Have you a hankering to open up your own online store for hand made goods? There are a number of marketplaces. Art Fire is another alternative to Etsy - it`s smaller than Etsy but still growing. Art Fire is different from Etsy. Instead of charging a commission for every sale, it's a standard monthly fee currently at $15.95 for a Pro Shop. The Basic Shop is free but it lacks some useful features and tools a Pro Shop would have.

Well, Art Fire is finally coming out of beta next week and they are offering a really good deal for a Pro Shop - just $5.95 per month. It`s their mega promotion to grow their site.  There is a condition - this deal will not be activated even if you sign up for it unless a total of 20,000 people also do so. To find out more about why they are doing this group deal, check here.

Right now this deal is available to current Basic and Pro Shop owners. If their scheme is wildly successful and they get 50,000 internal sign-ups, then the deal will not be offered publicly next Monday. So if you are anxious, you can sign up for a Basic account now and apply for the deal. Yep, your very own store without the overheads!

Jewelry store employee

If you are wondering which to go for - Etsy or Art Fire, check out my post last year which compares the two.  Some artisans I know have shops in both!

I`ve had a Basic shop almost from the beginning and have yet to get round to setting up shop there! That`s because I`m not sure what sort of shop I want to have. But I did sign up for their new deal, making me the 1710th member to do so. Only 18290 more to go!

Other business tips:
For more tutorials check out my Jewelry Making Tips

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The Beading Gem's Journal