Why I Don’ Like Etsy

As someone who crochets, makes patterns and actually sells those items as well you’d think I’d have some sort of Etsy shop. Because there are a ton of crochet or knitting related Etsy shops out there and I want to tell you why I won’t ever use Etsy. 

The first thing is I hate paying for patterns and would never charge someone to use my pattern. I actually made an entire post about why I don’t sell or buy crochet patterns you check that out here on my blog. It mostly talks about how I believe in the community and not the money when it comes to patterns, though i understand I will never do it myself nor will I ever buy one. 

Another thing is the charges. Etsy has tons of different fees and percents that they get. If a pattern or item doesn’t sell you need to pay them? That’s insane. I know they are popular and it might seem like you will get more views and buys by going through a big company but I have heard many people that use Etsy for years say most of their traffic came from outside sources like Instagram or even TikTok. Etsy doesn’t bring you sales like you think it does. 

You don’t get the credit. You know how when people talk about products they say something like “oh I got this pin from edgy.” And not your shop? The same goes for lots of big company’s they people can sell through like Amazon, I know owning your own shop is hard but you are never going to get the recognition you deserve. It will always be “from Etsy” and even if you sell on your own they could say “oh it was from Instagram.” But Etsy is such a wide known shop for custom things that people will accept that answer but from Instagram or a blog? It’s simple to share an Instagram post and be like oh this is cute, people are more on social media than they are shopping. Though I am guilty of just looking through shopping sites, you’ll get more recognition else ware. Though yes you can still have an Etsy shop and an Instagram like I said before the fees are ridiculous for such a large and well-known company. The only positive that I have seen is being able to look at orders on a list and go through them without having to talk to people. I get it but I don’t think that’s worth having an Etsy, maybe I’ll lose customers but I think the loss of customers is counteracted by all the fees and dues I would have.

This is just my opinion and I do not judge people for having an Etsy, I understand. But I personally would never advise nor suggest someone use Etsy. To be fair you won't have to listen to me since I am not perfect nor am I "famous." I am just talking from a young creator with very little money. If you have a different expires or opinion I would love to hear it in the comments.