I have an Etsy store with nothing in it anymore as I had no success there. I have been approved for an Amazon Hand Made store but haven’t built it. I’m wondering if I am in a “grass must be greener somewhere” mode but then, I see many DPW artists sell both on Etsy and eBay. I have seen two who now have Amazon handmade stores. Would like to hear the pros and cons of those who do sell successfully on Etsy and who have set up Amazon stores.
Maybe more exposure to different audiences? Not sure it’s worth all the updating multiple sites? DPW is so easy,
I too have an Etsy store and not sold anything!..Since I opened my store, I’ve sold more on here. Think instead of selling on Etsy, I just may create a print page on here. Hope that helps!
Boy do I understand about Etsy. I have some listings there with almost NO traffic to them. Some have been there for months and never made it over ten views. Their search is pathetic. As for Amazon Handmade for heaven sake if you have been approved to sell there then by all means set up your store! The store is free until August - after that it will be 39.95 a month. Many of us will probably drop out by then but until then it is a chance for more sales. A caution: Art moves slowly there but you never know when or where you will make a great connection with some collector. For jewelry, signs, etc. there are more sales then some sellers can handle. Never stop to think when exposure is free…grab it! Also, they started sellers off with $50 in advertising on their site. If that is still available…make use of it! Good luck.
I don’t know anything about an Amazon store front, but Ive had some experience with Etsy. I have been active two times since I opened my store n Etsy. The first time was for several months and I put lots of different things in it. NO TRAFFIC AT ALL! The second time I tried something different…same size paintings, one price, that sort of thing…and I sold better, much better! I’m thinking consistancy was the key…I think Etsy is so gigantic that it is so hard to get noticed…but i hope this might give you a little insight.
The problem with Etsy is that it started out as a good idea. A place to sell handmade art and crafts. Now it’s devolved into a swap meet where you can sell pretty much anything including cheap knock offs from China. I have a few pieces listed there and I’ve sold some pieces. But definitely not enough to make it worth my time and effort. I’ll be closing my store there soon.
I looked at Amazon for a time, but there was too much about it that I didn’t like. This was a few months ago, so I can’t remember specifically what it was, but it was enough to turn me off to the idea of a store front there.
I spend most of my efforts here at DPW and Vangoart. I’m getting ready to start doing larger pieces that I will be listing at SaatchiArt and I think that will go well.
I want to add a positive note about Etsy. I have been selling my paintings there for 6 years and have had a lot of success. It has a huge market, worldwide, and that means two things: you can get lost amongst all the clutter–vintage, prints, cheap art—etc and/or you have a very large audience to showcase your work.
The key to Etsy is time. You do have to put a lot of time and effort into building a great shop, photographing your art, socializing, reading the forums, re-listing items, and getting involved. You also have to use FB, DPW, and Pinterest and IG to point people to your shop. If that is something you want to do, it can be a big success. If not, then you do get lost in the crowd. It is a slow process in the beginning. I sell mainly 8x10 pieces or 12x12. BUT, they also act as advertising, so I get many many commissions from people who see my shop and want something larger.
It has changed over the years, and I do not sell solely on Etsy, but so many clients have an account there, that it is an easy venue to showcase my work. I don’t put as much effort into it now, but I still get 200 views a day, and that is all a positive for me.
Your art must be fantastic. I started on Etsy many years ago and had no trouble with traffic and sales though I never put much up on there. I had the most success selling my one of a kind nesting dolls. I don’t know what they’ve done to search but there is something dreadfully wrong when you put 10 to 12 items up and they get no traffic at all. Mine have been up for months and the most traffic I got was 9 views on one item. That’s a killer for me so I guess I will not be listing on that site again. When I look back on my older work the traffic was sometimes in the hundreds.
I think Amazon is a greedy monster. Stores at 39.95 a month (presumably that’s dollars) would wipe many artists out in no time. I assume they also take commission on the sales. I think it’s incredibly difficult for painters who are selling lower-priced work, i.e under say $150 (£100 roughly). I’ve toyed with the idea of Etsy but it strikes me as more of a craft rather than art site. In the UK there are a number of online galleries but I’ve joined and dropped out of the majority of them due to no sales. I only use one of them now, plus DPW, and my own website; all of these have generated some sales.
I am with Donna…I have been on Etsy since 2008 and only started painting again about 3 years ago. I have sold almost all my art (mostly small pieces) through Etsy and I average 200 - 300 views per day. I agree it takes lots of time and effort, plus definitely social media. For me that’s Instagram and have had sales from there.
I looked at your shop too and found it really helpful. I have started relisting my cricket prints on Etsy. I think you are right in that you need to offer something different. Can I ask you a couple of questions. On your product pages you have a little tag underneath the picture which says ‘request a custom order’ I really like that because I can do commissions as well - how do you put that on?
Hi Paulette-
Thank you for your message. So sorry it took me a few days to get back to you. Etsy has changed their layout just this week, so I am not sure if it is the same, but go to Etsy shop, Shop Settings, then Options, then you should see an “enable custom order button”. Just turn that on.
I do get a lot of custom painting requests, so it is a great feature for buyers to see.
I wish you luck with your shop. Once you get one setup, let me know and I will favorite yours.
It’s a great community and an easy way to sell and advertise your art.
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’ve just enabled it very easily so thanks for that. My shop is Cricket and Other Animals with the intention of selling my prints only from it. Paulette
Ah yes, that’s right. My website is Cricket and Other Animals. My aim with Etsy is to promote my prints only as I tend to sell my originals on my website. I thought if they had the same name then it would clash on search engines. Thanks so much for spending the time to take a look. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. I am starting to get some traffic but only 1 or 2 a day.
Hi Donna,
I have the Etsy shop as well. I’ve wondered why people on DPW have a note that says “by now through Etsy”? are you doing that to drive traffic to your Etsy site? does it WORK?
Trying to decide whether or not to keep Etsy.
Thanks!
Hi Anna-
Yes DPW drives traffic to my Etsy site. If I have a painting for sale only on DPW, and not on Etsy, then that is a small audience. If I have my painting for sale on Etsy, and showcased on DPW, with a link, that creates two sets of audiences. Plus my website, facebook, instagram, pinterest. It is a lot of work to keep everything updated, but I have had good results. Smaller paintings do better on Etsy, but that has also lead to a lot of larger commissions too.
Just a side note: everyone on DPW Art Talk Forums should add their websites to their profile!! I have noticed many who don’t have this basic info. It’s another great way to drive traffic to your sites. On your page, go to ‘preferences’ and add links to your website, blog, DPW gallery Etsy shop etc, so that those reading this forum can see your work. Otherwise, if I want to see your paintings, I have to google your name.
Thanks Donna for the GREAT info! I’ll tell ya! keeping up with all the social media is a JOB in itself!..and I keep hearing about instagram and just can’t fatham instagram but will have to eventually try that also! For now I’ll work on setting up Etsy as my pay preference and see how that goes. Yes, I need to put more on my profile! I just have started talking on the forums. Thanks for all your help!
Me too, Amazon kept too much control over money, returns, could be worse than ebay? We did get approved for it, I think that part is easy but when I read the fine print I changed my mind. I would like to hear from anyone who has had good experience with Amazon? anybody, anybody?
