Harsh Reality for the new year...Businesses on any platform aren't yours.

[@figmentpudding]

Etsy is basically like renting with an HOA. You get to hang some pictures and put your own furniture in, but you can't paint any walls and you can get kicked out at any time for having an unpopular Halloween decoration on your porch. Owning a house is great but you're going to do a lot of your own work, nobody's going to mow your lawn (unless you pay them to). And wordpress is like building the house yourself.

[@KaraBuntin]

That's a great analogy.

[@AmberBathCo]

@figmentpudding That is a Great Analogy!

[@LindaM1976]

I purchased about 6 items on Etsy for Christmas gifts and I don’t remember any of the names of the stores and when someone asks me where I got the items I say Etsy.

[@KaraBuntin]

Exactly.

[@elizabethcommandeur4093]

No one is going to want to hear this but selling in person at Saturday markets, art & craft shows, etc. are a good way to sell products, drive traffic to your website and network. Also, social media ads and Google ads are the way to drive traffic to your website. A professional looking website is important. The reason people buy off of big platforms like Etsy is that they trust them. Creating a website that people feel like they can trust buying off of is essential. Thanks for this video! Totally agree with all of your points.

[@KaraBuntin]

Absolutely.

[@SirenASMR_]

Many of us sell online because we are chronically sick or can’t travel to the in person markets and we are on our own ( no help ) . It’s sad unfortunately that Etsy just can’t keep it small business hand made only . They are greedy and ruined it for small business online owners

[@karenl8837]

Good/decent markets aren’t accessible to everyone, people just do not seem to realise that.

[@KeithLumley]

I opened my Etsy store around middle of oct. I sell mainly hand made pebble art frames. I made a lot of sales. My bank account status was pending review since opening my shop and only yesterday i managed to talk to someone thanks to your videos. Its now resolved. Its been the WORST experience ever. Absolutely horrible customer service. Im kinda reluctant to create my own website in case sales dont cover costs.

[@MoonOnAbbeygate]

I got a website and email list 2 yrs ago, when I found your videos, classes and groups. I'm thinking of doing a 90/10 effort website/Etsy this year (maybe even less to E), at least as long as my shop stays open. I'm even considering POD now. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge--wish I had found you lots sooner!

[@Slwleigh12]

Thanks for giving me the push that I needed. I started a shopify website during covid, then I got busy and never finished it. Still paying the monthly fee and I have my domain pointing to Etsy. Off to finish up my website. :) Happy New Year!

[@AmberBathCo]

I'm one of the ppl who had their Etsy shut down. I was a good seller on there since 2020. They suspended my account Dec 26, 2024. I was a star seller, hundreds of 5 star reviews, 100+ sales a week, (between $3,000-$4,000 month consistently), all that jazz. It was and is devastating. Thankfully, I had opened a shopify in October! So I had a place to land... BUT it is tough out there. Staying positive, and I know things will work out even better! Etsy is so AI bot-ran. Now it's a joke. Unfortunate situation, but I believe everything happens for a reason ❤❤ thanks for posting this video ❤

[@produceman13]

The amount of people in the Etsy forums who got their shop shut down by AI around X-mas was literally insane! That this happened to so many established shops with people who were only faithful sellers for Etsy is infuriating. No email... no warning... no one to call... And when you finally do get on the phone with customer service... after waiting like whole day for them to call you back... they don't even know why you got shut down and act like it's not a big deal. When I talked to the last customer service person at Etsy after AI shut my shop down... she asked me why it was such a big deal to get my shop up and running again... I told her that I sell on Etsy to make a living... She actually laughed at me... laughed at the idea that I'd be so naive as to trust Etsy for a full-time income... When Etsy's staff laughs at your trust in Etsy... that's not good.

[@KaraBuntin]

WOW...That's seriously ridiculous. But very telling.

[@VintagePussycatShop]

Yes - anyone doubting that Etsy is shutting down shops (or "putting them on vacation") just needs to take a short scroll through the forums. I was looking for other info in forums, but the vast majority of the posts were about "forced vacation". Some of the people were shut down multiple times, and EVERY one of the posts was "closed for comments" by an Etsy moderator. Every one.

[@Mickie_Woo]

Thank you, the reality is terribly unpleasant. You are a beacon of awareness...

[@radurobert1]

For an artist is almost impossible to sell on his own platform . If that would be possible Etsy would not behave the way he does, knowing that sellers can sell on their own platform .But Etsy know they can't sell on their own platforms for many reasons. First reason is low traffic . Second reason is trust . For a buyer would be much harder to trust an unknown store because he's unsure about getting his money back in case of a package damage or loss . Probably selling on his own platform woul work for cheap stuff

[@sharonalicea7998]

Etsy is “legally” stealing from sellers. That’s the only truth here. I would love to see a class action lawsuit against them.

[@KaraBuntin]

Not at all...They have terms of use that we agree to when we sign up to sell there. Nobody is forced to sell on any platform, but when we choose to sell there then we're agreeing to their fees, their rules, etc. My point is that you need to have your own platform that you control instead of agreeing to someone else's then blaming them when they do what they've said they might do.

[@GrantGreetings]

Started my business websites in December through Hostinger just because of all the chaos Etsy is creating. I will be directing all my sales to my websites through thank you and business cards inside the sold product's packaging. May give a discount to repeat buyers on my websites also just to bring them back. I have lots of ideas for my websites and am so excited about truly being my own boss. Thank you for the motivation to keep going forward and get things done!

[@AndyMorrisArt]

You make a lot of great points. I guess I need to work on my own website more.

[@MushyMom1]

The reality is in certain markets individual websites are no longer as feasible as platforms such as Etsy and Amazon. We have been trained to prefer one stop shopping.

[@tmatti79]

Thanks, Kara, for this video and the practical advice you’ve been sharing for years. I’ll definitely be working on my website and mailing list in 2025.

[@judithwatson4828]

These are facts, we are building nothjng if selling on platforms... I was taught this about 6 years ago! Thank you for driving this hard, folks don't understand hopefully you have made it clear to have your own website, and build the email list - NOW, rsther tha later, later can end up being too late!

[@stealthzi7465]

i once did a custom job for a customer worth a lot of money and they put a ticket in and they got all the money back without even Etsy saying anything, they dont give crap about sellers at all, this was one of many - i gave up with that buisness many years ago they are the worst company on this planet PLEASE save your time and go somewhere else...

[@alinahartsfield9759]

I wonder if they could make a chargeback on their credit card if they purchased on Shopify.

[@KaraBuntin]

They could, it's a risk you take anywhere,. But the credit card company will at least investigate it, Etsy just refunds.

[@stealthzi7465]

@@alinahartsfield9759they can but going through credit card is a very long process I've done it a lot. Etsy however favours the buyers regardless of reason and will do it straight away to encourage them to buy more and feel safe. Ebay do the same thing.

[@RachellesCrafts]

I haven’t built my own website or mailing list because I’ve somehow become very apathetic. I’m old, tired and sick of the BS. Online selling, though, is the perfect job for me but I’m just having a hard time caring about it. It might just be Etsy in general. When I had a listing “deactivated” for a trademark violation because of a TYPO on the trademark holder’s end. There was no way to speak to someone at Etsy after that. Over 16 years on Etsy and my shop can theoretically be removed because of someone else’s typo with no recourse. I wonder if I’ll get my mojo back if I just build my own site. Right now I’m sitting on thousands worth of inventory and I just don’t care.

[@KaraBuntin]

I get it

[@earthwiseemporium]

I'm 69 and started online selling at 64. As I said in another response, I use InMotion to host my site, I used Tyler Moore KZbin tutorials to set it up and facebook group Wp for beginners/non-techies. I started a website for a non-profit four years ago knowing NOTHING and under a looming deadline!! Again, these resources saved me!

[@megananderson8833]

I started a Shopify store back in August to replace my Etsy store and have gotten 1 sale. I've sent out thousands of messages and flyers with discount codes to the website and no one goes. Very frustrating.

[@KaraBuntin]

It's going to take at least 8-10 months for search engines to trust your site. There are other things that you can do including Google merchant center and that kind of thing to get your site found in search better, but it takes time. That's why I say to not wait until you HAVE to do it.

[@computergrant1]

I had a fabulous Autumn store that I had through the summer. Once September came, Etsy suspended my store. I will NEVER use Etsy again!

[@ColetteO_]

Did they give you a reason why they suspended you!? 😮

[@marleenab5677]

For the new year I plan to spread around the idea of creating a protocol for e commerce, one that is built with individual seller/makers in mind. Both websites and email are built on protocols, which is why we can essentially own them. If we had a protocol for our shops, listings, sales history and reviews, then we could as easily swap from one platform to another if the platform turns out to be unsuitable for us. We could simultaneously exist on multiple small platform ls targeted to our niches, without the usual hassle of running 20 different shops and their inventory. So there is hope that we can one day have alternative markets like go-imagine, artisans cooperative, folksy band together and offer Etsy some real competition

[@thewishingthorn]

Best video in eons!! Loved it...."you build nothing" is so true!

[@hugebamafan]

Thank you, great video, and very informative

[@9amStudio]

First year on Etsy and I made over 2100 sales. I’m happy

[@GingerMeowMeow-b9z]

Wow! I want to start this year. Any pointers? Any advice will be gratefully taken. Thanks!

[@alinahartsfield9759]

It is very motivational, thank you. I have my website for a year and only had 3 sales so far, been thinking about closing it because it is almost time to renew my Shopify subscription for the next year. But this video is a reminder to me why I made my website to start with.

[@ColetteO_]

I only had 15 etsy sales in December. Thankful that I'm also on eBay as of several months ago.

[@paul.mcguinness6075]

I had 0 sales in December. Moving on.

[@DoItMyselfPeg]

I hear ya. You're totally right, but if Etsy shuts down my shop, I'm done with online selling. I've done it for a very long time and have recently dropped from several thousand listings to fewer than 100. That transition has been great. I'm gearing down on my own and know Etsy can shut any of us down at any time. Not good.

[@jockojohn3294]

Was looking to sell as third party seller on major platforms. After researching, the numbers told me to run away as fast as possible. For Amazon, it seems the 3rd party sellers are really market testers for Amazon. When Amazon sees a product doing well, they copy it by coming up with a very close copy, or just sell the same thing cheaper than anyone else on Amazon, undercutting the 3rd party sellers. Chinese are flooding the platform, and undercutting everyone. The old days are gone... Amazons slurry of new fees, restrictions etc. leave no profit left for the seller. Amazon's 3rd party seller glory days are over. I looked at all these selling platforms and it doesn't look like the wholesale/retail this is something anyone would want to do if you want to own and run a long term profitable business to build a quality life with. Maybe some trinket selling, but that's about it...

[@KaraBuntin]

Amazon also used to leave your listings up when you close your shop, so that people show up to listings that say "not in stock." But at that point they're on Amazon, so they stay there. I don't know if they still do that, but it's shady.

[@Zendomia]

Yes, started and got shut down for no reason.

[@brandylucas1783]

Thank you! I’m still small and have been building an Etsy site, not launched. Now I’m not sure. I just sell started to sell at local markets.

[@mollielane3558]

I make sparkly pens that are epoxy free. Ive been selling at craft shows and on go imagine since October, and it’s been going well! I’ve had 11 sales on go imagine-all of them were from me pushing my website. I like the allure of Etsy being the one to market for me, but I cannot imagine paying them a huge chunk for what I could do myself (advertising my own shop). I do need to look into the email list, though-that’s the part that terrifies me. I have no clue what I would put in it or anything like that. But thank you for making me think about it a bit more!

[@sharenjohnston4806]

We should all pay attentio to this warning!!❤

[@Trina8]

Etsy put a message from a buyer into Spam. They then gave me a 1 star review - Etsy wouldn’t help at all, said it was my fault for. It checking spam folder. 😢

[@KaraBuntin]

This happens all the time, and it's typical of why they're so irritating to work for. I say "for," not "with," because they run your business if they're your platform.

[@sageslanterntarot]

I was on Etsy for one week before I created my website😂

[@KaraBuntin]

Good for you!

[@RepentofSin]

You are technically helpful etsy build their business. Good video. Sad to see people quit a full-time job to run just an etsy shop.

[@Rook_ie]

Great advice, tough love!

[@moonlitprintables9670]

Kara, do you have a video that walks you through setting up an email list? Also, whereis the link to your website group? Thanks!!

[@KaraBuntin]

The link to the monthly group is in the video description. I don’t know if i have email list tutorials but i could do some on my tutorials channel.

[@Lissbirds]

I agree with you in principle about starting a website and having another platform, however, the vast majority of my sales are from new buyers, not repeat buyers. I think some niches lend themselves better to repeat customers--like yours with cake toppers, or any other supply, you're going to get bakers repeatedly coming back to buy supplies. People come to my shop to buy a small gift or treat themselves; I don't sell a consumable product, so they don't need to buy multiples. (Though some do come back.) Also, is it okay with Etsy's TOS to advertise an email list? I heard you can't drive traffic from Etsy to your own website, but is an email list a loophole?

[@KaraBuntin]

You can't specifically say "go to my website to shop," but you can put a link to a mailing list.

[@greatdee]

Sadly it’s only applicable to US sellers. I have a website but I still can only sell through Etsy cause of taxes (I sell digital products only). If I’m wrong I’m happy to hear the solution 🙏

[@KaraBuntin]

If you're talking about US sales tax, it's unlikely that you'd have to pay those because most states have such high thresholds before the requirement to pay them comes into play. Check on Taxjar.com to see the limits.

[@Pipping-Hot]

For most states, you need to sell $100,000 (per state) before you need to collect sales tax. Many of them have a 200 sale threshold - which for most of us would still bring us well under the $100k mark even though you would have to collect sales tax after 200 sales. The States that have the 200 sales OR $100k have No Way to Audit you, so I would not be concerned if you had more than 200 sales in A State that used that threshold.

[@Tiffanyg12]

My husband use to have a high performing etsy store, 10-20 orders per day. They use to put him on vacation mode. He learned to put himself on vacation mode to get his orders out.

[@falcieridesigns]

I absolutely agree with this. I use Shopify and they are very versatile for any size business and you get your money's worth. :)

[@ShareMyStars]

Love this video. You can’t sell your Etsy shop… like you said, bots will shut it down When they figure out you did, and it’s not a risk buyers will take. Etsy is great for consistent sales and audience building; but beware…. It’s not yours to keep or do with what you please…

[@kristinapaxton9686]

Etsy will just die without sellers. Because every seller will deem them unreliable and go elsewhere

[@KaraBuntin]

I don’t think that will happen. What’s more likely is that the handmade seekers will continue to be pushed out by resellers and cheap alibaba stuff. Eventually Etsy will just be another amazon lite.

[@LindaM1976]

Do you think you should get a website even if you sell digital?

[@KaraBuntin]

Yes, if you want to have somewhere to sell when Etsy closes your shop.

[@gailfuld3121]

I actually do not understand the part about Etsy closing shops because they received a lot of orders??? Not understanding what the logic would be behind that….more orders from a shop means more transaction fees for Etsy….what am I missing??

[@falcieridesigns]

Because they think the shop owner won't be able to keep up with the orders and they shut you to 'allow you to catch up., at least, that's my understanding of it.

[@KaraBuntin]

That’s right. They play big brother with us.

[@jessetutterrow4320]

Will GoImagine do the random shutdowns that Etsy does? If you buy their web site option does it come with human support and if so are they really helpful?

[@KaraBuntin]

They have human support that is actually helpful, and they have an active Facebook group where you can get real answers to problems. The only reason your shop would be shut down is if you've violated their policies on selling non-handmade items, or AI items, and they give you a chance to correct things before they shut you down.

[@louisenilsson8951]

Most people selling online have multiple platforms. nothing new if you are a full time seller.

[@KaraBuntin]

I agree, but you'd be surprised at how many people only sell in one place. It's very dangerous!

[@twelv]

On thr replay.....mmhm they shut one of my shops down Dec 12th🤨. Nah they keep repeating themselves thru email and chat smh.. but its FIIIIINE lol now back to my website

[@KaraBuntin]

The number of people who told me "I've never seen Etsy do that so they must not do it" is astounding to me. They'll find out the hard way at some point.

[@twelv]

@KaraBuntin they sure will find This hard way. I freaked out for a week and had to calm down and take that advice you've been giving. Get you OWN. Ive had my own site for years but was soooo focused on Etsy, WAY TOO MUCH. 📣 Hard Way! But never again ❤️. You and Hubby Enjoy the day, good to see you!

[@AndyMorrisArt]

Did you quit selling on Etsy?

[@KaraBuntin]

I still have a digital shop open.

[@ModelSeries]

There's open source websites and closed source websites. Open/closed source is something you might want to know if you want more freedom of what you're selling. There are many other factors you might want to know and that is why there are so many videos on which is the best website for you. It can get complicated. Not sure, but you probably couldn't get a loan from your personal bank without an online website. Also, you might not be able to get business insurance as well. So, the question is, are you even a business?

[@KaraBuntin]

You can definitely get business insurance without a website, but I get your point.

[@carlyboy888bradford3]

How many people are losing money selling on Etsy or Amazon with their high fees?, I struggle to see how people can make a profit

[@KaraBuntin]

The fees are just part of the cost of doing business, so you have to set your prices accordingly. Amazon fees are higher than Etsy as far as I know.

[@simplelifeofsusan]

I want to start an email list. I do have a website and tell my customers about it in my packaging and messages. Other than the about me section, is there anywhere else that you can put it? I have had customers ask me about an item that I moved solely to my website and I’m skeptical to even tell the directly in the message.

[@KaraBuntin]

I put the signup link in my shop announcement, my About section, in a photo in the listings, anywhere that I could. People sign up pretty steadily.

[@simplelifeofsusan]

@ thank you so much!

[@LauraPD]

I was building my shop with Shopify, but heard they can shut down your shop too, and I believed it was mine 😅 Its weird. Which tool or platform is the best to have your web shop?

[@KaraBuntin]

Shopify is fine. Any service can shut down your website if you violate their terms of use by selling illegal things or whatever, but Shopify is a web service, not a nanny/babysitter like Etsy. They don't tell you how to run your business.

[@rosi9080]

Where’s the link to your website ?

[@KaraBuntin]

I thought they were in the video description but i need to add them. One is acaketoremember.com and the other is artisanshopper.com

[@rosi9080]

@ thank you 😊

[@earthwiseemporium]

Is your website group part of you monthly membership or a separate group? I'm rejuvenating my website and email list after almost walking away from "everything".

[@KaraBuntin]

There’s a free Facebook group for online sellers, and the paid monthly membership is separate with a community on teachable. Links for both are in the video description

[@philippeplouchart8156]

My impression is that Etsy seems to take away smaller vendors in preference of bigger money makers.

[@KaraBuntin]

Not necessarily, but they do show things that have sold already. It's not so much if you're a larger or smaller business, it's more that if you have a product that's selling, it keeps being shown, so it sells more.

[@natamaverik2782]

No I am in top 1% They do that crap to my shop all the time, shadow ban my chat after I complain

[@SirenASMR_]

Yup

[@Seawing-v5d]

1. No sales, hardly any views. 2. Had my shop shut down after a few months no reason given, put in a query they opened it back up again. Felt like an intimidation tactic. 3. Don't like how the site has changed from being all about handmade to imported mass produced junk and it just seems like it's actively trying to force out 'small and slow' aka 'handmade' entirely.

[@barrybark3995]

youv been going zince 1999 dyou do craft fair too,if not y not -cover all

[@KaraBuntin]

I don’t because i used to do wedding shows when i was doing wedding cakes and i hated the whole thing.

[@barrybark3995]

@@KaraBuntin thats interesting,i Hated my day job [window cleaning] for 2 yrs then i turned the corner and loved it and have for a decade or more.

[@KaraBuntin]

I did wedding shows for fifteen years and hated every minute of them! I'm an introvert, so it was painful to begin with, but for cakes you also have to make samples to take, prep the display cakes (basically decorating multiple fake wedding cakes) and block off the entire week where you can't take paying customers because you're busy with the show. I didn't enjoy it and don't miss doing them!

[@LF813-c3d]

Have no idea what you say at the beginning of your video where you say something about turtle. Slllloooowww down!

[@KaraBuntin]

It ain't gonna happen, I talk fast and that's the way it is.

[@classicaldeb]

If you read before watching, it's stated under the title of this particular video!

[@livgranger]

You can listen to KZbin videos at at slower or faster speeds if you want. You have that option.

[@LF813-c3d]

@@livgranger Thanks for the idea. I’ll have to check that option out.

[@BLINGofBOSTON]

💙🩵🤍