of the free or less expensive sites do.
Al
Etsy is where I got my beginning. After closing my etsy shop and creating my own website was the best thing I ever did. The amount of fees that etsy charges is ridiculous and the amount of time I spent on my shop was too much. I ended up taking that time to optimize my website and I couldn’t be happier. Etsy is a great site to start from and use as a platform, but don’t get sucked in. Invest in yourself and it will pay off, I promise!
I have an etsy shop, and my own website. My website is my home base.. if people want to buy from me, the link takes them to my etsy shop. My intention is for one day have an actual commerce site, when I have more to offer. For a long time I didn’t think I needed a website, but since I’ve had it, it has been helpful to get more opportunities to grow my business.
Hi ya Lisa,
Why wait when you have more on offer to start using your website to sell. If you are selling products via Etsy you can sell them via your shop.
Blessings Janet
Agree totally! Everyone should send a business card with their website address with every order.
Hi ya Maureen,
Also take your business cards with you everywhere you go. Have your business cards on you like you would have your door or car keys. You see people everyday, they too deserve to know about your great products.
Blessings Janet
I could not agree more. II have a website, blog, and four Etsy Stores. Etsy has served as a launchpad with yes, limitations I am launching my new website in the next few weeks. It is almost finished and I cannot wait to have it updated. It drives me crazy when people say I have an Etsy store because that is not what they have. They have a business and Etsy is a venue, a selling spot. Thank you for such a good post.
I agree with this one. I am not getting much traffic anymore on Etsy. I get likes and favorites but few sales. I am working on my site and it is not quite there but at least I started.
I am glued to your every blog and all these points strike a chord.
I’ve been on Etsy for 3 years now as a way to get the ball rolling and it finally has started to. I’ve taken on an intern as I need some help and what you said about the low prices on Etsy is so true. I’m not making enough to pay anyone much less make a profit. (my intern is NOT slave labor. She is young so there is a lot I teach her and I will be writing reference letters for her as needed. We also have a lot of fun.)
My daughter is one of my biggest fans and she loves marketing. Now she says it’s time to launch a website. But I’ve been scared. It’s a big step even with all the support I have. My son is in computers and can build a website and my daughter keeps finding wonderful widgets that would be very useful but are not something I can use on Etsy.
You are so right; I’m having a hard time seeing myself as a business owner at this time. Thank you for writing your blog. It helps me so much.
I’m just starting to look seriously into my own store. I’m doing pretty well on Etsy but without your own site and (I’ll have to get) sales tax number I can’t buy wholesale. Since I make die cuts and punchies my market is also pretty limited on Etsy if I want to carry anything else. Will it be worth it? Don’t know but when all is said and done I’d like to have at least 200 items in my shop and it may end up being cheaper than etsy. Only problem is that I am keeping the same store name as Etsy – I would have change it but the title doesn’t give enough letters. We shall see. I went with WEBS.com because the price is the lowest I’ve found – I’m starting with 30 items tho – but it’s still the lowest in general. Where are you selling through?
I would recommend either Big Cartel or Ecwid. They both are very user friendly for your customers and Big Cartel you can completely customize to match your website exactly.
As with everything else, I can’t seem to find the time to design my own website. Fortunately I have someone on the back end that will be able to build it once I have all of the elements designed. My question is, when you have a blog on your website, is it customary to have its own unique name? Also, how crucial is it to start blogging right away once the website is up? Could it be a {coming soon} section?
Thanks for this great post too!
Since the blog will have its own page on your website, you can give it its own name but that won’t really appear anywhere, especially since you want it to say ‘blog’ in your navigation and not a confusing name. If I were you, I would not put ‘coming soon’ because that tends to stay there for months. If you’re not ready to start it, don’t even make it an option for your customers to peruse.
I have a WordPress blog too, but find that I have trouble driving traffic to that site. I’d like to set it up as an ecommerce site – any suggestions for doing that myself? Also, if I’m selling at one price point on Etsy, wouldn’t I be locked into that same price point in my own shop?
You can set up a WordPress.org site that has your blog AND a shop on it. That way all the traffic goes to the same place. Yes, you’ll sell everything at the same price (on Etsy, your shop, and in retail shops). So that means it’s time to raise prices!
You can do almost everything free with WordPress and WooCommerce. There is a learning curve and it can be maddening at times, BUT once you learn it you have it. Plus, the templates you buy to create the store help with the customization. There are great classes and tutorials if that is something that interests you.
That said, I have often wondered if one of the Hosted Options is better in the long run. There can be fees, but they may be worth it. Plus, if the whole building a website makes your eyes roll back, the hosted solutions may be better!
Here is my site I built with WordPress and WooCommerce., The theme is Maya. https://theblissfuldog.com/.
I had my own website from the outset. I so agree with your points. I had an Etsy shop, but soon realised that the pond was too big and that customers could click away way too fast. On my own site, I can brand my work so that the customer knows where they got their bear from – which is what I have been working the hardest at. Thank you for laying this out so clearly!
yup – indeed, I agree with everything. It is impossible to fake it till you make it on and so many people are underselling themselves it makes me second guess my pricing.
I have my own website with a shop, customer appreciation photos, and an underutilized blog. I love that I can connect my shop and blog in one space and have a true landing page…I don’t love how difficult it is to drum up traffic. I’m still working on SEO and other marketing tools.
Hi Megan,
So it sounds like you would recommend Big Cartel as an option to develop or have personal website.
Currently I sell on etsy and would like to have my own website very soon, but I am not techy at all and I would love something that I could develop into a personal brand with the option to link a blog, newsletter ect.
Is there an option on big cartel to have payments besides paypal?
Thanks Megan!
Paypal is the most trusted payment processor so I’m not sure why you’d want something else. Ecwid.com will sync INTO your site while big cartel technically sends to another site (Big Cartel) but you design it to match your site so your customers don’t notice that they’re being sent somewhere. Megan Auman’s website does this perfectly: http://www.meganauman.com. WordPress.org is the easiest way to make a website and they have a ton of free themes. You’ll just have to pay for the hosting.
Oh no, it’s not that I want something else in place of paypal, its just that I would like the option of customers having direct checkout using their credit cards.
I noticed that most of my customers on etsy seem use direct checkout instead of paypal…so I am not sure if this is a preference or if it has to do with the etsy payment system defaulting to direct checkout.
In any event, options are nice.
You can pay with credit card on Paypal actually. It’s a new feature. 😉
Big Cartel is a great place to start if you don’t want to build your site from scratch. They are helpful and answer questions promptly.
Number 11: Etsy is a “closed circle”. Sellers sell to other sellers and there is a “NO ETSIANS ALLOWED” policy. You have to create a profile BEFORE purchasing. This puts a lot of people off. As an Etsy seller, it’s frustrating to not be in control of your own destiny. And their assertion that they advertise does NOT reassure me. Advertising on Google only creates ANOTHER closed circle.
GREAT post! Too many folks never realize that they don’t own their Etsy site — Etsy does!! No producer should rely on a second part site as their main website. No control!!
I am affiliated with Meylah as one of the advisors/coaches and I feel Meylah is a much better option. See details here:
Gift Rep Sandy
Very good article.
Those who are going to build their own website should consider some really easy to use software, one that I’ve used for years, Webstudio. I really like it and they’re helpful if you have a question or problem.
I started on Etsy, but was kicked off after three years when they considered my items to be not conforming with their “handmade” policy (I have a handful of local mamas who sew for me). Luckily, I had already set up my own website using Weebly for the site and Ecwid for the cart. By the time I was booted from Etsy, I was able to get to page 3 on Google for my keywords, number one on page one of Google for my shop name.
Now, almost a year away from Etsy, I am the 6th spot down on page one of Google for my keywords (cloth training pants), and business is more than double from my last year on Etsy.
Bottom line is: your own site is the way to go. It doesn’t have to be perfect right from the start, just get it out there!
I love this! I’m so happy that you have other people sewing for you because so many people think they need to do EVERYTHING themselves but that’s no way to grow your business.
Keep a list of your keywords and grow that keyword list and use them in your blog posts, tags, alt image tags etc.. and you will start to move up that Google search engine page ladder 🙂
I have a website too but it’s very time consuming because there is so much to learn. My husband took classes to learn dreamweaver. The shipping is what he’s stuck on now. Currently my prices include shipping but I would like to have them by weight so shipping is more accurate. He wasn’t impressed with wordpress, too restrictive on what you can do.
Hi Lisa,
Yes creating a website in Dreamweaver is time consuming if you are learning while you create. You are effectively creating a static website. WordPress is not restrictive if you get a theme that is just a frame and you build what you want around that. I have websites on both platforms and i try not to use the static website for the very reason, its takes a lot of time to do even the simplest tasks.
Like simply updating the temaplates which should make updating static sites easier. If you are like me and have over 200 pages then thats takes time. With WordPress it’s done in a instance.
WordPress still has code and if your husband is all about coding you can still do that in wordpress to get it how you want it.
With ststic site the more products you add to it the bigger the site will become. Plus the longer it will take to update something if its on all pages.
Blessings Janet
I completely agree with you. I actually shut down my Etsy shop two weeks ago in order to concntrate on my own e commerce site.
I am an Etsy seller, but I do not have a working site yet. That said, I have begun creating my website. The site itself is ready, except the store.
Now I just need to find time to create the store. And also need to work on the SEO.
Thank you for this reminder. I closed my etsy store partially for the reason that you cannot keep in contact with your customer. As a fine artist this is important. I re-opened because it is easy for those of us that are technically challenged. It also allows me to keep my main website uncluttered for gallery submission purposes. I am working to build a website that has shopping cart capabilities and is uncluttered without being redundant. What I appreciate about etsy feedback is I have a link on my main website to show people, I have reputable shipping practices. Etsy has allowed me to build that reputation.
I use HostGator and have been very pleased with them! Also, when I switched to Yoast SEO plug-in and optimized every appropriate page my sales doubled. I have spent a lot of time taking classes and working on learning WordPress, but it is worth it in sales.
Visit theme forest.net and search WordPress ecommerce themes and see the various ones. I am considering switching to a WooTheme to ensure compatibility with WooCommerce though. That can be frustrating – when plug-ins and such are not compatible…
I really love all these comments & suggestions! I have an Etsy shop but want to continue growing & have been thinking of expanding to my own website.
So I’ve started researching in earnest now! Hopefully I’ll get it going soon. Thanks!!
Wonderful advice! This is all the information I have been looking for. I will be bookmarking this post. Thank you.
This is such a great post! And it’s all so true. As soon as I opened my Etsy shop, I registered my own domain name, and set it up so that when it was typed in, it automatically redirected to my Etsy shop. At fairs, and with every Etsy order, I give out business cards with MY domain name on. This means that existing customers are used to my URL.
Now I have used Virb to build my own site, with my own blog, and “plugged” my Etsy shop into it. (You ca do exactly the same with a BigCartel shop.) This means that sales are still made through the Etsy shop, but I have my own site with my own branding (which matches my business cards and packaging), blog, events pages etc. I cannot recommend Virb enough. My site took two hours to build. I found it 100% more user friendly than WordPress, and I’ve tweeted them with a couple of glitches and they’ve fixed them within 24 hours.
I’m planning to use this as a “step up.” New buyers can still find me through Etsy, but I can also reap the benefits of a site that looks completely mine. In a year or so, if things are going well, I can upgrade to a “proper” retail website of my own.
I had an e-commerce web site for my primitive folk art for about 10 years. I’ve sold more on Etsy in the last 4.5 months than I did on my web site in 10 years.
Sooo … never say never, but OTOH, I’ve been there and done that, and it didn’t work for me.
You make a very good point it took me 5yrs to figure it out & now I am launching my own site…
I didn’t start a website yet because I don’t know how to drive a lot of traffic without spending a lot of money.
I’m sure it can be done, but why bother? Etsy brings the traffic to me! Etsy is cheaper than eBay and people finally know what Etsy is! The first 4 years or so that I was on Etsy, I had to explain the site to everyone (“It’s like eBay but it’s fixed price and the only things that are sold there are handmade, supplies, and vintage”). Just celebrated my 7th Etsyversary and at this very moment, I am 60 cents away from doubling what I sold on Etsy in ALL of 2012 … and there’s still 3.5 months of 2013 to go!
Congrats Tana — but Etsy still owns your site — not you! If something happened to your Etsy site, you would be out of business unless you had your own website!
My take on it: http://sellingtogiftshops.com/2013/07/02/etsy-shop-or-your-own-website/
Gift Rep Sandy
I’ve already done the web site thing … for more than 10 years! It didn’t work for me. Maybe I’ll try it again someday, but not right now. Between selling on Etsy and Facebook (and craft fairs), I’m just about as busy as I want to be!
Hi Sandy, well, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve *had* my own web site in the past and it wasn’t worth it. It’s easier for shoppers to go to ONE site to shop rather than a bunch of different sites or blogs, etc. The domain name which I used for my web site is now associated with my Etsy shop. I have enough other web presence and history on the web (been here since late 1994!) that I’m pretty confident people can find me if they want to.
I agree with everything except for #3. I have purchased patterns that where automatically sent to me. Maybe this is something new Etsy is now offering.
And #3 is really not the important part of your article. I agree a web site is very important. I just started building our web site so it will take a while to get it going with e-commerce. But I am doing it just one step at a time.
I have several websites beside my Etsy shop. I do fairly well on all. I am a web designer and a graphic designer, so it is easy for me to create a site. The post has very good points. Yes, having your own site is definitely a plus.
http://buffalogirlsdesign.com
http://www.societysocks.com
https://www.etsy.com/shop/buffalogirls?ref=si_shop
Ludmilla
Here’s some more info on why you should have a website in addition to etsy:
https://createhype.com/get-your-own-website/
I’m so glad I found this article! Such great information…thank you very much!
Etsy has been offering free file downloads for digital artists for several months now, most of 2013, I think!
Another great approach for the best of both worlds:
http://blog.renatom.net/2013/05/13/put-etsy-in-its-place-build-your-business-everywhere/
Thank you ladies for all the great info.. Great post.. I have been selling on ebay for a year, and etsy for about 9 months. I don’t get the sales on etsy like I do ebay.. and I do not like ebays’ fees.. So I was thinking about a wordpress blog using a store front theme. This post and comments have pushed me into doing it now. I already have a domain name.. I have a hosting company in mind… One thing I like about wordpress is the ease and how flexible it is.. You can even use bitcoin as a payment option ..
I have found a wonderful ecommerce platform that has all the important bells and whistles for product sales. After using another platform for 10 years, we are switching our product based sites to this new platform: http://www.3dcart.com/ (my affiliate link). I have a couple posts about it on my blog.
If you would like to see my site using this software, here it is: http://www.GemBerry.com.
Sandy
‘Gift Rep Sandy’
http://sellingtogiftshops.com/
I have started my business from building my own website. (I sell doll clothes sewing patterns).
Because I have technical education and I know html, I was able to do it myself without investing money. But this is really very difficult to get traffic to your website without investing money in promotion, so after 2 months I additonally have opened Etsy shop and after next few months I also have opened Craftsy shop. So now I sell from my website, my Etsy shop and my Craftsy shop and I try to direct the whole traffic to my website.
Anyway, having my own website where I can do what I want is a great fun:).
Hi Iwona, I had my own web site for my primitive folk art for more than 10 years, starting in May 1997. I also know HTML and had great fun creating my web site! But my problem was that I was torn between playing with the web site and adding new stuff … or MAKING the stuff! Not to mention, as you did, that getting traffic to your own site can be hard to do … so I made very few sales in all those years. I now have my domain name pointed to my Etsy shop so at least if I ever do put up a new web site with that domain, I may be able to retain some of my traffic!
I agree it is a problem to divide time between making new things and managing the website but I don’t think it makes sense to create link between the website and Etsy shop. If somebody gets to my website, I would try to keep him/her there, not to direct to another shop (Etsy). PayPal cart buttons are free and very easy to install (html code). The main purpose is to get people from Etsy to the website (posting information in patterns I send to them), not from website to Etsy. Think about that:)
Iwona, I agree with you – no reason to send the traffic you earn to Etsy! Also, why did you decide to build your own website instead of using a CMS like http://www.indiemade.com/
I thought that this is the place to discuss, not for marketing:)
Very good point, Iwona! Etsy shops are just another way to MARKET your products. Adding a link to your website makes perfect sense. Potential buyers who really like your products will check out your website, subscribe to your site and possibility become lifelong buyers. That seldom happens, IMHO, on sites like Etsy.
Of course, adding your website link to your Etsy site is what I meant — just wanted to make sure I was clear!
Of course I would do it but the problem is that it is prohibited on Etsy to link to the website with the same items to sell. Some people (as I saw) link from their websites to their Etsy shops and from Etsy to the website but they don’t sell the products immediately from the website. I do. And I can’t risk that Etsy will close my shop because of breaking rules. Any ideas?
Iwona, have you considered selling a different line of products on Etsy than what you carry on your website?
I certainly understand Etsy’s policy — if you have a store with them, you don’t want to refer customers to a site that will directly compete with them.
If you have a few products on Etsy, then add you complete line on your website, I would think this would solve the problem and allow you to drive traffic to your website — which is really want you would want to do IMHO.
Good luck,
Sandy
Hi Magan,
I started setting up my WordPress shop with the Maya template and Woocommerce 3 months ago.
It appears we will have to find a new template before launching because Maya Shop has not updated their template to be compatible with the updated Woocommerce. They also do not respond to repeated questions in a timely manner, and when they do, it appears to be a stock answer they have selected from a list of stock answers. We have the same inappropriate answer for several questions.
We are very disappointed that we purchased this from a company that has no actual customer service and is unable to update their template to be functional. and, we are not sure who can be trusted to folow through.
My wife runs an Etsy shop (thewhitepepper), and while it would be great to have an independent website, I’m not seeing any software that would allow us to create a site that would automatically sync with the Etsy site. Considering that we have over 200 listings, manually creating this synchronicity is implausible.
Our goal is to have a site that would free us from additional commissions (think WordPress with WooCommerce–not Shopify) and automatically update itself based on new listings, sales, etc. There seem to be a number of plug-ins that link the consumer from the WordPress site back to Etsy, but the goal is to make the website a one-stop shop. Any advice?
Thanks in advance!
Josh – I have an Etsy shop AND my own website with IndieMade. My website with IndieMade is the home of my online business but Etsy has been where all the work happens (right now).
My website has a tab that connects directly to my Etsy shop. A lot of people tell me they feel more comfortable using Etsy’s buyer tools so I definitely want to work with that.
The Etsy shop link shows my four “featured” items and then eight more listings. Clicking on any of the listings takes the viewer to that listing or my Etsy shop. The viewer also has the option to go straight to my Etsy shop as a whole.
This works for me right now since most people find me through Etsy as opposed to my own website but I really don’t market my own website near as much. Etsy also seems to mesh with my brand of jewelry.
I’ve been extremely happy with IndieMade! Their support has been quickly available to any questions I’ve had, and the tools are fairly easy to use.
Thanks Pam!
Personally, I think whenever an artist promotes his/her stuff in person, at a show, etc. it makes sense to send those folks to your website (where you don’t have to pay commission).
Otherwise, we think Etsy is a GREAT way to promote your business as a whole. For every sale they bring to you – they should earn a commission.
Your website is really your company’s real estate online where it’s all about you & your customers can’t wander off to a competitor’s store, etc.
And Sandy, IndieMade does indeed sync with Etsy.
I am not familiar with all the ins and outs of Etsy, but I can say that it is doubtful a website could sync with your Etsy site the way you describe.
The reason for an independent website is NOT to lead folks to your Etsy site, but more likely, the other way around.
My concern for you is what if something happens your Etsy site should crash, come down or any other such happenings. Although, your Etsy site is your site, it is still owned by Etsy and they can do with it what they want.
So looking at it that way, is it really implausible to have your own site? Just as a point of reference, I have a couple ‘catalog’ style websites and one of them has just as many products as your Etsy site. I appreciate the ability to change my site as I wish and when I wish without worrying about what the ‘mother’ is doing. Also, we can create and purchase your own URL rather than using one that is owned by Etsy.
Yes, it will take some time, work and many some extra money, but, at least in my case, the peace of mind is worth having my own site.
Just my 2 cents worth as I know others may not agree.
Good luck,
Sandy
IndieMade.com websites sync with Etsy.
Hi. I’m in the same position as many here. I have an etsy shop (DecalAvenue) and I sell well there, but does fees are a killer some times and I want to grow. I’m looking to make my website too, but I have not done it yet thinking how I’m going to bring traffic to it because that’s the key TRAFFIC. At this moment, I’m thinking to get a host to have wordpress + woocommerce or ecwid, in both at some point I have to pay for something. I see that you talk that in wordpress you have more control over your stuff, but ecwid also offer the plugin to sell on facebook and the ecommerce is ready to go.
I just wonder if I start with wordpress if I’m going to be able to move my store latter to ecwid or any other ecommerce if I need too. any idea?
Thanks,
Joss
Hi Joss,
Once you set up your site, whatever platform you use, it will be difficult to move the site again. Some items can be exported, but basically, you will need to start all over again. I suggest you do your research before you settle on an option.
But, more importantly, what do you plan to use as a shopping cart? It does not do much good to set up a website if you do not have a means for customers to buy.
If you plan to use WordPress or something similar, I suggest you check out DPD:
Or, if you have lots of products and would like a complete system with a shopping cart, we love 3DCart: (check out my site here: http://www.GemBerry.com
There are other systems out there, but these are the ones I use and have been very happy with them.
Good luck,
‘Gift Rep Sandy’
I just love your insights on this! I’ve been trying to find a gentle way to explain these exact points to my subscribers, who are mostly Etsians, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to tell them all about you!
Thanks again!
If you have your own website, as a payment method you can use PayPal that is completely free. PayPal has cart buttons accessible; everything you have to do is to put a html code (that you get from them) into the place you want to have your cart. Anyway, as I heard, blog is never a good solution for e-commerce. But of course traffic is a problem.
I want to use wordpress and then woo commerce. I read that it is hard to keep security using woo commerce “storefront” any advice?
There is way too much talk about how fantastic it is to own your own website. While Esty may change things that cause you to reconfigure each product so does google. You can expect that you will spend a majority of the time at you computer trying to get google to like you. WordPress is NOT simple. You will need to have some experience with code and count on having constant updates that you will have to implement yourself. Most of the add-ons that are worth having have a yearly fee attached to them.I have tried my own site with a host, wordpress, and both Etsy and Ebay. Unless you want to employ a full staff of several people to promote your site via social media, spend many hours configuring meta titles and descriptions,and/ or paying a web host like shopify or big commerce at least $100/month so that you can do all the work yourself, forget it.
If you had a huge customer base maybe. If you had a really unique product that was in high demand and no one could get anywhere else? Maybe.If you had thousands of dollars to pay a true professional? Maybe.
The so-called dream can be a total nightmare. Most so-called pros have no idea what they are doing and they all will tell you that they know exactly what you need. Hosting sites will tell you that after you put all your work into putting product on their site that you can easily transfer it to another host.
I have 1500 products and no one will even come near trying to help me. I have a CSV file of all my products and I can’t even pay someone to transfer them all.
Do not let someone talk you into a false sense of independence. This is usually a total illusion.
I have had far better luck actually SELLING on Ebay and Etsy. A pretty site might make you feel good but it won’t sell products if people can’t find you.