Amazon Handmade Sales Vrs Etsy Sales

[kmmcrafts]

Okay so I thought I'd start a new topic since my original topic is several months old and back when I was just trying to get my Amazon Handmade store set up... SO.... I'll start with sales since that seems to be what everyone had been asking in my first posting.. if I'm getting any sales yet..

Sales on Amazon compared to my Etsy shop is going to be like comparing apple to oranges.. simply because I only set up and have 35 items in my Amazon store.. The more item listings you have the better odds of having a person find something they like... so 35 items on Amazon vrs 383 + or - on etsy...  

Starting late Sept. .. I started getting about the same amount of sales on each site.. so it was 1-1..  early - Mid Oct.. it became more like 3-1..... 3 sales Amazon to 1 etsy.. the last couple weeks.. more like 5-1.. 5 Amazon orders to 1 etsy order.. so I suppose had I gotten all my listings up on Amazon.. I'd have more work to do than I'd want for no more inventory that I have on hand... I really didn't go all in on Amazon for a few reasons and a couple of odd situations with my income for this year and my Health insurance plan I have.. Really stupid how they have the ACA set up but at any rate.. that's a different topic and the long story short.. This year I'm not allowed to make much money.. so I haven't been pushing too hard to sell.. Will be a different story for next year though..

So in a nutshell... Amazon is kicking etsy's butt in sales... that said though... Real pain in the you know what to get to be a seller on the Handmade section as it's juried and you have to jump through hoops with fire rings LOL.. and also pain to be a seller on there.. Not bad for me.. but most of the hobby crafters leave after just a few months of selling on there... lots of rules / regulations.. but the big one for most sellers is their payout.. They pay every two weeks.. not a big deal right? well they add up the processing time you set for getting your items made and in the mail..and add 7 days after that before they pay for that item you sold.. so in other words I have a clock that has 10 days processing time for me to make it.. and then the shipping time 3 days ( priority mail ) so they take 10+3 and add 7 days.. then and only then you are eligible to get paid.. They initiate payments on Fridays.. if you are eligible to be paid on the Saturday right after the Friday payout.. you get to wait to the next payout two weeks later.. I had some of my clocks on a 14 day processing time.. some of my payments for those items actually was taking 6-8 weeks for me to receive the money... LOTS and LOTS of people complain about that one... I don't think it's a great place to sell for a hobbyist type crafter.. as they mean business and they want you to mean business to your customers too.. late mailing items get you pay docked down by a percentage for per day late.. etc etc.. So it's not a good place to sell unless you been selling online and sort of know the ins and outs of dealing with customers and shippers etc .. Oh and another thing.. customers have the ability to return any of your items for up to either 30 or 60 days no questions asked.. so many crafters don't like that either... issue is.. most don't realize it.. but anyone paying via PayPal has that same right in the PayPal Terms of Use for buyer protection etc.. But then.. most people don't really read those terms etc so nobody really knows that.. 

Anyway... just thought I'd update my experience with selling on there so far..since I've had people asking every now and then about it.. 

   

[meflick]

Thanks for sharing Kevin.  Though i don't sell, I always find it interesting to hear and read the different avenues to do so.  Maybe one day.  Do you think one reason you get more sells on Amazon's site is that Etsy is so overrun with sellers of everything and probably a lot more woodworkers to choose from on Etsy then Amazon?

[kmmcrafts]

45 minutes ago, meflick said:

Thanks for sharing Kevin.  Though i don't sell, I always find it interesting to hear and read the different avenues to do so.  Maybe one day.  Do you think one reason you get more sells on Amazon's site is that Etsy is so overrun with sellers of everything and probably a lot more woodworkers to choose from on Etsy then Amazon?

Certainly a possibility...also Etsy just doesn't have the foot / click traffic that Amazon does.. The handmade section of Amazon gets put into the search of the regular Amazon.. so if one searched for Dodge Dart.. my clock comes up in search results.. along with Dodge Dart parts and accessories so.. My stuff is being seen fairly well even though I just have a few items.. and it's being seen to a different group of people.. as people on etsy are shopping specifically for unique handmade items.. many people don't go looking specifically for handmade items.. But on Amazon someone looking for Dodge Dart accessories to get someone a gift see's my unique clock, ornament, or whatever and it might strike them as cool and unique.. Not saying people on Esty don't also think that way but it's just a different group ( huge group ) of shoppers that come into play on Amazon.. People like Amazon.. as they have their return policies and fast shipping etc etc... Now.. on the other side of the coin... many sellers do not like it.. because we have to do those returns and the return shipping cost comes from our pockets etc.. though I've never had any issue with this ( yet ) but.. at any rate.. Amazon is a big outfit.. there are some iffy sellers on Etsy that give out a bad experience to shoppers.. from crappy work to bad customer service... alot of people see it as etsy. but it's actually the etsy seller.. Amazon protects the buyer and the buyer is more comfortable with purchases on Amazon.. plus.. the Amazon Prime that everyone raves about... 

I personally do not like to Shop on Amazon and I look for the items on other sites.. But I am a different breed than the average shopper or seller LOL.. The whole Amazon Prime deal is not a good deal for many people.. but they get suckered into it because of the cheap / free fast shipping.. and a few member perks.. not saying it's a bad deal for everyone.. as long as they primarily shop there it might be worth it..  but one can find better deals and the same shipping deals on other sites if they look. without paying that monthly / yearly prime fee.. but they sucker people in by offering it free.. most forget to cancel that after that initial fee month.. LOL  I don't like tricky sales tactics to sucker people out of money.. I don't offer any prime deals through my sales for this reason..  Kinda like the car dealer that tells you how much a month... I know that.... but how much is the car.. many people pay way more for cars than they are worth.. I pay cash.. not partaking in paying the bank to allow me to borrow their money.. paying cash is much cheaper..  Plus the cash price for a car is cheaper than a loan price plus you don't pay interest.. It's so normal these days to finance a car that a lot of sales people don't even know what the price of the car is.. they have to go to a manager and even then.. sometimes they have to make a call to see what they can sell a car for cash price.. surprised they don't call in the feds thinking I'm some illegal freak        

[rjweb]

glad to see things are moving along with your amazon site, everybody knows amazon, but a lot of people don't know esty, so that in it self is a big help in my oponion, what is your link for your amazon site, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, rjweb said:

glad to see things are moving along with your amazon site, everybody knows amazon, but a lot of people don't know esty, so that in it self is a big help in my oponion, what is your link for your amazon site, RJ

Thanks RJ 

I don't know if this will take you to the site or not.. if not you can just go to Amazon and search KevsKrafts..  

https://www.amazon.com/handmade/KevsKrafts?ref=hnd_dp_smp_img_c

[rjweb]

Very nice, especially the clocks look like they would be good sellers, RJ 

[Rohn]

Very interesting topic.  I have just joined this site and am finding it very interesting.  As far as being a cash buyer you have my thumbs up for that. It is also the way I operate when buying cars or anything else.

Kevin, I checked out your Amazon site and must say that all those items are all very will done.  

I am a holster maker and sell almost all my holsters on eBay. I have considered Amazon but don't like jumping through all the "hoops with fire rings."

I have not yet bought a scroll saw but am planning  to buy one in the near future. I hope to expand into the scroll sawing craft.

[kmmcrafts]

17 hours ago, Rohn said:

Very interesting topic.  I have just joined this site and am finding it very interesting.  As far as being a cash buyer you have my thumbs up for that. It is also the way I operate when buying cars or anything else.

Kevin, I checked out your Amazon site and must say that all those items are all very will done.  

I am a holster maker and sell almost all my holsters on eBay. I have considered Amazon but don't like jumping through all the "hoops with fire rings."

I have not yet bought a scroll saw but am planning  to buy one in the near future. I hope to expand into the scroll sawing craft.

eBay use to be really good to me years ago.. and still is for doing retail - reseller type business's.. some handmade stuff too.. but not so much for crafts... Two of my brothers have retail business's and they do really well with eBay.. Biggest thing with online business's.. if you live off your income is to not put all your eggs into one selling site.. 

Food for thought.. if all you sell on is ebay and eBay has a data breach or whatever other thing..... many people leave eBay.. and your sales plummet. Those shoppers didn't leave the internet they just leave eBay.. You should always sell on at least two major sites.. and a good idea to have one of your own as well.. BTW.. most those shoppers eventually gravitate back to eBay but you might have a slow year.. I've been selling online for 20 years ( not crafts ).. and I'm looking to go back into the retail side of it again..  

Amazon hoops with fire.. yeah.. that fire seems hot but so far I never got burnt.. and once you learn the ins and outs of their method.. it makes you wonder why etsy and eBay don't follow those same procedures.. and it just make business sense but eBay and etsy have there own sense too..  now that I'm starting to understand how shoppers shop and their mind set.. Learning that stuff.. is the ticket.. and knowing what I know now.. Those hoops are really nothing..but good business sense.. and it keeps most of the wanna bee types that don't really know how to run business off the site and out of your competition... too many hobbyist on etsy that don't care about making money...  Doesn't mean its a bad site to sell on because as real business's folks put in the effort to stand out above those hobbyist.. but it's more work and not so much necessary on amazon.. Places like Etsy and eBay are needed  because many small business start-ups need a easy hobbyist type setting to learn the ropes of selling and there's a big market for that.. but it's getting flooded more and more with start-ups that never work to really succeed so it's leave a place of high competition..  Anybody can start selling on eBay and etsy.. but it takes a little work to become a member of Amazon to sell..      

[Sycamore67]

It is hard to think about all that you have to do to sell on Amazon or Etsy, or Ebay.  That is not only a lot of work but a lot of frustration.