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Etsy, ArtFire, MadeIt ~ Where to sell?

Submitted by ClearlyChosen on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 13:42
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Etsy, ArtFire, MadeIt ~ Where to sell?

Etsy, ArtFire, MadeIt are specialty shopping/selling venues that specialize in handmade items. I have been pondering where to open a seller account to sell handmade items. But which one to choose?

My Store Criteria

  1. a marketplace where my goods actually sell ( one can only know this from experience at that marketplace and over time but the reputed market reach of the venue is a good indicator to start off with)
  2. bearable fees that does not increase year by year faster than I can sell (hence not Ebay which is also correctly now known as Feebay.)
  3. easy back-end administration (again, a factor that can only be truly known after one has joined and been a seller for a while. In this area, I must admit that Ebay/Feebay is pretty good.)

And because I already have way too many accounts to administer and track passwords and username and all the various eccentricities that each account demands, I was only looking for preferably just one other seller account/store.

I also reside in Australia so obviously for me, the marketplace I contemplate must cater to Australian-resident seller. To that end, the cost/pricing below is shown in both AUD and USD (at today's currency exchange rates ~ but will be good enough to give you an idea).

I hope that the summary details below will be of use to someone else as well who is considering any of these 3 venues. I will be listing only the salient points, the costs/fees at the time of writing, and the features that stand out (good and bad) that deserve a mention.

I have not mentioned Oztion here because though it is arguably the largest Australian selling/auction venue and I actually have an Oztion store there, it does not seem to have grown as much as it should have given the amount of help that Ebay Australia has bestowed on it via their draconian policies and/or fee hikes. Plus the Oztion servers seem slow more frequently than one would like.

I have also not put up a comparison of Ebay/Feebay fee structure and features because while they remain for now the biggest selling/buying marketplace on the internet, they do charge for just about everything - store, listings, auctions and their allowable time period per listing is around 30 days which compares badly with any of the 3 venues mentioned here.

Comparison Charts: ArtFire, Etsy, MadeIt

ArtFire and Etsy both originate from and are based in USA.
MadeIt is originates from and and is based in Australia.

Selling Fees & Fees Payment

ArtFire Etsy MadeIt
  • Listing Fees: FREE
  • FVF (final value fees): FREE
  • Store (Basic): FREE (12 active listings at any one time; max. 4 images)
  • Store (Pro): US$12 (apprx. AU$14.60) per month or
    FREE if you recommend 12 friends to join ArtFire; then Pro Store is FREE FOR LIFE!1.
    (With Pro Store - unlimited number of listings at any one time; max 10 images)
    See: Comparison Checklist betweeen Artfire Basic and ProStore
  • ArtFire states "... we have no transaction fees of any kind and we never will."
Plea: if you have found this article at all useful and if you should decide to register at ArtFire, I would so appreciate if you could mention me as the referrer.

When you register, there is a dropdown box that reads: "How did you hear about Artfire?"
Choose "ArtFire member"
Then a new field ("ArtFire member who referred you:") will appear. Please enter my ArtFire username, which is ClearlyChosen.
Thank you!
  • Listing: US 20¢ (apprx AU 24¢ - 25¢) per item for 4 months. Maximum of 5 images allowed.
  • FVF: 3.5% of final selling price (excl. S&H)
  • Store: FREE (Every Etsy seller gets a shop).

  • Fees to Etsy can be paid via PayPal or via the Credit Card you have registered online with Etsy (when you first became an Etsy seller).
    Cannot pay Etsy directly from your PayPal account. Must go through your Etsy account.
  • Listing: AU 35¢ (apprx. US 29¢) per item per 4 months. 3 free images (fees apply for additional images)
  • FVF: 4% on final sale price (excl. S&H)
  • Store: FREE
  • Additional Fees:
    * AU$2.70 (apprx US$2.25) for listing to be randomly listed on homepage (for duration of listing or until item sold, whichever is shorter)
    * AU 20¢ per additional image per listing (not including the 3 free images. Maximum of 6 images allowed).

  • Fees to Madeit can be via Direct Debit(you have to email them to get their banking details), credit card, or paypal.

Features (the Pluses/Benefits)

There are many more features and facts about each of these venues and most of that information can be found on each of their FAQ pages. I am only putting down the most salient ones that hopefully will help you in your decision-making as it has helped me.

ArtFire Etsy MadeIt
  • Free Trade Zone - almost no fees because their site is paid by site affiliates (so please help by clicking on their sponsors' links)
  • Eco-Aware - ArtFire funds the planting of trees for each new member
  • No link-out restrictions - you can link to anywhere ~ your Etsy store, Twitter, your own site/blog.
    (This is not strictly true. As you can't use HTML in your listings, you cannot actually create clickable links.
    You are allowed to type out the web address/URL to your site(s) - but they will not be clickable, and hence not actually links in the proper sense of the word.)
  • Can even sell advertising via "Project Wonderful" and you keep the money.
  • Offers Vacation mode, Sales mode.
  • Automatic currency converter - prices of items shown in currency relevant to the shopper.
  • Open to international sellers and buyers.
  • Sales/Discount Feature: ArtFire offers a Coupon system that is highly configurable. With this you can offer discounts on specific items, categories, all items. The Discount can be fixed or percentage.
  • Big Plus: The Title of your listing can be long (max 155 chars) (unlike ebay where the allowable title length is very limited ~ apprx 60 chars)
  • Open to international sellers and buyers
  • Each store/shop can have a maximum of 10 sections (categories) (Name of section can be anything as long as it is alphanumeric). Each listed store item can only belong to 1 section/category.
  • Offers Vacation mode.
  • Offers Google Web Analytics (You will need to have a Google account)
  • Squidoo provides a direct link to your Etsy store. ("What is Squidoo?" you ask?)
  • non-payment item can be relisted for free

Salient Facts

Here I have also included links to useful pages at each venue. I am also including what I consider "Cons" or "Minuses" that you might need to consider before joining. The FAQ or informational pages are not as easy to find as you would expect and hope. So the links should below should help out some to get you the additoanal information you might need.

ArtFire Etsy MadeIt
  • see ArtFire's "Compare Options" tab for a fuller comparison chart (among ArtFire, Etsy, Ebay, own website)
  • ArtFire for handmade, art, vintage, media, and craft supplies
  • Title length: 70 chars


  • Useful pages:
    ArtFire FAQ/Help, ArtFire Terms of Use, ArtFire Getting Started (Selling) (has video intro)
  • Even though it is promised that ArtFire will have better managment feature shortly, as at 23 Sep 09, the management of your listings in the admin section is not good. You cannot easily find and edit your listings. If you have a lot of listings, this is a big Heachace.
  • username = shop name
  • username cannot be changed (if you want a new username/shop name, you have to close one account and open another new account. History and details cannot be transferred to new account.)
  • can have more than one account/shop under certain conditions, but not recommended. (www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#how_fees_work)
  • you need a credit card or a debit card with a credit card logo on it to become an Etsy seller
  • All items and fees are only shown in USD
  • what can be sold on Etsy:
    * "handmade", "hand-assembled", or "hand-altered" items, specifically by the individual(s) running that Etsy shop
    * under Commercial > Supplies category, you can sell non-handmade items" that can be used to make other items you might find for sale on Etsy (such as yarn, beads, instructional books, patterns, tools, etc."
    Shipping supplies and packaging materials are also allowed
    * under Vintage category, you can sell "things that are at least 20 years old."
  • * digital file (which is considered a "tangible item" at Etsy) can also be sold.
  • No reselling - i.e. selling a handmade item that was not created/upcycled/altered by you (the seller).
  • Not sure if you can link to your non-selling sites. It says on Etsy: "You may not post links/URLs to other venues where you have the same items for sale that are listed in your Etsy shop. This may include your personal website if there are items for sale."
  • Images may be resized and even cropped for thumbnails
  • No auto-renewal for unsold items. Have to manually relist.
  • Etsy (unlike ArtFire) offers no ability to create Sales (Discounts, Coupons, Gift Certificates). The best you can do is note it in your store announcement (which appears at the top of your Etsy store) and then you have to manually calculate whatever discount you said you were offer once someone buys. Not cool.

Useful Pages:
Etsy FAQ (General), Etsy FAQ (Selling), How Fees Work, Etsy Do's and Don'ts
  • storename can be your username or a shortened version
  • 100% handmade items including handmade supplies, upcycled vintage items
  • can not sell Supplies or Vintage on madeit
  • Sellers on madeit must reside in Australia
  • Madeit is not registered for GST.
  • images are only resized (not cropped) for thumbnails

  • Useful pages: Help (selling), Terms of Use

Image Sizes

This is not really essential in your helping you decide which venue to sell at. I just find it useful to have the allowable image sizes listed out in one place.

ArtFire Etsy MadeIt
  • Avatar: minimum 140x140px (.jpg)
  • Shop Banner size: 760x100px (.jpg, .png, .gif)
  • Product Images: maximum 450px W x 1000px H
  • Product Images: minimum 430 pixels wide (or they will appear blurry)
    Etsy recommends: 1,000 pixels wide (so shoppers can "zoom" to see a larger version)
  • Image: .jpg, .gif or .png file format
  • Image file size: approximately 250k (recommended)
    Max.: 2Mb.
  • Thumbnails and Gallery: Etsy will automatically resize your images for thumbnails (75x75 pixels ) and gallery images (155x125 pixels).
  • Shop Banner size: 700-900px W x 150-200px H @72dpi. Must be less than 1Mb. (.gif)
  • Logo Size: 150x150 px @72dpi. (.gif)
  • Thumbnail Size: 150x150px @72dpi
  • Product Image: maximum 1-2 Mb each (.jpg)

My Choice

Given my personal criteria as set out above, I will be opening a seller account on ArtFire. I may even open 2 seller accounts (either on Madeit or Etsy), albeit reluctantly as I so really don't want anymore admin stuff. However as much of the actual workings at each venue can only be evaluated via experience and time, I might not have a choice. And I should not complain - how lucky we are indeed, as both seller and buyer, to have the numerous choices we have today.

Though generally known, it must be stated that at the moment, of the three, Etsy commands the largest reach and widest market share. Madeit is still very new and probably has not as much selling potential as the other two. But at the end of the day, its wasn't this overriding fact that made me choose ArtFire (for now).

Definitely it looks like ArtFire has the most features on offer and most Free offerings. But the final decider for me is that it is Eco-Friendly, Eco-Aware.

I will add more details after I have open the account(s) and have gained some "insider" knowledge ;)

Update

Date: 23 Sep 09

I now have opened 2 seller accounts. An Artfire store and an Etsy store.

Progress so far? - Both seem to have viewers but Esty is the only one making any sales - albeit very very little.

 

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