Why I closed My Online Shop and Went With Etsy
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Can I be really honest with you, my friend?
When I opened my online shop back in 2019, I needed freedom and control. Freedom to make my own decisions, the need for control and being my own boss… my personal life was the complete opposite at the time, so starting my own online shop, on my own website, with just me in control was part of my coping strategy.
Was it smart? No.
It was just me at the time. ‘Girl boss’ always sounds so tough, feminine, powerful but let me tell you, it’s lonely. Lonely, hard, constant work with a one-woman band.
It could’ve been so much easier.
I spent hours with admin work, hours with packing and shipping orders, and hours with marketing. The time spent with creating new work was getting less and less…
In November 2021, when my personal life was finally taking a turn for the better, I made the right decision, closed my online shop and focused on Etsy.
One smart cookie.
Why? Let me tell you more about the goods news when it comes to using the Etsy Platform for your online business.
1 Setting Up Your Shop is Easy
It’s not complicated to open your Etsy shop. No need for your techie nerdy friend to walk you through it.
It only takes a few minutes to set up, it’s free and there’s a great step-by-step guide on Etsy that’s easy to follow (and plenty more out there when you give google and YouTube a try).
2 The Traffic Is Already There
Etsy already has its built-in audience. And Etsy fans are highly engaged fans. Millions of them come to the site every month, looking for more items, gifts, inspiration, and they are people eager to buy. Plus, Etsy is mobile friendly, with the app being easy to use for both sellers and buyers.
And that’s what you want!
And there’s more! Etsy encourages its online retailers to become a collaborative community, where sellers share tips with each other.
3 Unique and Personal
Etsy is THE place for unique, personalised and custom items. Things that only you can do and people will love it!
A lot of the items on Etsy are handmade, and the % of handmade goods sold on Etsy are increasing every year.
Not everyone wants items that are mass produced. Definitely not you and me. We are looking for unique gifts, things that will set us apart, products that are created and made with love and passion.
4 Analytics and SEO
Etsy provides us sellers with great analytics, so you can review your numbers and use them to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Create more of what works, optimise it and get your great work out there!
Find out which keywords work best, what description converts best and so on.
As Etsy is a trusted website for google, you’re getting a lot of traffic from google now compared to a tiny, unknown online shop.
5 Fees are Small
I see many people complaining about listing fees and Etsy fees, BUT, and that’s my big but here, running your own online shop is not cheap either. You have to pay your online shop fee (for example through Squarespace), you have to pay fees for stripe, PayPal… this adds up over time too. And you’re doing all the work yourself!
6 Ads are Easy to Use and Affordable
Etsy ads are one of the easiest platforms I’ve ever used and they actually make a difference for not that much money.
7 You Don’t Have to Print and Ship Everything Yourself
Every heard of Drop Shipping or Print on Demand?
Print on Demand (POD) is an order fulfilment method where items are made only after an order was placed, which makes it easier for you (you don’t have to plan right and don’t have any useless expenses!) and more eco friendly for everyone. In Printful’s case, you don’t even have order minimums. With 17 fulfilment centres located across the globe, Printful products can be shipped to customers anywhere in the world.
It’s very easy to connect your Etsy shop with Printful and all you have to do then is to sit back and create!
