# Etsy.com: How would you review the market place?



## Dr_Unix (Feb 12, 2007)

Hi all,

I'm considering putting a few items up on Etsy.com, but before I do, I'd like to ask those that have sold through (or researched) the website to give me their opinions. I'm sure it was easy to use, most website retailers are. So I won't ask that question. How fair would you describe the pricing/fees they ask for? Would you say that you get a lot of traffic (customer inquiries) from etsy?

Thanks,
Mark


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## badger (Mar 29, 2009)

I had no luck the one time I tried.

But it wasn't a very serious effort, and I think the item was not right for the market (wood pen).

The audience appears to be a eclectic, and offbeat.

Hopefully you'll get some better info soon.


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

You will get more traffic on Etsy than any other site. Their fees are cheap and you get a quality store presence, along with Google search feeds. However, traffic doesn't necessarily translate into sales, and you will get out of it what you put into it. There are mixed experiences by a number of LJs, but I am happy with the results. I think it is difficult to get your first few sales when you don't have any, along with no feedback. But once a few sales happen, it tends to start picking up a little steam.

When I ignore it and let the store free run, I have low daily views and few sales. When I promote it in the forums, list items regularly, and make regular Twitter entries, my sales increase. I've had more sales on Etsy this month than my best show this year. November and December are always good months on Etsy, but there are a few woodworkers that have hit it big out there.

For example, http://www.etsy.com/shop/Boxnmor has over 1000 sales. It amazes me at the volume of products this shop sells.

Another one is our own Robin Tucker. Of course, what can I say? Robin has some of the most unique stuff out there.

For no more than it costs, I can't see why anyone would not have their creations out there. I've watched people put their products out there, run it for a month and close their store because of no sales. That is a very unmotivated person. It was 6 months before I made my first sale and a couple months later before I made my next one. So what if I don't sell anything during the next few months. I've already paid my 20 cent listing fees. It's not like I have rent and utility expenses associated with it.

The biggest problem I have right now is building my inventory back up. December Etsy sales have depleted a lot of my categories.


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## Russel (Aug 13, 2007)

Etsy is cheap, but it's well known. It doesn't take alot to set it up and you can let it be if you like or work it. I refer to it on my website and FaceBook Fan Page. It's quite useful to handle the sales transactions. I haven't had much listed there long and I've sold a few things. I've got no complaints. Like closetguy says, if you want it to produce, you've got to work it. It's a big site and odds are against folks just droppin' by.


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## Llarian (Jul 10, 2008)

Its cheap, it sometimes works.

List no more than one item per day (after the initial few), that way you keep your listings towards the top of the recently posted list.

I've been surprised with the couple sales I have gotten. One went about 5 minutes after posting, the other after a period of relative inactivity.

I wouldn't bank on Etsy to pay the bills, it won't. There have been studies that show that people working Etsy "full time" are making something like $15k/year gross based on their average item price and sales volume. However, as a supplemental to other avenues, its not a bad way to go. You might have more success with an eBay store or some such, but the fees are significantly higher.


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## closetguy (Sep 29, 2007)

It's great Christmas money. I may sell 4 or 5 items all year, then do $2000 in November and December. If you only sold one item, that's one you would not have sold if you didn't have it listed. All my big custom cutting board requests usually come through Etsy. I have had two that went for $200 each and one for $300. In the grand scheme of things, It's just another revenue source, or "walking around money" as we say down here in the South.


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## MrHudon (Aug 11, 2009)

I opened my Etsy shop last Januaryand have no complaints. Listing fees are .20 and they take 3.5% of the selling price, much cheaper then ebay's 10-15% after you add up all their fees, though Ebay is more well known. 
You do need to work it, and I think using the correct keywords and metatags and all that goggle search lingo is key to getting views. 
"closetguy" pretty much sums up how I also feel about Etsy. What do you have to lose ? 20 cents per listing.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

I gave up on Etsy. People with lots of small, quick to produce products seem to do the best.


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## SNSpencer (Nov 16, 2009)

I have had some pretty good success with Etsy.
The pluses - It's cheap when compared to Ebay and the like.
The customer base is willing to pay a bit more since they know that the items are "handcrafted". I have not had much in the way of people trying to haggle me down below my material costs, not like when I am contacted by ebay bidders after an auction has closed.
It has "holiday" mode where you can take your inventory offline when you are at a show or craft fair with your inventory. Then you can easily remove what you sold and turn your store back on.
And most importantly - Even though I have not sold much of what I have listed, I have made quite a bit of $$ from people contacting me with "custom" projects. Etsy is kind of my store front showing what I can do. The best part is that when someone contacts me, the communication ends up being direct emails and in the end, they pay for the item outside of the etsy system saving me the 3.5% fee.

The Cons - It does not have the traffic like ebay, but it's getting more well known all the time. I promote myself (etsy account) with facebook and twitter. I just announce that I put something new in the store with a link.
That's basically it for cons. The posting fee of $.20 per item is easy enough to walk away from if your item does not sell in the 4 months it's listed. I make enough off the custom work to offset that cost AND support my hobby.

Hope that helps.


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## SNSpencer (Nov 16, 2009)

Just an update on my experience with Etsy. This month I sold 1 box for $15, one more at $80, and another at $90. This is on top of the three "custom" box orders that I took at an average of $90 each.

So yes, Etsy is working for me right now. A few of the sales were processed off the Etsy site but I was found because of my listings.


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## mynoblebear (Nov 22, 2009)

Hear is a trick to drive traffic to your main website without braking the rules on Etsy.com.

My Etsy.com user name is mynoblebear if a person that is shopping in etsy.com puts too and too together they will try to put a .com after my user name. The result is they pop right over to my main website with all of the items that I have to offer.

The next thing is they allow a banner at the top of your store this can be your business name in my case it is Noble Bear Quality Woodworks If a shopper tries to put a .com after my business name they will find their self at my main website once again with all that I have to offer.

The next thing is they allow you to name your store. In my case Noble Bear Furniture. If a shopper puts a .com after my store name they will also find their self at my main website with all that I have to offer.

You must point the additional URL's to your main websites URL to make it work out as designed.

By doing this you can keep your listing fees down to a minimum and perhaps drive some additional traffic to your main website.


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## christopheralan (Mar 19, 2008)

I tried for a while, but no takers on my stuff.


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## amcharn (Dec 23, 2009)

I looked into it, but felt like I would be battling against some "walmart" type product and prices. (Although some similar products were very nice). I went with my own website instead (which was a little easier for me since my son is a computer graphics company owner). My understanding is that there are no real initial fees to be on Etsy, so it might not hurt to try it.


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## timpletcher (Dec 25, 2009)

ETSY is worth your while to try  some products do well there others dont, worth your time to give it a serious try


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## timpletcher (Dec 25, 2009)

ETSY is worth your while to try  some products do well there others dont, worth your time to give it a serious try


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## rusticandy (Sep 26, 2008)

it only works for cheap small items. I do alot better in local galleries, where people can handle the wood and fall in love with it.


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## MrsN (Sep 29, 2008)

I haven't sold anything on ETSY, but I like it. The price is reasonable even if I don't sell much/anything and it works for me as an easy way to appear a hair more professional then I really am. I sell jewelry mostly to friends of friends of friends, I like to be able to direct someone to the website to look at a few things and contact me for more personal choices. I also got really lucky and was asked to be in an article in one of the local papers because of my ETSY store. The editor used the find local artists feature to find people to be featured in the paper. Personally I really like it.


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## russv (Sep 21, 2009)

an etsy store is like any other outlet, it needs to be marketed. i see some making thousands of dollars in sales a month on etsy. as to selling big items, some say it takes 2+ years to sell in galleries. who's to say you won't sell it if you market on etsy for a longer period of time? the advantage of etsy like stores is you can put the same piece at several locations and once it sells, pull it from the other sights. it seems to me, it can work better than a gallery where your piece sets for 2+ years, you get a smaller piece of the sale and it sits in one location only.

just a thought,
russv


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