This is a question that has been in the back of my mind for a long while now. I mentioned it on the Epheriell Facebook page today, and there’s a good discussion kicking off there, but I wanted to expand upon that discussion here, too.
The question is this: do you feel ‘safer’ buying from a handmade brand on Etsy/Madeit etc. rather than on their own website – especially the first time you purchase from them?
As a maker and businesswoman, my eventual aim is to reduce sales on external venues (such as Etsy) and increase sales on my own website (in this case, Epheriell.com). This is obviously because it reduces the fees and expenses I have to pay.
However, I worry that – despite my strong online presence, and the information I give on my own website – some brand-new buyers might be hesitant to purchase from my website the first time they buy from me. As an online seller, the answer to this question is vital – it will influence my marketing and advertising efforts.
For example – am I better off advertising my Etsy shop rather than my own site to bring in new buyers? I already encourage return customers and those who connect with me online to purchase from my own website through my product packaging and blog links, because I feel they’d be happy to purchase directly from me as we’ve already established a relationship and a level of trust.
People are becoming more web-savvy, for sure, but there are still lots of folk who worry about shopping online, and I want to assuage those fears in my business.
I wonder if someone buying from me for the first time – especially if they find me via something like a Google search, rather than having connected with me first via this blog or social media – would be more likely to purchase from my Etsy shop, simply because there is more of a ‘safety net’ by purchasing that way.
For example, if you are unhappy with an Etsy purchase, you can appeal to Etsy admin, and open a case dispute. There is a third party mediating between the buyer and seller. Of course, if you purchase via Paypal, you do have a safety net also – you can dispute non-delivery and ask for a refund, for example.
On the other hand, if you purchase directly from someone’s website, you don’t have this safety net.
Does this cross your mind when you go to buy from a brand for the first time?
If you have a good experience, do you continue to buy from them via a venue, or would you be happy to buy from their own website?
What’s your approach to this issue? I’d love your perspective as both a buyer AND a seller.
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Image from Secret Safe Books.
hey jess what a GREAT question to pose! As someone who has always required people trust my own sites – Buy Hand is sort of in competition with etsy and madeit although I have a BnM store and I work very differently. And the Creative Business Co – well thats ALL about building recognition and trust with people – I tend to buy directly from peoples websites where I can. I find thats often where they keep their best work and as someone who used to use etsy and madeit I know the stress of trying to keep them up to date and the fees involved. I have been burnt once before – not purchasing handmade but buying graphic design assistance. I sent over $200 to someone and NEVER received any work. This didn’t change my habits I just put that down to a bad business expense, cut my loses (after six or seven months of emails) and moved on!
I have been buying handmade, and all sorts of things on line for a long time now and thats my only bad call, but I am very keen to hears others opinions!
As someone in the same position with a shop on their website, this really interesting. I think the one thing that really sets it apart is feedback. Etsy and Madeit feature an independent and simple feedback system which increases that level of trust. A standalone site hasn’t got that and while you could feature testimonials, it is never quite the same.
Hi Jess! Really great topic! Here are my thoughts: Back in the old days before Etsy, people DID buy from shops on peoples’ websites directly (or sometimes Ebay). But there were some bad experiences and shop owners could fairly easily cover up back feedback (the crafty community was a lot smaller back then though too, and word got around quickly–so if they took too long covering it up they were ruined pretty quickly). Then came consignment shops (I used to run one in 2005!) which added some validity and some security. Then came Etsy and since then, it’s what most people use. Now, I personally buy as directly from the seller as I can, knowing what a cut Etsy takes and how it eats into profits (like, all of my profits, which is partially my fault for pricing things too low, but darn Etsy fees are ridiculous when you sell postcards for $2), but if I were to stumble upon a website that was selling jewelry… I’d be pretty hesitant to buy it. On the OTHER hand, I’m pretty skeptical of high-end jewelry on Etsy. I mean, if you’re selling jewelry for $1,000+ can’t you get your own shop set up? At that point, it seems sketchy to NOT have your own professional shop on your own website.
But since your jewelry ranges from super-affordable to mid-range I’m not sure where I would fall. Of course, since I follow you and have “known” you for a while, I’d feel comfortable purchasing from you wherever, but thinking as someone who just stumbled on your site… I’m not really sure. I think I’d be more likely to buy something smaller the first time, and then be willing to spend more after seeing how that went. But if the item I wanted was one of your higher-priced pieces, I’d be a bit wary.
So, after all that rambling, my idea is this:
Promote your website shop, and take everything out of your Etsy shop (or just put it on vacation), but link to your Etsy feedback and offer the option to list things in your Etsy shop if someone would prefer to purchase from there. And then see what happens. If sales drop too much, you can always switch your Etsy shop back to being active. But you might have more luck than you think–especially if in your Etsy you explain why you’re making the move. People are pretty understanding!
Hope this helps at least a bit!
Hi Jess! I think as the other lovely ladies are saying, trust and security is the major concern you face buying from a standalone website. With etsy, madeit and ebay you can be comforted by the feedback system, whereas a standalone website doesn’t have that. This is one of my greatest concerns setting up a standalone website; will people trust me enough to purchase from me? I hope so! I think though people develop a trust with your brand (if they are not already aware of epheriell), can see the work you do through bespoke and the blog and can see you are not going to run off with their money and will purchase from your dot.com website instead of the marketplace. One of the positive things these days is PayPal and the ease in raising a claim if you don’t receive your purchase. If I’m feeling a bit wary about a site that I’m not really familiar with and it has the choice of credit card or PayPal, I’ll always pay with PayPal for that extra protection and I think that makes other people more trusting with standalone sites than what they used to be years ago… As Erin suggested, you can start removing your marketing links to the etsy store in favour of your website shop and if the sales don’t improve after a while, re-open the etsy store.
Great topic Jess!
As an online vintage seller I would ultimately love to only offer my pieces on my own website but the fact is Etsy and Ebay pull in a lot of customers through their searches. The feedback systems through these sites also generate a community of trust. When you’re a small seller I think you need this.
As a shopper, I usually buy through these sites too and tend to only buy direct when it’s brand I know.