With all the Etsy changes lately, many Etsy sellers are looking for other places to sell than Etsy. This list is all the different places I have found for handmade, supplies, vintage or digital sellers!
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A special thanks to Similar Web for helping the with the search volume stats on this post!
Why Would You Stay With Etsy?
Okay, before we get too far down a rabbit hole of glumness, why should you weather all the changes Etsy has been making (SEO, payments, free shipping…yikes). Well, companies that are planning on growing and being successful aren't making changes.
Some of these changes may be indications that Etsy is “growing up” and becoming more stable and profitable.
I KNOW, that make it feel like a cool club you were in is going away, but don't throw out the baby in the bathwater… if you have been doing well on Etsy then don't get sucked into listening to all the naysayers on the boards and Facebook saying the sky is falling. Just put your head down and start working on your store!
Also, I sell on both Etsy and Ebay and the margins are much better on Etsy. Etsy's fees are lower so you make more money.
Why Would You Leave Etsy?
Okay, that is the good, now why would you leave Etsy? If your sales efforts are not resulting in a profit, you should leave Etsy. Seriously.
We are small business owners and if you are not able to get a business model that works for you because of the competition's pricing, or having to do free shipping to get sales or because your corner of Etsy is flooded, then maybe consider quitting outright.
I know, it sucks to quit something that you have put so much time and energy into, but sometimes we just have to cut our losses!
Why Not Do Etsy And…
Last but not least, why not consider doing Etsy and somewhere else? As I said, I sell on Etsy and Ebay. You would be surprised how many times I have have no sales on Etsy but some on Ebay or the other way around.
Not having all your eggs in one basket means that you are better prepared if your sales are slow, you lose your store or if a site closes down.
Etsy does not require exclusivity so you are free to sell your products anywhere else you want!
Stand Alone Ecommerce Sites
Standalone websites are where you own the entire site and have complete control of everything!
Shopify
Shopify is the industry standard right now for standalone ecommerce stores. Their pricing is fair and they are pretty easy to use!
- Pros – Because so many sellers use Shopify there are plugins and addons to do almost anything you want. The setup is relatively tech friendly and most Etsy sellers could probably figure out how to get a store set up by themselves. There is no competition on the store because everything is yours! You still have to pay for Shopify (about $24) and for credit card processing.
- Cons – One big con for any stand alone site is that you have to generate all the traffic yourself. If you don't like marketing and SEO on Etsy, just know it is 100 times harder to get people on the internet to notice you than it is to get Etsy sellers to notice you.
WordPress
You may not know this but WordPress has a lot of plugins and addons that will allow you to set up a “store” right through a website/blog.
- Pros – Again, there is no competition on your website. Additionally, there are literally hundreds of ways to accomplish a store from plugins to shopping carts to linking to another offsite store.
- Cons – Setting up a store on WordPress is harder than on Shopify by quite a magnitude. You will have to have hosting for your site and also pay for some kind of shopping cart or payment processor. Your ultimate costs might or might not be lower than on Etsy. This would probably be the last thing I would recommend as an option unless you are very techy AND like marketing.
You will need some kind of payment processor to do your sales. It can be as simple as a Paypal button or as grand as a whole WooCommerce store.
If you are going to go the WordPress route I recommend signing up for Renae Christine's training, Ultimate Architect. (not an affiliate link, I just like her!)
Smaller Stand Alones
- Shopier (in Turkey) – one of the gals in my Etsy Facebook group sells from Turkey and she said they have a smaller local site called Shopier. If you are outside of the US it might be worth it to check into local options.
- Indie Made – Interesting… sort of like a Shopify for handmade sellers.
General Ecommerce Sites
There are a gagillion ecommerce sites other there where you can list your products for sale! Here are some main ones….
Ebay
Ebay accepts almost anything for sale including handmade, supplies, and vintage (not digital products).
- Pros – I like Ebay well enough. The prices you can charge are lower than on Etsy but there are way more buyers there. Also, they have a really good search function that allows buyers to save searches and be emailed when you list something they want.
- Cons – Buyers are expecting lower prices. Also fees are higher than on Etsy, especially if you have a store. There is more “haggling” over price and I find more customer service needed.
Amazon
For the general Amazon marketplace, you are looking at selling books (of course), supplies and primarily new old stock if you are coming from Etsy.
- Pros – Amazon is super competitive on price. That said, they are the 14th ranked website in the world and have 2.4 Billion searches.
- Cons – If you think competition on Etsy is hard, selling on Amazon is going to be a whole new world. Many of the sellers are professional and spend most of their time doing computer work to get their items seen.
Bonanza
Bonanza is site that takes everything like Ebay does, in fact you can set up your eBay store to “feed” into Bonanza for a bonus sales site.
- Pros – It does appear to take handmade, vintage and supplies. It could be easy if you hook up your Ebay store.
- Cons – Their number of visitors is tiny, 6.44 Million visits compared to 1.9 Billion for Ebay and 190 Million for Etsy. The linking feature doesn't always work right according to a gal I listen to on the Scavenger Life Podcast.
Additional Ecommerce Sites
- Mercari – Looks like you can sell anything there including handmade, vintage and supplies. They bill themselves as up to 70% off retail. 46 million visits a month.
- Zibbet – Sell handmade, vintage and crafts. 332,000 visits (super tiny)
- 1stDibs – Antique and Modern Furniture, Jewelry, Fashion & Art. Seems to be super high end! 3 million views
- Ecrater – Can make your own online store and import your Ebay listings. Seems very similar to Bonanza 1.96 million views
- Ebid – No listing fees, no final value fees. 474,000 views
Handmade
- Aftcra – Only US based handmade sellers. (not enough traffic to register… that is not good)
- Artfire – “Millions of handmade and craft items from indie suppliers and makers.” 634,000 visits
- Amazon Handmade – Well, it's Amazon so lots of shoppers.
- Folksy – British handmade website.
- icraftgifts – Handmade sellers. (not enough traffic to register… that is not good)
- Numonday – UK handmade. (not enough traffic to register… that is not good)
Wholesale
- Faire – Appears to be for handmade sellers only. You are selling products below retail cost. 183,000 visits (super tiny traffic but could have multiples sales)
Vintage Only Websites
I am not as familiar with these sites so just listing info that can give you an idea of their volume and “rules”.
- Chairish – “Chairish is the leading online marketplace for design lovers to buy and sell chic vintage decor, furniture and art.” 1.31 Million views
- Prairie Grit – Antiques, Collectibles, Arts & Crafts (not enough traffic to register… that is not good)
- Apartment Therapy – Home decor marketplace, looks to be mainly vintage.
- Ruby Lane – Antiques, collectibles, art, jewelry, fashion. 1.28 Million Views
Clothing & Accessories
Alternative Selling Venues
Okay, these are not “actual” venues to sell, but some sellers are doing great using these strategies!
- Private Facebook Groups
- Facebook Live Auctions
- Facebook Marketplace
- Instagram using PayPal invoices
- Craigslist – would have to be more local selling and pickup
Other Sites Like Etsy Wrapup
Wow, that is a LOT of other sites that are like Etsy where you can sell. I am sure it is a little overwhelming, so here are some tips and ideas!
Pick one that seems to match what you are selling. If you are a handmade artist, maybe Ebay isn't the best place for you even though they have lots of traffic!
Match your “techy-ness” to the venue. There are some ideas for your own site that seem super simple, that said, I have talked to lots of Etsy sellers who really just want to sell their products and be done with it. If you aren't itching to be a website designer, I would suggest going with a ready made marketplace!
Check and see how many hits they get. Some of the sites get so few hits that there can't be that much selling going on!
Don't do ALL THE STUFF. I have worked with you gals long enough to know that once you pick a site you are going to work like busy bees to move everything over, all at once on one day, copying and pasting until your fingers bleed. How bout we don't do that this time? How bout you pick a venue, then move over your top 25 items based on views/sales in Etsy and see if you make some sales. This could save you a bunch of time if you find out the new site is not a good fit for your products!
