ETSY OR ARTFIRE

I finally got off my butt and got creative. I made new product, took and edited my photos and listed the items.

I sell on two sites right now http://busybeadlady.etsy.com/ and http://busybeadlady.artfire.com/

The dilemma for me is what to list on which sites.

I have a few good reasons to have the two sites.

Etsy was my first. Etsy is a site that has a loyal following. I love the artsy look and feel of etsy. I like the fact that I can list items for a fairly reasonable price, and pay a minimal commission when I sell an item. I think the way the etsy community connects through the forums, chats, virtual labs and treasury is wonderful. I also like the look of my store on etsy. I do find that getting noticed on etsy is a constant battle, especially for jewelry makers. At first I relisted all the time. This can become a costly proposition. It does bring you to the front of the searches, but that is only momentarily. And I don't think etsy markets itself enough.

My artfire store on the other hand lets me list as much as I wish for a monthly fee, and no commission. The searches are random. I have searched my items and sometimes they are on page 1 and other times they are on page 50. The look of the site and my store is not so artsy, but I am beginning to see many very good people putting their work on site. Also I love the fact that they let me connect back to my etsy site! I like that my item stay on the front page longer and larger, when I list an item. The community is not as tight, but I think that part is coming along. I found artfire though a magazine ad and I see their ads on many sites, so I know they are spending advertising dollars.

I try to spread my lisings to both sites. If buyers are like me, they get bored after looking at a couple of pages in a site and lose interest. Between both sites I have 72 items listed.

I don't feel compelled to love one site and hate the other, which is how many have expressed themselves on both sites. I think of it as an opportunity to reach as many people as possible.

A way to have my cake and eat it too. Besides, it gives me more places to check 20 times a day to see if I have made a sale!