The original post: /r/internetisbeautiful by /u/wavesbc on 2025-03-11 07:45:40.

I’m a music producer and since I started my own site affiliated with bandcamp I started making more sales than I had before. Selling products on your own website offers several advantages compared to relying solely on third-party platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy. Here are the key benefits:

1. Full Control Over Branding: You can design your website to reflect your brand’s identity, from the layout and colors to the tone of the content. This helps create a unique customer experience that marketplaces can’t replicate.
2. Higher Profit Margins: When you sell directly, you avoid marketplace fees (e.g., Amazon’s referral fees can range from 8-15% or more per sale). While you’ll have website maintenance costs, you keep more of each sale long-term.
3. Direct Customer Relationships: You own the customer data—emails, preferences, and purchase history. This allows you to build loyalty through personalized marketing, newsletters, or promotions, rather than letting a platform control that connection.
4. Flexibility in Pricing and Promotions: You set the prices and can run discounts, bundles, or loyalty programs without marketplace restrictions. This gives you room to experiment and optimize your strategy.
5. No Competition on Your Turf: On your own site, customers focus solely on your products, not a competitor’s similar item listed right next door (like on Amazon’s “related products” section).
6. Customizable Checkout Process: You can streamline checkout, upsell related items, or offer unique payment options (e.g., subscriptions, crypto, or financing) tailored to your audience.
7. SEO and Organic Traffic: A well-optimized website can rank on Google, driving free traffic over time. You’re not limited to the platform’s search algorithm or paid ads to get visibility.
8. Long-Term Asset Building: Your website is an investment that grows in value as you build traffic and authority. Marketplaces don’t reward you for that effort—they own the ecosystem.
9. Avoid Platform Risks: Third-party platforms can change rules, increase fees, or even suspend accounts unexpectedly. Your website gives you independence from those risks.
10. Scalability and Diversification: You can expand beyond products—add a blog, affiliate links, or digital goods—turning your site into a broader business hub.

That said, it’s not all rosy. You’ll need to handle hosting, security, and traffic generation yourself, which takes time and skill. Many businesses use a hybrid approach—selling on their site and marketplaces—to balance reach and control. What type of products are you thinking about selling? That could shape how these benefits apply to you.