Ok, getting this off of my chest: things change - let’s actually get back to human commerce again
@aa Yeah, every once in awhile I wonder if I should try selling on Etsy, and then I smack myself in the head.
@dwalbert At this point, unfortunately, I can't recommend it. It was good when it was good, but the bad is pretty darn bad. Focus elsewhere.
@aa Hey, Aaron! Have you checked out Shopify lately? They have some really great promotions going on, and it tends to let you integrate the way you want. Curious about your thoughts if you've already looked at it.
@aa "strengthen your ankles" is a brilliant phrase.
Everything I've heard about Etsy over the past few years has been increasingly bad. They're essentially aspiring to be like Amazon, in all of its shitty glory, and at this point I am actively working to treat it as a discovery tool and move all of my purchasing as directly to the real sellers as possible.
Great post btw. Have you considered using it, or at least parts of it, in your marketing?
@aa Etsy used to be a great place to go for hand-made crafts bought directly from craftspeople. These days it's turned into a dropship cesspool. I've heard similar horror stories from other crafters having their pages shut down capriciously, ignoring any impact to their business. Hang in there!
@jeremycherfas writing always offers a bit of steam off, plus helps me to process through things, especially next steps.
@sarcassem Yep, I actually run my main website through Shopify and send all of my invoices from there as-well. No complaints with Shopify whatsoever, highly recommend using it for e-commerce needs.
Personally I always feel slightly boxed in though, which is why my Strathmere products are all built out using Jekyll then hosted using Github Pages...love the freedom offered through just managing things via a code editor (Nova, in my case) and organized pushes up to 'main'.
Plus, doing things that way opened my mind up (back) to the simple thing of connecting with customers one-on-one via email (or phone, etc) to discuss all order details and then invoice for payment. Something about receiving orders "blind" from strangers who I haven't even had a chance to say 'hi' to has always just felt kind of off to me. I get the appeal, the making money while you sleep concept, but hasn't ever really sat right with me.
Anyways :-)
@SimonWoods That's the bourbon talking, just following the brain where it leads.
re using the post in marketing...I'm terrible at this part of things. How does one go about doing this?
@dvdlite Appreciated :-) this year has been an absolute roller coaster with Etsy. Building up other areas is critical for moving forward.
@aa Off the top of my head, I think a big part of indie sellers is the idea of honesty. This post is proof that you're not going to hide behind disingenuous language and pretend to be something you're not.
So, above anything else, keep a copy of it no matter what. Even if it doesn't sit at that URL forever, keep a hold of the copy.
For specific marketing, any time you spend explaining yourself could include the story here; this is part of the "why" it is that you eschew the likes of Etsy and take orders by email and any of the other "indie" signposts.
From a customer POV, if I see an advert anywhere (social media, podcasts... anything) I'm often aware that I am being sold to. The stuff that stands out is not cookie-cutter; instead it will show this kind of thing. So maybe if it's a post on Insta, it includes quotes from this, or for a video a narration of some of this... showing a link from this event to why you do things differently.
IDK this is rambling. I'll throw together some links with examples and send them to you in an email, if you want?
@aa I have been considering ditching my SquareSpace site next year, posting web pages and an email link, and sending invoices through SquareUp (which I already use for in-person sales). Same idea, I guess. I don't know how great an idea it is, but I sell so little online that it doesn't really have to be scalable.
@aa It may be the case that you have triggered a review by going over some turnover threshold and it may also be the payments platform behind Etsy payments rather than Etsy itself. Speaking from having had a similar type of experience on another platform. It’s rage inducing when it happens and the only answer is always to have a backup plan and the ability to walk away.
@SimonWoods got it, I'm with you. Any examples you have would be helpful, Aaron at amaiken dot com will do the trick.
I did record audio of the entry last night after drafting it, I do that sometimes as a part of my proof-read process and never do anything with the audio. Part of it naturally includes me going way off script and jabbering on about something related but not actually in the post itself :-) maybe there's a use for that somewhere.
I appreciate your insight!
@dwalbert The slower the better is always where I land with just about everything in life. It is more natural that way. Simple web pages with email forms, while way far away from what people are accustomed to these days, I think resonates with the one's that will be customers for life. It is a more authentic way to buy and sell, while still utilizing the global reach of the Internet.
I have the domain KeepingCommerceHuman.com and have been allowing my brain (in the background) to figure out how to use it. Lately I'm thinking it would be a nice place to list out websites of those of us in handcrafts and the like who offer a non-traditional e-commerce option for customers who would like a more human experience when buying. Curious what your thoughts would be on this idea.
@wfm You are right, those could be triggers. Rage inducing is accurate :-) Would have done wonders do have someone from Etsy reach out directly instead of everything being automated.