ArtFire vs. Etsy so far

Well, it's only January 4, and my ArtFire and Etsy sales are neck in neck. Etsy is a little bit ahead, but I'm shipping free at ArtFire, so the Etsy overage is pretty much shipping. Now, my ArtFire fees are $7 a month flat; my Etsy fees so far are over $11 and will only go up. I typically spend about $120.00 a month at least on my Etsy fees.

Hmmm... ArtFire's got something here.

* I like their one page listing process; it saves so much time, plus I can see everything pertinent to that listing all at once.

* When I have a question or an issue and ask about it in the forums, it gets answered fairly quickly. ArtFire has also already purchased advertising that didn't involve sellers having to purchase spots that only the big money sellers can afford and that sell out in .0001 nano-seconds.

* Their version of an Etsy-mini, which you can see on the right hand side of my blog is easily customized. I choose the listings I want and what squares I want them in. That's nice when you're a control freak like me, lol!

* Their are STATS!! You can see where people are coming from. Are they finding your shop via your blog, Twitter, an ad you placed?? You can see where you need to keep advertising and where you don't. Imagine that!!!

* The site is still in beta mode, and some people don't like the fact that it doesn't look 'as polished' as Etsy, but there's a real feel of community at ArtFire, and you don't have to spend your life in the forums to feel it. It feels like a more level playing field. After all, no one's going to relist their whole shop and knock your listings back ten thousand pages. There's a bit of equity in that $7 flat fee.

Once their preliminary account offerings sell out, that price will go up. Now's the time to lock in that price.

Think you might like to try ArtFire? Click this link and register. I don't think you'll be sorry!

--Lori