Alternatives to Etsy

Rosslyn, I will be watching this thread. There are a lot of negatives these days to etsy, but I still find it to be the best platform for doll stuff. Etsy, I find, has the best selection of wigs, eyes, heads, dolls, clothing. I don't think any other platform offers as many things and I think it is going to be hard (not impossible, but hard) to migrate from there.

 

I had a small shop on Etsy called ClassyMiniatureHouse and I was selling and building a customer base, but I closed it because Etsy was demanding the pass word to my bank account which was linked to my Etsy Shop. I wasn't comfortable doing that so my shop closed. I only sell on E bay now.

 

@CheshireCat That sounds illegal...why would they need your password? I'm glad you didn't give it out.

I've seen more fanartists selling through Big Cartel - I wonder if it would be good for crafters too!

 

its not really...exactly doll related, but a lot of like merch/sticker etsy stores are migrating over to having a little storefront on shopify. I think it costs like...apparently a dollar to host a site there but it doesn't seem to have any like, general search function (as far as I'm aware) so it would be virtually impossible to stumble into any new creators without finding them on an outside site first.

 

Following this thread as well. I have heard more and more complaints from people I know who sell on Etsy due to the changes in policies etc. particularly over the last 2 years when the pandemic hit and more and more people started selling there.

 

Following too as I have an Etsy shop too and the fees are terrible. I had 98 euros left of a 130 euros order and still had to pay shipping from that 98 too... That's almost 25% fees and I don't even have Etsy ads turned on... Their fees system is extremely vague and they just won't respond like a normal human being instead of their auto generated response.

I have tried Ko-Fi already and while the selling part is super nice and easy, there is no way for buyers to find products like they would on Etsy. So with Ko-fi advertising is key to get customers. I might go back to Ko-Fi in the new year though. Because listings don't expire there and it wouldn't matter anymore if I don't get sales.

 

I was wondering about Ko-Fi myself for non-doll related art sales. I never actually set up an account because I've heard mixed reviews. However, it's nice to hear that the listings don't expire. I've wanted to build my own website on Wix for a long time, but I can't afford the cost to allow sales on it (for the domain name etc). It would be a great option for those who could build their own webstore front, but would rely on google search and advertising to bring in customers. I've had an Etsy for years but just for buying. I'd been thinking about selling on there at some point; this post is making me rethink that. I follow Kitty Blue and knew that the fees were getting terrible for her, but I didn't realize they were this bad.

 

I originally started Ko-Fi after I had an accident with my car, but tried out sales when the Etsy fees skyrocketed and when sales to Germany were banned (if you didn't register with a weird company regarding packaging laws). have tried building a website too but the initial costs for the domain, payment stuff and all were too high for me too. It'd be okay if you know you'll get sales to cover it, but my shop has been so slow lately that I don't feel comfortable investing in it. And my technology skills are... bad. xD I just want something like Etsy that isn't anti-seller like Etsy.

 

Yeah, I got overwhelmed with all the calculations for shipping and everything because the way Wix has their shipping stuff set up didn't work with how the print on demand service I wanted to use did their shipping fees. So no matter how many calculations I did, I felt like I was going to end up losing money or not be able to get sales because of high prices so I didn't end up going that route. I think with doll stuff I'd probably have an easier time with it if I could afford the domain name etc fees and could get customers easily. Unfortunately it's just not an option for me right now. I wish Etsy wasn't being so greedy and driving away their creator base.

Why did they ban sales to Germany? WTH. I knew lots of things were changing for online stuff because of Ukraine/Russia, but had no idea they'd made those kinds of changes for Germany.

 

I have an Etsy shop and am not happy with the fees. They are just too much! I’ve had my shop for over 12 years and the fees have been going up alarmingly the last couple of years. I unfortunately reached the sales threshold for the offsite ads and they are horrible! The ad fees 12 to 15% alone! On a $9.50 item, the offsite ad fee was $3.26, not including Etsy’s selling fee, listing fee, and credit card fee. I really would like a better selling platform, but as mentioned above, it either costs a lot to set up, or you have to start over with your customers.

Germany isn’t banned, it’s just hard for individual sellers to apply to the German government to get a license to be able to sell in Germany. Last year Germany passed a law (called L.U.C.I.D.) that all shipped packages have to meet certain environmental requirements and you need a license and be registered with the German government and provide a special number that is to be on all shipping packages or you can get a huge fine. It’s just easier to turn off sales to Germany in your shop, which I did. I’ve only had maybe, four orders from Germany in the 12 years, so not worth the effort and cost for me.

 

I would love it if things eventually migrated off of Etsy! I used to sell on there years ago and was considering starting back up to sell crocheted doll things, but then one of my accounts (that I used for buying) got hacked. I didn’t notice it happened until after the hacker opened a fraudulent storefront under my account and made sales, so upon regaining control of the account, I had that mess on my hands. Etsy did NOTHING. I could not reach anyone in support whatsoever, despite multiple attempts. They’d send me a cookie cutter response, ask if that solved the issue, I said no, and they said someone would get back to me. Then a week later I’d get a “did you resolve your issue on your own yet?” email prompting me to close the case. It’s been a year and I never got a single real response.

I just haven’t found anything that’s really comparable. eBay is good for some things, but it’s not as good for general browsing, plus the fees are still steep. Shopify seems to work great for a lot of people, but you need something to direct people there. Instagram and Facebook groups are where I sell anything doll related now. I’d love to see better alternatives take off.

 

Ohhh interesting. I kind of like that they are trying to be more environmentally friendly, but that's a huge thing to deal with if you want to sell to people living there so I completely understand. I would have probably turned my sales off too at that point.

WTF?! WOW Etsy! That is insane to me that they wouldn't fix an issue like that. Were people expecting products from you etc? Or were there like bad reviews and stuff? Just trying to understand what they would need to have helped fix after that mess. I imagine it was all of the above plus some other stuff.

 

Yeeep. Expecting products from me. Luckily there were only 2 orders and one was able to be canceled from my end. The other could not (the fraudulent seller’s bank account has been disconnected, so couldn’t issue the refund), so I had to explain the situation to the buyer and have her cancel/dispute it with either PayPal or her bank, as I couldn’t do anything. She was SO angry with me since it was around Christmas, which I get the frustration, but I really tried and could do literally nothing about it.

 

That sounds like a total nightmare. I am so sorry you are having to go through that!

Before I moved I used to make handmade soap and various other things. I wanted to start an Etsy shop, especially as the job I had been doing I lost due to the pandemic. I literally could not afford to start the shop, less I charged way too much for my product and in that case nobody would want to buy it because of the high cost.

It would be great if someone far more tech savvy could come up with another version of Etsy for people to migrate to, but starting any form of competition would not be an easy path.

 

Oh man... ugh. I totally feel for that lady but being angry with you imo wasn't okay. It's not like you purposefully caused the issue or asked for your account to be hacked.

 

I think Storeenvy? is another possible place? But I don't know how their fees compare.

 

Late reply, but Germany got a new law regarding packaging materials. Everything needs to be registered when stuff is sold to/from Germany. However, for the registration sellers need to have a VAT number and it costs money in the long run. But not every seller has a VAT number. In the Netherlands for example we can only get it when we register as an official business (which we are technically not plus again that costs money and extra taxes)...
But Etsy decided to check sales to Germany and rat people out to the registration organisation, which could lead up to fines of 20000 euros. So many sellers started removing shipping to Germany. In which Etsy just decided to stop showing shops to German people if shipping is not possible...

 

Dang, I feel bad for German customers who cant shop their favorite non-German shops anymore

 

I feel sort of held hostage with Etsy at the moment! The fees are nuts and I can’t say I’m fond of the direction the company has been going for years now, but also my shop is just a fun thing I do in my spare time (I have a day job) so all the time required to drive traffic to my own website sounds exhausting and impossible. I don’t want to romanticise past Etsy (it wasn’t perfect) but it never used to be like this!

 

I think people in your situation are who Etsy capitalize on. They know it's difficult to run your own website, and they know that they are THE place for handmade products. They have a captive audience because there's no alternative other than personal websites or less focused (and less trafickked) sites.

 

I have an Etsy shop for a few years now, mainly merch, stickers, pins, charms prints and handmade items. The fees have gone from bad to worse. I barely earn anything from it and I rely on my art for my living, so I have to take commissions to cover up.
Etsy is a two blade weapon, as it good to keep traffic on your page, it also shows other options to buyers. I haven't had any followers on social media from there and, I cannot host another shop, I just closed my BigCartel because it wasn't sustainable anymore.
Etsy became anti-artisans in the lasr couple of years, pumping sales and promotion to retailers... its.. hard, sad and exhausting.
I've checked Shopify but I don't think it'll make any difference for me. I'll keep an eye on this thread. I was thinking to open a shop too on ko-fi, but seems that won't make any difference either.

 

Etsy has demanded Rosslyn and I's bank and tax info or it'll keep any sales we get, so we are looking to move somewhere else. What does everyone think of Shopify? I'm open to lots of other options, I just want to pick a good place that others have heard of.

(To clarify, we run Rosslyn's Workshop together.)

 

I'm not a seller, just a buyer. I've bought on storenvy, bigcartel, pretty sure shopify...oh and society6...so honestly if you have a loyal customer base, we'll follow you wherever you go!

 

I agree that it is very hard to search for things on etsy these days - genuine crafters get lost behind resales.

I wonder if we could organize an online doll convention. I attended an online convention for a show and it was fun - I was able to order from fanartists online and I discovered them at the convention. There aren't any doll conventions near me and I am too shy to drive hours to a meetup.

I did look through your etsy's past sales - I liked the look of a lot of what you sold! But that's because I love fantasy clothing hahaha!

 

It's definitely frustrating coming back to the hobby after a couple years and trying to get my partner involved - I can't find anything on etsy (or ebay, for that matter) that I trust enough to spend with, nor anything with the convenience it used to have. It's not that it wasn't bad in 2019, but it's gotten exponentially worse since then.

 

I would LOVE an etsy alternative platform, Doll based or not.

 

What about Pixiv’s booth pm? (BOOTH - The International Indie Art Marketplace) - it says it is global, though I found it by following Japanese doll clothing vendors. I haven’t looked too much into it yet, but they have some gorgeous dresses there. I’m not sure what the fees are, though.

 

I'll still be interested to see if doll hobby craftspeople move collectively to some shopping site so that I can personally find them easier... I feel like search results on Etsy are complete nonsense now. I sometimes buy craft supplies there (usually other people's destashes) and I make sure to bookmark any shop in case I might ever want to find it again, but it's bad.
I think the ko-fi storefront is an option if you can direct your existing customers there. Fees and ease and nonsense levels seem ok. It's also one of the few places I feel like you can still just get the payments directly to PayPal.
I don't really have any other advice at this point. I feel like the platform we want might not exist yet, but I'm invested in it and hoping something pans out well.

 

I've considered moving to Shopify or Storenvy for a long time now. My etsy shop is basically completely unseen, and when I do make a sale, I end up actually losing money. I've stopped making and listing new items, and I honestly don't know why I keep it open. The situation destroys any creativity I might've had for making things to sell.

I do my wig commissions through here and tumblr now, because no ridiculous fees. Maybe I'll just move everything that direction. I would use instagram, but I feel like my photos aren't good enough to pass muster.

 

Using any middle man to do transactions is going to cost you. In time, just like eBay and Etsy they all get greedy and suck the life out of your creativity.
If it's dolly related why don't you set up your own websites and have them all listed on here.

 

Xanadu Dolls, I think the Den of Angels answer to that list of websites is here:

/categories/handcrafted-goods.200/

 

@Cat ^..^ Thanks for that. I had a feeling there was already a place where the crafty people could link to their own websites. Just a pity more don't use it eh?

 

Xanadu: I don't know that many people know it is there. I was thinking about what you said and, really, one long thread like this one might be better. If there was just a place where they could list their store name and the link and people could scroll rapidly through.

I find that Marketplace area that we do have to be cumbersome to use. I go there and I find it hard to find the people's shop links. And then, there are lots of old dead longSoldOut pictures in the threads.

I think a place (one place) to quickly scroll through would be better.

 

I have a friend doing exactly that. Unfortunately, any payment processor is going to take their pound of flesh too and there's the issue of advertising.