ArtFireReviews 436

I was thrilled at first and had a lot of sales, but after a ton of technical problems, customers not being able to check out, pictures disappearing, and other glitches too numerous to mention, plus the new fees and programs they are rolling out, which I personally was opposed to-and then the nasty turn it took in the forums if you didn't agree with their policies, people being muted, their stores being shut down, etc... I decided to close my shop and stay away!

I would give them 5 stars except for the fact that they do not have nearly as much traffic as Etsy. I sold over 2,000 items in the first 9 months on Etsy and only 344 in 12 months on Artfire but I will say that Artfire is the way to go if you have 100s of items like I do. The fee's on Etsy sure adds up quickly. I pay only $5.95/mo on Artfire regardless of wether I sell or not and no limit on how many items. On Etsy my fee's with re-listing and commission is anywhere from $100-$350 every month! And I hardly ever re-list unless it expires. Many sellers go on a re-listing frenzy in order to stay on the top which I consider to be a waste of $$$. I just hope that Artfire will catch up in terms of traffic and sales. Otherwise they are perfect!

I would definitely characterize this as an etsy alternative, in terms of selling. In terms of buying, although when artfire first started out I found that the quality of items weren't as snazzy, high quality or varied as Etsy I think artfire is gaining popularity slowly with handmade sellers for their considerably different selling framework. Currently, I think there's still a lack of popularity for artfire and that hinders it from really being a "competitor" to Etsy but I hope that this changes with time.

That being said, the benefit of selling on artfire is if you're either confident that you'll sell a certain amount per month or if you already have an existing base of customers that will buy your items, then the pro account for right now $9.95/month with no listing or final fees is definitely a lot cheaper than Etsy. However, if you're starting out and you sell absolutely nothing, you're "wasting" $9.95 but artifre DOES use that towards mass advertising for you that you would have to pay on your own in other ways so in that light, I would say it's worth it if you're serious about starting a handmade business - keeping in mind that artfire is still nowhere was popular as Etsy. That problem might be bridged by your listings showing up in Google, but some people might be hesitant about buying from somewhere lesser known if they're unfamiliar with online transactions. There are other also some nice features for the pro account that you can read about. You can also stay as a basic seller with limited features and an initial trail of unlimited listings to get a sense of how their platform works.

As a venue who states that they support handmade artisans, they sure do allow a lot of resell merchandise. Their TOS state you can only sell handmade, supplies and vintage, yet I have seen the same exact steampunk watches and rings in different stores, from different countries, and find the same products available on Amazon via wholesalers in China and Thailand. I'm leery about buying "handmade" from what they seem to be running as the next Ebay,

Artfire functions like any other selling venue in that it provides a platform for independent sellers. Artfire's focus is primarily, though not exclusively, handmade items--everything from jewelry to guitar straps. The customer service to sellers who list there is truly excellent--thorough and timely with problems solved quickly. Customer service to buyers is excellent as well, accommodating several different methods of payment rather than just Paypal, and in the event a problem sale arises, the staff will track down an errant seller and see that they act to resolve any issues. I have sold on Ebay, Etsy, and Artfire, and Artfire is, hands down, the best run, most responsive, most innovative site I have had the pleasure of both selling and buying on.

The website itself is fine. But buyer beware. I purchased what I thought were handmade christmas light beads in Nov 2010. Seller was Jeanette Smith. The beads were unsatisfactory and were shipped from Oriental Trading Co. I was charged $16 + $6 s/h. The beads cost $7.98 and Oriental did not charge shipping. So the third party seller made $14 doing nothing and misrepresenting the items as handmade. Fortunately, PayPal negotiated a full refund.