More Feedback on 1000 Markets and Artfire

Sorry I haven't been writing much lately.  I've been really busy with custom paintings, and they're still coming in.  But I did want to give you a quick update on my "research" on the above-mentioned two online venues.
First, I can't even tell you exactly why, but I just haven't had a good feeling about 1000 Markets - it seems very restrictive, I think is one of the main things - so I've kind of dropped it at least for the time being.  I haven't closed my "shop," but I'm just not doing anything on it.

But Artfire, I have a much better "feeling" about, and I plan to give it a really good try.  I've had a couple of sales - I know, that's not much, but, hey, feelings count for something.  And the other sellers on there are just so nice and extremely supportive. 

Example:  I was really frustrated that I hadn't sold anything after having been on there for around two months, so I researched around to find out how to move my Etsy listings over there -- and managed to move them, all 500-plus of them.  Still no interest - or sales.  So I wrote a plaintive request for what I was doing wrong, not doing right, whatever, on their forum - and got around 45 responses, all very supportive, informative, and encouraging.  Plus !!!  I sold a couple of items to other vendors.  And, after having done some of the "tweaks" that were suggested to me, I'm getting a lot more traffic, too.

Let me go over a couple of reasons why I really like this venue:  First of all, they're not at all restrictive, like the 1K Markets site - or even Etsy for that matter - about your promoting yourself  within their site regarding other venues you sell (such as my own website, etsy, facebook, whatever, there are absolutely no restrictions on that kind of self-promotion.)  In fact, I think it's even encouraged.

Secondly, although for my first couple of months I had the absolutely free online shop on artfire, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse:  $1 fee for the month of July and no commitment to do more.  So what did I have to lose.  This site has absolutely no sales fees, no listing fees, just a flat monthly fee of around $16.00 (a few cents less, I think).  I know I sell quite well on Etsy, so consequently my fees are rather high, but I'm hoping someday soon to sell well on this site, too.  The big difference I see in this venue and Etsy now is that Etsy has earned a big name and a really big presence in the online world - thus lots and lots of traffic; this venue does have the big name, etc., and thus not lots of traffic - yet!  So you have to promote it -- and, of course, yourself, through whatever means are at your disposal.  I personally don't have a whole lot of time to promote myself on there due to my large custom workload, but I'm doing what I can.  I'm telling customers at Portland Saturday Market where we have had booth for years about it, and I'm even going (haven't done it yet) to try to make use of it on my own website as a kind of "checkout" for website sales.  I don't know exactly how I'm going to do that yet, but I think it will work very well once I get it figured out.

Okay, I've got a huge commission that's due TOMORROW - YIKES!!!, so I better get back to work on it.  When I'm done with that one, I think I can take a little breather and will list some of these custom paintings I've been doing lately.  I haven't been able to do much painting on my own lately due to the customs, so I'm really hoping to be able to do my own thing again soon, too. 

Check out the two sites I've talked about and let me (and others) know what your thoughts are on them.  Let's all help each other in this business of art/crafts.