Did you turn your talents into a source of income during lockdown? Or maybe you’ve been running an Etsy store for years, but suddely find it gaining traction. Should you be moving away from Etsy and developed a fully fledged site of your own? We frequently work with web design clients throughout Glasgow and Central Scotland in this exact position.
Below, we weight up some of the pro’s and con’s of Etsy Vs. Your Own Website
What is Etsy?
Etsy is an online market place, much like Amazon and eBay, that focuses particularity on connecting craters, creators and unique manufacturers with customers looking for something “a bit different”
Pro’s of Etsy
- Minimal Set Up Time. To get selling on Etsy, all you really have to do is set up a profile, and upload some products, and you’re ready to sell! Everything from product layout to payment transactions is handled for you right out the box.
Vs. A Website: A website takes significantly longer to build – build times typically sit between 4-12 weeks. However, once built, you have full control and updates can be made exceptionally quickly! - Etsy Reputation. You most likely already know the name Etsy well. As will your friends, family and millions of other consumers. People might not know you exist – but they know Etsy does – which could give them the route to potentially find you.
Vs. A Website: With your own website, you’re relying on your own marketing efforts to drive customers - Strong Sense of Community. Unlike Amazon or Ebay, Esty has a passionate community backing, leading to well populated message boards and support groups should you ever find yourself with a question or hitting a stumbling block.
Vs. A Website: With your own website, the most troublesome parts of web design are taken care of for you, and you have the support of your web designer on hand in the future
Cons of Etsy
- No Control. While that minimal set up time may seem great at the start, it can quite often be the first issue you come across as your business expands. With every business and every product following the same strict uniform template, there’s no scope for you to control how products or information is displayed. This can create frustrating situations where you cant get the information your customers need infront of them.
Vs. A Website: With your own website, you have complete and utter control of how every aspect of your products are displayed, allowing you to present your offering in a way that generates sales and engages your customers. - Risk of Sudden Closure. When you sell on Etsy, your “store” is actually nothing more than a profile on Etsys website. This means they have the final say, as well as the power to close your store with immediate effect if they believe there has been any activity they’re not keen on. Even if this is later reversed, critical community following and loyalty could already be lost – as well as the lost potential earnings during the closure.
Vs. A Website: With your own website, the only person that can close your store is you. - Constantly Presented among Direct Competition. With such a huge catalog of products on offer, it can be difficult to keep your potential customer’s attention – especially since products from your competitors are constantly advertised alongside your own – and even in the sidebar of your own “shop”.
Vs. A Website: Your own website is all about you, and your business only! No other competition appear alongside that could distract customers - It’s not cheap! While Etsy can expose your product to millions of potential customers, it comes at a significant cost. Frequently, this cost is so high that creators and crafters find themselves raising the price of their products to absorb the cost. As of 2021, Etsy charges £0.14 per listing, plus 5% Commission and 4% + £0.20 transaction fee. On a product selling for £10, this would mean £1.25 is spent in fees – representing nearly 12% of the RRP. Whatsmore, Esty can control when and even if you can withdraw your takings. Initially, any profit from sales is held for 7 days before you can withdraw it. However, it’s not uncommon for stores that see a surge in sales to have large percentages of takings held as unavailable for withdrawal in case customers request refunds.
Vs. A Website: While the initial setup costs of an eCommerce website may be high, this expense is eventually paid for overtime, leaving you with greater margins in the long run. In fact, if you were selling a product for £50 on Etsy, it would take less than 100 sales to save the cost of our £499 Ecommerce Package from Etsy’s fees alone!
A little note about Super Simple Websites
We’re a wee Glasgow web design agency, and we specialise in providing affordable websites to businesses throughout Glasgow, West Lothian, Edinburgh, and all of Central Scotland. Find out more by checking out our webdesign packages starting at just £299, or getting in touch.
Want to see some more of our previous work? Check out the rest of our blog, where we regularly post features on recent Glasgow & Central Scotland Web design clients. Alternatively, check out our portfolio for a collection of recent work, our our facebook page for the very latest news!