10 Things to Consider Before Starting an Etsy Store | Woodworking Business

[@themakerway]

Some people seems to not understand that not all business models works for everyone (which you nailed in the video). Some have made a lot of money, some other don't and some other have made a little, if there was such thing as a "silver bullet" for business all of us would have lots of money (and we won't be talking about this)

[@jennieanddavis]

You're the best. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@srbijapodlupom9907]

I\'m not sure but ,if anyone else trying to find out making money from woodworking try Letza Woodworker Lessons (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my work buddy got cool results with it.

[@daniresanchez]

hey ,if anyone else wants to learn about how to make money woodworking try Letza Woodworker Lessons (just google it ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my friend got cool success with it.

[@EatYourPancakesDummie]

Some people are struggling to feed themselves, but I guess those people don't matter if they can't figure out something that sells right? Greed and no community is what's going to destroy this world. The people who have made it, don't give a f*ck about the people still struggling. Prove me wrong.

[@danielhanawalt4998]

Recently started doing some woodworking to try and generate a bit of extra income due to inflation and being on a fixed income. Thought about getting started with Etsy but my concern was supply and demand. Getting covered up with orders and not being able to keep up would be a nightmare. The hug of death as you call it. However setting up at a flea market or craft show would be rough because of the hot weather. It used to not be a big problem but being older now the heat bothers me a lot more. Thanks for the tips.

[@sublimationman]

You make a lot of good points in your video. I am one of the people that Etsy works for. I love to make things and I hate sales (I'm 55 and have done a lot of sales but I hate it) and I don't make anything custom (got tired of dealing with that years ago) so it's easy for me to product items and just throw them onto Etsy and continue what I do best and let Etsy deal with the customers.

[@WARPapaRouge]

A way around Con @ 9:50 is to ship a slip of paper or business card inviting customers to subscribe to a newsletter where you may inform them of future products/deals.

[@TrishTruitt]

I only had a mild interest in an Etsy store, but I clicked on this out of curiosity. I was very impressed though, with your professional, informative and entertaining presentation. All in all , this is super helpful.

[@DamienAM75]

I really love this video especially because you looked at both sides of the coin in your research on the platform. I can say since I am using Etsy that things have changed in the last 6 months and some of the things that you mentioned as CONS I personally do not see as cons anymore. Business for me is starting to increase but I credit that to finally quitting my day job and having more time to allocate to working on my business.

[@daddywoofdawg]

I agree with both sides one thing I have found is ratings you can be placed down in the 1000's level and unless someone types your name or your exact product you may never be seen I have only sold 2 items in 3 yrs on Etsy. and the copy part is very real.

[@amandagreene4029]

Most excellent coverage of issues. I did in fact follow my own reasoning and checked the same, 'What!?! Absolutely not!! boxes. Then my mind went nutz....Imagine the interest rates different banks different countries andthe $$$$$$$$ that represents. It gets complicated and not many people are aware of process ...but I digress (but take a few years off your life with a mere glimpse behind the curtain) So, allowing anyone to nurture their customers and business after intial contact thru Etsy....well...that smacked me in the face as greedy. I came up with 10 ways to expand that policy to benefit both off top of my head... Now back to point. Super fun, engaging andeloquently spoken. I feel much better about my decision. Thanks much Amanda

[@alphadragon7645]

Thanks so much! Your helping me support my family while paying for hospital bills. Seriously, thanks!

[@jennieanddavis]

Happy to help! Prayers for a quick recovery!

[@tracycastro2150]

Thank you so much for your videos. They are so informative and helpful. You’re funny you’re Motivating But most of all you’re humble and kind!

[@timmills1187]

I really liked how you presented the pro's and con's. great job.

[@DavidMichaelFilm]

My daughter started a store on Esty, with no advertising and simple posting an item for sale on her store for 20 cents... she gets about 5 to 6 visitors a week (that's with about 70 different items posted with average pricing of $9 to $18) . The idea that a mass of people will see her products is incorrect unless you pay for an add campaigns and she has yet to do that. Her results this year was 245 visitors that resulted in 5 sales. She has perfect service [5 stars] and the jewelry she sells is widely loved, but it seems... unless you pay for the ranking and add campaigns, this might be a bit of a disappointing experience for Etsy beginners. I lent her $8,000 to buy tools products, materials and packaging to do this and I loved how happy she was and gosh, she worked day and night with a smile on her face with the hope of this being a big thing. But now, she's disappointed she didn't know more before getting into this. She is looking into the added marketing services Etsy offers. I hope that works for her and I'll post what the results of that might maybe when some stats come in.

[@55skeletor55]

She needs to market on other platforms and bring potential customers from those.

[@danielmendez4263]

I didn’t catch it, but do you guys have an Etsy?

[@42Fab]

my take on Etsy is that it's the walmart of online selling. I do not want to fight for volume, I want to fight for high quality, higher priced builds. It's a great way to make your hobby pay for itself, but unless you're just selling imported crap or stuff you can batch out, it's not a career

[@shannonjakoby5109]

Great point!

[@noiamhippyman]

I don't know if it's the video or just my monitor (it's a crappy fire TV) but the stripes on your hoodie is going nuts on my monitor.

[@BruceAUlrich]

Thanks for the shoutout! Good tips...the thing I've found about Etsy is that it is hard to rank if you're small. I've listed quite a few things on there, and I've never sold anything. Etsy is not just for small handmade creators any longer. They still want to portray that, but they allow corporations in now and they can crank out some of these items at a rate that the small maker just can't keep up.

[@jennieanddavis]

It's almost like every platform on the Internet drives itself into the ground over time. Very few can pull off long-term success like Google. Even KZbin is now more of an echo chamber than a place to find new and different content.

[@otallono]

@@jennieanddavis KZbin is Google

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@otallono and according to many channels I subscribe to, anti-Christian. Christians also have presumed Freedom from religious persecution protected by the Constitution, but hey it's okay in modern society to discriminate against Christians and White men because they are seen by so many as "the enemy of progress". Equal should include everybody, but KZbin wants to take your money away, if you mention Christianity, by holding up flags from haters and blocking that content. It's sad really.

[@MissMala]

I 100% agree!

[@MRJUSTINSTUBE]

This is a little off topic, but I noticed in this video that you have the exact same Craftsman bandsaw as me. I was wondering where you get your blades. The 99.75" blades are getting hard to find. Thanks in advance, and I love your channel. Good luck!

[@DariointheWorkshop]

Very nice video guys. I have a tiny Etsy shop and I learned that it's almost impossibile to sell unique items, because Etsy favors repeated sales, so the only way to make sales on Etsy is to batch items (or be prepared to hurriedly batch them, as you mentioned). I do this as a hobby so no problem, but I believe Etsy in itself is not a sustainable business model for most of woodworkers/makers.

[@jennieanddavis]

Thanks for sharing your experience!!!

[@chelseametayer9940]

Another huge con is in the last several years Etsy has also loosened its definition of handmade and has allowed a ton of mass produced imported products which has ruined the market for individual selling on Etsy. It is now more like EBay than a site for actual makers.

[@jennieanddavis]

Wow yeah never knew that. It makes sense now that I see a bunch of imported stuff but yeah. Thanks for sharing!

[@joshreed1216]

Yea I have noticed this as well. I See a lot of stuff that is bought through wholesales and re-posted on etsy where they just bottom out the prices until they make almost nothing. Cutting boards are about impossible to sell on there anymore. The prices are so bottomed out its ridiculous. unless you are sending the person there personally in which case why use etsy. I am currently on the edge of pulling mine down as I have noticed everything I use to make tons of sales on are flooded and priced out to no profits. Craft shows are much better profits.

[@wscwoodcraft5722]

We had an Etsy shop and shut it down when they started allowing resale of mass manufactured items. It became pointless.

[@Notarobot562]

Don’t forget, if it’s made by a cnc machine or laser engraver, it can be counted as hand made too.

[@mcshawnboy]

@@Notarobot562 The real tragedy of Etsy is that slave and convict labor in the largest Communist country in the world is dumping on there as well as well known shopping apps with pricing sometimes FREE, but they make it up on Shipping and Handling. Plus there's the ever present threat of lead & banned substances to be used in the production to reduce the price.

[@MyLifecraft]

Hello, do you have any videos about shipping and how the whole shipping process works? Example: What couriers are best for light or heavy, small or large products, how you know what the courier is going to charge to ship your product before you even sell your product, how you determine shipping costs, etc. because I’m really serious about starting a wood business but I have no idea how shipping out products work.

[@shanajones-gallien6956]

Super informative, and explained in the simplest way. Thanks guys. This helped alot.

[@The_Bearded_Lady]

wish i would have saw this years ago before i joined etsy. i try not to use it, but getting new customers when i don't want to advertise and only go to in person shows a couple times a year can be hard. i've found that to stay anywhere near the price point i have to gut myself to get any buys besides lots of looks. i routinely make a dollar. or even negative by the time the fees and then shipping goes out. it isn't worth it for me. but then again, what i'm selling isn't cheap crap so that makes sense. but most new buyers into my area aren't used to looking at what is and isn't. so i basically eat that cost on hopes of a return sale, but yeah. i usually keep my store empty and then when i get a bunch of likes and such will put a few things on, but it ends up being the same each time. so yeah, appreciate y'all puttin this out there. hoping to go more time on making focus and maybe then it would make sense to learn how to set up my own site and figure out the selling stuff and etc, but before it just hasn't been enough time and i'm am super not good at technology. so yeah, if any of those watching you're thinking of starting an etsy store. really consider all your stuff before doing it.

[@pedalman4595]

This was much appreciated. Thank you. Upward and Onward!!!!!!!!!!!

[@timwhitemedic]

You guys are awesome. Thank you for your content.

[@joesellers2492]

I think you've kind of convinced me that Etsy is a good way to go. All the things that were a problem for you there's workarounds for those. But, to each his own

[@pamwashington4062]

Liked your honesty. Do you make porch swings and where are you located?

[@edwardgrossman295]

Excellent, Excellent video great job good information

[@felixkrusch9635]

Thanx for the well faceted video. You touched most of the PROs and CONs. Since email marketing is restricted, your packaging design including your logo and URL will help building brand awareness and might lead Etsy customers to check out your "other" online store (Shopify anyone?). A hand crafted "snail mail" campaign might be a more personal way than blasting out an email storm in the holiday season, since you already have the shipping address. Like facebook, instagram, craigslist, kijiji, ebay, youtube & co, it is an interesting and effective channel to build a customer base and present your portfolio ... just another brick in the wall.

[@vikhes121]

That was great INFO. Helped me make the choice easy. I look forward to watching you videos.

[@gamma-smash2157]

This was very informative. I’m a tech Ed teacher and I make a good amount of cribbage boards on the side that are fairly unique. I didn’t see anything like them on etsy, however I know people would copy the idea in an instance.

[@kennethnuttle7251]

Gamma-smash 215 if you are concerned about people copying your ideas don’t do craft shows or art markets because the same thing happens there it is a natural part of the craft and arts market. Make your product well, aka high quality, and you should have all the business you can handle.

[@markbrawley3198]

That was funny you mentioned the spare room. I'm storing wood in my spare room so I have. More room in the garage.

[@Notarobot562]

Sounds like you should use Etsy to sell small things and include a business card to your personal site in with every purchase.

[@shughes599]

Thanks for the review. Squarespace currently handles all of the tax rates and secure payment details for you. I am still trying to decide which way to go, that large user base is very appealing. I am wondering how viable a hybrid model would be, where you put coupons in your product to drive main site traffic.

[@jennieanddavis]

Lots of people do that! Just get started and try! A less-than-perfect business plan that you execute is better than a perfect business plan you don't ;)

[@drreason2927]

Very good presentation that seemes quite objective. Thank you.

[@basilreardon5783]

Thanks soo much for ur insight on etsy........keep doing a fine job with ur business . Curiosity question for you . How long have you both been with the ANG ?

[@rcm7468]

As far as your shipping costs point many of the people that sell big items on Etsy ship by greyhound. In fact I just shipped a dresser out from Pennsylvania to California for under $125. Every other company quoted $600+

[@MandoDeLeon]

Roland Mechler , hello Roland . I’m curious as to your shipping method “Greyhound” is a new freight company or is the bus transportation service if so , could you explain in detail ?

[@rcm7468]

@@MandoDeLeon Greyhound bus service also delivers packages. Up to 100 lbs and there are size limitations. Only catch is unless the customer lives within 20 miles and is willing to pay $20 extra to have it delivered to their door then they would need to pick the item up at the local Greyhound station. It can also take some time to get where it is going. You can visit shipgreyhound.com for more information.

[@clandry1234]

Fastenal also does reasonable shipping for palletized stuff, but it's only to/from their locations

[@jaredmeadows2822]

Thanks for this excellent information! I already made an Etsy account in hopes of attracting business, but these are all great things to consider so thanks for making this video!

[@HWoodCreations]

Thumbs up for the Buc-ee's shirt!!!

[@bytesizedengineering]

Great video Jennie and Davis! I learned a lot, and I really like the phrase "hug of death". I'm familiar with the concept, but I've never heard anyone put a name to it. A few years ago I was making little electronic do-dads and selling them on tindie (Etsy for diy electronics). I put zero effort into marketing or sharing and I made very few sales. It was more of an experiment for fun. There was a lot of great info in this video that applies there too. Thanks for sharing!

[@frankjenkins2668]

I make "custom" wood signs.......private and commercial. I don't have a CNC....don't want one either. I prefer to hand carve mine with a router and hand tools. My customers give me an idea of what they want, I make a drawing and send it to them, they approve and sign off, and I ship their sign in about 2 weeks. So.....Etsy doesn't look like a good fit for me.....you saved me a lot of frustration trying to figure things out. I do not sell my signs at craft fairs either. Most customers want to walk away from your booth with the product in hand......and because my signs are custom made, I don't have stock items. The only thing I make that could become a "stock" item would be cutting boards and coasters. I make cutting boards to order. The coasters are made from my scraps when I am between orders. Thanks for the very informative and well thought out video. YOU GUYS ROCK!!

[@jennieanddavis]

We love making scrap coasters! Thanks for the encouragement and for watching!!

[@jmata383]

How did get customers when you started?

[@Bruleriverranger]

Love the guest appearances!

[@nolimitnuggetb]

If etsy gets the cutoff pieces, and you get the rest, who gets the 1.25% lost from the width of the saw blade? 😂

[@Robswoodshop]

Kerf killls 😂

[@A6Legit]

The garbage man

[@James-zn4cj]

Bitcoin

[@carsemonkey1]

Taxes

[@justinarnold8686]

Local Farmers in my case. They always have a use for sawdust

[@michaelbradford4444]

I believe that you've answered the nagging questions I've had and I'm gonna give it a try . Hug of death is a morbid way to phrase what I see as a good thing. Really good video!

[@William9alex]

I just discovered your guys channel last night. Although I'm only a hobbiest wood worker. I could see myself transitioning one day. Thanks for these informative videos!

[@jennieanddavis]

Glad you like them!! If you ever want to jump into the business side of things, check out our courses. Glad to have you with us!

[@ACNailedIt]

Great overview of the pros and cons of Etsy. I've heard a lot of buzz over the years about it, but never really thought much about getting into it until a few months ago. I browsed around a bit and realized (as you mentioned) it's HUGE. It seems like it would be easy to get lost in the sea of competing sellers. Much to ponder... And thanks for the shoutout!

[@jennieanddavis]

Haha yeah - glad we could help! Thank you so much for contributing 😁. It's more fun to make a video with friends

[@kouniao]

Thanks! Nice and informative

[@Und3adNation4L]

Thanks guys I’ve been wondering about this with small things I make, but like you I make larger projects more regularly. Thanks for the insight and previous videos!

[@jennieanddavis]

Thanks for letting us know! Keep killing it!

[@patappleton6285]

Thank you. And how impressive, along with this video , are the fellow woodheads contributing.

[@guyh.4553]

Great information! Thanks! One thing that you didn't touch on that I've experienced when selling on Craigslist and FB Market Place is shipping with ETSY. How does that work?

[@j316finewoodworking6]

Thanks for the tips. I was curious bout etsy. Sounds like selling on Ebay. I sell smaller stuff on FB...after about a month I take it to a store and have someone list on line...she gets a cut but generally I have already made my money from FB before I pass them on...then if she has stuff left I go to a couple shows a year and empty whatever I have ever made.

[@jennieanddavis]

That sounds like a pretty easy system. Glad you're fining ways to make it work!

[@tommiller4233]

Steve Miller m

[@safecracker45]

A lot of great information and things to think about. Thanks for the video

[@starvingartistscollective]

Excellent video!! Have been toying with the idea of Etsy for a little while now but as a potter with size, weight and 'Fragile' shipping considerations for my ceramics I've kept putting it off. TFS!

[@jasontompson3507]

Bam. Awesome video guys. I've complained about a few others but this one is well put together. Thanks

[@ssquared8076]

I use Etsy as a way to list smaller items that i have made with offcuts from my larger pieces. I also use it for things I want to make but my local market doesn't really support. Now it is not the primary focus of my business it is an additional revenue stream for items and pieces that might have otherwise not been built or ended up in a burn bin. I would not make Etsy my primary focus the margins are not there for my long term goals.

[@jennieanddavis]

Nice. That sounds like a great way to passively utilize scraps. Thanks for sharing!

[@Synchrimedia]

you hit the nail on the head with large items. my biggest problem with Etsy would be shipping. you pretty much have to make something that the customer will have to assemble to some degree or it's very hard to pack. you end up spending a lot of time constructing some sort of box for it that takes just as long as making the piece of furniture. does anyone have a better way of packaging items to ship?

[@BrendaKnollBuddPhoto]

On every sale right where you click on the person's name their email shows up. So it's very easy to get each customer's email as it is right there with ther name.

[@jamesscovell3711]

I love these guys.great vids good content and info to build on

[@ProfessorDIY]

I love your channel guys! Keep up the great work!

[@jennieanddavis]

Thanks for watching! We appreciate you.

[@paulbuckeljr8870]

Good info and well presented video! Thanks for sharing!

[@JakeBroe]

Your shameless plug at M2 worked, I am here and subscribed!

[@bhutch216]

Tried Etsy for one month. Linked 10 products of all price ranges, had 1100 view, no sales. In that same time, I sold 116 products direct on my website. Etsy forces you to charge so much less to be competitive that you end up losing money. The worst thing about Etsy is the amount of people that are listing items that they aren’t even making. Most of the apparel is dropped shipped so the seller is doing zero work and making profit. That throws the whole handmade aspect out the window. It may work great for people just starting out part time and need the customer base to get started. Other than that, it’s no advantage. Keep a local customer base and save on shipping costs.

[@Gefionius]

Thank you for posting this video. Great info and given what my wife does, I think Etsy would be perfect for her. Your reasoning is very sound for your business model for sure.

[@EricRoy85]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have learned so much from this video and really appreciate it

[@jennieanddavis]

So glad we could help! Thank you

[@charlesbiller3674]

Had an Etsy store for a while but wasn't paying extra to have mine at the top. Lots of people selling the same or similar products and some were half the price of mine. I couldn't compete with that so just let it drop. I had soad dishes for $4 each plus shipping. Saw many on there very similar to mine for $2 and they paid shipping. I don't think Etsy is something for me. But liked your video.

[@timbutler3733]

Good advice, thanks

[@teresasheshed8351]

Thank you very informative!

[@baltimoreace]

I’ve had a little success selling some smaller nightstands on Etsy but anything larger is tough because of shipping. Do you guys have any recommendations for shipping larger items, like media consoles, dresser etc...? Are there any companies that have a discounted freight shipping option for smaller business?

[@jennieanddavis]

You can talk to a few freight companies like UPS or FedEx - just walk into the store and ask! Maybe bring a table or something and ask how you could best build/pack it for shipping. Get some quotes and make your decision. If you go on a slow weekday morning, usually the staff can help! We actually talked to a guy who loads the trucks and got some great tips! BONUS: work 'free shipping' into your price and marketing materials. People would MUCH rather pay extra for the piece with 'free shipping' versus buying a cheaper piece and paying $200 for freight shipping.

[@kristofbarta2964]

It was interesting to see you mention etsy-s cut being 8% while ebay cuts 15% when you include paypal. Not to mention the art market 50% is just fair gallery's cut. But your points were clear.

[@jennieanddavis]

Yeah but if you sell it yourself you pay 0%.

[@garychristiansen508]

Good video, I've seen you two before! What do you folks make to make money and how do you go about selling it?

[@lamegame420]

Cool take from a couple different perspectives. Thanks for uploading!

[@hectorcabinetsbayarea3343]

Excelent guide lines,

[@Mel-c8e]

Great info

[@bobscruggs8886]

You guys are fantastic !

[@Jeff_Eats_Local]

This was a fantastic video! Lots of great information so others can make an educated decision! Thanks for sharing!

[@jennieanddavis]

Thank you for your encouraging words! Glad you found the video useful

[@Christopher-pf8qt]

Davis, it’s cool that you got scarlet johannsen to work with you! 😉

[@aaronblount3999]

One thing I've noticed lately, after starting an Etsy store with my wife (primarily for stuff she can batch out while I'm at work) is that lots of people resale stuff they find at Thrift Stores.... I remember a time when Etsy was for handmade items, I guess all good things come to an end...lol

[@jennieanddavis]

Gary Vee says that all the time... Every platform gets ruined eventually. Creates new opportunities for the next platform 😉

[@aaronblount3999]

@@jennieanddavis Absolutely!. I think I'd rather do direct customer service type selling than through Etsy, anyways. But it's a good place to throw my small stuff along with the bath bombs and stuff my wife makes...LOL

[@ArmyVet76]

Thanks for the info. It helped my wife and I make our decision not to use Etsy. We do custom rustic furniture and decor, cutting boards, flags etc. It would be to difficult to keep up with both and take away time from our current sales. 👍🏼

[@jennieanddavis]

Glad we could help you make a decision to forward your business! Best of luck to you and your wife.

[@JT-91]

I have run into several of these issues myself. 8% on some of my sales is far more than what Etsy would deserve so i only sell small items and crafts on there.

[@garychristiansen508]

Could you talk about how you as woodworkers go about contacting or getting in touch with potential clients so as to make wood products for them. How did you go about getting known in your community that did woodworking? Great video!!!

[@thomasr1051]

I've been watching a lot of these videos and a lot of people say they started by posting on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. The big thing is take staged photos. Show the product in use with good lighting

[@pamcarr4003]

Thank you, Pam

[@jennieanddavis]

😂😂😂

[@mjarndt]

Great tips. I have an etsy shop and you make so many good points about the cons of etsy that I've rethought if my etsy shop is really worth it. When I first started with etsy my cornhole boards sold quite a bit. I stopped using etsy because I wanted to focus on school until I got my degree. I just started it up again and noticed that everyone else sells cornhole boards as well. Thanks for the great content.

[@merwinhaight1880]

Great info!

[@hectorcabinetsbayarea3343]

Thank you

[@rudboypaintbrawl]

So you confirmed what I thought about Etsy and I am going to trade there, but it'll be miniatures so it fits well. Also it is niche market so hug of death will be really really small I hope if it ever comes ;) Good video, cheers :)

[@benjaminthompson6558]

Just looking out, you may want to replace those jeans, bro. Great video! Good content

[@jennieanddavis]

Lol they still wear! Appreciate you 😊

[@WCW4469]

Thanks for the info! Very helpful 😁

[@carcasscruncher9354]

Send a paper with your product or stamp it with you email. That way paying customers have it and can easily find you elsewhere on your own website. Just a though

[@pennyhanson2598]

Really helpful video, thank you both! Best wishes from Penny in Liverpool 🇬🇧😊

[@shannonjakoby5109]

Thanks for this. I've been frustrated with the Etsy "cut" of my product. I feel building out my own website to direct people to is probably a better use of my time. Thanks guys!

[@cqking7465]

Etsy's fees are extremely low for a retailer and certainly not a valid reason not to sell on their platform.

[@bhutch216]

@@cqking7465 15% is low??? Plus the fact that you need to drop your price to even get looked at. I used Etsy for a very short time (maybe a month or 2). Had 1100 view and zero sales. I actually lost $78 in listing fees. But on my website in that same time, I had 116 sales for $13,931 and it cost me maybe $100 between monthly site fees, Quickbooks subscription, and credit card fees. People will find you. I’m not very active on social media and I get 75-100 followers a week still. Etsy is an awful platform and encourages big companies to undercut the big companies. You know why you see a lot of the same mock ups on Etsy? Because those “small businesses” are just outsourcing from the same supplier that has Etsy integration. That’s also the same reason I can make labels and stickers for 25% less than them and make twice the profit.

[@Branhawk]

I’m a metal fabricator and was thinking of making my own custom product. But you are just buying and re selling products?

[@icmpeko]

Pro (and CON!): as a seller with an Etsy store I can search for items that sell, monitor competitors (and how much/what they sell), and target niches - yet other sellers can do the same to me! With your own site, I can only trust the info you tell me is real, relevant, and still trending 🍺😷👍

[@jennieanddavis]

It all depends on which game you want to play 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@brianf3757]

Lots of good info! Thank you

[@jennieanddavis]

Glad we could help!

[@OldHag73]

You are actually wrong on some of the points you are making and you also missed a con. Like the last comment was acctually not smart or even true - that you dont have enough products, but you only post the number of products you have or are willing to sell. A lot of ppl make unique, one of a kind, items and only post one item of each. Another one of your cons was that you cant ship your things because you have too big things like furniture. Well, dont post your furniture on Etsy just post easy to ship items to grow your audience and be noticed. In your profile you poste your page or a link to a blog so ppl can find you outside of Etsy. Just because you sell 345 different items doesn't mean you have to post all of them on Etsy. Only post small items that are easy to ship to have an Etsy for promotion and an easy way to sell smaller items. And another con you talked about was that you dont learn traditional sales techniques liek body language BUT that has nothing to do with Etsy, whatever you sell online is the same thing. But you do learn a lot of other super importent things. YOu DO learn how to sell an item. Because if you dont know how to write a selling appealing text about your item you will not sell it. Also the cut that Etsy does on the sells, convert it into time that you will have to spend on doing that kind of things yourself. Time is money , the less time you have to spend on adminastive tasks the more you can spend making products. SO LETS GO TO THE CON YOU DID MISS: when selling on Etsy the branding becomes difficult. If a person that has bought an item from you get the question of where they bought it they will most likely answer that they bought it on Etsy. Not that they bougth it from YOUR store on Etsy but they will say they bougth it on Etsy. So the person who asked will look for that item on the WHOLE Etsy and not your store and you will likely miss that sale unless you send a lot of blanding stuff with your order so that the costumer can give out a business card to that friend who asked.

[@TERRORoftheLORD]

Very well said. I was thinking the same things. Small items that bring exposure are a great idea. I like to push the "never say no" idea. Find a way to make money doing it. Start by charging 8% or 10% more for everything you list on Etsy.

[@excelsior8682]

Does Etsy have an issue with links to other sites?

[@OldHag73]

@@excelsior8682 depends what you mean with links to other sites? You can link your Etsy to your social media and so on?

[@j316finewoodworking6]

We set up a website for free. Granted it's not huge but it is free...and since I have such a big mouth I get a decent amount of traction. Only fees I get charged is through PayPal and square. No way could I batch out my end grain cutting boards. These are good points. I refused Etsy after one of my customers got burned with a 300 dollar cutting board. Told her should have paid me to do build her one lol

[@MarkMcCluney]

This is most interesting. Can other folks suggest alternatives to Etsy? Thanks for sharing!

[@SpoonerSPON]

I use BigCartel.com, which gives me my own website to list my products. Harder to push traffic to it (social media is your friend), but you don't pay the 5% charge or lose interested customers to "similar items" links...

[@MarkMcCluney]

Bil Bas Hey Bagpuss! Thanks, I'll check it out.

[@crafts_avenue]

thank you it really helped me.

[@christiandurst3018]

Another con is the Accounting is a Nightmare with the Etsy Payment System, at least in Germany.

[@billbenoit1607]

Great video with a lot of valid points! Thanks for asking me to me a part of the video!

[@BradsWorkbench]

Would u consider a how to open an Etsy store video?

[@jennieanddavis]

No, because we don't have any experience running a store long-term. We just played around with it and watched others succeed/fail. I wouldn't feel right setting people up for failure with a how-to video.

[@BradsWorkbench]

Understandable

[@rrltruckingllc2605]

I was there I could not get out of there site they keep changing me