Before trying Indiemade, I had a shop on Etsy, but wanted to wean off Etsy. So I transferred all my Blogger content to a Wordpress.org site using my own URL. The WP site requires hosting, which was a reasonable yearly fee for my own website. I liked the flexibility, and my friend did the technical stuff I didn't know how to do. However, I was never happy with the shop portion of the site. And when we tried to update it to Woo Commerce so I could have more bells and whistles, all hell broke loose. It was too complex and looked terrible. I wanted to simplify.
Because I don't have a huge Etsy following, and because I am so irritated at the changes they are making to promote mega mass producers and making more money for Etsy (that could be its own blog post), I've decided I will not draw any more traffic to Etsy by having an active shop there.
While I like using Soldsie (see my review of Soldsie here), it doesn't have the same presence as a website. It feels....temporary for lack of a better word.
After some digging, I decided to give Indiemade a try (free one month trial!). Here is a list of pros and cons off the top of my head and is not meant to be comprehensive.
Pros:
*Shops are clean and professional looking.
Here's a screen shot of my Indiemade site:
It looks like a simple, clean and very professional website.
Here's my Etsy shop (it's very empty and only had one product in it for demo purposes to be explained later):
*Indiemade is very easy to use. No html knowledge? No problem. Changing the entire look of your site is as easy as a click.
*Customize to your heart's desire.
*Tech support is outstanding. They respond quickly and are tenacious in figuring out issues you might be having.
*Your site can have more than one page. You can have between 2 and 15 extra pages depending on which plan you sign up for.
*Everything is integrated onto your site. Including a blog. In fact, I moved several years worth of my blog content over to my Indiemade site.
*Free 1 month trial to try set up shop, see if you like it. Just make sure to cancel before the last day if you don't like it or don't want to be charged for it.
*You pay a flat monthly rate. There are no fees outside of the monthly rate and the regular Paypal fees.
*You can choose a plan based on your needs. Prices range between $4.95 and $19.95
*Use a custom domain name (except in the basic plan).
*You can list items in more than one category. (I love this feature!)
*Customers do not have to sign up for an account to purchase.
*Integrate your listings with Etsy if you want. Listings on both sites will sell out if someone buys the item. Listings you do on Indiemade will automatically generate a draft listing on Etsy (if you set it up to do that). Then you simply publish the listings you want to publish on Etsy.
*Your site isn't a storefront in a marketplace. You aren't drawing traffic to your competitors or earning money for the marketplace (ahem...Etsy). Remember the listing on Etsy in the screenshot above? Look what happens if I deactivate the item and someone clicks the link:
While all these options are lovely, Etsy is totally sending my customer to competitors. Not cool.
*SEO, stats, etc. All the stuff that helps you get seen and lets you know if you're getting seen.
*You can sell downloadable digital products.
Cons:
*There are only a few themes to choose from.
*Unlike Etsy, you cannot print shipping labels from Indiemade. Rather, you need to do it through Paypal.
*Paypal is the only payment option (customers can check out without a Paypal account)
*There is no Convo tool to easily message customers. They have to be emailed.
*You are in charge of getting people to your website. They will not accidentally stumble on it through a marketplace setting like Etsy.
If you're thinking about trying it, look at other artist websites using Indiemade:
Karen Totten:
Have a great week!
-Jen Cameron
Glass Addictions
Wow, Jen, this is the most comprehensive insider comparison I've read. Congrats on your shop decision, and thanks for sharing :) Though I'm far from selling online at this stage, I love reading how you pros are handling the creepy marketing changes taking place. Better than a suspense novel LOL.
ReplyDeleteIt kind of is like a suspense novel. The changes they are making are the polar opposite of what Etsy was about in the beginning. And that's sad.
DeleteI too am looking for a new place outside of Etsy; I started up shop last year and within a month noticed a decline in Etsy. Since then I've let my shop die and haven't yet really found an alternative place that I feel is the one. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteNo problem! I hope this helps you make a more informed decision in your search. There are so many options...some better than others. It just depends on your needs and wants in a website.
DeleteAs someone who is just beginning to look at setting up an ecommerce site, your post could not be more timely! I was not even aware of Indiemade, but am clicking over right now to check it out!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your search! I hope you find something that works for you!
DeleteGreat summary Jen! I too have been looking at options. I used to work on search engine optimization, meaning getting your site found and ranked higher on google and such. In my opinion, Indiemade is one of the better sites for doing this, along with zibbet.com, altho I think the z site has an 'overwhelming' quality to it. One of the things that I find is that any site will be easier to optimize and be found when like Karen's, you use your own name and the name of the shop on the landing page of the shop, even more advantage if the blog feature is activated and used...as it gives multiple ways to optimize with a 'link'. Since new banking regulations are about to be rolled out, you may find some other ways to be able to process orders soon. If you use software like Quickbooks for tracking inventory and managing your accounts, then they also have a system for managing sales and other options directly through your accounting system. Personally, I would like to have a processing application in my smartphone for more than just paypal which would be great for shows...and that is possible by buying your own website domain name(s) and creating your own site or integrating that into something like the management system at Vistaprint that has ways to integrate email, marketing, and even FB. I think many of the changes that we would all find beneficial will integrate later this year...and the Wow! factor will be awesome. Thanks for a great blog article...love following all the talented women who are rockin' the world!
ReplyDeleteThanks! And thanks for your insights.
DeleteI have been really struggling as to what to do with my Etsy Store for the same reasons you stated. Thanks for the information on Indiemade. I was advised by my son not to do an e-commerce site if I have to host it myself. I will be checking into this further!! Deb
ReplyDeleteNo problem. Hope the information helps you. Indiemade is super easy to use.
DeleteI have my own store through Shopify and I love it! Works great for me
ReplyDeleteI've never looked at Shopify. I am curious to see how it looks and will check that out today
DeleteI've thought about selling on Etsy, but there are more reasons NOT to than to do it! I've used WYSIWYG website builder and have Host Gator to host my domain... but I've been looking for something different. Something easier. I was very interested in Shopify, but it's more pricey. I have a lot of items to sell and that raised the price. I'm now researching Indiemade.
DeleteGreat write-up! As an early adopter I am hoping Indiemade works out for my shop - so far it is looking good!
ReplyDeleteAs someone determined to open an online presence this year, I deeply appreciate your write up! I think this may become the preferred site for many designers.
ReplyDeleteJust do it, Shirley! You can do it! And you can spend a month learning it for free.
DeleteGreat article! I'm thinking of bailing on etsy too. Every year it gets harder and harder, they keep making changes that benefits them and not us, and as a shopper I almost have a melt down every time I search for something. They still get the most traffic, so I don't think I would totally shut down my shop, but pretty darn close. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI hope you find something that works for you (and not against you!). Like I said, I neglected Etsy, so my traffic is pretty much non existent. It wasn't a big deal for me to change. But I can totally understand reluctance for those who do have a large following.
DeleteThis was really interesting and it sure is tempting. I hope you will do a follow-up after 6 months or so and tell us about your traffic and sales, compared to what it was on Etsy.
ReplyDeleteI will do that. Great idea!
DeleteHi just wondering now that's its been just over a year what your experience with indiemade been like. Thanks
DeleteHi, I am debating between weebly and Indiemade. Any thoughts on Weebly. I am interested in a blog but not necassarily having to do with my products. Kind of a separate thing. I have noticed on Indiemade the blogs in a sense speak about the product, which makes complete sense but I want to do something alittle different. Also I am interested in using good adsense, do you know anything about that? from what I have read Weebly takes 50 percent of any revenues made using adsense. Any suggestions would be helpful. KInda in the crazy boat haha =) thank you
ReplyDeletehow do you make a banner....great article I am trying to make the change too...i stummbled apon indie and have a friend to help with the techy stuff.....I hope your business is thrivint
ReplyDeleteI'm in a similar place, I have an Etsy shop that's doing fairly well, but I'm just getting fed up with their terrible customer service, and the fact that shoppers think I'm "an employee of Etsy" rather than my own independent shop. Thanks for your great article about Indiemade, they are on the top of my short list for web hosting
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I just started setting up my Indie page. I also have ETSY and FB shops, however want to branch out and the price is fair. I am going to share your blog with others as well, who need a fresh place to sell. Thank You!!!
ReplyDelete