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Did someone loose their customer service department?
It will take a few days to digest the novellas published today, but, there is one huge hole in the presentation.
"Maria: My current goals at Etsy are:
"* People: seek deeper experience to lead Etsy through things we’ve never done before.
"* Process: create a disciplined approach to planning and execution.
"* Product: build the best marketplace for connecting makers and buyers."
Nothing at all about seller-support. Nothing at all about the sellers being at the core of the whole concept. Etsy would not have turned into what it is without the sellers. And it won't survive too much longer without making them the prime beneficiaries of each and every change at Etsy.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
From the Bitches Auxiliary
Posted by The Kinky One at 11:44 AM
Tagged: auxiliary, customer service, management, maria
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16 Comments:
Etsians. Stay on Etsy, Don't stay on Etsy, it matters not.
But PLEASE realize you have been taken advantage of. You have provided Etsy with free advertising, free site monitoring by diligent flagging, free customer service for newbies in the forums and free product research by providing valuable insight into site functionality.
If you stop, maybe then, Etsy will realize the urgent need for a customer service department, site monitors and an advertising campaign. Something they have taken for granted for three long years.
Sellers are the last people Etsy should be using as a crutch. It is down right, in your face, insulting, that they continue to take these charitable donations from sellers as if it is simply part of the Etsy experience.
You've been taken advantage of Etsians. If they can't afford to run their site by now TOO FUCKING BAD.
I hear ya, impetuous. But the free services that the rahrah boosters in the Etsy community provide on the forums have proven to be a super marketing tool for Etsy to recruit more sellers. Sellers who are willing to renew listings, make free stuff and send it to the labs, make swimmies and cupcakes, pretend not to see the nepotism and cliqueism on the site and etc etc.
Etsy isn't a business failure due to their operating procedures. Instead, I'm thinking it's definitely part of what brought about their huge growth. I am thinking that the helpful volunteers in the forums feel they are in some way more in control of what happens to them on Etsy, which they find to be a pleasing substitute for having better (online venue standard heh) seller tools. These sellers want to feel empowered regardless of how they are actually being treated.
I mean, Maria made it pretty clear she was into reading the forum antics for inspiration. She also seemed more concerned with 'the community' than in offering a state of the art toolbox for sellers.
Ah, but you see etsy will survive even if they pay np attention to their current sellers.
There are always 2-3 new sellers to take our place. And when they fail, 2-3 to take their place.
That's why Maria did not address customer service or seller support. It isn't required to make money for etsy.
They just tkae 20 cents for the new people.
And, I'm curious about one more thing, that necklace Maria said she bought on etsy from Lawyer Sarah, you know, sarah says. Well, it sure itn't in her feedback.
Honestly, I see the OP's point but I think Maria's post says a lot more than many are giving it credit for. Translated into what I read into what she wrote:
1) I got here and realized that these people have no experience and have no idea wtf they're doing. Gotta a) get them trained or b)fire and replace them with people who know what they're doing.
2) I'm installing discipline when there was none previously. This is going to be a bigger job than I thought.
3) I am hitting this staff over the head with this term "marketplace" to remind them that the buying and selling is their actual main mission.
And the real between the lines item:
4) Until I deal with all of this, we can't even begin to promise better customer support. I hope this letter will tide them over until I can clear the wreckage and get to the good stuff.
Ah, but you see etsy will survive even if they pay np attention to their current sellers.
There are always 2-3 new sellers to take our place. And when they fail, 2-3 to take their place.
That's why Maria did not address customer service or seller support. It isn't required to make money for etsy.
They just tkae 20 cents for the new people.
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Wow somebody who gets it. So maybe you weren't one of the morons that made Etsy their sole online sales outlet? Maybe you actually had half a brain enough to get your own domain name and advertise that?
Yep guess what, Etsy is just a business, not a religious movement. As a business they're out to make money. The money each one of you bring them is peanuts. When you pick up your toys and leave, there are plenty of others to take your place.
So maybe start learning something about running your own business, and stop expecting Etsy to hold your hand and do it for you.
whatever..
"That night Tara and I drove back to Nashville through the winding country roads, missing most major turns at least once." What winding country roads? In Nashville?"
No, TO Nashville. Like he wrote. I admit the article is pretty over the top and a bit grandiose for my tastes, but this rant reaches a bit. Have you never called something that's completely different than what you're used to 'a world away'? Come on. Snark on something real that Kalin's done - there are plenty of those instances to go around.
Wouldn't seller support be part of making "the best marketplace"? Just saying...
Psst, did you see the Storque piece about the June stats?
* $6.5 million of goods sold - roughly the same as May.
* That represented 442,000 items sold, a slight drop from May’s number.
* 742,000 new items were listed, up from 730,000 items last month.
* 80,000 new members joined the Etsy community, including 15,000 new sellers, both slight increases from last month.
So 15,000 new sellers joining every month, 80,000 new buyers and SALES HAVE NOT GONE UP. In fact the number of sold items has gone DOWN. Does that worry anyone else?
"That night Tara and I drove back to Nashville through the winding country roads, missing most major turns at least once." What winding country roads? In Nashville?"
No, TO Nashville. Like he wrote. I admit the article is pretty over the top and a bit grandiose for my tastes, but this rant reaches a bit. Have you never called something that's completely different than what you're used to 'a world away'? Come on. Snark on something real that Kalin's done - there are plenty of those instances to go around.
And I posted this comment on the wrong blog post. Oh, the irony. *blush*
sulking said...
Psst, did you see the Storque piece about the June stats?
* $6.5 million of goods sold - roughly the same as May.
* That represented 442,000 items sold, a slight drop from May’s number.
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Wow! That's an average price of less than US$15. I wonder what percentage of that was supplies, both in number of transactions and total $$$$ for supplies sold?
And, yup, the rate of growth at Etsy has slowed a bit for now. Could be why Etsy is trying to primp (pimp?) itself out for their fantasy version of oldster traditionalists from the flyover states? Because they've already tapped out the available young hipsters?
OOPSIE DOOPSIE!! I too have posted in the wrong blog post!
Those stats are worrisome. They should be posted in every thread asking 'why am I not selling anything' along with all the advice to promote, take better pictures and chat it up in the forums.
I expect fluctuations, I guess, and one month is not a good reflection of the big picture, it will be interesting to see how the next few months look statistics=wise.
Thanks for sharing that article and those figures, I missed them.
"* People: seek deeper experience to lead Etsy through things we’ve never done before.
Huh? Haven't the Etsy folks been plying us with this bs long enough? It's just different verbage saying the same thing..."we're working on it"
Yeah, and I'm working on writing a novel made up of my own blog comments. It's due out November 2023.
I'm leaving etsy, it's too darn frustrating.
this was a wierd online thing about kalin that i hadnt seen before
http://strange.corante.com/archives/2007/10/03/fowa07b_robert_kalin.php
and this one
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/10/03/future_of_web_apps_etsycom.html
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