Update on Etsy versus ArtFire

In my post HERE, I asked for your opinions, thoughts, etc. on Etsy versus ArtFire. After reading your comments (and by the way, thank you very much!), I have decided (at least right now) to give it another month and then go with the free 10-item-listing plan if things haven't started selling.

Celia over at Paco and Lupe left a comment and then e-mailed me as well, to tell me not to be discouraged. Here's a site she pointed me to as well http://www.foundhandmade.com/fhmain/statistics. This site gives frequent updates on all of the marketplaces that are out on the web. And yes, Etsy is #1, but Artfire is within the top 10.

And on another note, you might want to check out Paco and Lupe's etsy shop. They have the most gorgeous bags and pillows!

Etsy versus ArtFire

I need to get your opinion. On February 13, 2009, I joined ArtFire at the urging of my friend Mary Ann. We both got in on the $7 a month lifetime membership. To join now, the fee is $12 a month. And the "regular" cost is $20 a month.

I didn't do anything with my ArtFire shop until around the end of March. And since I opened shop, I have not had one sale. I almost had a sale, but when I contacted the buyer to gently ask her to pay, she wrote back and said she had clicked too fast and didn't realize she had actually made the purchase. So, still - no sale.

When I list the same item(s) in my Etsy shop on ArtFire, the item(s) in Etsy gets more "hits" than my ArtFire shop, and I'm getting some sales on Etsy.

So here's what I need your opinion about. Do I continue to pay $7 a month and keep listing on ArtFire, or stick with Etsy? OR, do I keep both and give ArtFire some more time? And if I stay with ArtFire, how long do you think I should give it before hanging up the towel?

ETSY - WHAT'S GOOD:

• Has been the industry leader in providing a venue for buyers and sellers, and until recently, they've largely gone without competition, until Artfire arrived on the scene in 2008.
• Superior to Artfire in design and visibility.
• Has a clean, streamlined design that is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
• Their simple blue and white color scheme is uncluttered.
• The important links to buy and sell are at the top next to their unfussy logo
• Etsy wins in visibility and popularity. It has been around since 2005, making it a proven commodity.
• Its userbase of buyers and sellers is large and diverse.
• It has a Google PageRank of 7 out of 10 and returns over 11 million hits on a Google search.
• Etsy has been featured in the mainstream press and made over $90 million in sales in 2008.

ETSY DRAWBACKS:

• Etsy's size can be a negative to new sellers who find it difficult to get a foot in the door when there are already so many others selling similar items.
• Etsy has been criticized for "playing favorites" with their featured sellers.
• They have been accused of focusing on high-volume sellers, those who can put more into Etsy's coffers with the fees Etsy takes.
• There are no fees for buyers other than what they spend on an item, but it costs SELLERS!
• Etsy takes .20 for each item listed, then an additional 3.5% of the price for each item sold.
• Relisting items regularly can boost a seller's visibility and sales, but those fees can hurt profits.
• For a new seller, in particular, it's a double-edged sword!

ARTFIRE - WHAT'S GOOD:

• No additional fees - just $7.00 a month (or $12 if you join now)
• Artfire's homepage is also less discriminatory than Etsy's. It offers a large rotating gallery of recently listed items.
• Its item of the hour is chosen at random.
• Artfire is taking strides in integrating social networking. It makes it easy for sellers to integrate their listings with Facebook, Twitter, and other sites.

ARTFIRE DRAWBACKS:

• Artfire's current homepage design is cluttered and overwhelming, although a new design is on the way.
• There are too many categories and the gallery is too big.
• It requires too much scrolling to get to other homepage items, such as the featured seller and Artfire's official blog.
• Artfire is still far behind in visibility.
• Its Google PageRank is 4 out of 10 and a search brings up fewer than 500,000 hits.

So, what do YOU think?

Post Script: I just read (it's good to do that sometimes) that Artfire has a Basic Membership that is totally free where you can list 10 items at a time. Huuuuuum, maybe THAT'S the route I should go with them.

We Have Another Winner!

Last night after posting the winner of my latest give-away, I felt like I should have had a 2nd place winner in this contest. You know, sometimes you just have to just follow your heart, thoughts, whatever.

So this morning when I checked my e-mails and saw the comment that The Bodhi Chicklet (real name Kim) had left about solving the mystery with Samantha Marshall's help/clues, I decided to create another winner's spot.

Sam Marshall, from Colour by Numbers, I would like to present you with the winning prize for 2nd Place Winner of the cherimoya contest give-away!

I coordinated and hand-picked all of these items from my personal collection of "stuff". This creative kit includes silver bells, silver ornaments, white fur trim, silver ribbon, a strand of silver beads, 3 of my hand collaged tags, silver sequins, more silver trims, white flower trim, and more.

PS This was a creative kit I pulled from my new GOT STUFF ArtFire shop. Stop by and take a look at my other offerings when you get a chance!

Have an art-filled day - XOXO

Got Stuff on Art Fire for Sale

Check out some of these great deals I've got going on over in my new Art Fire GOT STUFF shop!

I'm on Fire! . . . ArtFire, that is

My friend Mary Ann told me about a new (or at least new to ME) marketplace for artisans called ArtFire.

ArtFire is very similar to Etsy, but you can sell without fees! And if you act quickly, you can join for a mere $7.00 a month for LIFE. This is a reduced rate for the first 5,000 accounts. It's an artist stimulus package (smiles) - The regular cost is $20 a month.

There are only 142 remaining $7.00 accounts. Click here to get your $7.00 a month account now!

I joined ArtFire the end of January, but I am just now adding items to my shop. You can find me at GotStuff, where I will be selling arts and crafts supplies and well as found items from flea markets, garage sales, thrift and vintage stores I find.

I won't be giving up my etsy shop, so you can still find my handmade art for sale over in my Got Art etsy shop. That's another thing you can do on ArtFire - link to your etsy shop.

Check it out and let me know what you think of ArtFire.

Have an art-filled weekend ahead!