Have you ever made a purchase on Etsy? Etsy is an awesome platform for people to get their products out there to their customers. And let’s be real, you can find some really cool stuff there!
You know where else you can get some really cool stuff? A website. 😉
While I absolutely love Etsy and will continue to shop there, it’s important as small business owners to not keep all our “eggs” in one basket. Meaning, you have products available for purchase on platforms other than on just one platform like Etsy.
You don’t own the Etsy platform and you not only have to adhere to their rules, but you have to deal with their fees, work through their own algorithms and you could even face a store shut down if enough negative comments take place (even if they’re out of your control). Ugh!
I recently heard a story about a business owner that had her business on Etsy. She was successful and had built an amazing business. Then 2020 hit, shipping products ended up being delayed, customers complained about the delay and then Etsy shut down her store. Heart breaking!
So, if you’re only doing business on Etsy, may I encourage you to get a website set up ASAP. You can use a simple website platform like Shopify or Squarespace. It’s cost-effective and fairly user friendly – there’s always a learning curve when you’re doing something different. 😉 Not to mention, you can also connect the products on your website to your Facebook and Instagram stores too. Then you’ll have more options to get your products in front of more people and you’ll have more control.
How can you “diversify” selling your products so you can have more control?