The $1 one-time seller verification fee was what really attracted me into joining Society6 (not the 'Join or Die' campaign). I always wished I could have somebody that can make my design available for print and send them to the customers, and Society6 is made for that. Here are some stuff I discovered as a new seller in both worlds...
Description How it works as a seller Seller fee But... Sold item fee Earnings & profit ♥ News Feed | Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies. You open a shop. You provide the goods. You send the goods to your buyers. You create promotions. $0.20/listing, lasting 4 months You come up in searches 3.5% - billed to your next statement Determined by you; instantly received at purchase Favorite 'Feed' | Affordable art prints, iPhone cases and T-shirts. Society6 is the shop. You design. They provide the goods. They send the goods to your buyers. They create promotions. $1 one-time seller verification fee Not all Art Prints are selected into the Society6 Store; but they're always available for you to promote in your profile 4% - automatically added in your retail price Determined by Society6, except for Art Prints; paid every 1st of the month - with a 30 day per purchase grace period from date of sale Promote 'Society' |
It can be concluded that Society6 is not the place to sell crochet or cross-stitch patterns. And the overall feel and theme of the two spaces are different - Etsy has more of the homey, moms community feel while Society6... well, you might as well be skateboarding and tagging graffiti all over the place. You can prefer either one, but for me, since posting art is free, I'm having fun going crazy with whatever and I love looking at my art turned into T-shirts and other stuff they have in Society6. I guess if you aim to sell Fine Art or Design print, Society6 could be a good choice. But personally I'll be more focused on growing my Etsy shop, because coming up in search is a big deal to discovery, and I'm not that crazy an artist anyway :/.