The ONE Reason I Don’t Sell On Etsy

Have you ever wondered why some people choose not to sell on Etsy? It’s a popular platform for crafters and small business owners, but there are valid reasons for steering clear of it. One of the primary reasons I don’t sell on Etsy is the high fees associated with the platform. While Etsy does provide a convenient and established marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, the cost of doing business on the site can often be prohibitive for small sellers. In this blog, we’ll explore the one reason that keeps me from selling on Etsy and offer alternative solutions for those looking to start their own small business.

The ONE Reason I Don’t Sell On Etsy

Hey guys, what is going on? This is going to be a bit of a rant because I just have I really, really need to run and basically the question is why do I not sell on Etsy? Because I’m on print on demand and obviously loads of people who do print-on-demand sell on Etsy so why does income stream serve for why does Hayes not sell on Etsy?

The Problem with Customers

It’s currently I sell on TeePublic and Redbubble. In the past, I’ve opened Society6 accounts, Threadless accounts, etc. These are different things, they’re completely different things, okay, you have to understand this. Also, Amazon but not merged by Amazon would be here, eBay would be here, etc. They’re just completely different things, okay, and personally for making money online in the simplest way possible, I like to sell on these print on demand, specifically print on demand marketplaces okay.

And there is one reason for that and you pause the video and see if you can tell me what that reason is. Okay, the reason is customers. The beautiful thing about Redbubble and TeePublic, etc., is you don’t have to deal with customers. Honestly, if you’ve never dealt with customers in e-commerce, let me make this clear at the beginning of actually of this video. I actually really, really like people and I love dealing with customers on the phone and I love dealing with customers in person, but e-commerce has a really fundamental problem to it which is delivery and packages. A lot of packages go missing. Okay, there’s probably billions of items sent every month, I don’t know how many deliveries there are every month around the world, there must be billions and billions and billions, so it’s just obvious that some will go missing.

The Nightmare of Dealing with Returns

But a really, really large percentage of them go missing, and you can Google the statistics. I saw an article in The Guardian the other day that was talking about how in Britain they’re going to start to give more protection to customers and give more liability to companies like FedEx and UPS. I think this is a really good step in the right direction because, at the moment, those companies don’t really take responsibility if something goes wrong, it’s on you. This is the problem. It’s on you if you sell here, but if you sell on Redbubble, TeePublic, etc., it’s not on you, it’s on these companies. These companies have to pay for replacements, these companies have to accept returns, give refunds, etc. That might affect you if you lose one sale, but you’re probably not even going to notice it.

Etsy and eBay, and Amazon not merged by Amazon, Merch by Amazon is here, but selling fulfillment by Amazon, whatever it might be, you have to deal with customers and there’s huge problems with that. Clothing, for example, people order the wrong sizes all the time. Okay, and then they return it and then you have to deal with that. If you are doing print on demand on Etsy and you send someone a t-shirt and they have just ordered the wrong size, you then have to accept this return and send them a new one. Do you understand what that means? That means you’re going to lose money.

That’s the first thing, the returns can be a nightmare, but then the other thing is you have to deal with customers, and there are so many Karens in the world and if things aren’t exactly the way that they pictured in their head before they ordered it, they technically have the right to just return it. And if a package is lost, delivery companies like FedEx, etc., don’t cover the entire cost. Normally, they cover about one-fifth of the cost, so who do you think has to cover the other four-fifths and send another one or refund the customer? It’s you, you are responsible for that.

Cash Flow Issues

Another problem that people don’t really think about is cash flow. So, if you have 50 orders and Etsy doesn’t pay you until the end of the month, you then have to pay out of your pocket for all of these orders and then you get paid by Etsy. There are ways around this, so I’m just saying if you’re going to set up an Etsy, be extremely careful with how you move around your money. You can use something maybe like PayPal credit or some kind of overdraft. But you also have to take into account the returns. Customers are very fickle and, honestly, they will order something and then five minutes later they’ll decide that they don’t want it anymore and they will ask for a refund.

Another thing I have to talk about is just because you have something written in your terms of service, that doesn’t mean anything. If what you have written in your terms of service is contrary to the law of a specific country, it is your legal right to return something within 14 days of opening the product if you have made the purchase online. And Etsy will side with the customer 99.99% of the time because who’s going to be more of a problem, the seller or the customer?

So, for me, the one reason I don’t sell on Etsy is because of the nightmare of dealing with customers and the potential financial losses and complications that come with it.

FAQ: The ONE Reason I Don’t Sell On Etsy

1. Why don’t you sell on Etsy?

   There are a variety of reasons why someone might choose not to sell on Etsy, but for me, the main reason is that they charge a listing fee for each item, plus a percentage of each sale. This can eat into profits and make it difficult to compete with other sellers.

2. Are there alternative platforms for selling my products?

   Yes, there are many alternative platforms for selling products, such as Amazon Handmade, eBay, and even setting up your own e-commerce website. Each has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to do thorough research before deciding on a platform.

3. Can I still reach a large audience without selling on Etsy?

   Absolutely! With the right marketing and promotion, you can reach a large audience without relying on Etsy. Utilizing social media, blogging, and other online platforms can help you build a strong customer base.

I hope you find useful my article The ONE Reason I Don’t Sell On Etsy, I also recommend you to read my other posts in my blog.

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