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Is Etsy fees too high? Explore one of the best Etsy alternatives for digital downloads.
Are you experiencing stagnant growth in your Etsy shop? Do you wish for a breakthrough in your business? Are you terrified of Etsy suspending your shop? If your answer is yes to all these questions, you are definitely in the right place.
In this article, I will share my favourite channel that was a huge game-changer for my Etsy shop – a platform where you can sell digital products aside from Etsy, which is completely free to set up. You will learn all about its 7 main platform features.
This post illustrates why BMAC is one of the best Etsy alternatives for digital downloads.
My Story
I ran an Etsy shop, offering digital products only, from May 2023 to December 2023 when Etsy suspended my shop for no reason.
Read the full story here: 4 Practical Approaches for Dealing with an Etsy Account Suspension Without Receiving an Email
In December, I was seeking solutions to this situation and found an amazing channel where I moved my entire shop. Today, I will share this with you.
Let me introduce you to the Buy Me A Coffee Platform.
I stumbled upon this platform while following a YouTuber I love and started exploring its features. Disclaimer: If your Etsy shop is selling POD or physical items, this might not be the best choice for you. However, if you are selling digital products like I do, I highly recommend the Buy Me A Coffee Platform. Look how amazing my shop front looks.
I have selected a total of 7 features below that I have personally used. I will also throw in some tips and tricks on how I smoothly moved my Etsy shop here.
Tip: Look at my shop while going through the features below so that it is easier for you to follow along.
Feature 1: Homepage
The Homepage serves as your landing page, similar to the shopfront on Etsy (e.g., bycrafthutbyq.etsy.com). On this page, you will find the following key elements:
- Banner
- Profile Picture
- Profile Name
- What are you creating – Essentially, the slogan of your shop
- About me – A section where you can showcase your shop announcement and quick links to best sellers
- Social Links – Direct links to your Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest profiles
- Support Tab – A dedicated space for your supporters to buy you a coffee
- Membership Tab (if applicable) – A quick link for your supporters to sign up as members
- Featured Items (if applicable) – Displaying items you have featured under the shop settings
- Recent Supporters – A shout-out to those who have bought you a coffee, allowing you to publicly express your gratitude for their support.
For elements 1 to 6, it is straightforward to transfer them from your Etsy shop. As for the ‘About Me’ section, I recommend copying and pasting your shop announcement and FAQ to personalise this space.
Feature 2: Shop
In this section, you have the flexibility to label it either as ‘Shop’ or ‘Extras,’ with the URL always concluding with ‘/extras/’—I find ‘Shop’ more intuitive, so that’s my preference.
This is also where you list all your products, consisting of various essential elements.
- Name
- Description
- Featured Image – Recommended as a square image (1080 x 1080 px); currently, videos are not allowed.
- Price – Fixed pricing. You can’t offer promotions or discounts.
- Success Page – Here, you upload your digital files and write your confirmation message. You can also redirect customers to a URL after purchase.
- Categories – An effective way to categorise your products, especially beneficial if you have an extensive catalog. Note that as of January 2024, certain functionalities like renaming categories are not yet available—should you wish to rename, you’ll need to cancel and re-categorise.
- Advanced Settings – Offers options such as posing questions, limiting quantities, allowing buyers to choose quantity, and setting special prices for members.
These settings can be smoothly transferred from Etsy. The only possible bottleneck may be that the images are not squared. No worries, mine wasn’t square as well and I just set it up as it is. Just do it first and optimise later.
Apart from these essential elements, here are some features to enhance the customer experience.
- Search Bar – A newly introduced feature in 2024, allowing your audience to easily locate their favourite products under the shop.
- Feature Items – Effortlessly showcase your best sellers on your home page with just a few clicks.
- Lead Magnets – By setting a product’s price as $0, you can create lead magnets where your audience provides their name and email, enabling you to build an email list for future marketing endeavours.
The best part? All of these are entirely FREE – no extra costs involved!
Feature 3: Platform Fees
One of the standout features that drew me to the Buy Me A Coffee platform is its transparent pricing structure. With only a 5% transaction fee, there are no monthly charges, making all the features available to everyone for free. This transparency in fees is especially crucial for creators like me who design and hand-draw their products.
In contrast, Etsy’s fees were a significant concern, accounting for over 25% of my profits—an amount that, to me, seemed excessively high. Moving to the Buy Me A Coffee Platform not only allowed me to reduce my product prices, making them more affordable for customers, but also empowered me to redirect the savings (i.e. Etsy fees) towards driving traffic to this platform.
Feature 4: Donations
Another feature is the ability to receive donations from your supporters—buying you a virtual coffee.
Within this feature, you can set the default price of a coffee, ranging from $1 to $5. Supporters can choose to buy in quantities of 1, 3, 5, or 10. They have the option to include their name and a personalised message or remain anonymous. The creative possibilities for leveraging this feature are endless.
Moreover, you can express your gratitude with a personalised thank-you message for your supporters. If you are donating your earnings to a cause or charity, you can also rally your community to raise funds together.
Isn’t this feature simply amazing?
Feature 5: Memberships
Out of the seven features, Membership stands out as my absolute favourite—it’s the one that allowed me to think beyond conventional boundaries. My lifelong dream has been to teach kids how to draw and immerse themselves in the world of art. Thanks to the Membership feature, I transformed this dream into reality by offering a unique concept: providing art materials for kids every month to parents and teachers for a modest monthly fee. To sweeten the deal, I included additional perks, such as a 20% discount on all shop items. This, I believe, is the first step toward realising my dream of teaching kids art.
Within the Memberships feature, there is a vast playground of possibilities:
- Creating Different Levels of Memberships: Tailor memberships for varying access levels.
- Customising Memberships for Different Target Audiences: Address the unique needs of diverse audiences.
- Providing Benefits: Offer exclusive posts and messages, access to weekly tutorial videos, early bird access, and more.
- Simple Monthly Support: Allow supporters to contribute to you regularly.
Contemplate how you can harness this feature to not only generate consistent income but also to establish a sustainable and enduring business.
Feature 6: Posts
Next, let’s talk about Posts. This function operates similarly to an announcement on Etsy, providing you with a versatile space to communicate with the public. Share shop updates, introduce new launches, announce giveaways and much more through engaging posts.
If you have established a membership, leverage this space to create exclusive posts visible only to your members—a fantastic way to nurture a sense of community and reward your loyal supporters.
Feature 7: Analytics
For those who have been following my journey, you are aware that I am an advocate for data and analysis. Buy Me A Coffee aligns with this ethos by integrating with Google Analytics. By connecting your shop, it sends page visitor data directly to your Google Analytics Account. The process is straightforward—just add your Google Analytics tracking code (i.e., GA4 Measurement ID).
What’s Next?
If you have read through all the features, does Buy Me A Coffee pique your curiosity? Here’s what you can kick start TODAY! (even if you have an Etsy shop, this will be your Plan B)
- Set Up Your Shop (Your Plan B): Begin the process of establishing your shop on Buy Me A Coffee, a strategic move that safeguards you from the uncertainties of waking up to an Etsy shop suspension. This proactive step ensures the continuity of your creative endeavours.
- Drive Traffic to Buy Me A Coffee: Invest time and effort into directing traffic to your Buy Me A Coffee shop. Simultaneously, let Etsy continue to drive traffic to your Etsy Shop. This dual approach ensures visibility on both platforms, maximising your reach and potential customer base.
- Brainstorm Creative Ideas: Explore the boundless possibilities offered by the fantastic features of Buy Me A Coffee. Consider innovative ways to generate consistent income through these features, tailoring them to your unique creative pursuits.
Remember, action takers are money-makers! Don’t hesitate—just do it! Keep me posted on your new shops via Twitter. I am eager to see your progress! And, if you have enjoyed my content, you can show your support by buying me a coffee too 😉
If you love to see more content like this, connect & follow me on social media to stay updated with the latest information.
Other posts you may like:
- 10 Simple Strategies to Break Through 8K+ Pinterest Monthly Views
- How to Read Your Etsy Sales Data (with Etsy Analysis Tool)
- 6 Clever Hacks to Use AI for Etsy Shop
