Etsy Homepage
Example of an Etsy shop
- Etsy allows you to create a shop, which you can link to your other social media profiles. This can be great at leading your followers to your different outlets.
- Etsy can become very expensive, especially if you're a small business. They charge fees for each listing (which only lasts for 4 months, or until the item is sold), and also take a 3.5% commission from each sale. Therefore, you can only really make a good profit from the sales on Etsy, if you are selling enough to cover the costs. If you already have an established following of people who are after your work, then Etsy can work more effectively. It seems to be the case that other social media profiles such as Instagram and Facebook would play a very important role at sending potential customers across to your Etsy shop - rather than gaining the interest on Etsy alone.
Homepage
Example of an NOTHS shop
- You need to apply to the team at NOTHS in order to be able to sell on their site. This means that although it isn't as simple as just 'signing up' on Etsy, the team only chooses the best companies/items to be on their site. This process allows for shops to sell their items without fierce competition from similar shops.
- Customers also have the reassurance that only the best businesses would have been picked to sell their items on the site.
- All orders are still fulfilled by you, giving you that responsibility and independence.
- NOTHS charges you a £199 joining fee, and then charges a 25% commission off each sale. However there is no monthly charge for each item listing like on Etsy, which does all add up very quickly.
- NOTHS is the UK's No1 curated marketplace & advertises for you.
- So although NOTHS seems to be more beneficial than Etsy, you need to have a more established business to keep up with the customers expectations, and you have to be approved in the first place.
Example of a Folksy shop
Example of a Big Cartel shop
An alternative to Etsy and Not On The High Street would be Folksy or Big Cartel. Folksy and Big Cartel offer cheaper fees, but on the other hand, are not very well known. However, if you do have a large existing following of people who want to buy your products, then you could link the store to your other social media profiles & gain publicity/interest that way.
It's about weighing up whether it is worth paying more, in order to be on a more widely recognised platform, or to spend time on social media elsewhere, and then link to your online store. Ultimately its all down to whether you have the time to maintain these stores, as well as your other social media commitments.
If time is an issue, then RedBubble or Society6 fulfil the orders for you, but then you get less money & loose out on the responsibilities of fulfilling customer satisfaction.
Below is a table that I created, comparing the pros and cons of each website:
Portfolio Site/Showcase
Example of an artists portfolio
- The Association of Illustrators' website offers a professional and high-end platform to display your work.
- Although not free, you will receive discounted services through the AOI, such as portfolio advice and support.
- The AOI is a recognised platform for potential clients to find your work.
- The website is also made just for illustrators, and not any other creative disciplines.
- However it could be argued that the website lacks the 'personal touch', which you get from more 'social' sites such as Instagram:
Example of an illustrator's Instagram page
- Instagram is free to sign up, and is solely made for sharing photos - whether it be illustrations or not.
- The laid back theme of the site allows followers to learn more about the artist. It is more personal, as you also get to see the process and behind the scenes of some work.
- Instagram is also a great way to link to your website/shops, so you are getting publicity for your other outlets.
- It's not the most professional platform, but is an effective way of reaching large audiences, which could catch the eye of a potential client.
So perhaps it would be a good idea to have both types of portfolios: one professional, and the other more social. This way you can reach all types of audiences, and benefit from them both - you would just have to keep the two updated, which would take more time. However, your profile on the AOI requires less maintenance than Instagram, as you would just upload main pieces of work, rather than small projects and images of work in progress.
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