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Aftcra Review: A Good Etsy Alternative?

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Aftcra is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell American handmade products.  It’s one I have mentioned before in my how to sell jewelry online. and could be a decent choice if you want a virtual storefront.  Picture it like an Etsy alternative, only that it’s not as popular, but that’s okay as you can have more than one place to sell your items online.

Whether you’re researching Aftcra and came across this post or you want to know more about places you can sell handmade products online, I wanted to tell you a bit about this marketplace.  I will discuss the pros, cons as well as what it will cost to sell here.  As always, I will also recommend if it’s worth your time.  I’m always honest and will never promote my own product just to line my pockets.  I created this website to inform you and to be different than most sites out there that focus so much on making money and not helping the visitor. I will never work that way.

So, if you want to sell some handmade products online, let’s jump in and see what it’s all about.

What is Aftcra?

Aftcra is an online marketplace that only focuses on American handmade products, that’s it.  It’s an odd name at first glance, but when you break apart the name, you get “a craft.”  The name was created as a fun way to do business, something the founders wanted to portray.  They are also said to be honest, hardworking and unique. It was founded in 2013 by a small team of handmade fans in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Today, the company’s mission is to “support local artists and artisans living in America by connecting them with handmade admirers across the globe.”

Aftcra is much different than Etsy since Etsy allows sellers to sell manufactured goods as well as those who live outside the United States.



What Can You Sell?

Aftcra doesn’t go into specifics, only that it can’t be manufactured.  Specifically, on the website, they state the following:  “Made by hand, not by machine, and typically therefore of superior quality.”  They also note that since there are various skills and talents, it’s challenging to put “exact parameters” on the word.  As long as there’s some sort of handmade intervention and it’s not made by a manufacturing factory, then they want to support your work.

The products that are not allowed include the following:

  • products not made in the United States
  • vintage goods
  • manufactured products
  • reselling products that you don’t own
  • copyright infringement products

If you fail to abide by these guidelines, then the company will question your products and may lead to a shop closure.  For more information, I highly recommend you check out the how to become a seller page for more information.

How Aftcra Works

Before you even consider selling, let it be known, as stressed, that the company only allows you to sell handmade goods only products in the United States.  Even though anyone can purchase from you, it’s important you abide by these two simple guidelines to ensure you don’t get booted off the platform.  The company maintains this strict standard because they wanted to maintain a boutique approach, which helps cut down on the clutter typically seen with competitors.  This creates a community feel and separates them from the rest.

Selling

To get started, the company will ask you to do the following:

  • confirm your PayPal account (this is how you will get paid)
  • register an account
  • once registered, create a seller profile with credit card information (credit card is used for transaction fees)
  • enter your store details (a store URL, your PayPal address and a Google Analytics account if you want to keep track of stats)
  • upload products (either manually or you can import from Etsy)

Once everything is live, including your products, you can then view your sales from the dashboard.  You will also receive a sale alert via your email anytime something sells.

There are no limits as to how many products you can list, but the company does recommend you upload enough photos for your customer to see.  Just remember that they will stay active for six months.

Aside from this, you can also link to your social media pages as well as your Google Analytics account to monitor web traffic.

The Fees

The nice thing about Aftcra is that you can set up a storefront and list your products for free.  Once your products are listed, they will stay active for six months, but these listings will expire thereinafter.  However, you can always relist for another six months at no cost.

The only fee you will find is a small 7% fee, which is taken from the total sales price.  This fee doesn’t include any PayPal transaction fees.  Just be sure to factor that fee into your listing price so that it doesn’t come to you as a surprise.

Final Thoughts

5/10Aftcra doesn’t appear to receive a lot of traffic, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least create a storefront.  If you’re already on Etsy, why not just import your goods over for more exposure?  I wouldn’t expect too many sales, but it won’t cost you money until you sell.  In that case, the fees aren’t too far off Etsy’s 5% and listing fees.  Just remember you need to reside in the United States and it must be handmade.  I can’t stress this enough.

In the end, Aftcra seems like an okay opportunity, but I wouldn’t count on raking it in with sales unless you specifically promote your URL.  It’s an honest company and I love the values, but I wouldn’t consider it as a top contender, only a “sleeper” I would say.

That wraps it up for now.

If you want to add to what I have written already or maybe you want to comment on your experience, then, by all means, feel free to do so below.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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