I, for one, love free shipping. I often choose Amazon’s offering just because it offers free shipping. Yes, I partially pay for that as I’m an Amazon Prime member. Other times, I turn away from that free shipping offer as the price of the item will be more costly than those found at other sites where you do pay shipping. Their (Amazon’s competition) final cost for the item plus shipping can be less than that found on Amazon. Just saying… it’s something to think about.

And, I’ve been contemplating this problem lately as I have found myself in a situation where Etsy is requesting that their sellers offer a free shipping guarantee. Those who provide the guarantee expect to receive better placement in Etsy searches for their merchandise. Does Etsy tell sellers that? I doubt it is a promise – I’m not outing Etsy. Free shipping is the quick promise that lures sellers all over the internet. Etsy is just attempting to keep their merchandise competitive.

Yet, among Etsy communities, I have heard the old “just raise your price to make up for the free shipping” again and again. How is that FREE? I can see how a seller of hair bows or those offering personalized t-shirts can work that formula since their estimated shipping is fairly even (USPS First Class) regardless of where they ship in the U.S. And their shipping costs are comparatively small. But someone who sells fragile original art in a number of sizes and weights?? No way.

My larger art pieces can cost anywhere from $13.00 to $50.00+ for shipping… in the United States. That depends largely on destination although size and weight play a role as well. How do I include that range in a stated price upfront? I don’t. Yet, I have chosen to go the free shipping route as I do believe that the free shipping option places my shop higher in searches. Yes, Etsy still allows me to charge shipping but I’m scared of being lost altogether in searches and, in online selling, placement in searches is the name of the game.

As an example, here is a currently listed artwork at my Etsy Shop. This 20″ x 10″ x 3″ piece of art ships Priority Mail to Chicago for $25.40. The cost to ship to Yakima, Washington is $47.40. That’s a loss of $20.00 to the seller. Now, do we increase the cost of the item to cover all shipping scenarios and basically charge the buyer in Chicago for a service they aren’t receiving? My answer is a hearty “No!”

Two questions must be considered here. First, is Etsy the right place for artwork such as mine? And the second – where are the sites that sell unusual original artwork that can claim even half the traffic that comes to Etsy? And, you know, a site that allows an artist to do business as an artist without the bargain “two for one” feel. Unfortunately, I have yet to find such a site that would tempt me to change (although I am taking a close look at a recently recommended site). My conclusion? I don’t believe Etsy is the place for selling original one-of-a-kind artwork and that’s sad, as it was its original purpose.

For now, I’ve decided to lose a portion of my shipping costs. Transparency is important to me so although you will see a “Free Shipping Guarantee” on my Etsy page, those are Etsy’s words and I insert the following in each product description, “When you purchase an item from my shop, the cost of shipping is included in the listed price even though Etsy has added free shipping verbiage to the overall description.”

I am looking into selling at regional art shows. That makes the most sense but I’ve resisted that impulse as it can be challenging to find the right venue for artists without competition from inexpensive Asian products. But I have opened my mind to the possibilities of shows and I’m enticed by the idea. I’ll always sell online but I’d love to shift most of my sales to face-to-face experiences. After all, there is so much more to see in my assemblage art that can’t be caught effectively on a camera.

If you can recommend an online site that targets artists with funky original work or a regional art show in or around Oklahoma, I’d love to hear from you. I can easily be reached here.

Vicky