The Reason You Should No Longer Use Etsy
Etsy has 95 million active buyers. 95 million buyers sounds great. But when you realize Etsy also has 7.5 million sellers, that’s 7.5 million people to compete with. I have used Etsy as a buyer for years and I still do. As a seller I used Etsy for 6 months and I will never go back. Here are my three reasons why.
Etsy Fees
The number one reason and the reason we always hear for ditching Etsy is the fees. Etsy takes 6.5% from each transaction plus charges a $0.20 fee for each listing you post. The website also takes a payment processing fee of 3% + $0.25 for using Etsy payments. According to Etsy.com “Etsy Payments users can accept payment from buyers by credit card, debit card, Etsy Gift Card, Etsy Credit, Etsy Coupon, some bank transfer services, PayPal (where available), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and some country-specific instalment payment methods — all in their domestic Etsy Payments currencies. This policy explains all of your rights and obligations when using Etsy Payments.” As I said previously I used Etsy for 6 months, I knew what I was getting into and had happily agreed to Etsy’s terms.
I’m not a math person so the only things that really stood out to me were the. $.20 listing fee and the $.25 fee for Etsy payments. Let me put it into terms that I didn’t understand until it was too late. Say for instance that you have a product listed for $7.99 just listing the product you already lost money. Let’s say someone buys your listing, Etsy will take 6.5% from the transaction. That leaves you with a total of $7.47. Etsy also takes a payment processing fee of 3% + $0.25. That leaves you with $6.98. Don’t forget Etsy’s $0.20 listing fee. That leaves you with $6.78, that’s a $1.21 loss. And that only includes Etsy’s fees this doesn’t take into consideration shipping, taxes, or how many times the listing renews.
Now if you still think Etsy is the place to be buckle up I still have a couple more reasons.
Promoting Etsy/Branding
Yes I did say Etsy has 75 million active buyers, so why would 75 million buyers be one of my reasons to leave Etsy? Google. Etsy users’ products don’t show up on Google unless you have Etsy paid ads. Even then what happens when you Google your Etsy store? They see Etsy. Who’s to say they won’t just go to Etsy and begin searching for products that you sell, only to find “better” products.
One of my biggest problems I had was I would always tell people “I sell my products on Etsy.” I thought I was promoting my store but the actuality of it was I was promoting Etsy, because if you think about it every Etsy store is the same.
With Etsy there is no creativity when it comes to your store other than a 1200x300 px banner. That’s it. You have to show your brand, your personality, your creativity, any promos you want to advertise in a 1200x300 banner. Need I say more?
Etsy Rules and Policies
According to Etsy, “The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Etsy Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, Medical Drugs and Devices, and Items making Medical Claims, Animal Products and Human Remains, Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons, Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred, Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items, Internationally Regulated Items, Nudity and Mature Content, Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence”
For Etsy “Mature Content” includes foul language. For me I personally I love a cute “F**k Off” every now and then.
The rules and policies also go on to state “we may deactivate your content to some or all buyers or suspend or terminate your account.” Which is where the problem lies. When making an Etsy Seller Account you agree to these terms. You basically agree to let Etsy deactivate your account whenever they see fit. You can have an Etsy account for years and then poof it’s gone.
My Etsy Alternative
So I’ve convinced you that Etsy is not the way to go. Now what? Where are you supposed to sell now? Well that’s up for you to decide. I’ve spent the last six months going from website to website to website…to website. In the end my most important requirement was low pricing and fees. I hate fees, especially when my prices are low to begin with. So when I saw that Ko-fi had zero fees, I could run my own blog, plus have digital and physical items in my shop and not have to pay every single time I list a product; Ko-fi was a no brainer for me. I highly recommend to check out Ko-fi and see if the pros and cons are worth it for you.
In the end do your research and do what’s best for you and your business. I wish you luck.
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