From an aesthetic standpoint I would say there's no competition. Etsy has their look down, and artfire is floundering a little. A lot of their banners are pretty cheesy, but in a way I kind of like this. I feel like it makes them more approachable. Where etsy has recently come to seem to be all about the bottom line, artfire is trying to be about people. I know it's a business strategy and a way to make money, but I think I like it better than etsy's approach.
Artfire also has free listings, although you have to pay a monthly fee to get all the available privileges. The free listings is why I finally decided, WHY NOT?
I'm still getting used to the site, but I'm having trouble finding anything. I keep trying to get back to pages, and not being able to find them again. I'm thinking that this may only be a problem for sellers though. Buying seems to be a little simpler. I do really like the listings though. Since it's all on one page it's way faster than waiting for etsy's servers to catch up each time you go to the next section..
I'm not ready to endorse artfire yet. I'm not even ready to pay for the pro-version, but I'm thinking that I might be soon.
No pressure, but if you're thinking about joining artfire anyway, here's my referral link
Register on ArtFire.com
No point not putting it out there, right?
