3 Best Etsy Alternatives for Creatives to Succeed Online
Anyone interested in selling homemade wares online knows about Etsy. At one time, it was the best marketplace for buying and selling handcrafted products. However, a recent shift in policies and the implementation of mandatory advertising fees (whether sellers want to be advertised or not) has left many longtime users to look elsewhere for their homemade needs. Fortunately, Etsy isn’t the only show in town. There are several viable alternatives for buying and selling handcrafted items that you may find you like even better than Etsy. If you’re not sure where to start your search, we have you covered. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of homemade arts and crafts to share the best contenders for your consideration.
Shopify
Regardless of how much or how little you sell, Shopify welcomes you with open arms. That’s why you’ll see large vendors, as well as small. But don’t let the large-scale vendors keep you from trying Shopify. Small vendors can just as easily be successful among the larger competition. Shopify’s format will likely be the most noticeable difference to longtime Etsy users. Etsy functions like one big open marketplace, where vendors exist alongside one another. With Shopify, however, you exist independently, operating your own online store. Still, Shopify is fully hosted, so occasional buyers and sellers of Etsy may not recognize this contrast in platforms. Thanks to Shopify’s streamlined layout, using it is a breeze. And unlike Etsy, you won’t be charged a listing fee to sell on Shopify. You can even try out Shopify for free to start to see if it’s right for you. Once you’re on board, you’re given a wide range of customization options to set up your online store. Price-wise, Shopify is reasonably competitive. The Shopify Lite Plan costs $9 a month, which then allows you to access Buy buttons. You can also sell on Facebook without the need to create an online store. If you do decide that you want an online store, you’ll want to take advantage of one of the more robust plans . Shopify Basic starts at $29 a month. As you can see, having your own store comes at a significant price increase. Thankfully, Shopify’s fees are much more affordable. As mentioned, you won’t have to worry about paying listing fees. However, Shopify does charge you transaction fees. The good news is that they are considerably lower than Etsy’s. Read more on Shopify vs Etsy . Let’s look at the cost of each plan Shopify offers and how it can benefit you. Shopify Basic costs $29 monthly. On top of this monthly fee, you will also be charged 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Next, there is the Shopify plan. This one costs $79 a month and 2.6% + $0.30 per transaction. Most users will likely be sticking with either of these plans. However, if you are a large vendor or you move a lot of wares each month, you’ll want to check out the next tiers. Advanced Shopify costs $299 a month. But its big benefit is that it significantly reduces the transaction fee to just 2.4% + $0.30. And lastly, there’s Shopify Plus. Designed for big-league vendors, this plan costs $2,000 a month to use. With it, you get automation that allows you to take greater control over your store than any other plan. Shopify is more centered on giving its users the ability to customize their online stores. Whereas Etsy’s shops all look the same for the most part, Shopify makes it easy to stand out from the crowd. You also get a wealth of helpful tools to use, from marketing your products to managing your inventory. Just be aware that you’ll be competing with bigger vendors. With the right approach, you can do quite well selling among them. But it’s not going to be as easy as it is on Etsy.
Square Online
You’ve likely seen or used Square’s payment system at some point. But did you know that it offers an online store option, as well? With Square Online, you can quickly and easily create your own store and start selling your goods. Best of all, this service is completely free to use aside from the typical 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee. The only catch is that you must agree to use Square as your credit card processing service. This means you can post listings without being charged a dime. The only thing you’ll be charged is Square’s credit card processing fee. There are paid plans available should you decide that you need flexibility in how you sell your goods. But regardless of which option you choose, Square Online is incredibly easy to use, giving even the most inexperienced sellers a chance to succeed. Square Online is available with four different plan options . As discussed, the Free plan only charges you the credit card processing and transaction fees. You can sell as many products as you like, giving you unlimited listings. You can automatically inventory your stock via the Square POS (Point-of-Sale) system. This includes the ability to offer your customers pickup, delivery, or shipping. You’ll also have access to Instagram integration for greater reach. The Professional plan costs $12 a month and includes the same 2.9% + $0.30 fees. You get all of the features listed in the Free plan, as well as your own custom domain. All Square branding is removed, which is present in the Free plan. What’s more, your custom domain is free for the first year. Next up is the Performance plan. You’ll be charged $26 a month, which includes the usual 2.9% + $0.30 fees. With this plan, however, you get the benefit of all of the same features listed in the Professional plan, as well as some nice extras. You can post customer reviews directly on your website and save money with discounted shipping labels. And if your store has any abandoned carts, you can send out emails to those shoppers to try and complete the sale. Finally, there’s the Premium plan. At $72 a month, this is the most expensive. However, it’s also the most cost-effective. Unlike the previous plan options that charge you 2.9% + $0.30 processing/transaction fees, Premium charges only 2.6% + $0.30. You get all the previous plan features, plus the biggest discounts on shipping rates. Premium also gives you a Real-Time Shipping Calculator that ensures you never pay too little or too much to ship your items. Users who are used to Etsy’s marketplace platform might have a hard time integrating Square Online’s single-store format. But if you can stick with it, you’ll find an easy-to-use design that makes selling a cinch.
IndieMade
IndieMade might be the platform that is most similar to Etsy. It’s designed to cater to artists looking to sell their homemade goods online. You can easily add a shopping cart for your customers and start moving merchandise with little effort. You won’t find the same massive community that Etsy is known for. But if IndieMade continues to grow, it may one day support a larger user base. Still, for what’s here currently, vendors can do quite well on IndieMade. Its plans are affordable , and you can try it out free for 30 days to see if it’s right for you. If you’re still attached to Etsy, IndieMade lets you connect to your Etsy store. In doing so, you can gradually bring your Etsy supporters over to your IndieMade store. This comes at a cost, however. To take advantage of this feature, you’ll have to sign up for the Pro plan. This plan costs $14.95 a month but will likely be well worth it to Etsy users. Since you can import your Etsy products directly to your IndieMade store, $14.95 a month seems like a small price to pay. Even better is the fact that IndieMade doesn’t charge any fees other than the monthly plan fee. No processing fees, transaction fees, or listing fees. If you don’t need the Etsy integration, IndieMade has a Basic plan that costs just $4.95 a month. With this plan, you can list up to 10 products on your online store. This includes images for your goods and two additional content pages. After the Pro plan discussed above is the Plus plan. For $19.95 a month, you can list up to 300 products, post even more pictures (with an unlimited image gallery), and get an additional 15 pages for content. If you’re new to selling online or are used to Etsy’s format, IndieMade is likely to be your best option. You’re sure to feel right at home, and the Etsy integration that’s included in the Pro and Plus plans is the icing on the cake.
Summary
Since many of Etsy’s competition offer free trials, you might just want to take each one for a test drive to see how you like it. Either way, you have some excellent alternatives that can help you become an online success and sell on Etsy without the fees . Looking for more helpful guides? Be sure to check out our blog page . We have a wealth of useful articles that are sure to benefit you. And if you have any questions that our Seek Capital experts can help you with, please don’t hesitate to contact us . Sources https://www.shopify.com/pricing https://squareup.com/us/en/online-store/plans https://www.indiemade.com/pricing