• More control over design, marketing and SEO
• You have the ability to design the website so that it showcases your craft or art the best it can be
• You can show your personality through your website
• You decide how to lay out your site and can change it as the need arises
• You can optimize search engines and are not limited to a certain number of tags
• You have your own URL and domain name and customers remember the name of your shop better
• Fewer on page customer distractions
• When your customer is on your website or merchant page, they don't receive ads from the competition for similar items
• You are taken more seriously by the media and customers
• This occurs when you have a site that is attractive, easy to navigate and well organized
• High quality photographs of your items are key

• You have to know what you are doing
• Know how to use the software for developing your site. There are many out there that will have some basic settings to help you get started.
• If developing your own e-commerce site/shop, it's best to use trusted 3rd party platforms who stay on top of new regulations, taxes and have an easy to use shopping cart. Examples of these 3rd party platforms are: ECWID, Shopify, Magneto, etc. All have different requirements and costs.
• You have to work more on your SEO optimization
• Increased marketing tasks
• You may need to have a social media or blog presence, fliers or business cards to get the word out about your shop.
• Be clear on your shipping and policies
• More competition on the web

• Site is ready to go, post items to sell
• Out of the box design
• Customer base already established
• Lots of competition from similar items
• Have support of community boards, FAQ
• Some even offer ability to create a website under their business
• Some shops calculate shipping and offer shipping labels for you
• Online tracking of visits to your website, favorites, etc.
• Depending on plan you choose, can get periodic ads that are included

• You don't have control over content
• Limited by their particular format
• If they offer website development, it is all under one umbrella. If something were to happen to that business, you would lose your website and shop
• They take a portion of your proceeds
• Some take a percentage
• some charge a monthly fee or a fee for each item listed
• Lots of competition, pstyivulstly ig you vtrsyr popular crafts such as jewelry, crochet or knitted items
• There are often ads for other shops listed on your shop page that may direct customers to other sites.

Tags: websites for craftersCreating jewelry, handcrafted jewelry, creating own website for crafters pros and cons of having own websiteCreating jewelry, handcrafted jewelry, creating own website for crafterspros and cons of using third party webites for your crafts