Say hello to the Indie Sellers Guild, the non-profit who have set up to be a guiding light for independent online sellers by taking a stand to make ecommerce fairer, less daunting whilst empowering sellers of handmade goods.
The UN have revealed predictions that the world population will reach 8 billion this winter. Internet and mobiles users continue to increase as countries gain better access to technology. Consumers and businesses are connecting in more ways than ever before, especially after the start up boom during the pandemic, yet despite all the positive prospects, developing technology and evolving channels selling handmade items is far from easy and knowing where to access help and who is on your side can be daunting.
As if the challenges of the pandemic weren’t enough, the world was met with a global economic crisis. If you’re in a country affected by the energy crisis, running the machinery you use for your business is a whole other concern and that’s without mentioning consumers spending less whilst they try to survive the cost of living hikes. All of this has pushed ecommerce giants to raise their fees adding another financial obstacle for sellers of handmade items.
I asked the people behind Indie Sellers Guild, what prompted their decision to start up, eager to learn more about how sellers of handmade goods can make a stand for what they do.
We started the guild because individually, as sellers, we are at the mercy of a corporate structure that is trying to squeeze every bit of profit it can – both from us and from our buyers. These giant platforms are constantly making changes that are bad for us, and even bad for the long-term success of the platform, and we have no say.
Together, we can fight to protect our livelihoods. We can share crowdsourced info on best practices to run our shops, and lift eachother up. We can create a community that is by sellers, for sellers, and launch this community with tens of thousands of sellers already signed on to our petition. It’s quite exciting!
– Kristi Cassidy, interim president, Indie Sellers Guild
JOIN THE INDIE SELLERS GUILD LIVE LAUNCH!
Join Indie Sellers Guild during their livestream event on the 5th of September to find out more information on the story of how they started as well as listen to a panel of their volunteers to answer your questions. Find out more here.
You can also become a member of the ISG here. Each member will receive:
- Access to a worldwide community of online sellers
- Research and lectures on interstate and international shipping, taxes and fees
- Digital Media skills training
- A blog with business tips, resources, research, best practices
- The ability to unite and make a difference!
Once you apply for membership you can then apply as a verified seller member and have:
- Full voting rights for seller members – it’s your organization; you decide what it does
- A listing in our membership directory
- A directory of online marketplaces – Several online marketplaces have reached out to collaborate with us (coming soon)
- A Pinterest board where you can post your listings for free advertising (coming soon)
Register to become a member here.
