I think Etsy can be a great place to start or a great companion to your independent shop. I've had an Etsy shop since 2009. It was the first place I sold online and for many years, it was quite lucrative for me. The power of Etsy is it's network/search engine. If you've got things set up right, Etsy brings eyeballs to yours listings without doing any outside marketing. Though I don't put much time into it anymore, I still keep my top selling items listed on Etsy even though I've had my own Squarespace shop for 15 years or so.
I don’t have physical products I want to sell like you do, but this all makes sense to me. I try to turn the term “costs” into “investments” and that helps me have a different mindset around what I do after I’ve paid the piper. Because if I’m investing in my shop, it’s the cost of doing business.
I have ALWAYS maintained a Personal and Company website, just in case.
Too many times things are rolling along and some bottom feeder hedge fund Dirtbag will "Have a brilliant idea to increase profits" and...
Just like that everything you have built is gone.
I am taking a wait and see and also restructuring to do more European work (I already work for a UK Publisher).
I think Etsy can be a great place to start or a great companion to your independent shop. I've had an Etsy shop since 2009. It was the first place I sold online and for many years, it was quite lucrative for me. The power of Etsy is it's network/search engine. If you've got things set up right, Etsy brings eyeballs to yours listings without doing any outside marketing. Though I don't put much time into it anymore, I still keep my top selling items listed on Etsy even though I've had my own Squarespace shop for 15 years or so.
I don’t have physical products I want to sell like you do, but this all makes sense to me. I try to turn the term “costs” into “investments” and that helps me have a different mindset around what I do after I’ve paid the piper. Because if I’m investing in my shop, it’s the cost of doing business.