Bye Etsy. Hello Sum-Up
Why have I decided to sell on a new platform?
Etsy Shops Aren’t What They Used to Be.
I’ve been disappointed with how I’ve seen Etsy evolve over the years. I started selling on the platform back in 2008. In those days Etsy was a champion of independent artists and makers. It was the world’s indie craft market. Each artisan seller on the site seemed to be making their products by hand and with love. I have moved to a new online shop
Skip to today and the site is flooded with cheap, mass produced items. To my alarm, there are a lot of A.I. generated images for digital download too. The human side of Etsy’s original mission has fallen away in my opinion.
Customer Service
Customer service for me personally hasn’t been great either. They use algorithms to check for unusual sales activity, which they claim could be evidence of money laundering and other criminal activity. My account got frozen by this algorithm . I listed some prints that, to my delight, were so popular I sold 4 in a week (I usual sell 1 print per month).
This surprise spike in sales tripped their alarm, but with no human to appeal to, I had to wait for 3 months before I was able unfreeze my account and access any funds from my seller’s account. I felt so deflated, like I was being punished for a success.
The Price of Selling On Etsy
The other complaint about the platform are the seller’s fees and the listing fees. They have crept up over the years and today are quite high. A 6.5% transaction fee for sales, posting and packaging. UK sellers also pay 4% plus 20p per transaction in payment processing fees.
Switching To Sum Up
When I started selling artwork ‘in real life’ I needed a card reader that I could take to markets. I went with Sum Up because there was a sale on at my local stationery shop.
Turns out, when you open an account with Sum Up you have all these amazing options to set up your own online shop. The way you design the shop is very similar to WordPress. I didn’t need to know any fancy code.
I opened my shop yesterday and I have already made a sale! Buyers don’t even need to sign up and log in with an account to make a purchase.
Fees
When I make a sale via my card reader at a craft fair, Sum Up (UK) take 1.69% per transaction. With purchases from my new online Sum Up shop, they take 2.5% per transaction. It’s so much cheaper than Etsy! I get to keep more of my profits.
I like how the Sum Up inventory is linked to my online shop too. I can keep track of the number of all my items in a clear way.
Getting Noticed
So far so promising! Obviously my prints won’t show up the top of search engines like a listing could if it was on Etsy, but buyers weren’t finding me that way anyway. I have never paid for a sponsored ad. I tend to get new customers from getting my face out into the world ‘in real life’ and speaking to people. I go to markets and events. I host art workshops and creative activities in my local community. I talk to people face to face! A human interaction is worth more than a social media ‘like’.
Having said that- I do enjoy posting on Instagram and Facebook too and I think keeping the content professional and engaging does encourage people to find out more about you. If people like what they see, hopefully they will visit (and buy from) my shop too!
If you have any stories, tips or wisdom about selling your artwork online- Do let us know in the comments.
Folk Style Linocuts By MStraccia Art 