Giving Etsy Another Try...Grrr!!

I have had my Etsy shop AMDesignsbyAngela on vacation since February, when I decided that I would focus on developing sales through my ArtFire studio, also called AMDesignsbyAngela . The opportunity at ArtFire was economically attractive as well as feature attractive and my shop appears as an individual website. I feel like a big fish in a pond there as compared to Etsy where there is no doubt that you are shopping on highly populated marketplace...so populated that I feel like a brine shrimp in the ocean!

But alas, I haven't yet found the right combination of tools on ArtFire to generate sales...I am a great fan of ArtFire and its management...I believe that it will eventually be a very good venue for me...but I want sales...and I want them now! Not that it was or is easy to sell on Etsy, in 2 1/2 years there I had 6 sales...and I am not a fan of the management and philosphy on Etsy...but geez it is the biggest "handmade" marketplace online...what's a girl to do? The fees on Etsy can get out of hand...at first glance they look reasonable...but to get noticed you need to spend considerably more than most other venues.

So why am I even considering doing this...my Etsy shop is syndicated...which means my listings will get sent out to Google Shopping...as do my ArtFire and all Artfire Studio listings. Not all Etsy shops are syndicated and I'm thinking I may be able to pull in outside traffic and manage to keep my relisting fees to a minimum...and Etsy is recognized by consumers.

I still feel a little uncomfortable doing this...it doesn't excite me...I don't see any disadvantages to my other online presence by resuming selling on Etsy...but there is still a bit of reluctance. I just want to find out if I am spinning my wheels trying to sell online. I do just fine at shows and one on one sales, but I just can't get arrested on line. If I actually do start to pick up sales on Etsy then I will have to revisit my present marketing strategies...that's always a good thing.

So wish me luck...I can use it!