Running a small creative business can be fun. I get to “play” with paints and colours, I get to create all sorts of funny, cute and silly things. It doesn’t always seem like work.
It can be rewarding – the feedback I get from people who receive their gifts and cards really is heart warming.
But running a business can also be hard.
As an online only small business, it’s hard to be seen amongst the “noise” of social media feeds. So, you do as much as you can. I focus on updating instagram and facebook and I do have a presence on Twitter. I have thought about Pinterest and Tik Tok – but honestly, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
Then there is where to sell. There are a few platforms people can choose. For me, when I was starting out it was Etsy and I still have that shop (for now, I am getting to that).
It’s been a great platform, linking with my social media pages, helping me manage payments, get my products out there, on a platform where people can buy direct and (I hope) that they can trust.
But, if you choose a third party platform like that, then, just like social media, you are at the mercy of that platform. You have to operate under their rules, and, of course, pay them fees – I mean, they don’t do this for nothing, which is fair enough! They can also shut things down without warning (which seems to be happening to a lot of people lately). That’s why I added the shop to my own website – so that I could have a little more control over my business.
More recently though, the issue for me has been the fees. Etsy fees have been increasing. There are also more rules. There are some great additional features, that could benefit some businesses – but of course, you need to pay for those.
This week – I was truly shocked by something. It really hit home to me that I need to think about my place in the market. I sold a printed card. I was delighted! (Every sale is so appreciated). That card sold for £3.95, as all my printed cards do.
After fees – I received £1.24 for that card.
£1.24.
And I still had to spend 95p to post it.
So, in reality I am losing money on that card. (I do have to pay to have them printed). And it’s not just the cards. The fees apply to every product.
This means I have a decision to make. Do I increase prices on Etsy or close down the shop and focus soley on my own website? (Of course, people can message me via insta and Facebook and buy direct from me).
It is a difficult decision – on the one hand, Etsy has a large audience – and does make it easier for me to send things overseas as they sort out taxes (which are a minefield!). On the other hand I literally cannot afford to keep going with the current pricing structure, but also need to keep my prices reasonable.
To help me think – I have placed the Etsy shop on vacation mode, so it is temporarily closed. It’s one less thing to update for now.
In the meantime, I would love your views? Especially if you have purchased from my Etsy shop and/or are overseas. For overseas customers, closing Etsy means I would quote you for postage – but that would not include the taxes, which you would pay those when they are delivered.
Thank you for making it to the end of this – and for supporting The Little Welsh Studio!
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