Etsy Or Website? Which Should You Choose?

So, you’ve started your own business and you want to open an online shop. Congratulations! The next step is to determine what online platform you want to use to sell your items. This decision may in turn depend on where you are in your process, or in your life. For instance, if you are a super busy multi-talented and multi-faceted individual, do you have time to set up a website? Or, if you hire someone to do it for you, do you have the resources, money and time to follow up with them? There are many website brands to choose from, and many of them promote their product by how easy and fast it is to set up your own site.

In this article, we will list and discuss the pros and cons of Etsy and building your own website for your business. As well, I would like to quickly explain my background and tell you a bit about my history with both Etsy and Squarespace and my personal decision for my business.

When I first started my online business almost four years ago, I simply started with a YouTube channel. At that time, I wasn't even close to thinking about what the future would look like or how I would market my business. My initial “marketing” attempts were Facebook posts that reached (maybe) my 200 Facebook contacts.

About a year later, I decided to expand my business by creating planner stickers. I knew I needed a place to sell them. I also started thinking more about marketing. I designed some business cards (my very first were hand-drawn and printed on cardstock from my printer), but I later switched to business cards from Vistaprint.

I decided to use Squarespace as my online platform. I was mostly influenced by Amanda RachLee at the time. One of her videos was promoting Squarespace so I decided to try it out. I have never had any formal training designing websites, so it took many months to figure out what I wanted my site to initially look like. It went through many changes to get where it is today. That being said, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to remain static. I change up my art on my website and YouTube channels at least once a year, if not more often. Basic elements should remain the same so it stays recognizable to your clientele, but you also need to create excitement around your brand.

Another year passed and I realized I wasn't getting the sales I had imagined for my business. Part of this was that I simply wasn't marketing enough. If you have your own business, you know it’s a very difficult thing. Unless you have the capital to hire employees, you are the only one doing everything that needs to be done. It’s very easy to say “ I want to start my own business”, but it’s a very different thing actually doing it every single day. Looking back, what I should have done is set up my business Facebook page as soon as I started selling stickers on my website.

I started talking to a friend who had been selling on Etsy for a few years already. I asked her about her experience and I asked her why she didn’t have her own website for her business. She confirmed exactly what I had already gone through…she wouldn’t get the sales on a website that she was already making on Etsy.

So, the next few weeks, I started setting up my listings on Etsy. My one fear was something I had read in an online article: that since the market on Etsy is so big, it’s hard to stand out in such a large crowd. People are selling things from all over the world. Your items either need to be really unique, super valuable, or super cheap in order to get noticed. Obviously, I started on this Etsy journey with the lowest expectations so I wouldn't be bitterly disappointed when I didn't make sales right away.

Was I right to do that? Yes - I was. It took four months for me to make my first sale. The feeling of that very first sale was so euphoric though. I felt like I was an instant success and I was walking on clouds for days. (And that was for a $4.00 sale!) After that, every sale was a success, but I keep thinking…ok, this is it. Now that people are seeing my stickers, I’ll start making five sales a week. Did it happen? Nope.

Fast forward to today, and I’ve finally hit my highest grossing month at $41.00 and averaging one sale per week. Of course, the time of year has some affect on this as well. Etsy shops start to get busy from September to December. There are many sales that happen between this time, mostly for Labor Day, Black Friday and Christmas. People are looking for Christmas gifts and hand-made gifts can be really special.

Other things to note, is that I have not made a single sale on my website since opening my Etsy shop. Even though I’m paying monthly for my site, this doesn’t worry me as much today, because my site has turned into a physical depiction of my brand. This is a place where people can go to get a sense of who I am and what I do. My blogs get posted to my website, and I also update my portfolio quite frequently (my aim is once a month) so people can see my work, and my planning system. To be quite frank, if it weren’t for my planner, my business would be a big mess!

So now that I have given you a little background on my experience, I want to list out the pros and cons of both Etsy and having a website. Please see the list below.

From what I’ve seen of other shop owners, they usually start out on Etsy (because it’s less initial work and start up). Etsy really does all the work for you at the beginning, and it’s a good place to get your name out there. Once you have customers that like and know your products, you can add a website, or switch to a website instead. This is something you can work on while you’re still making money from your Etsy sales. The benefit of having both is that you will get a different client base. Some people do not trust websites, unless it’s a verified source like Apple Pay, Pay Pal or something similar.

One other issue with Etsy that I forgot to add to the list was that you need to add shipping options. They recommend that you offer free shipping, at least in your own country. I know as a paying customer, I instantly turn away from orders when I see that the only shipping options available are super expensive. If I place an order from the US that only offers paid shipping options, sometimes I find that the shipping is more than the object(s) I’m buying, which is absolutely ridiculous. People are definitely more attracted to your shop when they see the free shipping option.

An issue with a website that I stumbled upon when I first started was that I paid for the cheapest option available. This is until I found out I had to have a commerce site to actually sell products. (Obviously, this means more money), but I find you truly have more freedom in design, and freedom with choice in general.

Let me know if you have run into the same dilemma that I did! I feel like I started backwards, but now I’m finally on track. Thank you so much for reading and I’ll see you next time!

🧡 Sandra