So, last fall, Etsy announced some sweeping changes in how they would define "handmade", by allowing some factory-made items to call themselves handmade. I, like a lot of sellers, became afraid that cheap, mass-produced items would flood the market, and looked for other venues to sell our work. Many people, myself included, opted to open a shop at Zibbet, an up-and-coming marketplace that values true handmade items. There was a cool vibe over there, with the owners communicating with sellers, and a general feeling that the site would grow.
Now that I've had a few months (and a holiday shopping season) to evaluate, I think I'm going to go back to Etsy as my primary venue... here's why: THE BUYERS ARE ON ETSY.
I jumped into the Zibbet thing with both feet... changing my business cards, website links and promoting the heck out of my shop. Zibbet is nice and all, but they have been promising a site rebuild for nearly three years, and they keep pushing it back. That glaring lack of features is harmful to sellers. I don't want to think about how many sales I lost because shoppers have to register an account, just to buy something.
In January alone, I have had three times the views on Zibbet, yet my Etsy shop has all the sales. Not one sale on Zibbet this year. That means that people on Zibbet are looking, but not buying. I feel like I'm running a pen museum on Zibbet, and my goal is to sell pens, not show them to curious onlookers who can't pull the trigger. Etsy has less views, but that is where the buyers are, so I will follow the buyers. As for the fear that cheap Chinese "handmade" pens would flood the market, I can't find any evidence of that in my category.
I'll still keep my presence at Zibbet, although I'm dropping down to their free shop, with even less features than their paid "premium" shop. I'll wait and see what this elusive rebuild brings to the table, and reconsider my options then.
So, for now, I'm redirecting all my links back to the Etsy shop, digging out the Etsy business cards, and focusing my promotion there. This is a business, not a hobby, and I have to do what I feel is best for Anglewood Penworks.
Now that I've had a few months (and a holiday shopping season) to evaluate, I think I'm going to go back to Etsy as my primary venue... here's why: THE BUYERS ARE ON ETSY.
I jumped into the Zibbet thing with both feet... changing my business cards, website links and promoting the heck out of my shop. Zibbet is nice and all, but they have been promising a site rebuild for nearly three years, and they keep pushing it back. That glaring lack of features is harmful to sellers. I don't want to think about how many sales I lost because shoppers have to register an account, just to buy something.
In January alone, I have had three times the views on Zibbet, yet my Etsy shop has all the sales. Not one sale on Zibbet this year. That means that people on Zibbet are looking, but not buying. I feel like I'm running a pen museum on Zibbet, and my goal is to sell pens, not show them to curious onlookers who can't pull the trigger. Etsy has less views, but that is where the buyers are, so I will follow the buyers. As for the fear that cheap Chinese "handmade" pens would flood the market, I can't find any evidence of that in my category.
I'll still keep my presence at Zibbet, although I'm dropping down to their free shop, with even less features than their paid "premium" shop. I'll wait and see what this elusive rebuild brings to the table, and reconsider my options then.
So, for now, I'm redirecting all my links back to the Etsy shop, digging out the Etsy business cards, and focusing my promotion there. This is a business, not a hobby, and I have to do what I feel is best for Anglewood Penworks.