Etsy is an online marketplace dedicated to handcrafted items made by artisans. With an easy signup process and support for using Facebook as login credentials, Etsy makes shopping for unique artisan items easy and accessible.
Amazon and Etsy both provide convenient customer support services for their sellers. Both offer guides and FAQs, but sometimes sellers need direct assistance.
Costs
Etsy is an eco-friendly, community-driven e-commerce platform offering products from more than 7.5 million sellers. Committed to reducing greenhouse emissions while supporting gender-neutral, race-inclusive, and LGBTQ-inclusive workplaces, Etsy also offers several tools designed to assist its users in growing their businesses.
However, eBay also comes with some costs that can add up quickly. Most notable is their listing fee per item listed; this can become costly for small sellers who sell multiple categories at once as the fees accumulate quickly.
Etsy charges not only transaction and listing fees but also a 5% transaction fee and 3%+ $0.25 credit card processing fee, storage, labeling, and shipping fees to its sellers It also restricts them to selling in 14 categories, limiting their sales potential and scalability.
Customer loyalty
Customer loyalty is one of the cornerstones of e-commerce success. Customers who return regularly are more likely to purchase from that seller, increasing sales and profits. To foster customer retention, sellers should offer seamless transactions from start to finish – such as offering free shipping or discount codes or advertising the store on social media.
Etsy product promotions that increase visibility and encourage repeat purchases will help boost sales by creating special offers or discounts that drive up visibility, drive repeat purchases, attract new buyers, improve search engine ranking, and establish brand credibility.
Etsy sellers can include promotional material in confirmation email messages and product descriptions, while Amazon discourages such practices, as these could divert customers away from its platform. Amazon also forbids hyperlinks and URLs in seller-generated confirmation emails; unlike this platform, Etsy releases funds upon successful sales, which is ideal for businesses dealing with cash flow issues.
Customization
ExportYourStore can help Etsy sellers expand to Amazon through an easy process, providing inventory management from one central point. Plus, this service gives sellers access to Amazon seller communities to connect and collaborate.
Etsy and Amazon Handmade allow users to personalize their stores in various ways. Etsy features several themes, allows you to add a custom logo and description, customize shop announcements and alter photos; buyers can request personalization directly via Etsy messages – you’ll see this activity in your Custom Requests folder.
Both platforms provide customer support options, but neither offer dedicated phone lines for sellers. Instead, they encourage using knowledge guides and FAQs to find answers to any inquiries.
Live chat
Etsy recently unveiled live chat to improve customer service for sellers on its platform, including those with one or more sales without violating policy violations. Unfortunately, some sellers complained about being unable to access live chat when necessary or find answers to their questions quickly enough.
Etsy is a more niche marketplace, accessible only to sellers of handmade or vintage goods. However, unlike Amazon Handmade, it provides broader product categories and does not need an approval process for products.
Etsy may be an invaluable marketing channel, but it has certain drawbacks. Opening a shop on Etsy can be more complex than on Amazon, and fees may change at any time, which may cause unease among sellers. Amazon, on the other hand, has more streamlined processes and better customer service available for sellers.