Monday, December 1, 2008

Quotables: Definition

Etsy, we got your definition - right here.

etsy is an oxymoron, more moron than oxy most of the time.


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24 Comments:

wristeroni said...

Oh, that's a keeper!

Anonymous said...

May I just say that the current FP supports the idea that they are morons more than oxy? How many times a day do we need to see neck cowls? Seriously?

Isn't there more to etsy than neck cowls, fingerless gloves and plushy toys? I don't dislike these items... but why is this all they seem to show on the FP?

The Cranky One said...

I actually think the treasury picked for the front page was intended as a joke... some of the comments on it just kinda tip me off.

Anonymous said...

If you're right, then that is even more sad than just being clueless. What a waste... it's too bad they are the only real option for some of us right now. I'm seriously thinking about trying the handmade section eBay has started to promote.

Anonymous said...

I actually think the treasury picked for the front page was intended as a joke... some of the comments on it just kinda tip me off.
__________
That's what I was thinking also. Pretty funny if you ask me.

TeawithFrodo said...

anyone have shots of that front page? I missed it

Uberfem said...

I missed it...anyone have a flickr linky?

Anonymous said...

The treasury was intended as a joke. The dopey admins didn't realize that, and thought "Wow, look guys! Perfect! It's got it all!"

This was the biggest fail weekend ever on Etsy, and cyber Monday was a bust. Even the cupcake cheerleaders were asking about alternative venues.

The Funny One said...

The FPT's lately prove a point - that Etsy Admins pick everything on the site------since Admins sift through what sellers have created, and ONLY PICK the ones that confirm their bizarre tastes. (And just may include their friends and family, maybe even be their own stores), and are dupes of items they love to feature each day in 150 blog posts that make no sense to anyone but their little inside clique.

If Etsy Admins think that STEAMPUNK AND DARK ARTS is an attractive "selling" feature, then they just don't get outta Brooklyn much. "How To Turn Off Lots Of Buyers" might be more appropriate.

Ah, but we sellers KNOW that already. Etsy is a tiny little mind running tiny little ideas and tiny trends right into a big hole in the ground.

Etsy = everything you never ever want to see anymore anywhere EVER.

Anonymous said...

As a...ahem... steampunk and dark arts designer in many ways... (persephoneplus)....all that I see is twee and cute.

I am not seeing any promotion of "dark" ...at......all.

I guess its all a matter of perspective.

...and some people do actually like that stuff... ...I am making a living selling it.

....ok..gonna go lick me wounds now.

Maybe I need a break.

The Righteous One said...

Yeah I'm not sure I'd agree that steampunk and dark arts is what they're pushing/promoting/etc...

And I think those categories actually attract more than what they DO push!! lol

Kitsch, impractical, and nouveau something is what they think is trendy, but I don't see it anywhere but Etsy.

Anonymous said...

Impractical! YES! I think you hit the nail on the head with that one...

Lotsa stuff that should die after a few wearings, or is uncomfortable, or oddly constructed.

GIANT 7 inch each link "chain" knit scarves? Who wears that besides Flava Flav in the snow?

(see?...here's me being mean...I would bet someone reading this just loves those..)

Anonymous said...

Between the crappy Free Shipping Gift Guide (full of items without free shipping), the elimination of the Pets Gift Guide, and the elimination of the Art Gift Guide, all in order to make room for crap like a Woodland & Feathers Gift Guide (yeah, W&F is a multi-billion dollar industry, like Art and Pets are not), plus all the rest of their crap, I've finally shut down my shop. I feel so much better now.

Anonymous said...

I don't mind some impractical stuff on the front page--if its "shiny" and catches your eye. The key is to park someone on etsy for awhile even if they don't buy the thing that made them pause. That doesn't mean that everything should be impractical and ridiculous.

The funny thing is that there have been two all scarflette/cowl FPs (at least--I saw two). Does etsy think the joke is that funny? Or are they that clueless?

Also giant "moron" on the continuing maintainence messages that people saw on Cyber Monday. Good job there.

Andy Mathis said...

HaHa- that's funny about free shipping GG with shipping. I totally missed that.

Samy St Clair said...

Could this be it? haha

http://flickr.com/photos/28488923@N05/3075018173/in/pool-etsyfrontpagers/

Anonymous said...

Buddy, GOOD FOR YOU!!!! Now if everyone who is sick and tired of Etsy's garbage would do the same they might actually start to listen. Until then you are just pounding your head against the wall!

Anonymous said...

GIANT 7 inch each link "chain" knit scarves? Who wears that besides Flava Flav in the snow?
__________
OMG!

*snort*

No offense to anyone who likes these, but c'mon. Maybe they need a "quirky" Gift Guide. Not to be confused with a "quirke" Gift Guide! Oh hey, that's an idea!

Anonymous said...

Hiya.

I'm the one who did the all-cowl treasury that made the FP at 4pm on "cyber Monday". It was the easiest treasury I ever made. Find item admin likes (cowls) find colours admin likes (grey/cream/red) find sellers admin likes (you know them) and voila! FP in less than 7 hours. Hells, I did it on less than 2 cups of coffee!

I don't believe some people didn't see the pure beauty in the joke, but I suppose if they didn't "know" me they didn't know the purpose. I'm trying to think of what to do next, but nothing pisses me off more than cowls so I'm having a hard time. I can say I don't like owls/deer/woodland shit but off etsy I really don't care. I've never seen stupid ass huge cowls off etsy so I have no other perspective on that.

Anyway. Interesting experiment.

Anonymous said...

Ah ha, this is the first scarflette/cowl FP that I saw--it was closer (timewise) to the original whiny forum thread so I thought it was "the" joke.

http://flickr.com/photos/28488923@N05/3061789173/in/pool-etsyfrontpagers/

However, then Needs more cowl bell FPs appeared...more hilarity. But I'm laughing at admin now.

In the end...I rather like both treasuries anyway, joke or not. But maybe I'm weird.

The Funny One said...

Just to bring the full circle argument full circle, isn't that all that Etsy is about? They create odd trends, their sellers (some of them, admit it) create products they know Etsy will like (which has been screaming from all Etsy all the time for over 2 years)then they go to the Treasury queue and make FPT's that Etsy will pick, so that everyone is following Etsy's twisted circle.

Thereby flooding the site the all the same products made with all the same materials so sellers can price gouge each other to death.

All because Etsy made it their rule that to get noticed on Etsy, and get thousands of dollars of free advertising (in some cases for 2 years runnung) and confirm the odd trends that Etsy says are trends to begin with.

A little but of inbreeding, but, bet it feeds those Etsy egos 24/7, and the are REALLY BIG egos to feed.

The Righteous One said...

"Buddy, GOOD FOR YOU!!!! Now if everyone who is sick and tired of Etsy's garbage would do the same they might actually start to listen."

*Raises hand* yep...one of EB's own is saying 'fuck it'. Tying up loose ends will take a couple months, but I can't take it anymore. I'll be concentrating on bringing business discussion and alternative venue information to EB.

And I'll still be a buyer on Etsy, so those issues will still affect me.

pomomama said...

unfortunately etsy is bringing handmade down to the lowest common denominator - stuff that can be mass produced quickly - and has stuffed the rest which takes time to craft. these trends which are promoted till we're sick all seem feature ease, speed and lack of technical intricacy (apologies but knitting thick yarn on big needles is a beginner skill, as is knitting no-finger gloves ... which i do). it won't be promoted on etsy unless it can be whipped up in an hour by a 7 year old. (and yes that does sound cranky) which means that then every other seller can start producing the 'hot item' without having much lead in time. voila! flooded with cowls, extremely simple beading, another frigging commercial octopus/bird/squirrel/owl on a commercial chain, hellokitty, and so on .....

c'mon people - where's your individual spark of creativity or do you need a work sheet from etsy to make anything these days?

OK it sounds snobbish (and grumpy) but even at church craft sales 20 years ago handmade had more respect and was appreciated. there is a place for speedy quick fix crafts but not at the expense of more thoughtful intricate crafting/handmade

etsy is making handmade look the same as mass produced (cheap) and is pushing this ideal

(and i loved the cowl treasury/front page - not sure whether to laugh or cry!)

Anonymous said...

Well, etsy has certainly proved this quote to be true today. Check out the hubub on the forums about the way they have changed search result displays. They have cut off anything from view that is past page 5. There is no last page link, no mention of anything beyond 5 pages of results unless you physically scroll that far, no way to easily access that last few pages of results. BOO.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5941142&page=1