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 #3 - Mintd

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, Mintd!

Company Information: Mintd is an Australian site run by Colossus Technologies and began in early 2007.

Storefront: The site is similar to Etsy, a shop hosting service where you can setup a store among many other shops. The front page is a collage of store banners.

Cost: There is no fee to setup a store, but there is more customization available for higher (yearly) subscription levels. Commission also varies based on subscription level, but ranges from 3-5%.

The more you pay the more items you can sell per year: free (10 item limit), $20 per year (25 item limit), $50 per year (50 item limit), $100 per year (250 item limit). A comparison is available here.

Features: Lookbooks to earn site points and “interestingness”, shop customization and URL depending on subscription level (see above), choose a different store name when you need to, view your recent activity, make a widget, put your items into categories AND groups of like items.

Payment: Integrated with Paypal, choose your currency.

Community: There are forums, linked at the bottom of the main page, includes a “category suggestion” section.

Customer Service: There is a contact page with a form that can be filled out as well as a separate bug report form. However, word on the street is that the site is very buggy, and slow at times.

Items that can be sold: Anything you have made or modified yourself.

General Impressions:
No stats and many people have reported problems listing items.