Ravelry Alternative: Designing New opportunities --

 Updated: April 26, 2022

The top Ravelry options for 2022 that are discussed here include:

•   Etsy
•   Lovecrafts

For a long time Ravelry is the best place for knitters and crocheters to make connections and buy patterns. It is a unique combination of an online notebook as well as a pattern database as well as social media and a market place for patterns. A lot of independent crochet and knit designers have built their businesses by using Ravelry as the foundation of their business.

However, change happens fast when you're on the web. Websites abruptly shut down, are bought by larger firms, and eventually fall out of favor.

In the year 2020, Ravelry launched a new look, and members dubbed it NuRav. Soon after, some members complained that NuRav triggers migraines, vertigo, eyestrain, and some seizures. Some long-time users feel they can no longer access their patterns or get support for their patterns through the website.

NuRav isn't the only surprise disruption that has occurred in the fiber community. In the year 2017 NBC/Universal acquired the well-known site Craftsy rebranding it as Blueprint. Numerous independent designers were able to sell their works on the Blueprint/Craftsy platform. In the summer of 2020 in a sudden and unexpected way, NBC/Universal decided to shutter the website. TN Marketing bought the video library and launched Craftsy at the end of that year.

Due to unexpected changes like this, designers are asking whether it's smarter to base their businesses on an online platform like Ravelry. If you're an independent designer looking at new ways to promote your work three options to think about are:

• Selling patterns through Ravelry and a parallel e-commerce store
• Use Ravelry to stay in touch via community forums and to showcase your work, but when a knitter is looking to buy, they are directed to a different website.
• Start a brand new store online and quit Ravelry all together

No matter which route you decide to take the possibility of selling your designs through an alternative Ravelry website can be a great way to develop a flexible business built to survive unpredictable shifts.

Considerations For Independent Designers Selecting Ravelry Other Options

Independent designers can do much more than just write gorgeous knit patterns and crochet patterns. They are marketing departments, customer service rep, as well as chief financial officer. It is essential to have efficient online stores that allow you to focus more time creating, and less time doing all other tasks.

When looking at a Ravelry alternative, Important questions designers have to ask include:

• How will a knitter know your work exists?
• Free patterns and discounts are a great way to attract new consumers. What is the easiest way to setup coupons? Do they allow BOGO, no-cost patterns?
• Businesses need repeat customers. Branding is crucial. Does the knitter think of you when they recommend your knitting pattern? Or do they think of the website from a third party?
• Does the site that you are selling on make it simpler to send information to your customers? Will you need to set up a website or email list in order to accomplish this?
• The independent market for Knit and Crochet patterns are an international market. Does the website manage VAT? US Sales Tax?
• What is the cost? How will you be paid?

E-commerce Options

There are two broad kinds of websites that cater to knitters who are independent and crocheters:

• Marketplaces like Ravelry that let thousands, sometimes even millions - of designers compete for their attention from crocheters as well as crocheters
• A Personal website and shopping cart to sell directly to knitters and crocheters.

Marketplace E-commerce

It is possible that marketplace websites will bring customers to you. Knitters and crocheters go to these websites with the intention of buying. Since these websites are large businesses that handles VAT and sales tax for you. This is a significant benefit.

Marketplace websites may help you entice a first time customer. But, can you turn your customer into a loyal fan? The most common response is, "I bought it on Etsy." Once your customer is ready to start their next project do they return to your store or do another Etsy search? Building your brand in the shadow of a massive website is a challenge.

If built-in foot traffic is your priority then there are two huge websites worth considering: Etsy and Lovecrafts.

Etsy

Etsy is an incredibly well-known online marketplace website and makes it easy for artists, designers, and other artisans to offer their work to an eager customer base. Over 45 million people shopped on Etsy. It's not like all the 45 million people who shop on Etsy are looking for knit patterns, crochet patterns or perhaps are crafters themselves.

Yet, the access to 45 million potential customers, with sales tax taken care of in a simple way, and the convenience of listing is valuable. That value comes with a price tag. The process of setting up your own Etsy shop is easy, but listing your patterns is not.

• The listing fee is $0.20 (USD) for each listing.
• You pay this fee whether your product sells, or is not sold.
• Listings are canceled every 4 months. It costs $0.60 a year to keep one list in good standing.

If you decide to sell a pattern with their Pattern tool, there's an entirely different format:

• Free trial for 30 days. Then you'll be charged a monthly subscription cost of $15.00 USD per month
• 6.5 percent Transaction Fee on all transactions
• Processing Fees are charged when you choose to sign up for Etsy payment. The fee is different for each country.
• Advertising Fees: Sellers will be enrolled automatically into Etsy Offsite advertisements. You will incur additional fees if Etsy assigns a sale to an offsite advertisement. Sellers with less than $10,000 per year may opt out.

I'm small enough that I can't save money hosting my own platform. Also, I get traffic from Etsybut not on my own site. But if I had more sales or name recognition, I'd do my [own websiteto increase sales. The costs are constantly increasing and it's not anymore handmade.

- Laura Design, Spinner and Laura
 The Corner of Knit & Tea

Lovecrafts

Lovecrafts is a one-stop-shop for crocheters and knitters to buy yarn and patterns. There are several aspects that make it different from Etsy.

Community Pages: Members can share photos of their finished objects. These photos are invaluable for inspiring knitters to purchase patterns.

Imports listings directly from Ravelry There is a requirement add additional details, but this may help you save time. However, Lovecrafts does approve each listing prior to posting it on the website. It could take up to 3-5 days to get your listing accepted.

Pattern Library: Like Ravelry Members, they have access to a pattern library and receive regular updates

Customer Service: Lovecrafts manages all customer support to you, which includes pattern support.

Being an independent designer your heart may have skipped an beat. Pattern support eats into your precious time. But, Lovecrafts acting as a continuous intermediary could hinder the development of the brand's loyalty. Knitters and crocheters can follow your community page on Lovecrafts however, there's little opportunity to build your email list or steer visitors to your website.

Charges for Lovecraft are like Ravelry but is simpler as compared to Etsy.

• The process of creating your store and list is completely free.
• Offer free patterns to entice new followers.
• A transaction fee of 4% plus $/PS/EUR0.35 for any purchases
• Selling Fee of 5% will be charged for monthly sales from $40 to $1500 (USD)

Simple. Still, there are disadvantages. The community pages are helpful however, there aren't any online forums. There's not much opportunity for interaction with knitters and crocheters, and it's difficult to create your list of email addresses or advertise a membership program.

A New Generation of Kids on the Block

After the uproar around NuRav, people see an opportunity to create Ravelry alternatives. One that is currently being developed is Fiber.Club. But, there are several unknowns:

• How will these websites function?
• What is the fee arrangement?
• What will they do with the sales tax?

When Fiber.Club or another website launches, time will tell how it develops and grow into an actual Ravelry alternative.

Create A Website of Your Own

The ownership of a website gives you the chance to completely control prices, branding, marketing, and pattern support. Additionally, you can using your website to establish membership-based programs that generate income streams.

The majority of you have websites. Designers often use their sites to drive makers to their Ravelry store to sell their products. So why not convert those links into your website catalog instead? Offering your designs directly to the customers you sell them to makes your business more flexible and able to ride out disruptions whenever a website that sells products closes, is bought out, or falls out of favour.

This is an online shop designed for digital downloads that permits you to transform your website into a retail store. There are two ways you can utilize :

• Integrate listings onto your current website
• You can set up an e-commerce hosted site in less than a minute

I've found their setup very easy to understand. The page that allows you where you can fill in your details is such a treat. There is no need to be concerned about my pattern "romance" to be a good fit and creating sense...I love how simple it is to integrate by integrating my blog into my site [with embedding]. I would like my blog to serve as my central point of reference and having my designs on display gives it the feeling. Once I've learned how to set up things it's going to be an easy task whenever a new pattern is released. out.

Getting Started On

Getting started with is as simple as providing an email address and making your password.

After you've set your account, you build your very first page. Customers can opt to be able to pay via Paypal or Stripe. After your initial listing is live, you are able to modify your store's appearance so that it is in keeping with your branding. Select the colors of your buttons, fonts as well as a CSS.

Like Etsy and Lovecrafts, handles VAT on behalf of customers. In the case of US Sales Tax will report the sales tax and include it with the purchase price. You are still responsible for remitting the taxes to appropriate state authorities. (Sales Taxes differ by state. Please consult with the tax expert.)

More Ways to Sell Yourself as well as Your Work

Each e-commerce website has the ability to give your followers coupon codes and sales. But, has an added shopping cart feature that can encourage customers to buy more than one pattern such as cross-selling or upselling.

• If a person who crochets adds a pattern to their cart, you can immediately offer a discount to a second pattern.
• Have you got a hat pattern with the same glove pattern? Create the cart so that it will automatically recommend the pattern.

We Are Fiber Family

Sharing a passion in crochet and knitting creates more than just a customer relationship between makers and designers. We feel like a community. A tool many designers use to maintain a long-lasting connection with their crafters is to create the use of newsletters and email lists.

With , you can opt to have the email address of a client immediately added to your list of email addresses following the purchase of your pattern. In the event that you use to host your store the follow Button is present on the upper right hand side of your webpage.

I wanted to know from Kristin Jancuk about how quickly she was able to build her email list:

"I was happy to see that I can link my newsletter with checkout and pay for my purchases, something I've always wanted on Ravelry...I believe that getting my new designs immediately in front of the eyes of those who are already interested in my designs is one of the best benefits however, I also provide discount coupons to my subscribers and give them an incentive to stay as well.

There is more you can do through the creation of your own email list. Crocheters and knitters love to show their finished items to other crafters. We are the best marketing team. Inspire your fans to recommend your designs to their friends through a an incentive program.

Etsy, Lovecrafts, even Ravelry offer a way to earn revenue through pattern sales. A lot of designers are using Patreon to generate new revenue streams. It is a lot to handle the administration of a Patreon as well as and an Etsy Store, a Ravelry page or a website. Imagine eliminating one of them with the help of establishing your Membership program through . You can indeed have a an e-commerce and membership site all in one with .

Fees

There are three levels of membership, and each one includes the same features. Only difference is the amount you have to pay for transaction fees.

• Forever Free: 5% transaction fee
• Plus: $29.00/ month 2 percent transaction fee
• Pro: $99.00/month 0% transaction cost

If I Build it, Will People Come?

Selling your work from your website isn't without a disadvantage that there's no built-in customers' traffic such as Etsy, Ravelry, or Lovecrafts. You will have to drive customers who knit and crochet to your website. I asked Sile Thiels whether it was difficult to sell her knitting patterns to knitters, and she replied:

A bit however, I'm not sure I'm any worse than I did before when I was only selling my work on Ravelry. I've always relied upon promoting myself via my twitter or Instagram account, as well as my Facebook page. And my patterns still come into Ravelry searches. They just redirect to Ravelry for the sales.

- Sile Thiels, Independent Knit Designer
 The Knit Dance Repeat

If you are thinking it's time to start building your online store , it's either via your website or you will have to promote yourself. However, as Sile Thiels does you can make use of Ravelry to market your work. However, you may choose to use Ravelry in the future, with a mix of e-commerce websites, you can establish a reputation inside and outside of Ravelry. Best of all, the success of your business will not be dependent on the performance of another site's success or.

Comparison Table

Here is a quick comparison chart. The fees do not include any extra processing fees from Paypal or Stripe. Fees are in US Dollars

 *Always consult with the Tax Professional

Conclusion

Recent issues with Ravelry are prompting designers to think about new possibilities for e-commerce solutions. Making a site, either as a replacement or combination with websites like Ravelry, Etsy, and Lovecrafts allows you to develop a flexible company which can withstand unexpected change.