Not even sure if I replied, but I can tell you, I used to be, but now with the ever growing population of resellers, my addiction is quickly wearing off.
A reseller by definition is someone who buys mass produced items & resells them under the pretension that they are the handmade by them- something NOT allowed on Etsy.
One such reseller who not only should NOT have been allowed to sell on Etsy, was in fact a featured seller. Then the very same day, one of her bullshit mass produced items hit the front page of Etsy.
Boy this struck a big nerve with the handmade community.
The site that discovered the fraud was Regretsy- not one of my personal favorite internet blogs, and I certainly do not agree with most of the goings on of the site, but this for-instance is undeniably right.
For a summation, I give you this Etsy thread:
hodor3 says
the etsy featured reseller - ecologica malibu:
www.regretsy.com/2012/04/21/the-etsy-featured-reseller-ecologica-ma...
can you buy plausible deniability anywhere online now that etsy's run completely out of it?:
www.metafilter.com/115181/Can-you-buy-plausible-deniability-anywher...
etsy’s reseller debacle - handmade site features questionable goods:
www.webpronews.com/etsys-reseller-debacle-handmade-site-features-qu...
UPDATE: Ecologica Malibu
www.regretsy.com/2012/04/24/update-ecologica-malibu/
www.regretsy.com/2012/04/21/the-etsy-featured-reseller-ecologica-ma...
can you buy plausible deniability anywhere online now that etsy's run completely out of it?:
www.metafilter.com/115181/Can-you-buy-plausible-deniability-anywher...
etsy’s reseller debacle - handmade site features questionable goods:
www.webpronews.com/etsys-reseller-debacle-handmade-site-features-qu...
UPDATE: Ecologica Malibu
www.regretsy.com/2012/04/24/update-ecologica-malibu/
This is just one thread that keeps popping up in the Etsy fora...
There have been a lot of threads in the Etsy fora that have magically disappeared.
Please. We all know what is going on, do not add insult to injury.
Why can't Etsy just put on their big boy underwear and fess up- even something to the effect "okay, yeah, we fucked up royally here and dropped the ball, but we completely deleted that bullshit seller's feature story and have shut down her bullshit shop, and from now on, we promise to not only thoroughly investigate all featured sellers, but be more vigilant ourselves in squashing resellers throughout the site."
That is what I would do. Eating a small piece of humble pie in the public's eye earns far more respect than trying to pretend something didn't happen by deleting threads, and further more acting as if this bullshit reseller is complying with company policy and re-working the story and stating that they are called a "collective", which means two or more people working in tandem in the same space to create a handmade item. NOT something drop shipped from fucking Indonesia!
Here is a mission statement from Etsy:
Etsy is the world’s handmade marketplace.
Our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We see a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. We are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.
So basically, this boils down to what? Big fat profit. Who cares about the little guy when they clearly make a larger profit on resellers.
A new website specifically designed for handmade & supplies is due to open at the end of the month.
It is called The Craft Star. I have already reserved my user name.
I cleared 55k last year on Etsy as a hobby. I wonder if they will miss that 3% plus the $180 a month I spent on renewals, plus another $ 21 a month on Etsy ads???
Please come visit me over at The Craft Star!
I will keep you updated on shop opening & specials deals!! :D
Here is something I'd like to share:
"When you buy from a small mom business, you are not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college. Our customers are our shareholders- and they are the ones we strive to make happy. Thank you for supporting small businesses!" - unknown
