Handmade Artists' Forum
Main => General Discussion => Topic started by: MakinTheBest on October 01, 2013, 01:24:13 PM
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They have long left the original mission statement where they claim to support handmade....now they are going to legitimately allow manufacturing. Sad, handmade artistans are not going to stand a chance http://www.app.com/viewart/20131001/NJBIZ/310010049/Etsy-let-sellers-hire-staff-use-manufacturers (http://www.app.com/viewart/20131001/NJBIZ/310010049/Etsy-let-sellers-hire-staff-use-manufacturers)
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More in this thread on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/teams/18091/new-guidelines/discuss/13091813/ (http://www.etsy.com/teams/18091/new-guidelines/discuss/13091813/)
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I saw those threads too in addition to one asking what other alternatives were to Etsy. I put a plug in for HandmadeArtists on that one. Make way for eBay Jr. :)
The last of my items on Etsy expire the end of this month...glad I made the choice to leave there with this latest change. The last order I had here was from a buyer who followed my link in my Etsy shop to my shop here...and it was the largest order I have had since I started selling online! That link will stay there until Etsy finds it.
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"Some sellers, he says in a blog post, worked long hours to maintain a one-person shop, while others began to bend the rules."
So they're caving to the rule-benders? Nifty.
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"Some sellers, he says in a blog post, worked long hours to maintain a one-person shop, while others began to bend the rules."
So they're caving to the rule-benders? Nifty.
Basically they are following the money and the big sellers that outsource and mass produce are their paycheck; that being said, there has to be a place for a site that follows its ethics and basic beliefs.
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I'm so thankful to have found handmadeartists before all this .... came about ^-^ :-* :D
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I'd be interested to find out how many Etsy sellers came to Handmade Artists this week. Any figures, Andrew??
I know over 260 people joined Zibbet just today, according to the CEO there. I joined several days ago and I know several of you here also have shops on Zibbet.
I still have my shop on Etsy and will tough it out until the end of the year. Too many listings that don't expire until then. At this point in time, I'm too poor to just abandon money like that.
It's been a tough road for so many people on Etsy these past few months. I've read where sellers who usually sell thousands of dollars a month have dwindled to several hundred and these folks have been with Etsy since conception. It's too bad what is happening, but, I guess we all kind of figured it was in the cards. I sure can't live on three sales each month!
Anyway, lots to do on this site...it's been too long since I really addressed my listings and promotions, etc.
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This whole thing is just sad!!!! :o
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Grrrr! I have words but they aren't appropriate for this forum :o
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It really opens up the doors for mass produced being justified. I say follow the money and you'll see where etsy is going.
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Following the money seems like what Etsy has been dong for a long time. They are just being more open about it now in some ways. From the threads I have seen a lot of Etsy sellers are going to Zibbet. I put some plugs in for HandmadeArtists, so I hope some will come here too.
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We've picked up a few, zibbet must be doing well as it crashed today. Sort of funny, however I feel for them as I would flip out.
I haven't been pushing too hard as the new site is close. Be we welcome everyone of course.
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"Some sellers, he says in a blog post, worked long hours to maintain a one-person shop, while others began to bend the rules."
So they're caving to the rule-benders? Nifty.
Basically they are following the money and the big sellers that outsource and mass produce are their paycheck; that being said, there has to be a place for a site that follows its ethics and basic beliefs.
Hey! I know a site like that! ;)
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Andrew, better to have quality than quantity. Some of the Etsy sellers who came here gave up after a short time without even putting any effort into their shops. I wonder what those going to Zibbet will do since it does not get the traffic that Etsy does. Of course, that traffic might decrease if the buyers leave and go somewhere else to buy handmade. Sounds like Etsy shot itself in the foot once again.
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We had a huge infulx of etsy sellers in the beginning of the year, maybe 150 or so. Most did not do anything, some did a month, some two months. Some may still be here, not sure the actual numbers. Like you said it takes time, as soon as those people came our traffic stats went up and sales went up.
What we need is people that have been doing this awhile. We need people that were with Etsy in 2006, people who know what it takes to establish themselves, those are the ones that stay, the others are a flash in the pan.
When we went to etsy in 2006, etsy was a baby, it took at least a year I believe for our first sale.
We are etsy in 2006 basically, they were a handmade venue, they seemed to have a dream, they seemed to have values. We realized in a short 3 years, by 2009 that those values were gone.
It is the same thing, follow the money, they got 25 million in investors, etsy is not owned by etsy anymore. Add another 25 million a few years later, well etsy is definitely not etsy anymore.
The amount of artisans that leave are a drop in the bucket to etsy, do they care? I imagine they do, who knows. But with over 800k sellers if they lose a few thousand they probably will not even feel the financial impact much at all.
Sad right?
Like we've said multiple times. our goal is max out at 20k vendors, we have a long way to go though. That number is only a small percentage of etsy, we will still be tiny compared to etsy.
However we will be big enough to be a household name by that point. We will be big enough to be well known, and the vendors that are with us then will reap the benefits. The ones who left will not be able to get back in, they will have to go on a waiting list.
This is our ultimate goal, i still believe it is possible, however we need people to believe in it as well.
I know little about zibbet, I've heard all sides over the years, they are this they are that, who knows!
I believe in our goals, I believe in our vendors talents, and I'm very hopeful for our future together.
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I believe we'll get there too.
Thing is, what most vendors don't realize is that most *customers* have no idea what's happening with Etsy. It needs to make the news so the customers are protected.
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I believe we'll get there too.
Thing is, what most vendors don't realize is that most *customers* have no idea what's happening with Etsy. It needs to make the news so the customers are protected.
Oh, it's made plenty of news. It was all over the news right after they had their town hall meeting. ABC, NBC, etc. all had stories about it as well as websites, etc.
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Well it's about time.
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Have you watched the town hall meeting? Anne Hopfer posted a link on FB which I followed. I watched a good chunk of it.
Here's the link if you are so inclined. It will remain to be seen what happens in the new year.
http://www.etsy.com/townhall/2013/10/01
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Today etsy has changed yet again. Today it's politics. I personally feel that my political leanings are my business and when I am looking for crafts I don't want to be bombarded with politics.
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Andrew, I remember Etsy when it was a baby. I joined Etsy in 2005 and opened my shop in July 2006, first sale was about 6 months. As a new seller you could learn a lot through the forums…. Those where the days! LOL I noticed things changing and I could see shops opening that were not Handmade (ie candybeads) and thats when I set out to find a new place to sell my wears… And I came across HAF. Thank Goodness! It’s been a match made in heaven ever since! LOL
Good things will come to those who wait…. I and everyone here are in this for the long haul… Like a fine wine, better with age! LOL
So I say to you and Kimberly….
A job well done…. Oorah!
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I watched part of the town hall..... Not impressed.... Maybe it got to be more interesting toward the end. One thing that struck me as odd was the small crowd. Just a handfull of people. I don't know if this was the elite crowd or if it showed lack of interest. It will be interesting to see what happens. I used to tell everyone about etsy.... It doesn't come up so often any more.
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The town hall was not all that interesting really. And I am sure that the audience was hand picked Etsy shop owners from Brooklyn and the surrounding area.
IMO, the more they try to make it better and more fir, the worse it gets. They are shutting out the very people who made them what they are (or at least supposed to be). I am always amazed at how many refuse to remove the blinders at really LOOK at stuff. See it everyday. Maybe it's why I have a headache. ::)
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??? I've seen no comments addressing this - but I'm of the opinion that manufacturers have been pressing (with $$$) Etsy for some time to let them in - I say this because one seller on Etsy decided to go with a manufacturer, and then that manufacturer popped up on her page with an advertisement. The seller was very upset because they didn't want others to know where their things were being manufactured. They didn't want to deal with further competition.
I'm slowly leaving Etsy and coming over here. The explanations Etsy has offered concerning their changes reminds me of the story of "The Emporer's New Clothes" regarding Ety's newfound definition and philosophy of what constitutes "handmade". Bottom Line: Handmade now equals mass manufactured goods. We already live in a topsy-turvy world. I want to be in a corner of it that still knows what common sense is - particularly with regard to handmade goods.
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I've been pretty out of the loop on what is going on over at Etsy these past few months. My husband got transfered from British Columbia, Canada to northern Kentucky. We've been busy moving, buying a house, moving in, etc, etc. I also haven't had any time to work on my business in any way. I have tried to pop into the forum here and over at Etsy to stay in the loop of the happenings and all. I just became aware of the changes over at Etsy and am really starting to wonder if they are a good fit for me at all. My shop sits empty because I haven't had time for it and now I am really not enthusiastic about getting going over there again. I'm even contemplating giving my shop address for here in my shop announcement over there. Even if that may get my shop shut down. Etsy just leaves me with a bad feeling. It's really quite sad that they have chosen the path they are on. Everyone who is here, whether it's your main shop or not, I wish you much success and may we help to make Handmade Artists the place people go for handmade.
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I believe we'll get there too.
Thing is, what most vendors don't realize is that most *customers* have no idea what's happening with Etsy. It needs to make the news so the customers are protected.
Posted the news story to my facebook page...
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Chainmaille: ..."What we need is people that have been doing this awhile. We need people that were with Etsy in 2006, people who know what it takes to establish themselves, those are the ones that stay, the others are a flash in the pan."
Please don't apply this to all of us who are new to the online venue. I have been an artist, designer and handcrafter for more than twenty years, and although I wasn't online for most of those twenty years, I worked hard to get my work into galleries, shows, etc. Those were tough years requiring a lot of hard work not only to develop and produce my work, but to get it out there and recognized. It took a while before I started seeing sales. Then I had to start all over after having to help take care of my father, who was very ill. I have basically dropped showing in galleries and started selling my work in shows and online, where I can offer my work without galleries taking a 40% cut of all sales. I expect to be here for the long haul, and I'm not surprised I don't have sales yet. I believe with persistance and a don't-give-up attitude, the online venue will work for me just as the shows I am doing now are working for me.
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Very good point, Rebecca. If only all artists were as reasonable as you. It often seems that only with experience do people learn to stop expecting magic.
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Thank you Rebecca. We have been at this for awhile from shows to online and after a number of years get regular sales but it has taken a lot of work. Those that are looking for the list it and immediately sell are sadly mistaken about what it takes to really become a self supporting artist.
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Thank you Rebecca. We have been at this for awhile from shows to online and after a number of years get regular sales but it has taken a lot of work. Those that are looking for the list it and immediately sell are sadly mistaken about what it takes to really become a self supporting artist.
That doesn't work anywhere as far as I know. It always takes time.
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I was kept very busy for five to seven days reading all of the threads on Etsy about the new changes and Zibbet.
I also promoted Handmade Artists a number of times over that same time period.
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I have also been promoting HandmadeArtists on Etsy wherever possible. A lot of angry sellers over there now.
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Etsy just tried to sweep their changes under the rug by deleting the section of the forum for questions about it. Any thread started now will get buried under the chitchat type of threads there now. Typical Etsy...trying to shut down anyone who is not one of their cheerleaders. :)
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Don't they usually close topics but not delete them? Deleting is pretty harsh, even for them. Lame.
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No, that's not what the post said. It didn't get deleted. This is what admin said: I wanted to give you a heads-up that later today we will be closing the Forums section that was opened for questions and answers about Etsy's new guidelines and policies. [/size]All threads posted in that space will be migrated to Discussions, and you are welcome to continue the conversation about the new guidelines there, or in Questions. [/color]
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The section about the changes was deleted. The threads from that section may have been buried in the other sections of the forum there...not sure.
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The section about the changes was deleted. The threads from that section may have been buried in the other sections of the forum there...not sure.
This surprises me even for Etsy. They generally just close things, not delete them. I have and get Etsy people in my store and none of them so far have any clue what's going on. I find that rather disturbing. I've been giving them info about handmade Artists. I do hope they sign up. In fact, I need to print another poster.
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No, that's not what the post said. It didn't get deleted. This is what admin said: I wanted to give you a heads-up that later today we will be closing the Forums section that was opened for questions and answers about Etsy's new guidelines and policies. [/size]All threads posted in that space will be migrated to Discussions, and you are welcome to continue the conversation about the new guidelines there, or in Questions. [/color]
Beth, I am trying to help. I think this will help reading, I could not read the tiny stuff....here is etsy's quote
***** I wanted to give you a heads-up that later today we will be closing the Forums section that was opened for questions and answers about Etsy's new guidelines and policies. All threads posted in that space will be migrated to Discussions, and you are welcome to continue the conversation about the new guidelines there, or in Questions. *****
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Typical, give them a few days to vent and then brush them off and hide the discussions where nobody can find them if they are not looking. Sorry, but I used to love Etsy and not am just heartsick over what they have become.
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Posted on my facebook
The calm before the storm.....
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Handmade-Mosaic-Art-by-Myeuropeantouch/294047437318456