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I came across this article earlier and thought it would be relevant to share in this part of the forumas I have regularly suggested Etsy as sales forumand as there is regularly a post on how to sell cards (and papercrafts) every so many weeks.
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As someone who is directly involved in the maker movement, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I didn't pay much attention when Etsy changed its policies last fall. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, CEO Chad Dickerson announced that Etsy sellers could use outside manufacturers to produce their designs. In other words, items sold on Etsy no longer had to be handmade.
It wasn't until a few months ago, when looking on Etsy for a new watch that I realized the implications of this change.
I had a specific brown, repurposed leather, wrap-watch in mind. I knew the one I wanted was handmade by a seller in Ohio, but I didn't know his name. Typing in a simple search for "wrap watch" into Etsy, I proceeded to spend nearly an hour sifting through 50+ pages of three-dollar "wrap watches" from China.
My eyes scanned over page after page of items I would have expected to find in the kiosks of Daytona Beach, not on a website for handmade goods. I sat at my computer with my jaw on the keyboard, wondering what had just happened. When I eventually found what I was looking for I purchased the handmade watch, for significantly more than three dollars, and moved on. I didn't think much more about the experience after that.
SNIP
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Aside from the issue that independent designers are now competing with full-scale production operations, there is the issue of sheer volume -- Etsy now has over 1 million shops. When a seller is competing in a sea of 999,999 other shops, the odds aren't good.
Yes. This is why I'm on Zibbet. So much mass produced Chinese junk on there. Sad, because there are some amazingly talented artists there swimming upstream.
Yes. This is why I'm on Zibbet. So much mass produced Chinese junk on there. Sad, because there are some amazingly talented artists there swimming upstream.
I have never heard of Zibbet. Off to check them out! I have an Etsy shop, and my listings get buried because I can't afford to promote them on the first page or "Featured" section. Thanks for the info!
Yes. This is why I'm on Zibbet. So much mass produced Chinese junk on there. Sad, because there are some amazingly talented artists there swimming upstream.
It's crazy that they changed their basic operating idea like that.
And reading the comments on how people had to prove that they were a unique handmade and show their studios, tutorials, supply list to Etsy it gets crazier.
Last edited by RiverIsis; 09-29-2014 at 07:12 AM..
It's crazy that they changed their basic operating idea like that.
And reading the comments on how people had to prove that they were a unique handmade and show their studios, tutorials, supply list to Etsy it gets crazier.
Yes!!
At the end of the day it provided an opportunity for Zibbet founders, who are pretty clear about handmade in the about section:
When you buy from Zibbet, you're supporting an individual seller who manages the creation process from conception, right through to packaging and shipping the product to your doorstep. We're proud to be the largest marketplace in the world that stays true to the definition of handmade, where products are in fact hand made, not mass-produced in some factory.
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Lydia thanks for telling us about zibbet............I had never heard of it.
love the name Lydia that was my mothers name........just hardly ever hear it.
Lydia thanks for telling us about zibbet............I had never heard of it.
love the name Lydia that was my mothers name........just hardly ever hear it.
Thank you! It's fun having a rare name. Except when they name a character on Breaking Bad after you. Pretty weird to have Walter White calling your name
Thank you! It's fun having a rare name. Except when they name a character on Breaking Bad after you. Pretty weird to have Walter White calling your name
Thank you! It's fun having a rare name. Except when they name a character on Breaking Bad after you. Pretty weird to have Walter White calling your name
Do you know how many Kristens there were in the world before I shot JR?!?! I feel your pain (and yes I know the character spells it slightly different).
Do you know how many Kristens there were in the world before I shot JR?!?! I feel your pain (and yes I know the character spells it slightly different).
People who used to sell on E-Bay, under their strict policies that let you know the profile of the Seller, are switching to Etsy. I bought a dish that was advertised as "Vintage 1955-57". I have others of the same one and know the difference. It was not "vintage". With EBay I would have had recourse or at least a way to let other buyers know, but I couldn't find that on Etsy.
I'm thrilled to know of an Etsy alternative! Thanks Lydia.
Thanks for the Zibbet suggestion, Lydia! Do you have any tips for getting your name out there? I was thinking of restarting my Etsy shop, but didn't realize they had changed their rules so much.
Oh boy. I had not heard about this change on Etsy. That's awful! I had hopes to one day sell on Etsy b/c Ebay has gotten so hard to sell on from what I read and hear all the time. Dang. :( Those big mfgs are ruining it on ebay and I bet will on Etsy too.
"How Etsy Changed the Rules"
