Small Biz Success Tips – Since 2012
If you sell handmade products, an online marketplace you will want to check out is Goodee. They are extremely eco-conscious with a motto of “good design, good people, and good impact”.
HOT TIP: If you sell handmade goods, send out your publicity pitches now for National Handmade Day on April 2nd.
© 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. New Place to Sell Online: Goodee
Shopify vs Etsy.
A lot of people wanting to sell online are not sure whether they should open a Shopify store, an Etsy store or both. The truth is, they are very different setups. Below is my advice, mainly from a marketing point of view.
Etsy is a marketplace where you can quickly and easily set up a store. Think of Etsy like a shopping mall and you are one of the stores in the mall. Most shopping malls actively promote themselves and bring in customers, who might stumble upon your store. Therefore, they do some of the marketing for you.
There is no monthly fee. You pay a 5% sales commission as well as some other costs, such as re-listing fees, payment processing fees and Etsy ads (offsite ads are mandatory, onsite ads are optional). Your customers pay Etsy, and Etsy pays you. You can sell your handmade products, or products you designed but are produced by a third party. You cannot resell items unless they are vintage.
Shopify helps you build and maintain an online store. Picture yourself physically building a store on a street (where Shopify is your contractor) and nothing else is around it. If you set up a Shopify store, you are operating independently. Shopify is not providing a front end marketplace of shoppers who might find your store. You have to promote it yourself and bring your own traffic, and this can be challenging.
On the most basic plan, you will be charged a monthly fee of $29US, as well as other costs such as payment processing fees when you make a sale. Your customers pay you directly and Shopify bills you your monthly charges. You can sell any type of product or service, including drop shipping and wholesale products.
Now, there is a BRAND NEW benefit to opening a Shopify store. Google just announced a partnership with Shopify, whereby a Shopify seller can now publish all of their store’s inventory into Google Shopping for free, plus they have simplified the process. Publishing your products to Google Shopping can be quite cumbersome and requires a lot of bandwidth. However, Google is now removing these issues so a Shopify store can publish everything with just one click, and, again, for free.
Keep in mind, “free” means your products will show up in Google Shopping, but several pages in, and you won’t be charged. If you want your products to show up on the first page of search results, or in targeted local searches, then you have to pay to boost them.
In the past, I didn’t often recommend Shopify to my smaller clients just starting out, because you have to sink a lot more time and money into marketing and promoting your store. However, this significant change to Google Shopping could make a difference in your Shopify store getting found by shoppers.
As for Etsy, I still think it is a good deal in that it is cost-effective, the setup is fast, and, with a bit of work, you can have a fairly successful shop right out of the gate. If you can manage to have a Shopify store and a Etsy store, I do recommend having both. Quite simply, the more places you sell, the better. Here are some more online selling sites.
© 2021 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Shopify vs Etsy.
I have found three new niche marketplaces to sell online.
There are always new online marketplaces cropping up and they tend to be getting more niche, mainly become the e-commerce space is getting so large.
For example, Kaiyo is the latest online marketplace where you can sell vintage furniture and home décor.
If you’re a Latina small business, you can apply to sell on the exclusive Latina marketplace SLX,
If you are a black-owned business, the Bold XChange is a marketplace strictly for these types of businesses.
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!
My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride – just to name a few.x
© 2020 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 3 Niche Marketplaces to Sell Online
Want to know about 3 Hot Niche Marketplaces for Indie Sellers?
These are great if you are looking for some new places to sell your products online, besides the traditional, well-known marketplaces.
You are going to see the online marketplace start to change, with more niche players emerging to help really zero in on certain target markets and demographics, and make the shopping experience faster and easier.
Below is a list of some niche-specific marketplaces that are looking for products from indie sellers.
Asos is a large UK fashion online retailer, but they also have a marketplace where independent and vintage fashion sellers from all over the world can set up a shop and get in front of Asos’ customers.
Minted is a very successful online invitation retailer, but they are also constantly searching for new graphic designers to sell their stationary and art prints in their online shop. They run a number of design challenges throughout the year and sell the winning entries in their online shop.
ZuLily has been a hugely successful “flash” sales site and they love indie sellers. While the initial focus was kids and baby clothing and products, they are now showcasing home and men’s and women’s fashion as well.
It might be worthwhile to add one of these marketplaces (if applicable) to your current online selling experience. If you can handle the additional administrative tasks that come with selling with more than one site, it is worth it to widen your distribution.
A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.
© 2014-2020 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Niche Marketplaces for Indie Sellers.
I'm Gail Oliver and since 2012 I have advised thousands of small businesses and I can help yours too! Feel free to email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com with a question!
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