I thought it might be interesting to compare traffic rankings of available venues for artists, artisan crafters and designers. It could quite possibly just be my opinion, but it seems as though a myriad of new sites have appeared over the last several months proclaiming themselves to be the next great selling venue. Are they? Time will tell I guess.
I used Alexa.com to generate traffic rankings for several dozen handmade goods selling sites. Per Alexa they “compute traffic rankings by analyzing the Web usage of millions of Alexa Toolbar users and data obtained from other, diverse traffic data sources. The information is sorted, sifted, anonymized, counted, and computed, until, finally, we get the traffic rankings shown in the Alexa service. ” So, while not a 100% statistically correct collection methodology, the number comparisons are interesting to note. There really seems to be a big divide between what I consider the top tier of selling sites vs. those in the second tiers.
Is traffic the be all end all to guarantee sales to the indie artisan? Not necessarily, as evidenced by my experience on Ruby Lane (see my experience here) and as also evidenced by the thousands of etsy sellers that are selling little to nothing.
You need to be able to clearly articulate your intended audience, your expectations of service from the venue you are considering and do your research. 
I’ve sorted the sites in from most to least trafficked. Remember, the LOWER the number the HIGHER the number of visitors a site receives. LOWER numbers are BETTER.
What others should be added to this list?
| Site Name | Traffic Ranking |
Note |
| ebay | 20 | |
| etsy | 708 | |
| cafepress | 938 | |
| zazzle | 1,443 | |
| dawanda | 5,664 | |
| ecrater | 5,989 | |
| bigcartel | 7,410 | |
| rubylane | 15,850 | Blog post here |
| imagekind | 17,364 | |
| artfire | 36,991 | Site profile here |
| shopify | 51,919 | |
| silkfair | 60,218 | Site profile here |
| hyenacart | 61,473 | Site profile here |
| yessy | 76,773 | |
| Supermarkethq | 100,458 | |
| 1000markets | 110,477 | Juried site |
| indiepublic | 140,475 | |
| elsewares | 148,211 | |
| shophandmade | 172,891 | |
| folksy | 175,247 | |
| erayo | 216,986 | |
| artsefest | 223,521 | |
| winkelf | 277,037 | Site profile here |
| trunkt | 277,660 | Juried site |
| smashingdarling | 328,506 | Juried site |
| ebid | 362,080 | |
| lollishops | 394,061 | Site profile here |
| madeitmyself | 439,786 | Site profile here |
| mintd | 461,970 | |
| plumdrop | 474,245 | |
| icraft.ca | 523,305 | Site profile here |
| seekingdesigners | 553,326 | |
| misi.uk | 615,825 | Site profile here |
| lov.li | 642,797 | |
| handmadecatalog | 760,788 | |
| handmadefusion | 1,382,301 | Site profile here |
| girlshopspot | 1,211,500 | Site profile here |
| youcraft.org | 1,908,499 | Site profile here |
| Coriandr | 1,964,966 | Site profile here |
| craftersbuzz | 2,044,704 | |
| gozabo | 4,407,610 | |
| fuzzb | 7,098,996 | |
| crowsoup | 10,011,323 | Inactive? |
| youcraftylot | 11,561,107 | |
(Note: these rankings change and I will periodically update the listed metrics. Last update 3/1/2009)
Stay tuned over the next weeks as I will be profiling some of these venues with interviews and giveaways from the site owners themselves.
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Interesting Kristy. I don’t know what to do with the info, but it’s definitely interesting!
thank you! I will check out some of those sites!
Interesting to note that 1000 Markets is right in the middle. I have high hopes for that site!
Great breakdown, Kristy. You ROCK
Very Interesting and useful
http://www.zcatstudiocreation.etsy.com
Hey this is interesting. Look at trunkt right down the bottom. Silkfair is not too bad considering it is fairly new but i haven’t sold anything on it yet.
Thanks Kristy…very informative!
Thanks so much for this post. I’m definitely going to check out a few of these sites.
wow-thanks for including the information..I agree, there are a couple there that I have high hopes for just because I love the platform. Im partial to winkelf- any site with ELF in the title has to be for me, lol
Thanks for this very informative post! I was considering Winkelf, too, and they’re pretty high up in the ranking.
Thanks for the list. What about madeitmyself.com ?
VERY interesting statistics. I also read your experiences with Ruby Lane. Makes me feel better about my shop and experiences at Etsy.
Wow, how did you find all these? Off to go check them out…
I just opened shop at 1000 Markets. It’s fantastic to see a site that is less than 2 months old already be so high in the rankings. It’s a great place to sell–classy, professional, and with highly responsive admins. If you are looking for a place, try here!
Right now, be aware that there are no categories for vintage or supplies (including loose lampwork beads). That policy may be revisited at some point for high-art supplies, but 1000Markets will not allow reselling or *anything* other than handmade.
Kristy, you rock. You write a fabulous blog!
thanks so much,
Marcy
Great list! I’ll be checking out some off these.
I was just asked about seling venues. Thanks for the information, I am off to investigate.
Hey Kristy – I just learned of ArtFire. How does it rank??
Thanks!
Vicki
what a great research of sites!thanks for the info
Great info! Thank you for compiling and sharing!
Great info-thanks for doing this research and posting this!
Kristy, this is very good stuff to know!! Thanks so much for putting it all together. Really makes you think and maybe some re-thinking too.
Wow!! Thanks so much for the stats Kristy! Makes one think and makes one maybe do some re-thinking too.
Now what to DO with said stats..I see some sites that have lots of traffic,I have an account that I have ignored..DANG!
I might also add that I’m concerned at etsy’s low traffic performance
Thank you once again for Kristy for sharing. I’m going to check these sites out.
thanks, that is a marvelous list and there are a couple of shops I do want to check out. You time is much appreciated in sharing this useful information.
Whoa! Good to know.
BTW, you have been awarded The Rock Star Award. Check out today’s post on my blog.
Davida
wow! i did not know there are a lot of on-line stores to consider! c: am planing that is why c: anyway thanx for sharing c:
by the way you have lovely works too c:
Thanks.. Great Information
Karina
Awesome!
I’ve been exploring other options and this info. ROCKS!
~*~ Thank you sooooo Much ~*~
I have just started selling on Coriandr.com, and they are VERY new.
I looked them up on Alexa and it says they have traffic of 3,037,588, which is very interesting (I didn’t know about Alexa before, but I will be using it from now on).
I have already sold tow items (redrobindesigns) and they are very small, but I think they will do well.
I was looking for somewhere to sell my crafts online, so thank you for the info.
Please check out Coriandr. Even though they are small, I think they are destined for greatness.
Interesting comparison. Thanks! I have high hopes for iCraft.ca because I like their easy listing system, their promotional tools and fast to respond admins. They are running a special offer right now for those who sign up before the end of the year.
Wow – it is pretty encouraging to see ArtFire in the top 20 – they just went public last month!!!!
Thanks for doing the research for us Kristy! …and you are right – I don’t think I have ever heard of most of these!
Robyn Hawk
http://dailyjewel.blogspot.com
Great Info… just so you know… Made it Myself is new too! During their beta phase it is 100% free to list and sell right now! Best deal for your money.
How wonderful of you to do all this work and then give it to us.I am overwhelmed.It is disappointing to see Etsy so low.Interesting.
This is a great list. Thanks so much for compiling this
LOVe this list! Thanks so much! It’s just really confirming my thoughts all along. I love that some new sites are really pulling ahead! Off to check out 1000 markets!
it’s interesting that artfire comes before 1000markets. which one is the newest?
Wow Kristy……..what an interesting list, thank you for taking the time to compile it
)
I’ve just joined ArtFire so ‘ll see how things go there!!
Off now to explore some of the other sites you’ve got listed here
)
Thanks again Kristy!!
Hugs
Janice
Kristy, thank you for your comment on my http://gallerialindashowcase.blogspot.com post about ArtFire! This post on venue traffic is great and reavealing and ties in with my topics on my business blog:
http://indieceo.blogspot.com/
I mentioned this post in my new post today about selling venues and provided a link to your blog – this will be good SEO for you too!
Follow Indie CEO – it offers great business tips for Indie businesses. I will check back on your blog for interesting business tips.
Linda
http://www.GalleriaLinda.com
Thanks for this. Very interesting and informative!
Found you through Bead wright and so glad I did. What a wonderful write up on all the venues and their stats. Will have to save this for later so I can delve in. Just joined ArtFire so I’m still making my way around it but it seems fabulous. All the best ~ Sharon
I stumbled across this blog from another networking site. I’ve been all over the net, looking for sites selling crafts and continually ran across links that (instead of leading to a crafter’s site) lead straight into a parked domain covered with google ads. A fake site.
I determined to build a site that’s real, all real, and only crafter’s. I won’t tolerate this ‘finding fake sites as neighbors to my crafts’. Those looking for a site, fighting for the crafter and not out for google profits, needs to drop by http://judysbookshop.com and follow the links.
interesting…
Interesting info! Thanks for sharing!
[...] The Simply Shiny blog featured an interview with Sadie about Lollishops yesterday, as part of their series on the best online artisan venues. [...]
This is interesting, I’m going to keep an eye on it!
The real question though, is how does this translate to YOU (or me) personally being able to sell on some particular site or other. For instance, I sold a lot on ebay despite the garage sale mentality (handmade buttons) but they made life very difficult for me and I left. Coriandr though new has given me two sales and I expect they will go very well in time to come.
Etsy LOOKS great, but there are SO MANY items being sold that I am afraid I might never be seen there….so what to do?
Pick a smaller crafty site that gets less traffic but you will be noticed by whoever goes there, or pick a larger on in the hope that more traffic means more people MIGHT see what you make…
what do other people think?
I am an exclusive seller on Ruby Lane and, although find the site extremely well organized and user-friendly, am reconsidering whether to be an exclusive seller. MadeItMyself referred me to your blog and I found it very helpful. Will be checking into those sites soon. Thank you!
BJ