One of my first business ventures was way back in 2011 when I partnered with a group of trusted friends and fellow designers to open a stationery shop. It was a fun time. We worked well together and fed off each other's creative energy. Plus, we were young and didn’t have families yet, so it was an adventure worth taking. 

We decided to open our shop on Etsy. It worked! We gained interest through Etsy’s thriving online marketplace without having to do much marketing. Our shop was set up in minutes, and we were free to focus our energy on creating new products for our stationery shop.

Long story short, we decided to close our business after a couple of years. Not because we didn’t find success, but simply because our lives took us in different directions. 

More than ten years ago, we had a favorable experience on Etsy, and despite that, we knew it was important to house our products on our own website too. It was a super-simple website, but it was a start!

Today, Etsy continues to be a go-to place for artists and makers, but I recommend that my customers not rely on Etsy alone. It’s a great place to get started and to gain exposure, but not a place to rely on fully. Like social media, you don’t own Etsy, therefore you can’t control when it goes down, you can’t control fees, and you can’t control your customer’s shopping experience.

Get yourself a website.

If you have an Etsy shop, and you’ve been in business for at least a couple of years, now may be the time to consider pairing Etsy with a website or transitioning your shop to its own website.

Just recently, Etsy increased its listing fees by 30% which has led some of its sellers to strike. They feel that Etsy is treating its sellers unfairly and that it’s leading some to financial ruin.

I really feel for these creative sellers who have felt forced to strike. This incident illustrates the importance of having a website that is independent of Etsy.

How do you get started?

• Pattern

Well, Etsy does offer a website service to its sellers called Pattern. It allows you to manage your store and website through your shop dashboard on Etsy, meaning that you will have two stores without needing to manage them separately. It’s a great solution to get a website up and even build up your brand if you use a custom domain. However, since it’s married to Etsy, the shopping experience is similar to your Etsy shop with a similar checkout method and there’s limited customization available.

What are some alternative web platforms for online stores? WooCommerce, Shopify, and Squarespace are the big three for eCommerce.

• WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a plugin that can be installed on a WordPress website. It’s a highly customizable open-source eCommerce platform for stores with physical or digital products. The WooCommerce marketplace allows you to add extensions to your online store like adding marketing functionality, shipping, tracking inventory, secure payment options, and much more. 

WooCommerce is free, as is WordPress. Pricing depends on your web hosting and any paid extensions that you may need to add to your store.

• Shopify

Shopify is a self-hosted eCommerce platform that is great for large stores with physical products, and brick and mortar stores. It’s DIY friendly, offers a secure checkout, store and inventory management in one place, and more eCommerce features. 

Pricing for Shopify begins at $29/month with a free 14-day trial period.

• Squarespace

If you sell physical products but are a smaller store or sell digital products, then Squarespace is a better fit for you. The platform is great for a service-based business, online stores, or a business that does both. Besides being DIY friendly, Squarespace offers most of the features that Shopify offers, but at a lower cost. Here’s a comparison chart on Shopify’s website.

A cool thing about Squarespace is that you can pair it with your Etsy shop with the ability to import your reviews directly from your shop and import shipping options too.

You may also choose to pair a Squarespace website with a Shopify store. This is a great option for a service-based business that later decides to add a store to its business.

Squarespace eCommerce plans begin at $27/month when you pay annually.

One thing to keep in mind

A thing to keep in mind when pairing your Etsy shop to an alternative platform like WooCommerce, Shopify, or Squarespace is that you’ll need to manage two online stores. It may work as an interim method, but it won’t beat getting yourself a website that is independent of Etsy. Not only will it free you from managing two shops, but you won’t be dependent on a platform that you don’t own.

If you need help deciding what website platform is right for you or need help updating your DIY website, book a free discovery call with me. Let’s get you on the path to independence.

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Hi, I’m Monica. I’m a brand and website designer with a background in graphic design. I am a mom, creative, and entrepreneur. I started my side hustle about 10 years ago. When I became a mom, I knew it was time to leave my day job and take on my business full-time. The last 5 years of my business have been full of growing pains, but also many wins. I’ve been blessed with wonderful clients that have helped me survive the pandemic, and in turn, I’m here spilling design and business knowledge on these pages. My goal is to help small creative businesses thrive and accomplish their biggest dreams. What’s your dream? 

Want to learn more about Monica? Click here.

Do you need a design partner? Let’s chat about your next project. I’d love to help.

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