Change is Good - but only sometimes....

Well - last week really was an eye-opener what with the *new* upgrades/rollout by Artfire, and all I can say is Good grief!!

Contrary to what a few have said - in the way of *ohhh stop your bitching!...did you expect to receive that locked in deal and still get the same services!?*

The answer to that is YES!....because when I - and many many others - signed up for that amazing deal, at the time we DID!! have all the bells and whistles that went with it!..

You know - silly things like - Branding of our stores!...having our own banners depicting our logos - which I'm sorry, kinda helps you being *seen and recognized*!  And let's face it - a company/business logo is the main criteria when having one....but not as far as Artfire is now concerned.

So those of us who cannot see the validity in paying an additional $40 or even the top end pricing of $60 and not knowing when certain aspects are going to be fully implemented - it meant finding yet another place in which to have an online presence..

And thankfully - there are a few out there..   Two of which I have now decided could be the way to go.

One is Indiemade.  It's not a *marketplace* - but rather an Independent presence....but it has so so much to offer, and - at a good price per month too.   There are 3 levels in which you can get in on..but - in doing so - you need to make sure whatever you end up paying - that the site is for you.  Upshot is - you don't pay listing fees.   So check it out - it is *user friendly* in setting up, but the need to be a bit *pc savy* to do it definitely wouldn't go astray..otherwise you'll be lost.

Here is mine..    

The other that I am also contemplating going with is Handmade Artist.com.  it's got a flat rate per mth fee - no listing fees - the ability to have *instant* downloads for digital products and is not only user friendly - but a markethub.  And let's face it - sometimes being part of a community can be very advantageous.  It seems that Etsy too has yet again changed it's appearance and what with their steep *commission* on sales - which may change at any time - isn't what I consider a *viable* way of trying to make a living. Especially when you consider the shift they did last year that saw *re-sellers* enter the site..   Not a good move Etsy!!...you sold us out!
In some ways - no matter what you choose - everything seems geared toward a fee of some description...listing fees - commission fees - and that's not taking into consideration the fees you get charged via PayPal for transaction.

So - at the end of the day - getting *more bang for your buck* is also vital....otherwise you could go out of business sooner than you think.  So what ever you do - do your homework when wanting to sell online...suss EVERYTHING!! out with a potential place you may want to sell on and do comparisons of what each has to offer.   And yep!...I might be repeating myself from my previous blog post - but hmm!!...sometimes being reminded of a few things as important as this is necessary so folk don't go getting stung or stuck.

After all - you need to be happy with what you have - and so do your customers.. ;)

As usual - Happy creating!!

.....and remember - Smile! it's FREE!!