One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when starting to sell crystals online is which platform to use for your shop. This impacts how much you pay in fees; how much time you spend on listings; and the ways you’ll market your crystals.
There are three main ways that online crystal sellers host their stores: Etsy, social media, and a website. Each one has benefits and drawbacks. Use this information as a starting point to determine which platform is right for you.
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Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace focused on handmade items, vintage items, and craft supplies. It brings buyers and sellers together on an easy-to-use, trustworthy platform.
Pros:
- With over 90 million active buyers, Etsy will send potential customers to your shop with no outside marketing required
- Etsy collects payments, remits sales tax, and creates shipping labels for you
- Etsy has built in marketing tools for promoted listings and social media sharing
- Etsy is simple to use and its visually-driven platform is great for showcasing crystals
Cons:
- Etsy charges listing and transaction fees
- Negative customer reviews can lead to decreased sales
- Etsy has the final say in any customer service disputes
- Other crystal stores will be promoted on your product pages
Ready to learn more? Check out my 3 simple keys to selling crystals on Etsy.
Instagram / Facebook
Some crystal sellers choose to sell solely on Instagram or Facebook. You can list items by posting them on your page or in Instagram Stories, but the most effective way to sell large volumes of crystals is through streaming sales on Facebook Live or Instagram Live.
Pros:
- There are no platform fees for selling on social media
- Live sales can be lucrative; established sellers can bring in thousands of dollars in one day
- You can connect and bond with your customers over social media, in addition to sharing listings and sales
Cons:
- You must build your social media audience from scratch in order to make regular sales
- If you do live sales, you have to invest in large amounts of inventory
- You have to manually send PayPal invoices to your customers and ensure their orders are paid before shipping
- You’re responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax
Your own website
Having your own website gives you complete control over the look of your store. You also have much more freedom over your store policies, compared to Etsy.
But, launching your own website requires technical skills and marketing knowledge. This option isn’t for everyone. If you choose to go this route, a popular platform for crystal shop websites is Shopify.
Pros:
- A variety of apps are available on Shopify to help you make sales and fulfill orders
- You get complete control over your store’s appearance, marketing, and policies
- A website is an asset that you own and can sell in the future
- Transaction fees are lower compared to Etsy
Cons:
- It takes lots of effort to attract customers to a brand new website
- It’s more complicated to set up a website than to create a shop on Etsy
- Shopify and other web store hosts charge a monthly fee
- You’re responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax
Where should you sell crystals online?
This is not a one size fits all situation.
Etsy is the option that I chose for my store, Interstellar Crystals. I was an Etsy shopper for many years before becoming a seller, so I was already familiar with the website.
Since I have a full time job in addition to my store, I can’t spend hours on social media content, paid digital ads, and email marketing.
The most important factor to me was to sell on a platform that brings customers to your store with no additional effort required.
But you should be sure to consider the other options as well.
Selling on social media has the least amount of fees, and the opportunity for huge profits through live sales.
Having your own website gives you the most ownership of your business. You’ll never have your account shut down or hidden in search results because of a random change in an algorithm. You can also sell your website and business to someone else in the future.
It’s really up to you, and your goals for your business, which platform makes the most sense.
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