SELLING
All About Selling
As I am about to write up quite a bit about selling (I think), I decided to start this 'Selling' section so that interested parties can easily access the relevant articles on selling.
Etsy, ArtFire, MadeIt ~ Where to sell?
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
- 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)
- 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.)
- 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 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
MadeIt is originates from and and is based in Australia.
Selling Fees & Fees Payment
| ArtFire | Etsy | MadeIt |
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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!  |
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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 |
|---|---|---|
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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 |
|---|---|---|
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Useful Pages: Etsy FAQ (General), Etsy FAQ (Selling), How Fees Work, Etsy Do's and Don'ts |
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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 |
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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
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.
ArtFire
Information re. ArtFire
Today I closed my ArtFire ProStore. I have been with AF for just under a year. Removed all my listings. I still think AF is a good venue in lots of respects. But for me - very little to no traffic = very little to no sales => not worth the monthly fees. Sorry AF.
ArtFire is a venue for buying and selling handmade, art, vintage, media, and craft supplies. You can read more of the summary pros & cons about which selling venue to choose from in our comparative article on Etsy, Artfire, or Madeit (Australian). I will mainly be talking from the perspective of a seller. At this current time, the FAQs and Help pages on ArtFire do not seem to be very comprehensive and not very user-friendly either. I have registered but have to spend hours looking around for Beginner's Information. My question is, once I have registers, what is the next thing I should do? I hope these articles will help you if you are in the same boat as me.
if you find these articles useful and you do register as a seller on ArtFire, could you please mention my ArtFire username (ClearlyChosen) as your referrer. Thank you so much.
Okay ... let's move on ...
Setup ArtFire Store
Setting up ArtFire Store
Okay, you have registered as a seller on ArtFire. Now what is the next thing to do (if you don't want to spend the next few hours trying to locate the relevant information on ArtFire)?
After you have registered with ArtFire, they will send you an email. On clicking the link given in the email, your account should be activated. Log into your ArtFire account.
MyArtFire Page
Go to your MyArtFire page (link at top right of page)
Edit Bio/Intro
Go to "Edit Bio/Intro" .. which will bring you to the "Edit My ArtFire Studio Storefront".
This is where we can set up all the standard data that will apply to all your later listings. This is for your Studio (or storefront) which you automatically get after you have registered and activated your seller account.
- Studio Announcement
- My Bio
- Shop Policies (e.g. Shipping, Refunds/Returns and/or Custom work policies)
- Vacation Mode
- Sales Mode
- The boxes do not accept HTML text (except for <br /> when you want to create a new line). In fact, you have to use
<br /> otherwise your text will be all on the same line. - You will see a "Save" link beneath each box. Click the save for each box as you are done. Do not fill out all the boxes and then click "Save" as the text you have entered in the other boxes will disappear when you save one box but have not yet saved the others.
ArtFire does not offer a preview :(
To be able to view what you have entered, go to "My Studio" (link is in the left-hand column of the current page).
On the next page, you will see various tabs. Click on the relevant tab to view what you have entered and check how it will appear to your visitors.
Edit My Studio
MyArtFire > Edit My Studio
Here you have a number of options you can customize. I don't think it matters which order you do it in but the following is how I did mine.
Studio Avatar
From here you can upload an image from your computer as your Avatar. You of course need to create one first if you do not have one.
ArtFire does not tell you beforehand but it does not accept a .gif format. I made my in .jpg and it worked fine.
ArtFire does say that the avatar must be a minimum of 140x140px. So you can make it bigger and ArtFire will resize it automatically for you when you upload.
Colors & Themes
You might want to do this after you have uploaded your avatar and studio banner. It will be easier to select a color theme once you have the other 2 in place.
For a free Basic store, you can only select the "Predefined" theme ~ i.e. you cannot fully customize. And within this basic selection, only the top 3 colors are available.
The color you choose will be the color that you see at the top of your studio page, around your avatar and banner.
Only "Verified" members have the full customizable color selection. A "verified" member is one who has a Pro Store (at USD12 per month). See our article under "ArtFire Selling Fees" for a bit more details of a Pro Store.
Layout Options
I am guessing that this means how the thumbnails of your listings is going to look in your store/studio. I have left it as the default (medium spacing between photos), knowing that I can change this later if I need to.
Featured Gallery
This is one of the big pluses at ArtFire. This feature allows you to choose up to 4 items that will be featured (displayed) at the stop of every one of your studio items pages.
Studio Categories
An optional feature whereby you can set up some categories for your store/studio if you like. Again, you can leave this for later. if you like.
Once you have some categories, you can also rearrange their order.
Studio Banner
On this page you can upload a store banner. ArtFire says that you can choose to upload one of 3 different banner sizes. So create your banner (preferably to match or complement your avatar) and upload it.
+ Add Widgets
Again, ArtFire does not tell you till you attempt this, these widgets are only available to "Verified" members. Since I am not a "verified" member at the moment, I can't give you any further details right now.
Custom Gallery
Yet again, this option is only available to "verified" members.
From looking at this page, I gather that you can showcase your sold items using this option.
Sticky Cart
This looks like it might be a useful idea but I cannot gauge how useful. When enabled, whenever a potential buyer puts one of your items in their shopping cart, that item will no longer be available to anyone else for at least 30 minutes or until the buyer has bought it. This feature is Disabled by default.
Help Guide
Finally, some help from ArtFire. Clicking on this link will open an explanation page on all the features we have covered above. It is pretty useful but not fully comprehensive. And in my opinion, this Help Guide is too obscurely tucked away.
Okay, that's about it. Your store should be set up and ready to go. Now all we need to do is list some items!
Listing on ArtFire
Listing on ArtFire
Here we will walk through the basics of listing on ArtFire to help you get started quickly. I will be talking about listing in a Free Basic ArtFire store but will comment on any difference (that I know of) vis-a-vis a USD12 per month Pro Store
To start listing, click on the "Sell" tab at the top of the page.
No HTML, No Preview
It does not look as if you can use HTML in your product description (which is very limiting). This seems to be true for both the Basic and Pro stores. However, unlike the page where you "Edit Bio/Intro" (in How to Setup your Artfire Store), you do not have to enter <br /> code to create a new line. Just press the Enter (on your keyboard) for each new line.
When you are done with entering your information, there is unfortunately no preview. You have to submit it and then look at your listing live. Go to:
MyArtFire > MyStudio > View My Listings
You will see a list of all your items. There is a link to "Deactivate Now" (but I am not sure what it does and I am not going to try it at the moment). You can also edit or delete an item on this page.
Each active listing runs for 3 months from time of submission, unless sold.
Images
Basic Store - 4 images.
Pro Store - 10 images.
Each image should be:
- under 2 Mb
- minimum size: 150x150px @72dpi
- (seems to be) Recommended size: 500x500px @ 72dpi
Shipping Rates
Now, I find this section a bit confusing. The box on the left that reads "Add Shipping Rates for you Item" seems to be a useless box. There is nothing you can do with it and it does not seem to link anywhere.
Also, I have not been able to find anywhere on ArtFire to actually set out "Shipping Profiles"
The box on the right that reads "Manually Add Shipping" is also a bit confusing and the text is not self-explanatory.
The dropdown box holds a list of countries you can choose from. By default, it will show your country. So select/accept that. Then to specify shipping cost of your item, enter the amount in the "Primary Shipping" field.
Unfortunately you cannot get rid of the "Secondary Shipping" field. This misleading field here means "how much would you ship this item if your buyer is buying more than one item from you".
For example, if you are going to be able to ship this item for $USD 5 on its own and would charge an additional $USD1 for each additional item, then in the "Secondary Shipping" field, you would enter 6.00
Once you are happy with the rates you are specify for this item, to the selected country, then click the "Add" button. You will then see a note showing you that you have added the specified shipping rates. You cannot edit this. You can only "Remove" it and then create a new one.
If you want to specify shipping rates to another country, go to the dropdown box > select the country and repeat the above process. On clicking the "Add" button, the new rates you have added will also be shown.
Shipping Methods and Shipping Notes
Another confusing section. As you can see, I have selected and added what I thought might be useful. However after you save/submit your listing, you will find that this information does not seem to appear anywhere for the listed item!!
The Rest
The rest of the fields are pretty self-explanatory so I won't need to go over them. Hope this has helped save you some time.
ArtFire - Pros and Cons
ArtFire - Pros and Cons
As I get to "know" ArtFire (from a seller's perspective), I am also learning things about it that is not stated anywhere before you sign up. These are the things that I would like to have known before signing up. I currently have a (paid) ArtFire ProStore
I will try and update this list whenever I find more "facts". These ArtFire features, or lack thereof, are accurate as of date of this writing (Sep 09) but may of course change as hopefully ArtFire grows and improves.
| Artfire Pros | Artfire Cons |
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ArtFire ProStore Features
Advantages of Having an ArtFire ProStore
This is a quick checklist to view what additional features you get from opening a ProStore on ArtFire as opposed to having just a Basic store. This may not be a complete listing of features but it will give you a good idea.
| Artfire Basic Store | Artfire ProStore |
|---|---|
| Free store | USD12 per month (apprx AUD 14-15 ) or Free (for life) if you recommend 12 new members to ArtFire |
| Cannot set up Shipping Options; have to manually enter shipping rates for each item | Shipping Options - can be set up and can then just click to apply relevant rates for each item |
| Qty per listing = 1 | Can set qty (of same items) per listing |
| No widgets | Can set up widgets |
Ebay
Ebay
Some Related Ebay Articles
Etsy
Etsy Information
Etsy is a venue for buying and selling handmade, supplies, and vintage goods.
Handmade goods means handmade by the seller (reselling of another's handmade goods in not allowed). This category included handmade, hand-altered, hand-assembled ~ whether it actually be done by hand, by computers, or with the aid of tools.
Supplies - can be either handmade or non-handmade. These are crafting supplies. Non-handmade commercial supplies have to be listed under "Commercial Supplies".
Vintage means 20 years or more.
This Etsy section will include any relevant and useful information I find about Etsy, predominantly for a Etsy seller and also useful links.
Etsy - the Negatives
POOR STOCK MANAGEMENT - if you have a lot of items to sell, you will find the management of your listings and stock a nightmare. When your items expires, there is no way for you to delete them. So you just end up with a growing list of expired items. And you don't know if that item is still on Etsy (but unsold) - which means you can sell it at another venue; OR that the expired item on Etsy has already previously been moved by you to another of your outlets. It is a nightmare, let me tell you. This area is where Etsy could learn a lot from Ebay.
Inability to find stock quickly - If you have lots of listings and you need to edit one of them, there is no way that you can find that one item other then going through pages and pages of your listing hoping you can spot that one item. Lousy stock management and can learn much from ebay (sad to say).
Expired Listings - again poor stock control. Cannot do anything to this list of expired listings except renew. But if you do not want to renew but just want to delete the item - so you can sell elsewhere and it does not get confusing over time, there is nothing you can do. You can however renew it and then delete: Active items can be deleted. But you have to pay the non-refundable listing fee to renew - so is expensive to delete this way just for stock management..
Etsy Help Links
Useful Helpful Etsy Links
This here is a list of links to Etsy related pages that are useful and helpful, especially for selling on Etsy. I have compiled them in one place, thereby saving me and you time in trying to hunt them down from place to place.
- Summary on Selling at Etsy
- Etsy's FAQ (Selling) - this is a full page of links that answers questions about selling on Etsy
- Setting up your Etsy shop guide
- Setting up your Etsy Shop Policies
- Etsy's Guide on Google Analytics ~ how to use and setup with your Etsy account
Setup Etsy Store
Setup Etsy Store
Okay, once you have registered a seller account, it is often a bit of a dilemma as to what to do next. List straight away or set up your store properly? And then having to search around to figure out if you have covered all the basics you need for your store. This article will help you in setting up a Etsy store and all the things you will need so that your store is ready for selling.
Etsy has a much better Help and Guide section than Artfire including how to setup your store.
See Setting Up Your Etsy Store guide. This covers item by item what you need to setup your Etsy store. I will only include notes that are not mentioned in that guide, in the same order.
Your Etsy Public Profile
Bio: No HTML allowed.
Tip: if you write a long bio, take a copy (Ctrl+C) before you try saving. If there are any errors in any of the fields, the error message will come up but your long bio will disappear.
Favourite Materials: no dots (full stops) as that will throw up an error.
Example of my Etsy Bio.
Your Etsy Shop Appearance
Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Appearance (left column)
Banner ~ 760x100px / .jpg, .gif, .png
Shop Announcement
Keep this (optional) announcement short and simple. Useful for Vacation Notices, Sales, etc.
Alchemy Announcement
If you want to be able to take request or custom orders from your potential buyers, you can do so here. Set out your conditions or what you will be happy to take requests for. This will show up in:
Your Etsy > Request Custom Item (right column)
Example of my Etsy Alchemy Announcement
Your Etsy Shipping Options
Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Shipping Options (left column)
You can set up numerous Shipping Profiles here ~ for e.g., for each weight range, you can specify shipping cost to specific countries and/or "Everywhere else". These Shipping Profiles allow you to easily apply your shipping rates to items as you list them.
In the "secondary shipping cost", you cannot leave it at $0.00 - the system will not accept it.
Updating your Shipping Profiles will not automatically update the rates on existing active listings.
I think you cannot see any of your Shipping Policies/Rates (as it will appear to buyers) till you have some active listings.
You can also create a new shipping profile when you are listing an item.
Featured Items
Your Etsy > Items > Featured in Shop (left column)
- Can choose as many items as you like to be featured - only top 3 will appear at a time in Gallery view in your Etsy shop at the top of your items.
- Use the up/down arrows to move your selected featured items.
Sections
Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Sections (left column)
- "Sections" = your shop categories
- max. 10 sections.
- no subsections
- Will appear in top right of your shop.
- Can change order of sections by using up/down arrows.
- Will show up whether you have items in it or not.
Your Shop Policies
Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Policies (left column)
See useful article on setting up your Etsy Shop Policies.
Later, there is a specific "Payment Methods" where you can be more specific, e.g. entering your PayPal email address.
Payment Methods
Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Payment Methods (left column)
If you are accepting PayPal payments, you must enter your PayPal address here.
Web Analytics
Link to your Google Analytics to track movements and visits to your Etsy store. (Optional)
See Etsy's Guide on Google Analytics on how to use and setup.
That pretty much covers the basics of setting up your Etsy store. Modifications and tweaks are inevitable as time passes and your policies, philosophies, and or store items change. Or when Etsy itself has changes. But for now, we are ready to list to the world ...
Promote Etsy
Promote Your Etsy Store - how to
How to promote your Etsy
Quick Notes
Link your Etsy store to Facebook. Your FB will have a "myEtsy" tab that takes direct info from your Etsy store. Auto updated. Link directly to.
guided steps from there.
Oztion
Oztion - A Lost Aussie Cause
The Aussie Auction site that just does not seem to be going anywhere fast
I joined Oztion as a seller (and buyer) in June 2008 and I can only report that I have yet to be impressed or rewarded for using this site. I say this with much sadness as I was part of the "free wave" that ebay bestowed on Oztion on more than one occasion.
By that I mean, each time that ebay decided to show their true selves and be "Feebay" again, a whole wave of sellers and buyers in Australia would flock over to Oztion. It was even reported each time how the numbers of Oztion members swelled. I remember the first time. There were so many new members that the Oztion servers became overloaded. But despite all these repeated freebies from Feebay, Oztion still managed not to capitalize on their repeated windfalls. After all this time, and freebies from Feebay and change in ownership and empty promises, I can only conclude that Oztion is just not going to make it.
As I said in "Goodbye Ebay", I have now finally left ebay for good. But I have been back and forth I must admit. Each time I moved my stock, through toil and many sleepless hours, over to Oztion after a Feebay-stunt, Oztion proved disappointing and the only way to survive was to move back again to Feebay albeit with much reluctance.
Oztion, despite promises to better and more actively promote their site (like after it was bought over and there was supposedly an influx of capital specifically for this purpose) has, to me, failed to deliver.
This experience, I concede, may not be a universal experience by all Oztion sellers and buyers, but it certainly is not unique to me alone. Just a few days ago, I heard of someone else closing shop at Oztion coz. there was just no business (i.e. lack of buyer which mainly stems from Oztion still remaining an unknown player in the field). Other people have also told me over time that their Oztion sale is slow slow slow.
Oztion also becoming a Feebay site? Fee Hikes
Well, it looks like if Oztion cannot emulate the success that used to be Ebay, they are certainly trying to follow in their footsteps in terms of fees. Admittedly a small attempt but it is definitely in that direction.
This is the insult to injury. How can they ask for money when they cannot even deliver on their original promise(s)?
Today (19 Oct, 2009) I received an email from Oztion that their fees are going up. Not a huge increase like Feebay's but given its lack of market power, that is insulting in this climate and can only hasten my departure. And of course there are the same old promises again of improving their "marketing activities to attract new buyers", to improve the "page layouts, streamlining current process", etc. etc. All the same old promises as before. From the time I joined in 2008 to now, I cannot honestly say that I have seen that many improved changes on Oztion; most definitely not at the administrative end.
So I ask you, is Oztion's latest move a good example of shooting themselves in the foot or not?
Closing your Oztion vshop
Oztion does not make it very easy to close your vshop.
I have just closed my oztion vshop (date: 4 Dec 09) but I had to wander around for 20 minutes, from link to link, tab to tab trying to find where I could go to close the shop. Oztion FAQ was of no help either. So if you want to close your vshop, here is how:
- Log into your account
- Go to this url: www.oztion.com.au/secure/vshops/close.aspx
- The page will ask you to confirm you want to close. Just follow the instructions to do so.