One Shop Versus Many

After much consideration and contemplation I have decided to close my ArtFire Studio shop. My Etsy Shop is doing very well. I am getting a lot of traffic and I am making sales. I find myself spending more time promoting the Etsy shop than I ever did on ArtFire.

Don't get me wrong, ArtFire has a great thing going for them. They are easy to use, easy to promote and have a lot of things I wish Etsy would adopt. The problem is that ArtFire does not get the traffic that Etsy does. A portion of my sales are from other Etsy shop owners. I never had that on ArtFire. If I spend a day in the studio working on jewelry I still get a couple hundred views on Etsy, whereas, during the same time on ArtFire I may get a dozen views.

I am in it for the money. I mean, if I don't make money then I have to go back to work for someone else. I enjoy setting my hours and doing what I want with my time. Being self employed means that you rely on every penny that you make. Not only do you have to pay the bills you have to be able to restock supplies. For me it came down to dollar amounts. Artfire just wasn't producing like Etsy does.

Dropping the ArtFire shop will give me more time to spend in my Etsy shop and here, blogging ways to help you make money too! What kind of experience have you had running multiple shops? For those that say build it and forget it, I am sorry to say, no matter what kind of shop you have, you have to work on it and promote it or nothing will ever come of it. Or if something does come of it, it won't be much. If you've had a different experience I would like to hear it.

Houston, We Have A Problem

It would seem that the last few scheduled posts completely disappeared completely and were never posted. So, I am going back through my notes and trying to recreate a week's worth of information!

In the meantime, read this article about ArtFire: http://marketmyshop.blogspot.com/2011/10/artfire-online-marketplace.html They may be raising their rates again but they have a whole lot going for them. In many ways I like them better than Etsy. Anyhow, check it out for your self and see what you think.

Hopefully, I will be back tomorrow with the series I promised...

ArtFire Online Marketplace

ArtFire recently had a face lift and went through some changes. The redesign has made it much easier for customers to find their way around the site. I have to say I think it is going to help them to grow. While they may never reach the same prestige as Etsy, they will continue to be a great place to consider as a second selling location.

I have an ArtFire Studio and I make a few sales there every month. There are several things I like about those guys. They do not charge you every time you list an item, nor do they charge you every time you sell an item. They charge you a flat fee every month. It is only $11.95

Artfire also has a great Referral Program. For every person who signs up through you, you get one month free with no limits. The person who signs up through you also gets a free month (their 3rd month). So, you could actually have every month free if you have people sign up through you.

Now, ArtFire is a little different than Etsy in a few ways. They do not have the community traffic that Etsy has. However, every account will have their items added to Google Shopping, Bing Shopping, The Find and many more places on the web where people shop. Artfire also gets your listings into Google Search Engine and other search engines making it easier for people to find you.

Artfire also allows you to link to your Etsy shop, your blog, your Twitter, your Facebook and more. They feel that you should be able to sell wherever you want to sell. The Holiday Season is fast approaching and it might be a good idea to have a secondary site to sell your products. If you do decide to sign up for ArtFire please consider signing up through me, that way we will both enjoy a free month. Sign up for ArtFire Here.

If you sell on other online market places I would like to hear about it. Write a comment about it or send me an email marketmyshop@gmail.com