Wednesday, December 31, 2008

EB '09 Resolution #1 R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Hey Etsy, How About a Little R-E-S-P-E-C-T???

Example: It’s nice to know that we can get a short, concise update on what Etsy is doing with stats from ANOTHER SOURCE:

“Etsy announced it was working with Google to provide its sellers more detailed data about traffic to their product listings. The Etsy online marketplace is home to crafters, artists and sellers of vintage items.
“Etsy said it was conducting a beta test with Google Analytics to enable sellers to track metrics such as pageviews, site visits, popular content and page referrals. “
Ina Steiner, AuctionBytes 12/30/08.

But, we can’t get an email from Etsy to ALL SELLERS that this, or anything else, is going on? No. We have to wade through tens of thousands of pages of the Dorque to (1) figure out where that informative post might be, (2) try to interpret what those weird Dorkie titles actually mean .....and (3) we sure have better ways to spend our time.

So, how about a little RESPECT in 2009, Etsy? If you can take all that time to post dozens of new Dorkies (with pix!) and zip in all those Etsy-Only FPT’s every day, surely you can spare the time to SEND EMAIL UPDATES TO ALL YOUR SELLERS AS PROMISED IN 2008.

‘Nuf said.

20 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness for you & Etsy News, or I'd never get any information. The forums are a big black hole of depressia, it's difficult to sort out the real news from the rumors, and sock puppets, and people who have sold three things complaining about marketing, and if they should include a free gift (I wasted time reading a thread where sellers were fighting over free gifts: I hate them! I love them!...WTF?)

The Storque is about as useful as a bristle-less toothbrush.

Anonymous said...

Hi! My last comment I put as Anon. It wouldn't let me enter a name/url - I lost what I typed - but here's a name, etc...If you can still post it.

Anonymous said...

The forums are a big black hole of depressia, it's difficult to sort out the real news from the rumors, and sock puppets, and people who have sold three things complaining about marketing, and if they should include a free gift (I wasted time reading a thread where sellers were fighting over free gifts: I hate them! I love them!...WTF?)
_____________
I don't have anything to add but this WAS funny!

Captain Skulduggery Dug said...

I've given up on Etsy ever behaving in a professional manner or treating any of their customers like they are grown adults. Actually I'd just like to hear them acknowledge that sellers are their customers and that they are in the customer service industry. Until they do that they won't get another penny from me in listing fees.

Anonymous said...

HaHa- Yeah, GOOD Luck with that.

Anonymous said...

J'adore les bitches!

Top Shelf Totes said...

To get respect, I've moved to Art Fire, where they respect their CUSTOMERS.

I know that Etsy will never respect us unless they are forced to by competition (e.g. Art Fire gets stats... oh, let's write a Dorque article telling everyone we're at least testing stats integration).

The last round of ridiculousness with Rob just proves that respect will not happen there, nor will any real growth.

My 2009 resolution... build my own site and get over to AF 100%, stat!

Happy New Year!!

The Funny One said...

Amen.
And I did see about 10 posts concerning this issue in the Forums in the last week, but those posts seem to have been buried in debris from all those Etsy office parties.........you know, about all the money they're making on all those things that cost $15 or less..........

What? Counting your bonuses and too busy to bother with your sellers, again?

pomomama said...

Etsy has a long history of failing to reliably inform their customers or place information in a convenient, intuitive place. My loss of faith came with the valentines showcase 07 which suddenly became linked only from the front page instead of from sites external to etsy. there was no mention of this at the time of booking the showcase slots and only a thread in the forums alerted me to this fact after paying. i have not trusted etsy one iota since then

anonanon said...

I have a list of things I'd love to see Etsy implement as their 2009 New Year's Resolutions,
but I swear my number one wish is for them to grow up.

Seriously - get rid of the fucking Dorque - The Storque is just a stupid name for a newsletter, and it is so user-unfriendly - who can wade through that shit?

And the articles are, for the most part, ridiculously lame, and seemingly written for a target audience of 12 year olds - don't they realize we are trying to run BUSINESSES?? (please- that was rhetorical)

And this is my biggest gripe:
Kiss and Make Up???
That is so 12 years old, that it just makes me want to scream. If I have a business complaint with a buyer or seller, I want to negotiate an understanding, I don't want to go steady.

And the stupid error messages you get - "are you talking to yourself?" "Oh noes" blah blah blah childish fishcakes.

Quit with the cutesy names, the cutesy messages, and the cutesy flash toys, and give us a business venue. Damn it.

And Maria - goood grief - she is the invisible woman. Haven't seen anything substantial since her "appearance", and don't expect to. She's like Santa Claus - the forum kiddies still believe in her, but us grown ups know better.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why people expect that Etsy will do anything for anyone other than promote the chosen ones. But what I really don't understand is how Etsy admin can get away with it after getting all the VC money pumped in. Isn't anyone looking at the day to day ops or anything?

The Sneaky One said...

Well, MIZ, your problem might be that you didn't get her name right.

Its Maria THOMAS.

Anonymous said...

MI Zombie - I think it's time for you to close your etsy shop and move on. That kind of rage is unhealthy. Bad for your heart and karma.

Anonymous said...

that poor mailman. He's probably still wandering around Gold Street. Looking for Ms. Thompson.

Anonymous said...

Kiss and Make Up???
That is so 12 years old, that it just makes me want to scream. If I have a business complaint with a buyer or seller, I want to negotiate an understanding, I don't want to go steady.
____________
Smooch! Are you sure? LOL

Best comment of the evening.

anonanon said...

Kiss and Make Up???
That is so 12 years old, that it just makes me want to scream. If I have a business complaint with a buyer or seller, I want to negotiate an understanding, I don't want to go steady.
____________
Smooch! Are you sure? LOL

Best comment of the evening.
___________

Thanks, but I really should have said "I don't want to hook up", so the hipsters and other 12 year olds would understand.

Eveline said...

But... But... Do you know how many people have signed up with Etsy? It will take days to email everyone, days! Etsy Admin don't have time to just spend days on emailing! They've got Dorkies to write!

Anonymous said...

MI Zombie...not to sound rude but you constantly sounds like a scorned lover. Sheesh. I get the frustration but seriously...get over it already. If you hate Etsy and have left it behind then well...leave it behind and shut p about it?

The Funny One said...

Let's rally round and channel all that frustration at Etsy----they managed to make a lot of money in 2008 while feeding off the millions of listings fees paid by sellers who don't get a whole lot of bang for their bucks.

Etsy is laughing at sellers all the way to the bank, and spreading their oh-so-limited and uncreative reputation as a site-without-a-clue and all for $15 or less a pop!!! The bargain bin of possibly handmade, and just what the hell is Etsy anyway?

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised there aren't more sellers pissed off enough to actually do something about it like MIZ instead of just spending their time whining about it on their blogs. (I'm not talking about anyone specifically.) As long as more people aren't willing to actually take action Etsy will continue exactly as they have been! Anyone who hasn't figured out yet that Etsy isn't changing anytime soon has a REALLY hard head!