Is Etsy Also Becoming an Unprofitable Time Sink for Artists?
I have generally been pretty open about the fact that I have more or less given up on using eBay as a viable venue for marketing Alchemy Stones.
Once upon a time it was at least a marginally viable marketplace, but rising costs of selling is intersecting with declining sales in an unfortunate way.
Etsy Was for Handmade Items...
Etsy was always a better options for those of use who create art and handmade items and choose to also actively sell them.
These days, I find myself increasingly questioning Etsy's direction. The cynic in me feels that this is directly connected to the fact that Etsy "went public" and now seems to answer more to shareholders than to its users.
I won't get into a long lament about the increase in mass-produced items on the giant marketplace site... that analysis has already been done to death. Suffice it to say that "Etsy isn't what it used to be."
What You Get for the Money
The reasoning behind using a large marketplace site to sell your art and creative items is typically that you (A) get a nice pre-fabricated online storefront... no coding or technical skills required and (B) benefit from piggybacking on a huge marketing budget and the attendant traffic it brings to a single location.
At least... that's the underlying idea, but it's not exactly like that, in practice.
Much like eBay, Etsy is now also following a marketing strategy in which sellers have to "pay extra" to get premium placement in site searches... the converse of which is that if you don't pay extra fees, you're likely to see your listings relegated to page 43 of search results.
More Than "Just a Feeling"
A few days — because I had to go pay my Etsy fee bill — I found myself looking at my traffic stats for the first four months of 2023.
What I found was — quite frankly — a little bit disturbing.
Screen shot from my Etsy stats page
The "natural traffic" provided from within the Etsy website is declining rather precipitously... while the traffic I am generating on my own is up sharply.
It used to be (a few years ago) that Etsy brought more than 80% of the traffic to my listings... and that was precisely why I felt the Etsy marketplace was important. As recently as 2021, 57% of the traffic to my listings came from Etsy.
But now?
I'm starting to wonder precisely what it is that I am getting for my money?
The Overall Downside...
Of course, there's a greater picture to consider here.
It would be easy to say that I should just "shut down" venues that are not going forward... but the "risk" there is that I'll basically end up with... well... zero representation.
Which makes the actual choice one between "paying more and more for what your get" and getting nothing at ALL.
Hardly a very attractive set of choices for the independent artist! And it definitely makes our own HiveList project look more and more attractive!
Thanks for visiting! Feel free to leave a comment, if you feel so inspired... engagement is part of what makes Hive such a cool venue!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!
My Alchemy Stones Patreon appeal
Alchemy Stones web site and blog
Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated!
Thank you for supporting independent art!
2023.05.05 AS-TXT-157/125
At least you are producing handmade quality art.
I support that. You are awesome. I think you will make smart decisions and keep all options open!
I saw a tiktok recently with one person asking where all the creators have gone from etsy.
The response was along the lines that they had made it easier for mass produced/drop-ship type sellers, and increased the fees.