The past few weeks, I've been busy setting up new platform for my shop. I've been selling in Etsy for a couple of years but with the ever changing Etsy policy it is getting tougher for sellers outside USA to get (even) a view unless we pay for Etsy Promoted Ads.
Etsy promoted ads gives benefits, but I see that you should have a higher budget (which I can't afford) which bring your shop to the first search pages.
Well, there are SEO thingy and keywords, etc which turned out to be a little help (or no help at all) if you don't use promoted ads.
And also the "shop local" policy really have impact on Seller outside US.
Another reason was I've been waiting for Etsy to introduce INR in their default currency but don't see that coming. While I get many inquiries from India, the USD price tag deter them from Etsy. Indian shoppers feel more comfortable shopping in their own currency and using Bank Transfer as mode of payment.
I really wish Etsy take a hint from Amazon.
There are many Etsy-like platform coming up in India, the problem with these marketplace is they withhold the payment to seller. For big player, a couple of bucks won't hurt them, but for us who make one product at a time and getting the money weekly or three quarterly is too much.
With that in mind, I decided to sign up with Ecwid and have my shop everywhere. You can shop from Facebook or from my new shop blog. What I like most is it's user friendly and it has a FREE plan. I started with free plan then decide to upgrade.
I will still be selling in Etsy. Ecwid is easier for me to connect with local shoppers and also with Ecwid I can offer a less price since I don't have to pay for the fees that Etsy charges.
Please come and visit my SHOP and wish me a lot of good luck ^^.
Happy Sewing
