Sites Like Etsy, But Free

www.driftwoodmall.com

In an attempt to look for sites like Etsy, but free, I had an inspiration. I love Etsy, and I still continue to sell successfully on the site, but like many people, I was looking to find alternatives. When you have handmade goods and interesting supplies to sell, there's no harm in listing them in more than one place, especially when they are selling on a regular basis.

I couldn't find any sites like Etsy that were free and suited my needs. I tried Bonanza and never had any luck. I do make handcrafted items, but I also like to sell natural supplies, like driftwood, shells and various cool and interesting things from the woods. So many other people are more creative than I am, and I like to provide supplies to those people and see what is created with them. I've had success in the past selling items like this, and I've often had people approach me to find out how they could become sellers of similar items.

This is how Driftwood Mall was born. The site is an online marketplace, very much like Etsy. It offers FREE listings, which is great since you never really know whether something is going to sell, until you list it and people come flocking. If you are a seller of handmade items, natural supplies, creative art or recyclable materials, you are invited to apply for a shop.

How Driftwood Mall is Like Etsy:

• online marketplace for buying and selling handmade goods
• seller payment goes to straight through Paypal upon confirmation of sale
• users can favorite items and share via Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and more
• offers a blog (small at the moment) with related tips for buyers and sellers

How Driftwood Mall is NOT Like Etsy (but better...shhhh):

• no listing fees!
• seller payment is sent to Paypal immediately, and commission comes out of that payment. This means no monthly bills and no waiting for payment to be deposited based on certain conditions
• no added site shipping fees. This means that customers know exactly what they will be paying without being surprised by added shipping costs upon checkout.
• no vintage items that aren't handmade. I love vintage, but these items get in the way of the true spirit of creativity. 
• more specific categories that open up brand new markets and inspiration. Some of these include recyclable materials, natural supplies and half-finished projects.
• available sister blog where you can request one of your products for a feature post
• a small site at the moment (but we're open to changing that fast!) Smaller means customer service right now is fast and personal. If you have questions, we've got fast answers.
• viral contests available. Donate an item and watch traffic flood to your shop as people share your items on Facebook and Twitter to gain entries in the contest. (Email shop (at) driftwoodmall (dot) com to inquire now about donating an item for the contest...or contact us from the site.)
• sellers are encouraged to share links to their Etsy shops, as well as their personal websites. We believe in abundance. There's enough to go around and everyone deserves a piece.

How Driftwood Mall is NOT Like Etsy (and maybe not so good ways):
we are a growing site that launched in May of 2012. Started by one person in a living room, this was an enormous project that spawned entirely from drive and passion. We don't have as many cool bells and whistles in place yet, but if you join and help us spread the word, all that is listed in this section may fall right into place.

• Etsy just added cool functionality to accept credit card payments without using Paypal. Currently, Paypal is the only payment option available at Driftwood Mall
• No forum (yet!)
• Not as well known yet, but you can help fix that as well.

7 Ways to Promote Your Etsy Shop Using 5Georges.com

7 Ways to Promote Your Etsy Shop Using 5Georges.com

There are so many ways to earn 5 bucks on gig sites like 5Georges. Here are 7 ways that you can create a gig to promote your Etsy shop.

1. Offer to Create Treasuries - post a gig offering to create 5 or more Etsy treasuries using the buyer's items for $5. You can put on your thinking hat and find items that relate to your own and create a treasury based on those items and others.

2. Discount one of your Etsy items to only $5 - Sell an item that you make or offer it at a discounted rate of only $5. This can help you to gain lifelong customers and repeat buyers. Keep the shipping fees in mind when selling an item which needs to be physically shipped.

3. Offer a $40 discount coupon for only $5 – when someone buys your coupon for 5 bucks, you can create a custom Etsy listing within your shop. Include the discount already purchased by the buyer. For the example listed, your $50 item would only be $10 for each person who buys your coupon. This is a great way to offer savings to your customers while getting your name and products out there.

4. Offer to Blog about a fellow Etsy shop - since Etsy is all about networking, you might already have a crowd following your Etsy related blog or website. Offer to write an article, blog post or product review and post it to your blog or site. Interesting articles on your site will help you as well. 

5. Create an Etsy Banner for $5 – your digital artwork is bringing in customers left and right. Offer up some of your talent to fellow Etsy owners to spruce up their shops as well. When people are satisfied with your services, they'll talk and tell their friends where to find you for additional business.

6. Offer to Promote Links to your followers – post Etsy and other craft-related links to Facebook wall, groups and Twitter followers. People will gladly pay 5 dollars for the extra attention to their Etsy shops, plus your followers love to hear about new and exciting products and creations.

7. Advertise Another Etsy Shop for 1 month – post a gig advertising an Etsy shop for one month, or offer to include promotional materials inside the orders you ship out each month. People love this form of advertising and your customers could become their customers as well.This form of advertising would be well worth 5 bucks for many Etsy shop owners.

There are several sites out there that allow you to tell the world what you would do for 5 dollars. 5Georges.com allows promotion of website links, as well as encouraging users to network and share the wealth. Check out 5Georges.com and start promoting your Etsy shop and others.