Sure, everyone knows about Etsy. Early comparisons to Ebay or Craigslist have been eclipsed by Etsy’s community, which formed as a result of so many artists, crafters, and businesspeople finding a cool way to sell and buy goods online.
Now what are the other players in this field? I was curious and wanted to check out what alternatives there are to Etsy if I wanted to actually sell some patchwork and screenprinted pillows online (no real danger there, but was curious). Etsy’s biggest pro—its userbase—might also be your biggest challenge when trying to compete with all the other sellers.
Big Cartel looks pretty cool. They don’t charge a percentage of the sale like Etsy. But you do have to sign up for a monthly plan, as opposed to 20 cents a listing on Etsy. I think this would work best for higher-priced items.
Neither Cafepress and Zazzle have a very personal feel to them. I think they would work best for the person that wants to pump out some mugs with their cute kitten on them for friends at work.
Finally, there’s a site we’d like you to check out called Craftmoto. They’re not a place to buy and sell crafts (yet), but will be in the near future!
You can find a much more in-depth discussion on this topic via Simply Shiny Life.
Let’s hear it for handmade!