Etsy Alternatives Update

From time to time we've done reviews of Etsy alternatives - we haven't had any in awhile because it seems that once we find one it disappears or is greatly disappointing. It's not much of an alternative if it has security issues, like we found efreeme does. A site should have a seller login to list items and not have the"edit this listing" link visible to everyone who visits the page - jus' saying'.

A somewhat disappointing note in handmade is an update to the Etsy alternative 1000Markets. This site was juried to ensure handmade products (see previous review) - but it's been bought by Bonanzle. Now, many handmade people like Bonanzle, but it isn't a handmade only place though they cater to non-mass produced stuff. Also, they are changing their name to Bonanza (if you're a seller on 1000markets, see what you have to do for the switch here). We haven't reviewed the site yet, but with a million dollar infusion a couple months ago and the purchase of one of the few juried handmade sites out there, we'll be doing one. Feel free to comment with your thoughts on your experience with the site and what impact changing the name of the site may have on sellers there.

In the past year or two a number of handmade venues have closed (mintd to name one), it is nice to see one get acquired instead. In contrast, though, Artfire has been growing exponentially - in regards to features, sales, and traffic - and is leaving beta (the look of the site has also been completely redone). This is one alternative that does not seem to be going away. For those interested, many have mentioned in our comments that they are offering a $5.95/mo group deal - if 20,000 people signup, the deal goes into effect. If you're interested in this alternative the information is here. Our original review is here, and a previous update that included previous changes at Artfire is here.

EDIT: UPDATE, Today Artfire announced that anyone who signs up before 12:00 noon PST on 10/01/10 WILL get the $5.95 price. If you were one of the many saying they were waiting to see if it was going through, it is.


Silkfair has also added some functionality, including personalized shop blog, forum, and video capabilities. The homepage also now pushes "the extraordinary" - handmade, vintage, antiques, collectibles - but the site is still open to any items despite the change in look. This change does address some of the "garage sale" comments that have been made about the homepage of that site. Our originial review is here.

If you have suggestions on Etsy alternatives we should review, leave a comment or send me an email etsyanon.righteous@gmail.com I am also open to looking into any updates to Etsy alternatives we've already reviewed in order to help you make the best decisions for your business.

Silkfair Discount Code for EB Readers

A representative of Silkfair has passed along a discount code for us to offer you, our readers, to try out their new custom shops. The details are:

Free trial of custom shops for the first two weeks
$9.99 per month for the first six months following the free-trial period
$24.99 per month thereafter
Enter the promo code etsybitch1
*Promotion is valid for one month from date of post - August 15, 2009 (Edit July 17: Silkfair has extended the offer to the end of September)

Any questions about or problems redeeming the code or working with the site can be directed to support@silkfair.com or teams@silkfair.com

We previously reviewed silkfair in our Etsy alternatives series. They have since released the custom shop option. A basic shop on the site is still free, but lacks the customizable features.

Etsy Alternatives Update

We've noticed several changes occurring with some sites we've addressed as Etsy alternatives. So we wanted to make sure you were kept abreast of some of these things.

First off, there was a great conversation going on with a rep from Silkfair in the comments section of one of our latest features. It looks like this venue is open to discussion and suggestions, and they admit it is likely more appropriate for a certain subset of sellers. This is something to take into consideration - what will work for you and your business? The site also recently released fully customizable shops for subscribing members (the paid shops), including eliminating the Silkfair menu from the top of the page.

Mintd was a venue we reviewed in November. Unfortunately, the site is still extremely buggy and there are many people left hanging in regards to billing issues as they are attempting to rebill accounts (according to some members). Dawanda also now has fees that were retroactively collected (not everyone is happy about this), but they are keeping up with retail holidays and promoting their features via email newsletters. eCrater, one of our first reviews, has adjusted the look of their shop template, which allows for less freedom to feature categories on your own front page (you have to have at least 5 categories in order to have this option now). But they do have a fully integrated shipping calculator now - though there isn't a way to add handling charges.

The most encouraging improvements in recent months (well, weeks and days actually) are the adjustments Artfire has been making. The site has been actively following up with members to improve the site, including redesigning artisan studios, categories, and the front page.

Verified Artfire sellers can now fully customize the color and layout of their shops, including the Artfire menu at the top of the page to coordinate with their brand. Three banner sizes can be chosen from, to see examples, there is a Flickr group dedicated to sellers showing off their Fusion Studios, and the number of items per row and whether categories are shown can be chosen as well. The customized shop categories also now have their own URL's for directing buyers. The front page of Artfire has also been completely redesigned, even the colors, to match the new shop designs. We've been told that they are still making some minor adjustments based on member feedback.

The site has also re-opened their free ride program and discounted monthly memberships! They also now have a RapidCart widget to sell directly from your own website using Artfire as your shopping cart and listing software. This is a great alternative if you are having trouble coding your own site for item listings, shopping carts, and paypal integration.

The Forge (like Alchemy) is also now actively going on the Artfire site, though they are still adjusting it; they now have item quantity capabilities in the shops; they've enhanced the search to be faster and to include within shop searching; and they've added featured studio spots to the categories for on site advertising. In addition, Artfire is hiring editors and columnists for their blog from the community (separate from their administration).

Overall, Artfire is still looking like it's the site to give Etsy a run for it's money. They've teamed up with an internet radio station to have a weekly radio show about handmade, collaborated to create VoteHandmade for handmade items to be showcased for free, and been actively changing their site to meet their customers' demands. It's almost unbelievable how much progress they've made since our review - and they still say they're in beta! So there is likely much more to come, which will be great news for the world outside of Etsy.

Etsy Alternative #9 - Silkfair

In this continuing series, we bring you a review of alternative selling venues, website hosting services, shopping carts, and basically anything else that you can use to sell your lovely handcrafted goods. Next up –Silkfair.

We had been asked several times to include a review of this site, but we were hesitant because it is more of an eBay alternative as they allow all items, and the front page of the site looks like a yard sale. But it is a free alternative to setting up your own shop, so we’ve spent time with the site to provide you an analysis.

Tagline: Makes buying & selling fun and easy

Company information: It's an LLC.

At Silkfair we aim to be the premier e-commerce site for users to buy and sell their goods online. We are always looking to innovate and provide more great features and tools to our users.

Storefront: Choose what order listings occur in (most recent, oldest), viewers can choose gallery or list, choose whether you want featured items or not. Your own banner and avatar. There is quite a bit of external Silkfair graphics, but you start to tune it out.

Cost: 3% final value fee, no cost to list but you choose how long the listing will be up (120 days default)

Features: Silkfair considers itself to still be in beta and are taking suggestions for category expansions. There is a shop window like widget to show off your shop on your blog or website, a single page listing process, up to 4 photos and/or 2 videos per listing (currently free), no listing or setup cost, set your currency in each listing, shipping and pricing profiles, tax profiles in each listing, many options to choose from to categorize an item and have it found, one page dropdown custom shop category sorting for all items, bulk editing and presets for all listings – it takes a little time to learn what everything is and then it’s simple to just use the options you need on the listing page (depending on what you sell). Upload your items to Google Base via a link on the account page.

Payment: Fully integrated with Paypal and Google Checkout, has a check box for RME and other cash options so your buyers can use whatever you feel comfortable with.

Community: Feedback and favorite system; forums; member blogs

Customer service: A number of email addresses for different queries, twitter and facebook contact, mailing address all available from their contact page. Does anyone have any experience with Silkfair CS that they can share?

Items that can be sold: Anything except those that are illegally prohibited, including copyrighted items as your own. Mature items are allowed, though there’s a checkbox when listing to allow buyers to sort them out if they wish.

General impressions: There’s a learning curve for listing and setting up shop, but it’s a nice alternative to moving back to eBay. It’s not a handmade environment, though those listings are favored on the front page sidebar. If you only want to pay when you’ve sold something, then Silkfair is an option. You’ll have your own address (username.silkfair.com) to promote, but buyers may easily escape to other parts of the site, though not as easily as they would on Etsy.

Find out more in the FAQs