They charged me almost $1000 out of $4500 in sales! I can’t do this, there needs to be an alternative to Etsy!
Etsy doesn’t take care of their sellers, I am hurting with fake sales that Etsy returns the money to the scammer but my products have already shipped and I never get those again #regretsy
Etsy is so oversaturated! Their customer service is terrible and they don’t care to lose sellers.
Do any of these sound familiar to you? These sentiments are written all over comments on social media videos of small business owners.
So many are trying to find an online place to sell their products that they’ve invested significant time and money into creating but most think that Etsy is their only option and they feel stuck.
The good news? You have options! As more sellers have grown weary of Etsy, and now even with the Etsy delays payments to sellers due to Silicon Valley Bank, you can join alternative e-commerce sites to help them market and provide customers with other ways of finding the perfect something.
It may take a little bit of time for those alternatives to grow, but with the help of sellers like you, listing the products often, there can be a better way to sell. Since Etsy has a monopoly on handmade products and apparently don’t care about their sellers, it takes you to believe in other markets and grow with them.
Check out the list of alternatives to Etsy for sellers and customers below!
Shoppelavida.com
Launched on February 1st, 2023, Shoppelavida.com offers customers a “one-stop” shop for buying from businesses committed to protecting the unborn and upholding Christian values. By hosting businesses directly, Pelavida is able to offer an incredibly accessible checkout process where all items are added to one cart; no need to visit multiple sites to find all the products you want to buy.
For those looking to sell on the platform, Pelavida offer an all inclusive transaction fee of 6% on all products over $60 and 8% on products $59.99 and under, with no math to calculate or monthly subscription fees to deal with. Lastly, the site offers a user manual for new businesses to help them set up their online shop, and 24/7 access directly to the founders for any and all questions. Icing on the cake? Pelavida donates 10% of its proceeds to crisis pregnancy centers and provides updates on recipients of their donations for transparency.
Jamiesjoy.com
Another fairly new entrant to the e-commerce industry, Jamie’s Joy has been online since 2022 and offers customers a similar check out process to Pelavida or Etsy. All of its brands are Christians and the site itself’s mission is “to foster an environment that empowers people to share God’s gifts by providing a Christian centered marketplace.”
The site also offers an all inclusive transaction fee of 20%, with brands retaining the remaining 80% for themselves. Uniquely, Jamie’s Joy donates 100% of their profits to Christian non-profits. Customers have the option upon checkout to select an approved Christian non-profit for their purchases to go to, but ultimately the site will determine which non-profit they will commit to. What is not clear is which non-profit has been supported or how much has been donated.
And that’s it for true alternatives to Etsy that abide by Christian morals and protect life, from what I have been able to find. The benefits to being hosted on a marketplace instead of your own website or directories, are significant, namely being easily accessible to customers. Studies have shown that the more clicks it takes for a customer to complete a purchase, the less likely they are to complete that purchase.
Other options to marketplaces
The other alternative to an online marketplace is a website like a directory where businesses have links to their site posted, usually for a fee. While lower maintenance, the concern becomes that customers will have to go through many steps to find the product they are looking for, and not all of a business’ offerings are shown at once. Some examples are as follows:
Sparrowsgrace.com
A completely Christian directory that provides access to a number of like-minded businesses. They also offer tips and meetings for their vendors to help grow financially and spiritually, as well as a blog where vendors are able to submit articles on a variety of topics. Sparrow’s Grace allows for vendor applicants who are charged a undisclosed monthly/annual fee and do not have a stated charitable cause outside of advancing Christian values, which is still terrific.
Mammothnation.com
Mammoth Nation is a subscription based directory that provides customers a discount to businesses linked to the website. They are staunch supporters of traditional American values and pride themselves on their patriotism. Additionally, they state that “Proceeds from membership dues, purchases from our partners, and Mammoth Nation merchandise will be allocated to support charities and conservative causes” but there is no insight to who they have donated to. Regardless, they are clearly proud Americans and link only American brands from a broad spectrum of products. It is not clear what the fee for being posted on their website is, nor the subscription fee for customers.
As the parallel economy continues to develop, more options will hopeful sprout up and make it easier for conservative businesses to be found online. The days of being forced to support immoral big businesses demands and the woke profiteers are numbered.