Thoughts on Etsy

A friend contacted me earlier this week. She was trying to follow a link that I had sent to her for an item she would like in an Etsy shop. She was flustered. Etsy was a foreign concept to her and, try as I may to explain it, she just couldn't understand how it works. All she knew was that she wanted to order the necklace. And if she couldn't figure out how to do so, sooner than later, she'd pass on the purchase altogether.

Yikes. Food for thought.

I guess it never dawned on me that I could be losing potential customers because I'm vending through Etsy alone. Some people don't have the time or interest in learning the ins and outs of it. They just want to make a purchase as fast and easily as possible. No account to setup. No feedback to leave.

I visit the blogs of a few artists who very simply put their creations up for grabs on their blog. If anyone is interested, all it takes is an e-mail to work out the transaction. After all of these years, I had forgotten that it can be that simple. I'm yearning to return to that ease. I simply want to create what I love and put it out into the world for whomever feels attracted to it. I don't want there to be any obstacles between that person and their piece.

I know that some of you are enjoying great success on Etsy. I'm a huge supporter of the handmade movement and I know that I'm not alone in purchasing regularly from Etsy vendors. But I would really appreciate some feedback from those of you who have opted to pass on a purchase through my shop or others because the process felt too complicated. If you've tried an Etsy shop and decided to return to vending via your personal website, I'd love to hear from you, too. If there's anything else that you would like to share on the subject, please let me know here or via e-mail. Thanks in advance for sharing!