Comments on: Etsy vs Ebay – Comparison For Handmade Item Sales

By: Guy Juliano

Guy Juliano — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:14:36 +0000

Just had to take the two seconds to post a thank you. Read through through your site and really liked the material, bookmarked and I plan on returning soon!

By: Nick Stevinson

Nick Stevinson — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:06:00 +0000

I loathe Ebay! They contain way too many charges. Took me out of business. When they first opened, I did $20,000 a month with them. Presently, fees are so high, I try to use free listing auctions now like GoodForge.com and some of the other freebies. Ebay lost my products for good!

By: ana B

ana B — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:18:01 +0000

I love ebay better, they have better customer support, better guidelines, better website, better buyer protection, people feel more secure to buy in EBAY, and seller NOW can list FREE at ANY price!!!
Ebay website has better interface and more user friendly, has more listing options, and is better promoted inline, as and well provides security for both seller and buyer, and ENFORCES it very well.

I paid almost $30 for Etsy showcases and other fees, and my store was closed without any notice and without any possibility to recover my listings…because my items do not look handmade.
I have violated some rules on Etsy last month, and can not re open my store even after I have fixed the problem. I sent picture of the process how I make my goods and ETSY support team have never replied to me..
Other stores with the same violation are still open though….

By: Sidetracked Artist

Sidetracked Artist — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:15:45 +0000

Great topic, and I like reading what others have experienced in this area. I would also be interested in a comparison of Etsy to Artfire.

By: SimplyCharmingLife

SimplyCharmingLife — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:19:35 +0000

I sell vintage and upcycled items, and in general, have had more views on etsy. I am just getting started, but I would say that having a specific market on etsy really helps. If you have an item you known would be a hot seller, then an auction would probably be better. I have had to sacrifice price because it just did not get enough views. Just my opinion.

By: ladywoodspirit

ladywoodspirit — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:57:37 +0000

I went into etsy yesterday & read everything I could find in there about selling on that site & would recommend to you Julian to do the same. It’s always wise to research something like selling online so you can form a plan, instead of just jumping all over the place & getting nowhere. I have been on ebay for 5 years & I like it. Fees aren’t bad anymore since they’ve made so many changes. But as for soap, I would not recommend ebay for that. There’s so many listings for handmade soap up there that it’s to the point of ridiculous. I would try etsy for soap or even look into other available sites.

By: Julian

Julian — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:13:00 +0000

I want to start my new business in selling handmade soap. I need some help on should i start my own website and do etsy. I bought a website maker called webplus x4 I am wondering should i start that first to sell my products and do etsy to, but don’t you need a domain name or what don’t know what to do please anyone out there can you give any suggestions?????

By: Alonzo

Alonzo — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:16:44 +0000

I am trying to get my one of a kind handmade items out there.This is a difficult move for me.I’m just learning the inter net.It would greatly be appreciated if i could get more advice.My skills are unlimited.

By: Melonie

Melonie — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:55:18 +0000

I have been selling on eBay for over 5 years now, and am looking to expand in to Etsy upon the recommendation of friends who are also artists. My best friend sells on both sites, and has seen an increase in sales by about 35% since selling on both sites.

I agree, eBay is expensive, and you have to suppliment your store with auctions to boost traffic to your store. My friends have told me that their products on Etsy will show up in a google search, eBay products do not always do so. Marketing your products is a business expense which is tax deductible. A lower tax bill in the spring is also very nice. So as for ebay or etsy – I say both.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:54:20 +0000

I have one of each (Etsy and eBay shops) as well as a website. There are pros and cons to each site; for instance, Etsy is considerably less expensive, eBay gets more traffic. I think its good to diversify – but to have a consistent ‘brand’ if possible (the same shop name, avatar, etc.) wherever you’re set up around the web.