Why Etsy? – Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival

This month for Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival we were asked several questions. “What made you open a shop on Etsy? What do you like about being a seller on Etsy? What don’t you like?” I’m going to answer these questions to the best of my ability & hopefully you’ll get a little peek into my life as a seller on Etsy.

I opened an Etsy shop as an outlet for my sewing. I love to sew & it made no sense to sew all these beautiful things & not share them with anyone. Plus my sewing room was getting a bit crowded, LOL! At first I opened an Ebay shop, at the encouragement of my husband, but the already high fees and then another fee hike caused me to shut that avenue down. I was so bummed! Ebay was not the best place for my items anyway. People who shop on Ebay are generally looking to pay the lowest they can, to make a deal, or to buy in quantity rather than quality. Trust me; my husband is addicted to Ebay. He’ll spend hours searching and looking for something (usually a vehicle part or something along those lines). After I closed my Ebay shop someone suggested I check out Etsy & try my hand there. Etsy deals mainly in handmade products. It was the perfect fit for the avenue that I needed! I enjoy making and selling things. It was slow at first but I hung in there this time. I’ve been able to buy a much needed dressform which will allow me to eventually expand my horizons and it thankfully pays for my fabric addiction. Yes, I own way too much fabric than is possibly good for me. Someday I will use everything! Etsy has been very user friendly in my book, the fees haven’t killed me yet, and all of my customers are happy with the items they bought! I’ve done fairly well & can be as active or inactive in my shop as I need to be. Christmas time was a good time for my shop but things are slow now, partially to my doing. Selling on Etsy becomes easier as I get more practice in listing, naming, and describing things. My friends on Café Etsy Moms have been a valuable source on hints and helps on everything from reviewing my shop & prices to advice on shipping overseas. Thanks CEMS!!!! I haven’t run across too many bumps in selling or buying on Etsy. The only thing I’m not sure I like is the feedback system. This can either hurt or help. I’ve not received any negative feedback but I’m still missing about 1/3 of my feedback from people who’ve never returned to do so. I’m sure one negative feedback could turn away a potential customer who would have been perfectly happy with their items if they hadn’t let the feedback influenced them. On the other hand, I do like how the customers can leave a complimentary photo of their item once they get it. I just recently had a customer special order a white chef’s hat & apron for her daughters Valentine’s photos, when she left feedback she also included a photo of her daughter. Oh so cute!!!

To sum it all up Etsy has been an excellent avenue for me as a seller. I wasn’t able to buy anything for this past Christmas but I’ve already been planning to do so for next Christmas! Etsy is a great place to find all kinds of handmade & vintage products in any price range. In my humble opinion: Etsy is awesome!!!