Is the GoImagine Marketplace an Alternative to Etsy? Is it Worth Selling Crafts On?

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Have you heard of Goimagine? Maybe you’ve see their ads on social media? If you are interested in more information about the new handmade marketplace, read on.

What is Goimagine?

Goimagine is an online marketplace for crafters in the USA to sell their handmade goods. They advertise themselves as a philanthropic endeavor – donating their profits to children’s charity. To be clear, the marketplace donates their profits to charity. Individual sellers are free to keep the profits from their own shops.

How Does Goimagine Define ‘Handmade’?

Products sold on Goimagine must meet the following criteria:

• Designed and produced by the seller, family, or their employees.
• Not be mass produced.
• Can use hand tools and light machinery in your home or studio.
• Sellers are encouraged to do their own printing, but it is not required. Sellers should be involved in the process and ship the item. (This rules out print on demand services.)
• Embellishing of products is permitted (example: vinyl on a shirt or a cup).
• Be family friendly, although some swear words are permitted. Sellers should aim to keep it PG-13.
• Not be in violation of their trademark/copyright infringement list.

Read the full handmade policy on Goimagine.

How Does Goimagine Compare with Etsy?

Goimagine is a newer marketplace that launched in August 2020. In contrast, Etsy was launched in 2005. At this time (August, 2021), Goimagine can’t fairly be compared to Etsy. To compare them would be like comparing a one year old’s abilities to that of a 16 year old.

I will say that Goimagine seems to be picking up on some of the things that Etsy falls short on:

• Handmade Policy. Etsy seems to have gotten away from handmade items in the recent years. Goimagine has stricter policies on what qualifies for handmade.
• Infringement Policies. You don’t have to search long to find a trademark violation on Etsy, and it seems they don’t care unless the trademark owner reports it to them. It looks like Goimagine is going to take a more proactive effort related to trademark and copyright infringements by laying out what is not permitted in the marketplace.
• A Juried System. On Etsy, anyone can set up a shop in minutes – which is one reason there are numerous scam sellers on Etsy. Goimagine’s juried process seems to be interested in the quality of the sellers over the quantity of sellers.

How Much Does it Cost to Sell on Goimagine?

Rather than a listing fee and a transaction fee, Goimagine charges based on the number of items in your shop.

Plans include:

• Starter: $2.50 a month up to 25 products, 5% transaction fee.
• Growth: $5.00 a month up to 100 products, 4.5% transaction fee.
• Professional: $7.50 a month up to 250 products + a Mosaic site (which is a Goimagine sponsored standalone shop).
• All Star: $10 a month up to 1000 products, 3.5% transaction fee + a Mosaic Site.

What Do I Think of Goimagine?

It’s my blog, so I’ll put my ‘two cents’ in about Goimagine. First, I wasn’t paid to write this post – in fact, Goimagine has never contacted me. Instead, I see their sponsored advertising on my Facebook feed often. I chose to research the marketplace and share my findings and opinions.

Things I Like About Goimagine

• Charity Aspect. I like that the aspect of charity wrapped up in their mission. It’ll be nice down the road to see additional charities added to their mission, and (hopefully!) transparent numbers of how much was donated. You can see a breakdown of their plan to donate their Caring Economy page. I do hope they branch out from solely focusing on children’s charities and partner with a wide range of charities.
• Product Pages. I love the clear, uncluttered layout of the product page. Instead of trying to send traffic to other listings, the seller’s product stands out – as it should be.
• Seller Involvement. I like that they’ve formed a Street Team (which is essentially a group of sellers with something in common) to promote Goimagine. I also like that sellers on Goimagine can help promote the brand which adds to the feel of community.
• Home Page. I love the home page! Right now, it’s full of Back to School related goods from around the marketplace. It looks like these items were hand chosen and are presently nicely.
• Shop Critiques. There are 3rd party shop critiques available in Goimagine’s Facebook Group for the purpose of teaching. This tells me that they are invested in their sellers doing well on their marketplace. Find out more about the shop critiques.

Things I Think Goimagine Could Improve On

• Higher Traffic is Needed. One year in, I think their traffic could be substantially higher. In a post on one of Goimagine’s Facebook Ads, Goimagine stated they are currently receiving about 23,000 unique visitors a month and around 80,000 page views a month (posted in August, 2021). To break this down, this is less than 1000 visitors per day and 2,500 page views a day. This is not enough traffic to sustain a marketplace, especially when sellers will account for some of those visits and views.
• Clarity on Copyrights and Trademarks. On GoImagine’s Intellectual Property page, they seem to have confused the terms ‘copyright’ and ‘trademark’ and are using them interchangeably/incorrectly. The wording and clarity could use improvement. Also, there are a number of infringing products on the site, despite its small size.
• Mosaic. Not surprisingly, I’m not a fan of Goimagine’s Mosaic. It is a product similar to Etsy’s Pattern. Read my thoughts about Etsy’s Pattern websites. In general, many of the points I share about Etsy’s Pattern come to mind when thinking about Goimagine’s Mosaic.

Would I Recommend Selling on Goimagine?

If you want to get on in on the ground level of a marketplace, give Goimagine a try. I don’t think it would be a waste of time to have a shop over there and work on that shop for a hour or so a week. Of course, this would be in addition to having your own website and/or an Etsy/Shopify Shop. Or, if you are an occasional seller looking for a good way to organize your listings for friends and family – look into Goimagine.

If you are looking for a replacement for your Etsy Shop – Goimagine isn’t it, at least right now. It is worth keeping an eye on it though, especially if you value a community over competition and giving back mindset.

How to Connect with Goimagine

• Visit the Goimagine marketplace.
• Apply to become a seller.
• Follow them on social media:
  • Facebook
  • Facebook Group
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Now, I want to hear your thoughts on Goimagine. Are you setting up a shop there? Waiting for a bit? Or, not even considering it?