I was notified today that ArtFire changed their policies, and they will no longer offer free accounts for sellers, only Pro accounts which will cost about $10 per month.
Since ArtFire is my 3rd store online, I don’t think I’ll continue with them with a Pro account. I only joined ArtFire since it was fee-less, so I don’t see any reason to start paying a monthly bill. I already have a monthly bill with Etsy, that’s enough.
So I guess I’ll be leaving ArtFire soon. Too bad, I just had my first sale over there …
If you also have an ArtFire store, I would love to hear what you’re planning on doing now…
I would like to see a class action suit filed! This is clearly bait-and-switch, as Artfire originally advertised that “Artfire’s basic account is free, and always will be”. Always means ALWAYS. Free means FREE. Too bad you made a stupid business decision (in order to steal business from Etsy, which you DID, but…..) This is NOT LEGAL. The question is……do we want to let them get away with it?
Roni, we’re a collectibles marketplace that’s been around since 2005. We’re the top site for stamps on the Internet and now #2 in postcards. We’d be interested in getting a number of sellers in the Etsy/Artfire world to try us out and fill us in on what they feel is needed to make a go of it. For those in our emerging categories (like yours) a standard store is free. It’s usually $3.95 a month but that would only apply once we see the category thriving (for example sports cards have been free since 2005 so it’s not a bait-and-switch situation).
I can be reached at 856-857-1777 if you’ve got questions or you have my e-mail. Again, we’re very proactive and interactive. We’d be talking with you often to get your insights and to see if we need to make changes and, if so, what they would be. However, I think you’ll see we’re pretty feature-rich already. We just haven’t targeted hand-made crafts yet.
FYI, the website is bidStart.com.
Let me know where you end up! Meanwhile, I’ve been posting my protests all over the internet. Artfire has been not-so-slowly jacking up their rates ever since they started. They have more than DOUBLED in just a few years! I never made any sales there other than from people I sent there myself. Glad I didn’t invest in a pro account! I don’t do business with scammers. Best of luck to you, Roni!
Thanx for the feedback!
I think I’ll just give up on ArtFire. I do have two other stores (Etsy and DaWanda) so I don’t feel the need to pay for a 3rd store …
Too bad, I just joined ArtFire 2 months ago and already am leaving.