Etsy FINALLY has a Competitor
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Etsy coach Starla Moore explores the platform's alternatives, focusing on Go Imagine, a marketplace for handmade and digital businesses. Despite its low traffic, Go Imagine stands out for its seller-focused approach and commitment to charity. Moore interviews CEO John Link, discussing the platform's growth strategy, the Mosaic website builder, and the benefits of supporting a self-owned marketplace over shareholder-driven ones. She emphasizes the importance of community support for Go Imagine's success in the handmade industry.
Takeaways
- 🚫 The speaker, Starla Moore, emphasizes her unbiased approach to discussing Etsy's pros and cons, despite being an Etsy coach.
- 🔍 Starla has researched various Etsy alternatives and found that none come close to Etsy's global ranking in traffic.
- 🌟 She highlights 'Go Imagine' as a promising alternative marketplace for handmade and digital businesses, with a strong emphasis on sellers.
- 📉 Concerns are raised about Go Imagine's low traffic, which has led some sellers to close their shops.
- 🤝 Starla met with Go Imagine's CEO, John Link, to discuss the platform's values and long-term growth plans.
- 🤔 John Link emphasizes the importance of handmade work and the company's focus on supporting children in need through charity.
- 🛍️ Go Imagine offers a Mosaic plan for $10/month, allowing sellers to build a custom website and remain within the marketplace.
- 📈 Despite skepticism, Go Imagine reported a 28% increase in traffic year over year, contrasting with the flat or declining trends in e-commerce.
- 🛑 Starla acknowledges the cons of Go Imagine, such as its current limitation to US sellers and handmade products only.
- 🌱 She discusses the benefits of Go Imagine being self-owned, seller-focused, and having a strict application process for sellers.
- ✅ Starla commits to supporting Go Imagine and announces the integration of bonus content for Go Imagine sellers in her Etsy coaching program.
Q & A
What is the main concern of Etsy sellers regarding the platform?
-The main concern of Etsy sellers is the negative buzz surrounding the platform and whether it's time to consider other marketplaces due to dissatisfaction with Etsy's treatment of sellers.
What is the role of Starla Moore in the Etsy community?
-Starla Moore is the founder of the Handmade Alpha Academy for Etsy Sellers and manager at eRank.com, Etsy's most popular SEO tool. She is also an unbiased coach focusing on both the good and bad aspects of the marketplace.
What is the name of the Etsy alternative mentioned in the script?
-The Etsy alternative mentioned in the script is called Go Imagine.
What are the key differences between Etsy and Go Imagine?
-Go Imagine is a platform exclusively for handmade and digital businesses, with a strong emphasis on the actual sellers. Unlike Etsy, Go Imagine is self-owned, seller-focused, and has no plans to go public. It also has a charity focus, directing profits towards children in need.
Why did Starla Moore schedule a meeting with Go Imagine's CEO, John Link?
-Starla Moore scheduled a meeting with John Link to discuss Go Imagine's values, long-term plans for growth, and to understand why sellers should invest their time and effort into this platform.
What is Go Imagine's stance on handmade products?
-Go Imagine believes in the authenticity of handmade products, emphasizing that they should be made by hand, not mass-produced or created with tools like Canva or AI.
How does Go Imagine plan to address the issue of buyer traffic?
-Go Imagine plans to focus on buyer acquisition after building a strong foundation of sellers. They are also offering a $10 per month Mosaic plan that allows sellers to build a custom website, which can be advertised to their audience while still being included within the shoppable marketplace.
What are some of the cons of selling on Go Imagine according to the script?
-Some cons include that Go Imagine is currently only available for sellers in the US, it is only for handmade and digital products, and it is still in its growth phase, which means it may not have the same traffic as Etsy.
What is the Mosaic plan offered by Go Imagine and what are its benefits?
-The Mosaic plan is a $10 per month service offered by Go Imagine that allows sellers to build a custom website for their products. It is cheaper than Shopify's basic plan and includes listings within the Go Imagine marketplace, providing a professional atmosphere for the brand.
How does Go Imagine support its sellers and what resources does it provide?
-Go Imagine supports its sellers by providing a familiar interface, an updated listing builder, and a community app where sellers can interact and get updates from the CEO. They also offer resources and assistance for sellers who decide to join Go Imagine.
What is Starla Moore's stance on Go Imagine and how does she plan to support it?
-Starla Moore is personally standing with Go Imagine and plans to incorporate bonus content for Go Imagine sellers into her Etsy coaching program. She is also inviting Go Imagine's CEO to join her community to provide resources and answer questions for her students.
Outlines
🤔 Exploring Etsy's Alternatives Amidst Controversy
The speaker, Starla Moore, addresses the concerns of Etsy sellers regarding the platform's negative reputation and the question of whether to switch to other marketplaces. As an Etsy coach, she aims to provide unbiased insights. She introduces a new platform, Go Imagine, which focuses on handmade and digital businesses, and highlights its aesthetic appeal and seller-centric approach. However, she also points out the concerns raised by sellers about the platform's lack of traffic. Starla discusses her meeting with Go Imagine's CEO, John, to understand the company's values and long-term growth plans, emphasizing the platform's commitment to handmade products and its charity focus.
🛍️ Go Imagine's Market Position and Seller Benefits
This paragraph delves into the benefits and potential drawbacks of Go Imagine as an Etsy alternative. Starla outlines the platform's current limitations, such as its focus on US sellers and handmade/digital products only, and its growth phase, which may not yet offer the same traffic as Etsy. However, she also highlights the platform's advantages, including its self-owned, seller-focused model with no plans to go public, an easy-to-rank algorithm, and a familiar interface for Etsy sellers. Additionally, she mentions the Mosaic feature, which allows sellers to build custom websites for a fraction of the cost of other services like Shopify, and the platform's commitment to child-focused charities.
🚀 Supporting Go Imagine for a Seller-Centric Marketplace
Starla discusses the importance of supporting Go Imagine as a way to fight for a seller-centric marketplace that is not controlled by shareholders or billionaires. She emphasizes the need for sellers to be the support structure for the platform as it grows, contrasting this with the shareholder-driven focus of other marketplaces. Starla announces her decision to incorporate Go Imagine content into her Etsy coaching program and invites John, the CEO of Go Imagine, to join her student community to provide resources. She stresses the importance of sellers' voices in shaping the platform's future and the potential for Go Imagine to offer a safe alternative to Etsy.
🌟 Testimonials and Future Opportunities with Go Imagine
The final paragraph showcases testimonials from Starla's students about the impact of her Etsy coaching program and the benefits they've experienced. It also mentions other alternative platforms to Etsy, such as Artisans Cooperative and Folksy, for those who may find their values align more closely with those platforms. Starla invites viewers to a live event with John to ask questions and learn more about Go Imagine, and she provides information about her Etsy coaching program's enrollment period, emphasizing her commitment to helping sellers and artists grow their businesses.
💡 Insights on Marketing and Personal Growth from HAA
In this paragraph, a student of the Handmade Alpha Academy (HAA) shares their personal growth and success story, highlighting the value of the education and support they received. They discuss the practical skills learned, the step-by-step guidance provided, and the significant increase in their sales after joining the program. The testimonial emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the course, the affordability, and the transformative impact it had on their Etsy journey and overall business.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Etsy
💡Go Imagine
💡Handmade
💡SEO tool
💡Traffic
💡Charity-focused Marketplace
💡Mosaic
💡Seller-focused
💡E-commerce industry
💡Marketplace
💡Community
Highlights
Etsy's negative reputation has raised questions about the viability of the platform for sellers.
The speaker maintains an unbiased view on Etsy, discussing both its advantages and disadvantages.
A list of resources is provided to understand the speaker's stance against Etsy's treatment of sellers.
Introduction of 'Go Imagine' as a rising alternative to Etsy, with a focus on handmade and digital businesses.
Go Imagine's website is aesthetically pleasing and emphasizes the importance of sellers in the marketplace.
Concerns about Go Imagine's low traffic and the subsequent closure of shops by sellers.
Interview with Go Imagine CEO John Link to understand the platform's values and long-term growth plans.
Go Imagine's commitment to handmade products and its charity focus, with profits directed to children in need.
Go Imagine's refusal to go public, emphasizing a marketplace owned by its vendors, not shareholders.
Go Imagine's growth strategy focusing on building a foundation of sellers before buyer acquisition.
Introduction of Mosaic, a $10/month custom website builder for sellers integrated with Go Imagine's marketplace.
The pros and cons of Go Imagine, including its current limitations and future expansion plans.
Go Imagine's seller-focused approach, providing a familiar interface and updated listing builder.
Go Imagine's traffic statistics and comparison with Etsy's seller-to-visit ratio.
The benefits of Go Imagine's $10 Mosaic plan, including tax calculation and remittance services.
Go Imagine's alignment with child-focused charities and its community engagement through an app.
The speaker's personal support for Go Imagine and the announcement of incorporating bonus content for its sellers in her Etsy coaching program.
The importance of community support for marketplaces like Go Imagine to grow and compete with established platforms.
Invitation to a live event with Go Imagine's CEO for further Q&A and engagement with the community.
Testimonials from students of the speaker's Etsy coaching program, highlighting its impact on their businesses.
Transcripts
with all the negative Buzz surrounding
Etsy everyone keeps asking me the big
question is it time to abandon ship for
other marketplaces even as an Etsy coach
my objective has always been to remain
unbiased about the platform focusing on
both the good and the bad side of the
marketplace so if you're new here please
know that the what about topics have
likely already been covered in past
videos as much as I wish that I could
cover every good or bad thing about Etsy
every time I sit in front of this camera
it's just not a good use of my time or
yours with that in mind I'll have a list
of videos and resources down below that
will fill you in on some of the efforts
that my husband Mark and I have taken
against etsy's treatment of sellers so
far okay with that out of the way let's
discuss this Rising Etsy alternative as
well as the key differences between Etsy
and its new
Contender if you're new here my name is
Starla Moore founder of the handmade
Alpha Academy for Etsy Sellers and
manager at e rank.com etsy's most
popular SEO tool and over the last few
weeks I've been doing research on
different Etsy Alternatives comparing
their Global ranking in traffic to that
of etsy spoiler alert none of them come
even remotely close which is
understandable Etsy has occupied the top
of the handmade industry for so long
that it's very unlikely that any of its
competitors will ever rise to their
level even if Etsy is moved away from
its handmade rout Ro but of all the
marketplaces that I've researched the
one that stood out to me the very most
was go imagine a platform exclusively
for handmade and digital businesses
their website looked amazing and I
immediately noticed a strong emphasis on
the actual sellers who make up their
Marketplace definitely a promising sign
however within various Etsy communities
and Reddit forums I also noticed many
sellers mentioning that go imagine has
little to no traffic causing them to
eventually close their shop shops which
was so disappointing I mean
aesthetically this site looks amazing I
really wanted to be able to recommend
this Marketplace to my sellers but
obviously I also needed to know what
their long-term plans are for growth I
needed to know why sellers should put
their time and effort into this platform
and I needed to know that go imagine
wasn't just going to become another Etsy
filled with mass produced junk with my
list of questions in hand I scheduled a
meeting with go imagins CEO John link
because if anyone would have answers I
figured it'd be him during our time
together John made his values about
handmade abundantly clear I'm going to
say something pretty controversial here
handmade is not a passive
job it's not uh if you are a handmade
artist if you are a maker the whole idea
of handmade is it's something made with
your hands you have used your hands to
make each item speaking to him was like
a a breath of fresh air because where
most Marketplace experts I've chatted
with focused all of their attention on
personal company growth John basically
did the opposite in this meeting I
learned that go imagine is a charity
focused Marketplace directing profits
towards children in need through
multiple Partnerships and better yet
they have no plans on going public the
pivotal point that most sellers agree
served as etsy's disaster Catalyst now
i' go imagine we believe the internet
needs an alternative to having only Wall
Street owned marketplaces that are
focused on shareholder returns that's
why we launched a new Marketplace
concept where 100% of the profits from
our Marketplace go to help children in
need I was inspired by John's passion
and after demoing go imagins updated
listing builder for myself I started to
feel like I was spiraling into a weird
Etsy time machine not only could Etsy
sellers automatically import all of
their handmade and digital listings into
go imagine but the overall seller
dashboard and interface was nearly
identical to etsy's there was virtually
no learning curve because I already knew
where everything was which is all
amazing but it still didn't cover the
question what about buyer traffic how
much is actually sold through our
platform we were up 28% from the year
before uh and that's also a significant
number uh as well
especially because most of the
e-commerce industry has gone down um if
you look at the numbers for Etsy eBay
for Amazon uh e-commerce in general has
stayed flat or gone down during our
meeting I was skeptical but John
explained it as a chicken versus the egg
situation what comes first buyers or
sellers which makes total sense you have
to have sellers first otherwise there
will be nothing for buyers to well buy
so over the last few years go imagine's
Focus has been to grow their Foundation
of Sellers and now in 2024 they're
finally at the end of that seller
acquisition period and are about to move
in the diretion of more buyer
acquisition but this still left me with
another question sure many sellers are
probably happy to wait it out and
support go Imagine by listing their
items even if they only make occasional
sales during this growth period but
there are likely just as many sellers
who aren't willing to wait or even
sellers who don't know all of these
initiatives that are taking place behind
the scenes and who are just confused as
to why anyone would sell on a platform
that doesn't have as much traffic as
Etsy which is where John told me about
Mosaic essentially for 10 a month go
imagine allows you to build a custom
website for your products giving you a
professional atmosphere for your brand
and compared to shopify's $40 per month
basic plan I could definitely see how a
custom Mosaic site could be beneficial
for those who don't have the time or the
Techno how to build their own website
for go imagins marketing efforts this
means that they can offer sellers a
cheap website that they can advertise to
Their audience while also still
including all of those listings within
the shoppable marketplace while go
imagine grows and honestly after
learning this part I was pretty
convinced but there are a few downsides
that sellers should be aware of before
deciding to set up an account let's
weigh the pros and cons go imagine is
currently only for sellers in the US but
they have plans for an expansion into
Canada in the future the platform is
currently only for handmade and digital
products this means that if you're an
artist who relies on print providers for
your work you'll need to work with local
printers and ship those items yourself
and the art has to be made by you not
created with canva creative Fabrica or
Ai and lastly go imagine is still in its
growth phase which means that you may
not see the traffic that you've come to
expect on Etsy the pros go imagine is
self-owned and seller focused with no
plans to go public they are a genuinely
handmade marketplace with a strict
application process their algorithm is
easy to rank with and is Google shopping
friendly buyers have the option to
search within their state creating an
online alternative to craft fairs their
interface is familiar and their listing
Builder was recently updated to look
more like Etsy the platform is seller
focused and highlights what makes its
makers special rather than treating
sellers like Amazon employees while
traffic is low right now the overall
ratio from February to April is
promising with go imagine having over
600,000 visits further 6,000 sellers
versus etsy's 1.3 billion visits
stretched across 9 million sellers with
a $10 per month Mosaic plan sellers can
build a website that is significantly
cheaper than Shopify while also being
included within go imagins Marketplace a
pro that is worth it to me all on its
own go imagine calculates collects and
remits state sales tax for you the
platform aligns itself with child
focused Charities like Horizons for
homeless children Relief Nursery the
shine initiative and curious learning
they have both an app for Shoppers as
well as a community app that anyone can
join kind of like Instagram specifically
for handmade businesses and within that
app John himself is available to his
sellers every Wednesday where he answers
questions shares updates and helps his
community I know this Probably sounds
like a sponsorship but it's not I'm not
sponsored by go amagine nor am I telling
everyone to leave Etsy for go imagine
but over the last 5 years my sellers
have been asking why the hell have there
been no Etsy competitors if we want one
not owned by shareholders and
billionaires and we want one that
actually cares about the sellers and the
industry we the sellers have to be the
support structure for that Marketplace
as it grows if investers or shareholders
the business will focus on what the
shareholders want if a business doesn't
have shareholders and it's their vendors
in this case supporting them well now
the business can focus on the vendors
and focus on the buyers right because
they don't have a big daddy over their
head telling them what they have to do
because they own part of the company
instead they can focus on what's
actually meaningful and uh and that's
where we're at I mean that's the beauty
of where we're at right now nobody owns
us we own us this is our company which
is why I'm personally standing with go
imagine even as an Etsy coach and a
seller with no plans of leaving Etsy
because I'm ready for a new horse to
back in addition to Etsy and when people
with influence in this community like
myself speak up and talk about go
imagine their advertising can expand to
reach more buyers rather than stretched
across sellers and buyers with your
voice and mine and hopefully the voices
of any other YouTubers who are watching
this video we can put a shadow over Etsy
shoulder we can show them that there's a
better way to do things we can have a
reliable safety nut that allows sellers
to have a fall back in the event that
their policy abiding shop is ever
wrongfully suspended with no human
communication and I get it not everyone
is willing to back this horse some of
you are too busy to invest time into yet
another Marketplace especially one
that's still growing I get that and I
respect it but by joining in the wave of
this rising star and becoming an early
adopter we can at least finally say that
we're fighting for something and in turn
go imagine can redirect funds into more
buyer focused advertising efforts I've
spoken to multiple heads of etsy over
the years including my most recent
communication with etsy's head of
customer support and every single time
I've been met with the exact same lines
we thank you for your dedication to the
community we assure you that you're
concerns are being addressed your
feedback is very valuable but nothing
has changed nothing if anything it's
gotten worse so as one of etsy's leading
Educators I'm here to fight for go
imagine's position in the handmade
community and because of that I'm
announcing right here now that my Etsy
coaching program will slowly begin
incorporating bonus content for go
imagine sellers too not as an Etsy
replacement but in addition to the Etsy
Focus curriculum that I already teach
we've also added John into our student
Community where he'll be providing my
students with resources if they decide
to join go imagine and he's doing all of
this for free and I'm doing all of this
for free and we're doing it all for free
because while profits are important to
any business helping Sellers and artists
has literally always been my objective
and it's refreshing to see a marketplace
with the same values look go imagine
isn't the only handmade alternative
platforms like Artisans cooperative and
even folksy for those of you in the UK
are two that you may have already heard
of and if there values align more with
your own definitely check out these
Alternatives too but for me personally
as someone who started their career in
early childhood education go imagine's
Mission spoke to me which is why this
Friday we've invited John to join us
here on the Friday Bean where you can
ask him literally anything that you'd
like in the live chat I know this video
may not have answered all of your
questions so creating opportunities for
you to learn about this new marketplace
with us was a huge priority both for me
and for John you can set a reminder for
that that event up here and in the link
down below and I guess I'd be a really
bad marketer if I didn't also mention
that my Etsy coaching program will be
open from June 14th through the 24th for
public enrollment if you're interested
in learning more about that you can
visit join ha.com or click the link up
here I've talked a lot already so here's
a video from my students I have become a
better person through ha8 what I really
like about Styler is her honesty and
transparency there's so much that she
gives to people for free I'm like this
is an incredible framework for me to
build into and adjust to and adapt to
and all these things that I would have
never been able to figure out on my own
I was like reinvigorated about my
business when I started haa our armor
was featured in Lucifer season five
finale and the main actor got to war
things that we uh created here part of
the reason why we were able and ready to
do such a thing was because of the
alphas joining Etsy joining any online
platform you have question after
question after question question ha has
been the one place where I've got
answers for nearly all my questions you
guys and what you have done with the
handmade Alpha Academy has literally
changed my life and you get continued
help no matter where you're at in your
Etsy Journey that was probably the
biggest selling point for me the way you
teach it it's it's simple it's down to
earth I can comprehend it that's one of
the things I love about your teaching
style I don't think I ever could have
done it without being in the haa you're
step by step steps were fantastic I
don't know how you could not succeed by
following the step by step really um
instruction of how you lead us through
through haa the first like four plus
years that I was on Etsy I think I had
37 sales and we've gotten well over a
thousand since then I think I'm up to
1,200 self-based there's an amazing
Facebook group that will help you invest
in yourself is worth every penny and so
much more I look at my Etsy shop and I
look at my website and I am just in awe
of what I have done and I just look at
it every day and think wow I actually
think that for what you get you guys are
really really not charging enough I hate
to say that I've had thoughts to myself
where I've been like I'd give you guys
$3,000 for this course I see how
valuable It Is 2020 I did like maybe
$3,000 2021 I did
$10,000 a for me paid back for itself 6
weeks after I signed up for it I
definitely recommend it if you can
invest the the money the time investment
is not too bad well worth the money
there is nothing in all that I've taken
that I haven't been able to use for my
business absolutely just do it because
there's no what do you have what do you
have to lose and it's everything you
need in one place it's hard to buy an
education that will teach you practical
skills like we learn in ha take PL Do It
um first off the money back guarantee is
really a selling point for me she knows
so much about marketing and branding and
the psychology behind it so that's
really good knowledge to have and she's
so willing to share that so I would tell
everybody out there that's thinking
about it if you're ready for the step
and if you're ready to grow yourself and
your business it changes Our Lives
honestly
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