Norma L.

Etsy can be a very profitable site to sell on but beware as there are some serious pitfalls.

I would advise any seller to have a fall back plan as Etsy can be very unforgiving if you break one of their rules. They are very arbitrary in applying them as they will let off some shops (eg for reselling) but penalize others for just one non vintage item which mistakenly creeps in.

If you search Google you will see that Etsy has a very bad reputation for this.

Another negative is that their forums are run in a very unprofessional way by semi literate "hipsters" who can often misunderstand words and phrases used in other cultures. Then the writer gets banned from the forums for a period, or even premanently for the kinds of petty infringements which would not even be infringements on other forums. Moreover this means you cannot even post in the "bugs" section or on the Etsy blog - both of which can be a real disadvantage in running your business.

All these online sites have their petty spineless snitches but snitching is a fine art on Etsy. These creatures are given to much power and credence and often operate in groups to take down shops of sellers who are competitors. In some ways its like a cross between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

Having said all this its possible to make good money on Etsy if you have a unique product on which you can make a good margin. Just dont get involved in the politics of the site.

The ratings I have given below are for Etsy as a site, since it is a platform for independent sellers.

Amazon is a site which sells not only its own goods but those of other sellers.

I like its buyer protection program and its emphasiz on fast shipping. For example I ordered some batteries for my camera one morning and they arrived in next days post!