Any artists out there?

[Snarflogus]

oooh...I have recently really wanted to open an etsy shop....that would be so cool! I love your stickers!

Feel free to message me, I'll share whatever I can about running one that I've learned so far

 

[azurbanclucker]

For little things that you can easily ship for a couple bucks, etsy is a decent platform. When you start looking at larger more expensive things that have significant shipping attached, etsy's model starts to fall apart. They REALLY want sellers to offer free shipping on products, so much so that they de-prioritize listings for sellers who don't offer free shipping. I sell large heavy things that cost a lot to ship due to their size or their weight (or both). So that means if I offer free shipping, I'm eating 30, 50, even a hundred bucks or more. PLUS their 9% which is figured on the total including shipping charges.

Example:
I sell a 16x20 painting for $160 normally. Shipping to the US East cost for a piece that large with insurance is about 45 dollars plus an additional 10 in packing supplies to make sure it gets there alive. So my client needs to pay me 215 total for the piece. If I sell that SAME piece on etsy. I need to mark that up another 10%. or 236 bucks. Just to say I offer free shipping (which I don't, I've just added it to the price of the piece which ethically for me is a problem). If I don't mark it up and just list that as the price, I end up losing money on every sale. I'm not greedy, I think my work is fairly priced for what it is and I don't ever charge for my time (so technically i[m losing money anyway). having to absorb free shipping and etsy's 9% fees means I'm now getting a payout of 100 dollars and change for that 160 dollar piece. That's just not OK.

Conversely, If I list my piece at 160 and then have shipping charges broken down separately, the odds that anyone will ever see my ad on etsy unless I direct link it are almost zero, because I'm not playing their game and lying to my clients about shipping fees. I Just don't feel that is appropriate. I want clients to understand what they're getting and paying for, and I want it to be transparent. Hiding fees in markups is not acceptable to me.

I have a storefront open, but I very rarely make an etsy sale and just keep it around for clients who want to do an etsy transaction to feel more secure. It's just not worth it for me as an artist. I sell a couple pieces a week on average through word of mouth and fb marketplace, and I'm in the initial planning stages of just opening up my own web store and saying the heck with it.

So for little things that you can charge standard fees for and just eat the shipping cost, Etsy's fine. Don't forget their 9% markup in your pricing and have fun. If you want to do larger pieces, I'd strongly suggest you look at other options.

 

[lilmillefleur]

I did a soft revamp of all my main OCs...I am once again disappointed by how different the colors appear depending on what computer I'm using/the lighting in the room....the colors look a lot lighter/more washed out now than it did on my monitor when I drew it!
It still looks nice though, I suppose.

You might remember me drawing a few lineups of these guys a while back.
Some changes I have made, as you may notice...
- changing my little rabbit Starry-Eyes' colors to match the others better and giving her star-shaped pupils
- reversing the colors in Spruce's top and making her skin a richer brown instead of ashy
- also she is no longer a shorty, she is now a big deer girl who can murder you! :3
(I don't even know why I drew her that short to begin with. I never really imagined her that way)
- switching out Sam's outfit to her main one since I don't have a good reference for that one but already have a new, good one for the old outfit
- giving Pirr little moccasins, his belt strap a buckle, and *trying* to make his skin darker since it keeps getting butchered (see above)
- giving Arbor an actual outfit with extra embroidery since he's royalty. (I also copied the stylized tree design on Spruce and replicated it throughout everyone's outfits)

Here's the old version if you remember! I kinda liked the blocky shapes in the background but I'm too lazy to replicate it rn

 

[lilmillefleur]

For little things that you can easily ship for a couple bucks, etsy is a decent platform. When you start looking at larger more expensive things that have significant shipping attached, etsy's model starts to fall apart. They REALLY want sellers to offer free shipping on products, so much so that they de-prioritize listings for sellers who don't offer free shipping. I sell large heavy things that cost a lot to ship due to their size or their weight (or both). So that means if I offer free shipping, I'm eating 30, 50, even a hundred bucks or more. PLUS their 9% which is figured on the total including shipping charges.

Example:
I sell a 16x20 painting for $160 normally. Shipping to the US East cost for a piece that large with insurance is about 45 dollars plus an additional 10 in packing supplies to make sure it gets there alive. So my client needs to pay me 215 total for the piece. If I sell that SAME piece on etsy. I need to mark that up another 10%. or 236 bucks. Just to say I offer free shipping (which I don't, I've just added it to the price of the piece which ethically for me is a problem). If I don't mark it up and just list that as the price, I end up losing money on every sale. I'm not greedy, I think my work is fairly priced for what it is and I don't ever charge for my time (so technically i[m losing money anyway). having to absorb free shipping and etsy's 9% fees means I'm now getting a payout of 100 dollars and change for that 160 dollar piece. That's just not OK.

Conversely, If I list my piece at 160 and then have shipping charges broken down separately, the odds that anyone will ever see my ad on etsy unless I direct link it are almost zero, because I'm not playing their game and lying to my clients about shipping fees. I Just don't feel that is appropriate. I want clients to understand what they're getting and paying for, and I want it to be transparent. Hiding fees in markups is not acceptable to me.

I have a storefront open, but I very rarely make an etsy sale and just keep it around for clients who want to do an etsy transaction to feel more secure. It's just not worth it for me as an artist. I sell a couple pieces a week on average through word of mouth and fb marketplace, and I'm in the initial planning stages of just opening up my own web store and saying the heck with it.

So for little things that you can charge standard fees for and just eat the shipping cost, Etsy's fine. Don't forget their 9% markup in your pricing and have fun. If you want to do larger pieces, I'd strongly suggest you look at other options.

This is super helpful! Thank you!
I don't think I would ever sell any big things on Etsy, since I would mostly be doing digital art commissions.
I was thinking of using Etsy instead for stickers and pins and things like that!

 

[Snarflogus]

For little things that you can easily ship for a couple bucks, etsy is a decent platform. When you start looking at larger more expensive things that have significant shipping attached, etsy's model starts to fall apart. They REALLY want sellers to offer free shipping on products, so much so that they de-prioritize listings for sellers who don't offer free shipping. I sell large heavy things that cost a lot to ship due to their size or their weight (or both). So that means if I offer free shipping, I'm eating 30, 50, even a hundred bucks or more. PLUS their 9% which is figured on the total including shipping charges.

Example:
I sell a 16x20 painting for $160 normally. Shipping to the US East cost for a piece that large with insurance is about 45 dollars plus an additional 10 in packing supplies to make sure it gets there alive. So my client needs to pay me 215 total for the piece. If I sell that SAME piece on etsy. I need to mark that up another 10%. or 236 bucks. Just to say I offer free shipping (which I don't, I've just added it to the price of the piece which ethically for me is a problem). If I don't mark it up and just list that as the price, I end up losing money on every sale. I'm not greedy, I think my work is fairly priced for what it is and I don't ever charge for my time (so technically i[m losing money anyway). having to absorb free shipping and etsy's 9% fees means I'm now getting a payout of 100 dollars and change for that 160 dollar piece. That's just not OK.

Conversely, If I list my piece at 160 and then have shipping charges broken down separately, the odds that anyone will ever see my ad on etsy unless I direct link it are almost zero, because I'm not playing their game and lying to my clients about shipping fees. I Just don't feel that is appropriate. I want clients to understand what they're getting and paying for, and I want it to be transparent. Hiding fees in markups is not acceptable to me.

I have a storefront open, but I very rarely make an etsy sale and just keep it around for clients who want to do an etsy transaction to feel more secure. It's just not worth it for me as an artist. I sell a couple pieces a week on average through word of mouth and fb marketplace, and I'm in the initial planning stages of just opening up my own web store and saying the heck with it.

So for little things that you can charge standard fees for and just eat the shipping cost, Etsy's fine. Don't forget their 9% markup in your pricing and have fun. If you want to do larger pieces, I'd strongly suggest you look at other options.

Tbh, thats a pretty solid description of the deal. I used to sell sculptures and I just ended up eating too much cost for it to be worth it. But I dont want to manage my own store front either since its just a hobby, so I've found the stickers to be a good low cost alternative. The shipping and materials are low enough that I can buy in bulk to make up for the fees that get snuck in by etsy. And I dont have to do my own marketing or any of that stuff. Right now, its just a super cool way to see some of my original art move across the US and otherwise sell stickers of some shows that I like or draw a commission.

 

[Snarflogus]

Fun, unrelated update! I've made cuttings of all the plants in the house that needed it and this is the result! We've got dragon fruit (the green stick with strings), panda plant (fuzzy guy), alligator aloe? (Spiky one), and something else (tall one with small leaves). They're all free to good home if you're local (Kansas) or want to pay shipping. I love seeing pictures of my dragon fruits babies as they grow up. The second pic is one of its other cuttings from last year.

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

I did a soft revamp of all my main OCs...I am once again disappointed by how different the colors appear depending on what computer I'm using/the lighting in the room....the colors look a lot lighter/more washed out now than it did on my monitor when I drew it!
It still looks nice though, I suppose.
View attachment 2688353
You might remember me drawing a few lineups of these guys a while back.
Some changes I have made, as you may notice...
- changing my little rabbit Starry-Eyes' colors to match the others better and giving her star-shaped pupils
- reversing the colors in Spruce's top and making her skin a richer brown instead of ashy
- also she is no longer a shorty, she is now a big deer girl who can murder you! :3
(I don't even know why I drew her that short to begin with. I never really imagined her that way)
- switching out Sam's outfit to her main one since I don't have a good reference for that one but already have a new, good one for the old outfit
- giving Pirr little moccasins, his belt strap a buckle, and *trying* to make his skin darker since it keeps getting butchered (see above)
- giving Arbor an actual outfit with extra embroidery since he's royalty. (I also copied the stylized tree design on Spruce and replicated it throughout everyone's outfits)

Here's the old version if you remember! I kinda liked the blocky shapes in the background but I'm too lazy to replicate it rn
View attachment 2688354

I kind of like the muted colors -- the story is in a fantasy/foresty setting, right? It makes me think of a softly-lit forest. The colors aren't super bright, and they seem mellow, like a clearing, or like woodland creatures who need to hide and not draw attention to themselves.
Uh, that was ranty. Point is, it looks really good! It seems fitting.

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

I did a soft revamp of all my main OCs...I am once again disappointed by how different the colors appear depending on what computer I'm using/the lighting in the room....the colors look a lot lighter/more washed out now than it did on my monitor when I drew it!
It still looks nice though, I suppose.
View attachment 2688353
You might remember me drawing a few lineups of these guys a while back.
Some changes I have made, as you may notice...
- changing my little rabbit Starry-Eyes' colors to match the others better and giving her star-shaped pupils
- reversing the colors in Spruce's top and making her skin a richer brown instead of ashy
- also she is no longer a shorty, she is now a big deer girl who can murder you! :3
(I don't even know why I drew her that short to begin with. I never really imagined her that way)
- switching out Sam's outfit to her main one since I don't have a good reference for that one but already have a new, good one for the old outfit
- giving Pirr little moccasins, his belt strap a buckle, and *trying* to make his skin darker since it keeps getting butchered (see above)
- giving Arbor an actual outfit with extra embroidery since he's royalty. (I also copied the stylized tree design on Spruce and replicated it throughout everyone's outfits)

Here's the old version if you remember! I kinda liked the blocky shapes in the background but I'm too lazy to replicate it rn
View attachment 2688354

Your story and characters make me want to get back to my own works, honestly. I really like fantasy, and I have a few stories in progress for them. Specifically, it makes me want to go work on a story that I had where this girl from a magical realm is sent to Earth and ends up dragging a quartet of students back with her because her realm is in danger and kind of needs help.
(So cliche, I realize now).
... I had a few paragraphs written down, and it was mostly an excuse for me to go nuts with magic and worldbuilding. And Mirin, the girl. She's a bit insane, but in a fun way.

 

[Snarflogus]

Your story and characters make me want to get back to my own works, honestly. I really like fantasy, and I have a few stories in progress for them. Specifically, it makes me want to go work on a story that I had where this girl from a magical realm is sent to Earth and ends up dragging a quartet of students back with her because her realm is in danger and kind of needs help.
(So cliche, I realize now).
... I had a few paragraphs written down, and it was mostly an excuse for me to go nuts with magic and worldbuilding. And Mirin, the girl. She's a bit insane, but in a fun way.

Cliche? Bah! Young adult fiction!

 

[Amer]

I did a soft revamp of all my main OCs...I am once again disappointed by how different the colors appear depending on what computer I'm using/the lighting in the room....the colors look a lot lighter/more washed out now than it did on my monitor when I drew it!
It still looks nice though, I suppose.
View attachment 2688353
You might remember me drawing a few lineups of these guys a while back.
Some changes I have made, as you may notice...
- changing my little rabbit Starry-Eyes' colors to match the others better and giving her star-shaped pupils
- reversing the colors in Spruce's top and making her skin a richer brown instead of ashy
- also she is no longer a shorty, she is now a big deer girl who can murder you! :3
(I don't even know why I drew her that short to begin with. I never really imagined her that way)
- switching out Sam's outfit to her main one since I don't have a good reference for that one but already have a new, good one for the old outfit
- giving Pirr little moccasins, his belt strap a buckle, and *trying* to make his skin darker since it keeps getting butchered (see above)
- giving Arbor an actual outfit with extra embroidery since he's royalty. (I also copied the stylized tree design on Spruce and replicated it throughout everyone's outfits)

Here's the old version if you remember! I kinda liked the blocky shapes in the background but I'm too lazy to replicate it rn
View attachment 2688354

I like it! Arbor needed clothes, so that’s good. Deer girl is still my fav tho I’m having trouble seeing her not short. I love the brown eyes of your characters too, brown eyes are my fav eye color.