For some who read this post, they understand the nightmare all too well that Etsy has been dragging them through since May 2023. The small sellers and most of the general public have no idea what is happening.

The program is called Payment Reserves.  Originally designed for new sellers only, it started in late 2021 and retains seventy-five percent of any sale. For a short period of time, this is understandable for people who have no track record. When Etsy turned this program on their long-established sellers, they discovered a cash cow no one could have imagined.

Sellers are first told their funds will be released in 45 days, but possibly sooner as long as they can provide tracking for the packages they are sending. From stories I’ve read, this seems to be hit-and-miss. Numerous sellers caught in this nightmare are also being told they may have to wait 90 to 180 days. Many are starting to realize financial ruin they never could have dreamed about before Etsy turned a blind eye to the people they need most their sellers.

Having been in online marketing and sales for the last 12 years, I have always been surprised by how many people have put all of their eggs in one basket. For many that basket has been Etsy. Now people are asking, “Where do we go?”

The suggestions have been endless, from Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, GoDaddy Website Builder, and more start-up marketplaces that I ever knew existed. While I realize leaving the comfort of what you know is scary, finding a solution that will last the remainder of your business is now more important than ever. You don’t want to jump from the frying pan to the fire.

What is wrong with Shopify, Squarespace, etc.?

As long as you are sitting on a company’s platform you don’t own your website. They change the rules and change their pricing structure to something you no longer wish to participate in what are you going to do? You have two choices, accept the changes or start over on another platform.

These platforms are also not cheap, fees run from $26.00 per month to $49.00 per month.  Further many of the all-in-one websites take a percentage of your sales. Isn’t that what Etsy is doing now?

What should we turn to?

I recommend WordPress with WooCommerce for your e-commerce website. Compared to the programs above an entry-level hosting account can run as low as $6.99 per month. And they have nothing to do with your sales.

As of May 2023, 6.5 million e-commerce websites are powered by WooCommerce compared with 4.5 for Shopify. With WooCommerce your design possibilities are endless. With Shopify or any of the others, unless you are a coder you make do with what they offer. Yes, you can change the fonts, colors, and images, but moving things around becomes another ballgame.

As your business grows and you want something more custom, what do you do? While you may be able to export a CSV file, it will still take hours or days or you will have to pay someone to get a new website up and running.

Yes, it can seem scary.

I realize not everyone is comfortable in front of a computer, and with Etsy, once you get the hang of it, you can probably do most of it in your sleep. The same can happen with your own website, plus you have the pride of knowing you created it and it’s your store and only your store. No one will ever put your money in Payment Reserves again.

For those who are worried about bringing business to your website, there is no denying Etsy provides a great stream of traffic. But what is that traffic costing you? How much do you pay for each sale that comes from Etsy offsite advertising?

One way to keep your traffic is to add the AWeber app to your Etsy account to get your past customer’s email address. AWeber has a free account for up to 500 names. The cost for an unlimited email address account is $14.99 per month.

Another is to take the money you are paying Etsy and buy your own social media ads.

You don’t have to close your Etsy store, start funneling traffic to your website as soon as it is finished.

Where do I get started?

I am offering a soup-to-nuts course that will get you completely set up in WordPress, Divi (Elegant Themes page builder), and WooCommerce. You will also receive a WordPress Child Theme, which as you are working through the course you can use to build out your new store. Or just switch out the images, colors, and products. In the end, this will save you hours of time in getting your own store up and running. Also, you will have a great feeling of accomplishment.

The early bird price is $79.99 until March 15, 2024, at which time the price goes to $99.99. The course starts on March 25, 2024. Those who joined with the early bird price will get access on March 22, 2024.