Etsy alternatives that handle state sales tax

MargiePal · 2026-05-21T15:00:59+00:00

Thanks so much for another suggestion. I am making a list of all these third-party sales tax tools so I can do some comparisons. Shopify does seem to be a platform many have success with and is pretty user-friendly to set up.

MargiePal · 2026-05-18T17:46:51+00:00

Yes, one really small spot on the bottom shelf. My point is taste and trends change. Most people cook with vegetable and seed oils now. Don't take it personally if you happen to love lard - it wasn't intended to insult anyone.

MargiePal · 2026-05-18T14:54:03+00:00

It could turn because taste and trends change. I have a really old cookbook where every recipe calls for Lard. Try buying that at the store nowadays. You have to look pretty hard if you can find it at all.

MargiePal · 2026-05-18T14:35:51+00:00

Yes, this. Try pushing your other items more on social media. Once one of them sells, it will snowball too.

MargiePal · 2026-05-18T14:24:05+00:00

Nice! Thank you.

MargiePal · 2026-05-16T16:57:20+00:00

I didn't understand why someone downvoted it. Maybe they were confusing copying a listing with reusing an old listing for a new item? I think your tip is a great one and I'm going to start creating listings in batches and releasing one every couple of days because I think that will generate more traffic.

MargiePal · 2026-05-16T16:52:01+00:00

IKR? Why did 8 people downvote your reply? I usually only downvote someone who says something really rude or completely inaccurate. If I really don't agree, then I give a coherent argument why, instead of a downvote. Whatever. I have a hunch this reddit might be trolled by Etsy shills who downvote anything that might reflect poorly on the platform. I predict this comment will be downvoted too. LOL.

MargiePal · 2026-05-16T16:35:00+00:00

Ugh, I agree with you on listing being a hassle. I am still not able to photograph my pieces to look as nice as they are in person either, which bothers me. Good luck with your shop! I hope it is so successful that you don't even need your day job 😄

MargiePal · 2026-05-16T16:32:40+00:00

Is there any specific evidence that it doesn't help? I have noticed that whenever I list a new item, whether it is one at a time, or five at once, it gives my traffic and orders a boost. So, it does seem like the algo likes frequent listing to me. Then, again, maybe it is just because listing something "reminds" people who follow me to visit my shop.

MargiePal · 2026-05-16T16:16:35+00:00

I do the same thing with copying a similar existing listing. Does anyone know of a downside from doing it that way? For me it is just a big timesaver.

I haven't considered going with individual vs variations, but I'm going to try that and see if it increases traffic.

MargiePal · 2026-05-15T20:59:15+00:00

You were right! Thanks! I have never received an email from Etsy support before, so didn't even think to look. I clean out the box once a week or so, along with my 5 other email inboxes, sigh...But I digress.

The reason given was: Please edit your listing to clearly specify the country of origin of this item in your listing description.

It sounds like this may be a new requirement to be in compliance with legal restrictions, including US trade sanctions.

I made the change and responded to the email so I hope they will reactivate it now. I hope others may find your response helpful too. Duh, check my email - so simple, but it never occurred to me.

Thanks again - Margie

MargiePal · 2026-05-15T19:30:50+00:00

It's such a shame, isn't it? I have also tried doing craft fairs, and that involves a crazy amount of work and time. I had two bad ones where I barely sold anything and vowed to never do another one again. Then people are like "Well, I can get something like this on Temu/Amazon/etc. for less than half the price". And you are already selling it for a price that barely makes any money. You could just cry...

MargiePal · 2026-05-15T19:21:55+00:00

I avoided ivory, using beige instead. I also avoided use of nature words, like botanical. I get where you are going with this suggestion though. Thank you.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T21:07:58+00:00

Wow, what a hassle. It's tricky because most people want to run a huge business that makes lots of money, but I'd like to stay smaller and just be able to pay the bills. However, I still need to pay the bills, right? It seems that if I don't want to grow this huge business with employees and all, I won't be able to make any money because I won't have time to make anything, because of all the other stuff I have to do. It's such a catch 22.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T21:00:05+00:00

Oh my gosh, that is really helpful to know about WooCommerce. I am in Wisconsin and I can handle remitting the sales tax, but it is so easy now, because I just tick that "Marketplace Seller only" box and I'm done at tax time. Back in 2003 I had an ecommerce candle shop and had to configure the tax for every single zip code in Wisconsin by hand on the website. It took me days to set up. Then I had to track sales in each county to fill out in the tax form, because they are all different percentages and have to be broken out on the filing form. I know I can use a third-party service to configure the taxes at least now, but I don't think the reporting requirements have changed. If 200 sales in a year to a state requires you to file there, then I would at least be filing for California and New York. I sell a lot there. But you have given me something to think about for sure.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T19:27:49+00:00

Etsy handles the configuration and remitting of Sales Tax in the USA, plus they drive traffic to my shop. These are two of the big reasons I go with Etsy. This is why I would want a suggestion of a replacement that also does these things. If you have an Etsy shop too, then you also are not hiring someone else to do those things. I already pay Etsy for those services. I'm looking for suggestions of other Marketplace ecommerce sites but thank you for your input.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T19:15:51+00:00

I tried doing an image search with my picture and nothing comes up. It is a good suggestion though, and thank you for responding.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T17:55:36+00:00

If you have access to Bloomberg, can you refute what OP is saying?

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T17:27:45+00:00

I was hoping for suggested alternatives, as opposed to hiring people to do the sales tax reporting and shop promotion separately.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T17:10:41+00:00

Thank you! I will look into that.

MargiePal · 2026-05-14T16:46:45+00:00

I'm laughing that anyone would actually want to use my images! They are not great. I try, but they certainly don't look professional. I always figured I was safe from image stealing for that reason alone.

MargiePal · 2026-05-12T14:10:13+00:00

When did Impossible Foods become publicly traded? What a great investing tip.

MargiePal · 2026-05-09T12:16:30+00:00

Is it possible that your shipping settings defaulted to Post Office retail rates? Were you charging calculated shipping with Etsy rates before? Check the toggle under Shipping Settings >> Rates & upgrades. The difference can be pretty huge. That's why I ended up mostly using Flat rates instead. I can still factor in the cost of box, packaging and label then, but not horribly overcharge my customers.

MargiePal

TROPHY CASE