Five Reasons Why I Like Artfire.

I'm going to be a shill for a moment. It's not like I've not touted the benefits of Artfire before. But I'm going to again, in the name of getting more people to recognize their awesomeness and in the name of a chance to win a gift certificate. So, without further ado...

1. As mentioned in the above linked blog post, I LOVE all of their tools. There's a beautiful marriage here between people who obviously know good development and what the end users want and need and that can simply not be ignored. As an artisan who is married to a software developer, I think I know a little something about this sort of thing.
2. I know this sort of falls under the above, but it deserves it's own number: the Rapid Cart widget. People can come to my blog, my facebook page, where ever I decide to put this thing and buy stuff from my Artfire Studio without having to create an account or even go to the site. That little gem is what made me create an account there in the first place and I think it's really a fabulous tool!
3. I like the idea of a flat subscription fee for listing items. One of these days, I'm going to get my act together and start listing higher volumes of items. At that point, I'm going to have to be selective about what I put on Etsy while I can throw everything up on Artfire for a flat monthly rate. I could probably sit down and do the math, but I think for anyone who lists high volumes, Artfire is the better deal.
4. I've got a little customer service anecdote to share as well. A couple of months ago, I had an issue with a change in credit card numbers. Of course, there's that inevitable place you had an automatic payment set up that slips through the cracks when you're trying to remember all your accounts where you need to change information. Artfire was mine. My subscription lapsed and I emailed them and spoke with a singular customer service agent who worked with me through the issue and kindly reinstate the promotional price I had been locked in at. She didn't have to do that. It was my screw up after all. But she did and I'm immensely grateful!
5. Finally, I love the customizable studio space. Everyone's shop looks a little different. Perhaps the same overall format, but you can change the color scheme and have a larger banner and such, downplaying the fact that it's an Artfire studio and playing up the fact that it's your own personal space. An Etsy store looks like and Etsy store looks like and Etsy store. They all look the same. Sure you get your little banner and you can arrange your items a bit differently, but it is always dominated by the orange, grey and white color scheme and the overwhelming presence of, well, Etsy. It's sort of like having a rental property where your landlord won't let you paint. You never really feel like it's yours.

So, there you have it. I hope Artfire continues to grow in recognition from both artisans and consumers. If, by chance, you're an artisan and you've been thinking about setting up shop somewhere, I'd highly suggest you consider giving Artfire a chance. And if you do decide to set up shop with Artfire, you can snag an ArtFire Pro account with this link and get your 3rd month free.